7.

Riding Kane’s wagon, the party peacefully left the town of Mashiro the next morning. They head back to Bysstal to claim the ticket to the Summer Expedition. After some hours, they arrived at the town and proceeded to the guild. The guildmaster felt the chill down to his spine when he saw Kane menacingly glaring at him, but at the same time felt happiness because they successfully brought him back.

-Finally they can help Hokori now, I’ve been watching him for a long time. I wish I could have saved him back then, this is the least that I can do for now.

The guildmaster gave them a warm farewell for their journey. The ship will be waiting for them at Mechtown next month.

Living to its name, Mechtown is the most advanced town in the world of Pangeku. It is where Innovation lives and everything is empowered by the steam engine. It is the dreamland for every Blacksmith who lacks combat aspects because their arsenal will be widened. From the usual, swords and armory, Mechtown uses guns, steam powered gloves, different types of grappling hooks, and everything that they can imagine. Bystall to Mechtown is a week-long travel.

“You’re three horned bull is pretty strong, captain, what is his name?” Ryuu asked.

“It doesn’t have one” Kane answered.

“It would be nice if it had one” Reiko replied.

“Let’s give him a name!” Akari suggested.

“It doesn’t need one” Kane argued.

“Hmm.. HOW ABOUT GEORGE? IT’S COOL RIGHT?” Ryuu excitedly suggested.

“Sounds stupid, like you” Reiko replied.

“APOLOGIZE TO EVERY GEORGE LIVING IN PANGEKU RIGHT NOW!” Ryuu shouted.

“Hmmm… I don’t like it either” Akari added.

“awww.. Don’t agree with nee-san hinata-chan” Ryuu sadly said.

“HOW ABOUT ROBERT?!” Ryuu suggested.

“You sucked at giving names Ryuu-san hahaha” Akari said while laughing.

“It will be better if you just shut up” Reiko added.

“OY! I’M TIRED OF GETTING BULLIED HERE! CAPTAIN SAY SOMETHING” Ryuu complained.

“Shut up, you are too noisy” Kane replied.

*Ryuu depressedly sit down in a corner*

“Taurus? I think Taurus fits him well” Akari suggested.

“You mean the zodiac sign? I like the metaphorical setup” Reiko replied.

“What do you mean Reiko-chan?” Akari asked.

“Well you can only observe the constellations at night, night represents darkness as well, it fits well to name him from a cosmic observation since its owner uses dark magic” Reiko explained.

“Yosh! It’s decided. Your name is Taurus!” Akari said.

“George is better though” Ryuu murmured.

The sun sets and the party decides to camp in a forest. They repeatedly travel in daytime and camp at night but something is a bit off, Akari noticed how pale Kane is. For the past 5 days of travel, Kane does not sleep and will only eat a minimal amount of food that they are eating. Kane is on guard the whole time, not because of a possible ambush, but because of the possible betrayal from them.

The morning rises and as they travel, huge stone golems block their path. The golems wouldn’t back down that’s why they decided to fight those golems. Kane launched an attack first then the rest followed up. The fight continues but Akari, Reiko, and Ryuu notice that Kane is struggling. His moves are slower than usual and his attacks lack strength. Kane’s vision is slowly getting blurred. One of the Golem picked up a huge boulder and threw it to Kane.

“WATCH OUT!” Akari shouted.

Those were the last words that Kane heard before he lost his consciousness.

After 6 hours, Kane woke up inside the wagon, lying on a hay with a bandage on his body. He smelled a delicious aroma from a distance, he then stood up and checked outside to clarify the happenings.

“Yow captain! You finally woke up, come join us! Nee-san is a good cook!” Ryuu greeted.

“What happened?” Kane asked.

“Well you passed out and tanked a huge boulder, I was amazed that your body wasn’t squashed. Your body must be made out of steel, plus nee-san healed your wounds so I guess that explains everything” Ryuu answered.

“Here you go Hokori-san, make sure to finish your food, it will help you to regain your strength” Reiko handed a warm delicious soup.

*Akari sat down besides Kane*

“Eat it all up and sleep as much as you want. You did not sleep these past few days, I thought you were guarding us but I realized you were guarding yourself from us. I won’t force you to be open to us but please put a little faith on us… Rest for now and eventually we will earn your trust.” Akari softly said.

That moment stunned Kane, after a long time, he never felt the warmth from another person before. He realized that Akari, Reiko, and Ryuu could just abandon his dying body back there and steal all of his belongings but instead they treated his wounds and patiently waited for him to wake up.

-I’m sorry…

8.

The next morning, the party moved out and eventually reached the gates of Mechtown. They were overwhelmed by the surroundings and every house has its own forging area. Shops compete with one another, proving that they have the latest innovation in the country. Since they have a week to spare, they check the shops and explore the mainland. Ryuu was fascinated by the town but what extremely caught his attention was the annual Steam Boxing. It is an event that uses steam powered gloves, wherein it drastically boosts the owner's punch by a hundredfold. Magic is prohibited in the match.

"I WANT TO JOIN HERE! LET ME JOIN HERE!" Ryuu excitedly said.

"Are you sure Ryuu-san? Do you have any boxing experience?" Akari asked

"It will be my first if you guys allow me hehe…" Ryuu answered.

"I guess you can join there, we still have a week before the Summer expedition, that event will happen 5 days from now, but I do think that you'll easily get beat up there." Reiko added.

"CAPTAIN! PLEASE TRAIN ME!" Ryuu requested.

"No." Kane rapidly replied.

"But captain! You can teach me your workout routine so that I can be as strong as you!" Ryuu insisted.

Kane doesn't like working with other people but since he was in debt with them, he eventually agreed and let them tagged along with his working routine.

"Fine, you'll tag along with me during my workout in the morning while the other two will join me with magic training at night. That's all, we'll start tomorrow." Kane replied.

Akari, Reiko, and Ryuu happily screamed that moment, slowly they were able to see the other side of Kane. The next morning, Everyone woke up early. They went to an open area to start their training.

“Pull this boulder from here to that point. Let’s build your muscles first.” Kane instructed.

“Can, we start at a smalleee….. EE?!” Ryuu’s complaint was interrupted when he saw Kane pulling a doubled size boulder compared to the one’s given to him.

“YOOOOOOOSHA! It’s time for me to show my true strength!” Ryuu shouted.

*After an hour*

“I can’t take this anymore, I… I… I’M DYING!” Ryuu said while catching his breath.

“Pathetic…” Reiko said while watching from a distance.

“This is hopeless..” Akari added.

“A minute break then we will run around the city with sandbags on our legs” Kane ordered.

*After an hour*

“Is he dead?” Reiko asked.

“QUICK HEAL HIM REIKO-CHAN!” Akari shouted.

“Don’t heal him, let his muscle and stamina adapt to the training, relying too much on healing will get you all killed” Kane said.

“He’s a beast..” Reiko said.

“This is insane..” Akari added.

“Aaaa...ee…” Ryuu desperately trying to speak.

Night comes and the magic training starts.

“Point your palm upwards and cast your magic consistently until you run out of mana. Managing your mana flow is essential in battle, cast it only on a moderate level consistently.” Kane instructed.

“This isn’t bad” Reiko said.

“I think we can do this” Akari added.

*After an hour*

“How can he continuously cast magic?” Reiko said while slowly losing control.

“Looks like he is not even breaking a sweat…” Akari added.

“NOW YOU KNOW HOW IT FEELS!” Ryuu shouted.

“I can’t hold it anymore… I.. can’t.. Cast… anymore…” Akari said.

Eventually, Akari and Reiko stopped casting fire and water magic while on the other hand, Kane continued to cast his magic.

*After an hour*

“He’s a beast…” Reiko said.

“This is insane…” Akari added.

“Aaaa… eee…” Ryuu tried speaking but he was speechless.

“Training ends, head back to the inn, same routine tomorrow.” Kane stopped casting black shroud and walked back to the inn.

*Next morning*

“YOSHA! I’M GONNA PULL THIS BOULDER TO THE END OF THE WORLD!” Ryuu

“You can do it Ryuu-san” Akari cheered.

“Let’s see…” Reiko replied.

*After an hour*

“i’M gOnNa PuLl ThIs BoUlDeR tO tHe EnD oF tHe WoOoOrLd” Reiko sarcastically shouted.

“At least he pulled it further than yesterday, well still not enough compared to Hokori.” Akari said.

“Same routine, minute break” Kane ordered.

*After an hour*

“He looks like an undead desperately trying to walk” Reiko said.

“Well at least he did not pass out this time.” Akari added.

*Later that day*

“You’ve experienced maintaining your magic cast last night, now do it again but this time cast it on a spiral form. Manipulating magic will improve its based damage.” Kane instructed.

“This is going to be rough…” Reiko said.

“let’s do our best!” Akari motivatedly said.

*After an hour*

“How can he pull a huge boulder in the morning and still have mana left to cast and manipulate magic at night?” Reiko asked.

“He even cast two spinning shrouds, each on his hands…” Akari added.

After some time, Akari and Reiko stopped casting their magic while on the other hand, Kane continued to manipulate those swirling shrouds on his hands.

*After an hour*

“He’s a beast…” Reiko said.

“This is insane…” Akari added.

“Aaaa… eee…” Ryuu tried speaking but he was speechless.

“That’s it for today, same spot tomorrow.” Kane said.

The 4th day on their mechtown journey started. It is already afternoon yet Akari, Reiko, and Ryuu are still sleeping. Eventually, they woke up and realized that they overslept. They sprinted as fast as they could, yelling “sorry” starting from the inn all the way to their training spot.

“We overslept due to exhaustion, please forgive us Hokori-san” Akari said.

“Captain! I’ll cut my pinky finger to atone our sins! But please say no…” Ryuu added.

“Please say yes…” Reiko suggested.

“Relax, no training for today” Kane replied.

“Why?” Akari asked.

“When forging a sword, you will put it on a burning hot furnace then hammer it down, you need to cool it down before sharpening the sword. This helps to reduce irregularities in the blade.” Kane said.

“So you mean we’ll be fixing the irregularities on our body by resting?” Reiko asked.

“Not just resting, by meditating.” Kane answered.

“Woooaaahh, captain is so cool!” Ryuu added.

“For now, follow me.” Kane said.

*They walked and went inside of a cave.*

“Why are we here hokori-san?” Akari asked.

“We need a quiet place for a successful meditation.” Kane answered.

“Now sit down comfortably, connect the edge of your left fingers to your right fingers, empty your mind, take a deep breath, slowly you will feel your mana flowing through your body. We use mana on our daily basis, that is why we tend to pass out when we run out of it. Understanding how your mana flows will help you cast your magic or move your body according to your will. A skilled mage versus a skilled swordsman might be a pretty one sided for the mage because of the range advantage, but the truth is, whoever manages their mana effectively wins the battle.” Kane explained.

The night comes and their peaceful meditation was a success. They were so caught up in meditating, they did not notice that it’s been 6 hours.

“WHAT? IT’S ALREADY DARK OUTSIDE?” Ryuu asked.

“How long did we meditate? Feels like an hour” Reiko added.

“We surely take a lot of time to understand ourselves hahaha.” Akari said.

After a while their stomach growls due to hunger. Akari, Reiko, and Ryuu laughed as they walked outside the cave.

“Let’s have a feast!” Ryuu shouted.

“Yosh! Nee-san will cook a lot this time” Reiko replied.

“Yosha!” Ryuu shouted.

*Akari slowed down to walk with the same speed of Kane*

“Hokori-san, I was thinking, ahmm… you are not joining our meals ever since we got here in mechtown, so… I hope this time… If you don’t mind... let’s eat together?” Akari softly requested.

“This time only.” Kane replied.

Akari genuinely smiled. The bright moon illuminates the night sky as they walk back to the town.

The next day, they went back to the same spot to train. Kane prepared a different routine this time.

“Your fight will be tomorrow, we’ll test your dodging skills this time. Hinata, Reiko, you’ll be part of this too.” Kane said.

“Yosha! Let’s do this” Ryuu shouted.

“Hinata and Reiko stand in front of Ryuu. Hinata and Reiko will cast small fire and water balls and control it randomly. Your job is to dodge the fireballs and punch as many water balls as you can. On the other hand, we will test Hinata and Reiko’s consistency on their magic cast. We’ll start at moderate speed, ready, GO!” Kane instructed.

Hinata and Reiko started casting their magic in a random direction. So far Ryuu manages to punch every water ball and at the same time dodge every fireball.

“Woah, Ryuu’s speed and accuracy improved a lot” Reiko surprisingly said.

“You’re right Reiko-chan. To be honest, I also feel lighter than usual, I guess it’s easier to cast magic now” Akari replied.

“Warm up is over, raise the casting speed.” Kane instructed.

Akari and Reiko geared up and simultaneously cast more magic. Ryuu’s movement becomes blurry due to its tremendous mobility.

“Now bend your magic, control your magic’s direction after you cast it.” Kane instructed.

The water and fire balls started to change its direction, Ryuu eventually started to have a hard time. He started to fail on landing his punches and some of the fireballs started to hit his body.

“Stop, that’s it for today. The magic manipulation is quite sloppy, Ryuu's instincts are quite dull. Training ends here, I’ll head out for now. Nonetheless, all of you were better than before. See you before the Summer Expedition.” Kane said then walked away.

Akari, Reiko, and Ryuu were not satisfied by the result despite the improvement. After taking a short break, they decided to train on their own. Everyone is eager to catch up to Kane’s level.

-This is not good enough, we are not even close to that move he pulled that night…

Akari remembers the whirlpool incident. It reminded her how huge their gap was and that pushes her to train even harder and not just fully rely on Kane.

9.

The annual Steam Boxing has begun. Ryuu’s first fight is quite slipshod due to the fact that it was the first time that Ryuu uses steam powered gloves, provided by the tournament. Fortunately, the training made it possible for him to tank some hits. After a period of time, Ryuu got accustomed to the weight of the gloves, combining with his mobility, he successfully won his first match up. Round after rounds, match up after match ups, Ryuu is taking out the tournament's favorites one after the other. The crowd named him the “young gun” and eventually reached the finals.

“YOSHA! This competition is way too easy! The training was way harder than this!” Ryuu boasted.

“We’re happy for you Ryuu-san!” Akari replied.

“Nee-san is always proud of you.” Reiko added.

“I wish captain would be there at the finals, I want him to see me win it all because of his training.” Ryuu said.

“I think we should give him space, maybe he is still not used to this kind of thing” Akari stated.

“Give him space ha? What’s up with you and Hokori-kun? I’ve been observing you guys for awhile now.” Reiko teased.

“NOTHING! It’s just that I want him to be part of us” Akari defensively answered.

“Well to be honest, those abs were pretty tempting.” Reiko added.

“OY!!! STOP IT REIKO-CHAN!” Akari shouted while blushing.

*Reiko and Ryuu laughed and continued teasing Akari*

The finals are starting and Ryuu is warming up. Standing in front him is a mysterious man wearing a mask. He is also a first timer on the competition but he shocked everyone due to the strength of his punch, he knocked out every opponent with a single punch, earning the name “shotgun”. The crowd erupts and everyone is rooting for their favorite. The bell rings and it’s time for the final round.

Ryuu swiftly moved forward and threw a punch, he continued throwing punches rapidly while Shotgun was on defensive stance. It continues up to 5 straight minutes until the round ends. Shotgun did not throw even a single punch.

-What is his deal? Is he a masochist or something?

The bell rings and the 2nd round starts. Ryuu repeated the same move but the moment he threw a punch, Shotgun easily avoided it. That made him step back and think.

-Did he memorize my move last time? No, it’s impossible, maybe it is just a lucky dodge.

Ryuu swiftly attacks and continuously throws rapid punches. This time he couldn’t even land a single punch. The crowd roars as they go toe to toe. Shotgun dodges all of Ryuu’s punch until the round ends.

-Now I get it, he intentionally makes his opponent attack continuously so that they will run out of mana, the moment they run out of it, he will throw his deadly punch and that will easily knock them out. I must say he knows how to control his mana like Captain does.

The bell rings, it’s time for the third round. Ryuu moved forward but that instant Shotgun threw a punch. Ryuu covered himself and he was able to tank the deadly punch. The crowd erupts, Ryuu was the first opponent in the competition who does not get knocked out by a single punch of Shotgun. Though it severely damaged his body.

-That insanely hurts! He’s a beast! I guess he wasn’t crowned Shotgun for nothing…

“Hmmm.. seems like your training worked out” Shotgun said.

-How did he know that I was training for this? Wait… I think it’s obvious that everyone will train for this, maybe I’m over thinking a bit here. His voice is quite familiar though…

“You are too strong Shotgun, I’m impressed, now let’s end this” Ryuu replied.

Ryuu once again moved first but this time he uses his mobility and runs around the boxing ring. He started throwing punches then moved back out. He was successfully landing those punches.

“You’re a tricky one.” Shotgun said.

“I call this hit and run, impressive right?” Ryuu replied.

Shotgun closes his eyes and puts down his guard. When Ryuu tried to punch him he immediately dodged. The crowd heats up as they witness Shotgun avoiding those punches even when eyes closed.

-HE’S ONLY USING HIS INSTINCTS?

Despite Ryuu's high speed combination of running and punching, Shotgun calmly dodged everything. Shotgun then throws a right hook to his left side and that directly hits Ryuu’s face. That punch knocks Ryuu out stone cold. Everyone was speechless for a short period of time, the announcer yelled and everyone shouted shotgun.

Mizuno Ryuu was born with bone cancer, he was extremely fragile. It took him 4 years before he was able to walk on his own. As he grew up, he eventually could not support his own body, he used a walking cane at the age of 7 just to help him to go to places. The cancer on his body spread quickly and by the time he reached his 10th birthday, he was bedridden. He wanted to see the world, he envies those children who can discover new things, learn new talents, and do as they please. Unfortunately, the world does not give him those chances. By the age of 14, Mizuno Ryuu died.

He was reincarnated in the world of Pangeku with an extreme aspect on his mana flow, He cannot cast any magic other than mist, but that gave him the chance to exert all of his mana in controlling his body movement. He can learn new things quickly and will definitely try new things, he always enters a competition even without any experience of it. He believes that trying is better than losing the chance. Ryuu could not remember his past life, but at the back of his mind, he didn't want to stop moving anymore.

Mizuno Reiko is the older sister of Mizuno Ryuu, she was 9 years older than Ryuu. Due to Ryuu’s condition, she took several jobs at the age of 16 to support his little brother’s medication. Their father only has the standard salary rate while her mother needs to take care of his brother. That’s why she decided to work so that they can make both ends meet. She loved her brother so much but due to the responsibilities that she had to do, she cannot spend time with him. When Ryuu died, she was so devastated, she thought that all of the hard work was pointless since she did not get a chance to spend time with her little brother. She cannot think straight, it seems like her mind was floating, filled with hallucinations. On her way to her work, she was hit by a car. Mizuno Reiko died from that accident.

She was reincarnated in the world of Pangeku as the twin sister of Mizuno Ryuu. She has a high aspect for healing and water magic. She enjoys healing and treating wounds, seeing her patients fully healed puts joy in her heart. This time, she was given a chance to spend time with her little brother and lessen her responsibilities as the older sibling since they are twins. Reiko could not remember her past life, but at the back of her mind, all she ever wanted is to spend time with her brother and heal those who are in need.

“Haaaaay… I thought Ryuu could win it all..” Akari sadly stated.

“Well he did put up a good fight, I’m proud of him no matter what the result is.” Reiko replied.

“You truly love your brother Reiko-chan” Akari said.

“Haha, come Hinata-chan, I’m pretty much sure I can heal his wounds way better than the priests here.” Reiko answered.

The annual Steam Boxing tournament ends, Reiko and Hinata assist Ryuu back to the inn. Reiko then treated his wounds while Akari and Ryuu were talking about how intense the finals were. The room filled with laughter as they reminisced their journey in Mechtown. The intense training and bonding that they all shared were priceless. They all swore that someday they will be as strong as Hokori Kane and at the same time will always have each other’s back.

-I will never forget this journey, I guess they don't just make different items here, our story was also forged in this town.