-Wednesday Afternoon, 2nd Of the 1st Month, Year 910-

Today is my third day traveling with the Old Man. We usually travel during the day, sometimes we take breaks throughout our trip to let the horse rest or get something to eat at a village. Since the Old Man doesn't like to travel at night, we usually stop at the closest village and stay at an Inn for the night. Then leave in the morning after eating breakfast. I've offered to pay for my stuff a few times, but he won't let me, he keeps telling me to save my money for the Entrance Exam since I have to pay to register for it, even though I told him that my parents gave me enough money to pay for the Exam fee and more. After the first few times, I'm starting to get used to letting him pay, but I still feel like I shouldn't be relying on him for everything.

I cultivated whenever I could, trying my best to breakthrough before the Entrance Exam starts. Sometimes I talk to the Old Man about different things. Most of the time it was about the city, he would tell me about the different things I could see and buy there. Although I've never heard about most of the things he talked about, I was happy to learn more about the world outside of the forest. After talking to him so much, I'm getting used to being around him.

Today we're traveling a little slower than usual. When I asked the Old Man why, he said that there's a lot of traffic going to and from the city because of the Entrance Exam and the festival that just ended, so it's safer to travel a little slower. I've never been to a festival before, so I asked him about it. He told me that at the start of a new year, every city and town on the continent holds a three-day festival to celebrate it. At first, I was a little sad that I wasn't able to see it this year, but the Old Man said that it's held once every year so I'll be able to see it next year if I passed the Exam.

While talking, we continue our trip, sometimes we pass other carriages carrying other travelers or goods. I asked him if traveling is always so peaceful, and he told me that it isn't, but if we're lucky, the trip will stay quiet, so long as bandits don't appear. He said that bandits are no good criminals, the type of people that will do anything for profit. If I ever encounter a bandit, he said that I should be really careful because they're usually very cunning. I really hope that we won't run into any, but I have a strong feeling that we won't be so lucky.

●●●

'It's getting worse,' As we're traveling down a forest trail, my bad feeling gets worse and worse. After a few minutes, the Old Man motions for me to be quiet and stops the carriage in the middle of the path.

'What's going on?' Feeling anxious, I grab the hilt of my sword.

"Boy, it seems like we have trouble," The Old Man frowns, looking at the right side of the trail.

'Is someone there?' I turn my eyes to the right side of the forest, but I can't see anything, 'There's nothing ther-'

My eyes widen, and I tighten my grip on my sword, seeing a man walk out from the forest. Following behind him, people start to come out from both sides of the trail one by one.

'1..2..3..4..5..6...7..8, counting the guy who came out first, that's 9. I don't know if I can fight this many people,' I grit my teeth and glare at the people blocking our way.

A couple of them have random pieces of armor and good weapons, but most of them only have worn out swords and spears without any type of armor to protect themselves. The guy who came out first has a full set of armor on his upper body and an iron axe. He looks older than the rest of them too, 'I think he's around my Dad's age.'

"Nevermind Kid, I said it was trouble, but it's just a bunch of weak bandits. I must really be getting old," The Old Man rubs his head with a tired expression.

Hearing what the Old Man said, the Oldest Bandit frowns and takes a step forward, "Old Man, we're more than enough to rob an old person and a child."

"If that's what you believe to be so, Young Man," The Old Man shakes his head.

When the Oldest Bandit raises his axe, the rest of the bandits draw their weapons and start approaching us. I draw my sword and start circulating my Qi, getting ready to fight the bandits. Watching them get closer and closer, my hands start trembling, and sweat starts dripping from my forehead. I tighten my grip on the sword and breathe in deeply like Dad taught me, 'There's nothing to be scared of, compared to Dad, they're not strong at all! I can do this!'

"Attack!" The Oldest Bandit orders and they rush at us.

I step in front of the Old Man, easily deflecting the spear thrust at him. Taking advantage of the opening, I take another step forward and kick at his stomach. He tries to draw his spear back to block, but he's too late. My kick hit him straight in the stomach, causing him to stumble back a few steps.

"Hu-" before I could catch my breath, another bandit's sword comes at me from above. I crouch down and block his strike holding my sword's hilt with both hands.

"Haah," I put strength into my legs and jump up, knocking his sword upwards. Using the opening, I kick at his waist, but another bandit blocks my kick with his own. I stumble to the side, and the bandits force their way between the Old Man and me.

I jump back, dodging the spear thrust at me, making some space between them and me.

'One on one, I'm better than them, but there's so many of them that I can't get a good hit in!' I grit my teeth and take a step forward.

"This brat has some skills!" The bandit who thrust his spear at me shouts, drawing more bandits towards me.

'I can't protect the Old Man like this,' I look over in his direction watching three bandits surround him.

"Old Man! You need to get out of here!" I shout at the Old Man, deflecting the sword coming at me, 'I need to get away from these guys first if I want to get over there and help him!'

Again, I jump back, dodging the spear thrust from the front. I focus my Qi in my right leg, causing it to give off a blue aura. I kick out in a sweeping motion and shout, "Dragon Sweep!"

Crack! Slam! Swish! Tear!

The force of my attack lifts his legs off the ground and sends his body to the floor. Using the momentum from my kick, I roll to the side, barely dodging the sword coming down at me.

"Ugh!" I grit my teeth, feeling the stinging pain coming from my back.

I jump back, barely dodging another sword coming at me from the side. I take a few steps back and point my sword at the bandit in front of me.

"Huuu, haaa, huuu, haaa," I take deep breaths trying to endure the pain that I never felt before, 'Even when I sparred with Dad, he never gave me any wounds.'

Cling!

"Ughhh!" I deflect the spearing thrust at me, enduring the spike of pain coming from my wound.

The bandits surround me again, taking turns attacking me, 'Even though I took one down, I'm still outnumbered.'

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Hearing the cracking noise coming from where the Old Man is, I turn my head with the bandits, 'What happened!?'

A six-foot-tall buff man was standing above the bandits staring at them with a tired expression, where the Old Man should be. His muscles are bulging, and his veins pop out, making him look way stronger than anyone else I've ever seen.

In his right hand, he's holding a bandit, screaming, "Let me go! Let me go!" trying to pull his head from the Man's hand. The other two bandits already dropped their weapons. Their whole bodies are shaking, looking at him.

"Kid, we've wasted enough time on these lowlifes," He spoke in a deeper tone than before while staring at me.

'Is that really the Old Man?' I shake my head, 'No, that's not important right now! I need to defeat these bandits!'

I Enchant my sword and charge at another bandit. The bandit quickly turns towards me, barely getting in a stance to counter. Our swords clash, and I release a Qi Wave breaking his sword in half. His eyes widen, seeing his sword break, but I don't give him a chance to recover and use Dragon Sweep to break his legs like the other guy.

'...Two left,' I turn around and point my sword at the Bandit with a rusty spear.

"Good job, Kid!" The Old Man laughs with a deep voice and throws the bandit in his hand at one of the trembling bandits, sending them into the forest.

"Boss!" The other bandits call out to the oldest one still standing in the back.

The Oldest One growls and rushes at the Old Man, his axe glowing with a light blue aura.

"Attack the Old Man with me! The brat can come after he's down!" The bandits turn to the Old Man and rush at him.

'Ah, I can't let them go!' I rush forward and block the Bandit with a spear from leaving, 'I can't stop the other one!'

"Go! I'll take care of this brat!" The Bandit with the spear tells the Bandit with the sword who was about to turn around.

"Old Man!" I call out to him, trying to warn him.

"I'll be fine! These lowlifes are only bugs!" The Old Man confronts the three bandits with a confident expression.

"Brat, you're going to wish you hadn't done that!" The Bandit with a spear uses Enchant, but unlike mine, his aura is shakier.

"Agh!" I flinch, feeling a leaf brush against my wound, 'I need to hurry and take this guy down!'

I sidestep in a hurry, dodging the spear thrust at me, but the thrust suddenly turns into a swing. I jump back as fast as I can, but the spear cuts my side, "Agh!"

I Enchant my sword and slash at him, but he steps to the side and thrust at me. I turn and deflect his spear.

Clang! Cling!

We exchange a couple strikes before taking a step back, 'I'll have to use that technique to create an opening.'

I jump back a few more steps and send out a Qi Wave. Unlike that time with Dad, I send out four Qi Waves back to back in a few seconds, distracting the Bandit.

'Now!' As soon as he breaks the third Qi Wave, I charge forward, reaching his side, I use Enchant pouring a lot of Qi into my sword. I slash at him with all my strength breaking his spear and opening a large wound on his chest.

"I did it!" I smile and tighten my grip on my sword.

"Huh?" I widen my eyes, watching the Old Man defeat the bandits.

He slammed his fist into the ground when the Bandits jumped at him. The moment his fist slammed into the ground, a large and powerful wind exploded, sending all the bandits flying.

"Amazing!" I didn't know that the Old Man was so strong.

"Good Job, Kid! You beat three of them!" The Old Man stands up and walks over to me, looking at the bandits on the ground he pats my shoulder.

'It's over…' My body starts to fall to the ground as my vision fades away.