Jin Tai

The girl stepped back a few paces, fear evident on her face. What scared her more than his words was the calmness with which he admitted his crimes. Finally, she gathered her courage to try sensing his power, before anger overtook her.

"How dare a weakling in the fourth level of the Genesis Realm claim he has killed thousands? Are you mocking me?"

But the young man paid no attention to her words; his entire focus was on trying to recall his memories.

"Jin Takai... No, something's wrong. Takai is the target I'm supposed to kill. I don't have a name... Ah, Jin Tai is that old man's name."

His ignoring her only fueled her fury, and she exploded, screaming at him.

"Why are you ignoring me and not answering? Or are you plotting your next massacre, Mr. Fourth-Level Butcher?"

Unperturbed by her anger, Jin covered his ear with his finger, fearing his eardrum might be damaged by her screams.

"And what's the relation between level and killing? All you need is courage. This isn't our topic, anyway. Now, give me five hundred silver coins and let me go."

"Give you five hundred what...? Listen, you swindler, I won't give you anything."

"Swindler? You summoned me, so take responsibility. Or are you planning to leave me homeless and penniless like a vagabond?"

'Did I really summon him?'

The girl began reviewing her calculations. She thought that from the beginning, she shouldn't have attempted to summon the sacred guardian, as the idea itself was an impossibility. Back then, she found no harm in trying.

And indeed, in some way, instead of the sacred guardian, this young man appeared before her from nowhere, which meant the magic worked somehow. The question remained: who is this Jin who claims to be a butcher, sparing not even his family?

"Fine, you're right. You are my responsibility. I brought you here, and I will send you back. Just tell me exactly who you are and where you were before I summoned you."

Jin smiled and answered immediately,

"My memory is a bit hazy, but I can answer you. I'm Jin, Tai Jin, and I was at the Black Wall Castle on the Isle of Ancestors, about forty years from now."

"Alright, Mr. Jin, I'll cover the cost of your journey to the Isl—...."

The girl froze in place, silent for seconds before screaming,

"Isle of what? Forty what? The future? That's impossible! First, you claim to be a cold-hearted killer, and now you say you came from the future? You liar, who are you trying to fool?"

The young man raised his hair, revealing his crimson eyes, staring at her coldly. With steady steps, he approached her, and the atmosphere around him changed. Suddenly, the air became heavy, and she felt cold sweat on her forehead.

"Hey... girl, are you implying I'm a liar? The one who calls me a liar hasn't been born yet... Do you know why?"

The girl's body froze completely. Despite his low level, his aura was unusual, making her rethink her assumptions.

'This killing intent isn't from an ordinary person. Could he really be a crazed killer?'

The young man's face got closer to hers, and he curved his mouth into a frightening smile.

"The one who calls me a liar hasn't been born yet... because I haven't been born yet."

"Ah..."

Ha ha ha The young man laughed loudly.

"Get it? I haven't been born yet because I'm from the future. Why don't you laugh? Didn't you find the joke amusing?"

The girl's anger returned, covering her beautiful face. She clenched her fists, trying to resist the urge to hit the young man who was enjoying mocking her. Although she indeed wanted to hit him, the killing intent she saw from him made her rethink and try to solve the matter through discussion.

"Time travel is impossible."

"Says the one who tried to summon a fictional character from the realm of immortals," he mocked, then added,

"Everything I told you is true. If you don't believe me, take another look at your magical circle. This circle is a time and dimensional magic circle."

The girl leaped onto the book, flipping its pages, searching for the truth of his words. After reading a few pages, she froze in place, her mind still trying to comprehend everything that happened and what this young man was saying. But to no avail, smoke rose from her head, which was about to explode, without reaching any conclusion.

In the end, she exploded in panic, tears in her eyes.

"I wanted to stop the war, but instead, I brought a butcher from the future. I've brought disaster upon the kingdom."

Seeing the frightened girl with tears in her eyes, Jin felt affected. He sighed and held her shoulders, trying to calm her down.

"Calm down a bit, no need to be so tense. Because of the summoning, my memory got a bit hazy, but I can assure you that I'm not the crazy butcher. In fact, I was fighting against the butcher before you brought me to your time. And I remembered some news that will cheer you up: the war will stop, and there will be a truce."

The girl felt relieved; at least now she heard something pleasant. But she was still skeptical about him, especially after the ominous aura he released earlier.

"And what about the aura of death surrounding you?"

"Old habits die hard, especially after all those I've killed."

Her face turned dark again, stammering,

"Ki... killer, you're a killer, and I thought you were a good person and believed your words about fighting against the butcher."

"And what did you expect me to be? A fisherman? You need a killer to take down another. And why are we still talking about this? None of this has happened yet. It's all in the distant future. So stop evading and take responsibility for summoning me."

Jin extended his hand, asking for money. Reluctantly, the girl pulled out what she had, finding no other solution.

"All I have is three hundred silver coins."

"It's alright, I'll take it. You owe me two hundred."

The young man left the hut, waving goodbye without even looking back, saying,

"I remembered which time I was supposed to return to. Any time but this one would likely end with my death. You saved my life, so thank you."

Meanwhile, the penniless girl wondered where she would get money after all her funds had flown away, then noticed the amulet's disappearance from the magical circle.

"The scoundrel, I saved his life, and in return, he tricked me and stole my money. He even took the amulet with him."

Her face turned red with anger, realizing it was him who should have paid for saving his life. But in the end, she composed herself to think,

'Where could he run from me? After a few months, there will be the entrance exam to the institute, and surely he will return here to participate.'