Chapter 47

After departing from the village, Ryuk led the siblings and a tiger in one direction on their journey to the city of Omashu. Over the next several days, he had been teaching Katara waterbending, which she was picking up very quickly.

At the same time, the Fire Nation's reaction didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the continent. All of their attacks and offensive forces had left their positions and headed to the southwest.

Such a massive movement couldn't go unnoticed.

The scouts who had reported to the Fire Lord had been captured by an opposing force, and they had spilled everything they knew.

When the Fire Nation forces arrived at the village, they found it empty.

Soon, wild rumors spread across the continent.

A massive army of firebenders, a considerable force, had been defeated by fewer than 100 people, leaving a stain on the Fire Nation's pride.

Some people claimed that the Fire Lord's blood pressure had raised because of this, and his health was getting worse.

Even if the rumors were true, no one could blame the Fire Lord for having such a reaction.

Despite the extensive search for the earthbenders, no one had found them.

Wanted posters were plastered everywhere, targeting those who were known. The highest reward was for Ryuk—dead or alive.

Of course, Ryuk remained unaware of this even after a couple of weeks.

Sokka sat by the campfire, barbecuing a rabbit he had caught. Katara stood by the river behind him, practicing waterbending techniques against her boyfriend.

Ryuk stood in front of her, hands in his pockets.

She stomped, pulled her body back, and then pushed forward with her arms, creating a wave from the river that surged toward Ryuk.

Ryuk placed his foot on the wave. It might have seemed like he intended to kick it away, but instead, he stepped onto the water and rode the wave backward.

The water climbed up his leg and began to freeze.

'Her ice has gotten colder, but it's still not enough to give anyone frostbite,' Ryuk thought to himself, smiling. 'Guess it's the system's advantage to let me raise my Freeze Level.'

Katara was picking up the lessons he had been teaching her quickly. At this rate, she might even reach a bending mastery of level 10 soon. In just two weeks of guidance, she had easily reached level 9.

Since he had been the one to teach her, Ryuk felt a sense of pride. He clapped his hands, and the ice shattered, splitting the wave in two.

Sokka blew on the crispy skin of the grilled rabbit. The rich aroma hit his nose, and his mouth began to water.

A water wave suddenly hit him, drenching both him and his food.

He frowned.

He had tried to tell the two to cool it down, but they never listened, continuing their practice.

When he had argued with Ryuk, the latter had told him he could always go somewhere else to cook his food.

Of course, Sokka, who had recently begun to appreciate the wonders of women, couldn't leave his sister alone with Ryuk. No offense to Ryuk—he was an awesome guy, responsible, and had a sense of humor that made him trustworthy. But Sokka was too young to become an uncle. As the older brother, he felt it was his duty to protect his little sister.

Katara spread her hands, clapped, and then waved them downward. Water rose from the ground, forming a surface above Ryuk before turning into ice needles that rained down on him.

Ryuk shifted his body, creating a water barrier. It was obvious he could do this with just a thought, using minimal mental effort. But he was teaching someone who couldn't do that yet.

The needles hit the dense water barrier and slowed down. The water, thickened by bending, was perfect for defense. Of course, one could make it spin, but he would leave that for her to figure out.

Ryuk began punching ice balls out of the barrier, which Katara tried to dodge. Eventually, she slipped and fell.

"When I said I don't like my meat dry, this isn't what I meant," Sokka muttered, looking at the now-soggy grilled rabbit. He took the rabbit away and reignited the fire to crisp the skin again.

"Let me help you," Ryuk said to Katara, taking her hand and helping her up.

She chuckled. "I lost again."

Over the past few weeks of traveling, Ryuk had been teaching her, and they had sparred regularly.

After each sparring session, Ryuk would stand behind her and correct her stances. She couldn't focus much during these moments, as something would press against her—and it wasn't his hand. She would suddenly feel very warm.

"You're improving at an incredible rate. Don't let it get you down," he replied.

"Yes, sure," she smiled at him. "But it seems like I'll never reach your level."

"Who knows?" he replied, glancing at the sky. "It looks like the full moon is approaching."

"Hmm…" she nodded. "I've heard it increases the power of waterbending."

"It definitely does," he said. "Though, I was wondering about another effect."

"Water bonding?" she asked with a hint of mischief. Over the past few days, Ryuk had grown more comfortable telling her dirty jokes, and she had started joking back. But this time, Ryuk wasn't even thinking along those lines.

He was considering that bloodbending was out of his reach because the system determined its level. He was confused about whether he needed to level up Chi Bending, Waterbending, or both first.

But at the same time, Katara wasn't bound by the system and could potentially learn it.

Everything has its pros and cons—even a gaming system.

For example, someone with an HP bar could heal instantly by drinking water or consuming items. That might seem awesome, being able to regenerate in front of others.

But imagine this scenario: What if they just survived a battle with only 5 or 1 HP left? What if their friend slapped their back so hard that those last HP points were depleted, and they died? A normal human would just smile through the pain.

Everything has its ups and downs. There's no denying it.

On the other hand, leveling up his skills through the system was much faster. He didn't need a teacher or a guide—just practice and gathering experience points through hunting would put him at the top.

He could level up certain aspects that people in this world couldn't, such as freezing. In the series, ice rarely killed, but his ice could easily take down giant insects.

'I won't give up. I'll keep lifting weights with water until I can lift a body with blood,' he thought.

"Ryuk. Earth to Ryuk," Katara waved her hand in front of his face as he zoned out.

"Sorry, I got lost in thought," he replied, pulling her closer by the waist.

"Ryuk… I'm up for a quickie if you want to let loose," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"Oh, look at that. Sokka isn't the only one getting wet, it seems," he joked.

Katara chuckled but suppressed her smile. "You want to stay cold?"

"I better shut my lips," Ryuk said.

"Let me help you with that," she said, kissing him.

-x-X-x-

The next day, Ryuk and the siblings arrived at a bustling city. The streets were alive with activity as people moved back and forth.

Merchants lined the streets, offering their wares. It was clear that this was a prosperous city—and, more importantly, it wasn't occupied by the Fire Nation.

The people dressed in green, trading with the Earth Kingdom's currency, which looked very different from the Fire Nation's money.

How did Ryuk know? Well, it was obviously not the South Pole's currency, nor was it the Fire Nation's.

'I'll have to exchange my loot and get earth kingdom currency.' he thought.

At the city entrance, he paused.

He saw a familiar face on a wanted posters board.

"Seriously?" Sokka said, looking at the poster. "This isn't even a Fire Nation-occupied place, yet they have wanted posters for 'justice.'"

"They have a big note saying the rewards can only be paid at Fire Nation posts," Katara added.

"Hmm… seems bounty hunters aren't concerned about the Hundred Year War," Ryuk sighed. "I look quite handsome, though." His eyes fell on his own poster.

"Dead or alive. Wanted for crimes of rebelling against the Fire Nation, prison breaks, killing higher-ups, creating explosive bombs, and committing war crimes… What the hell? Since when is killing an occupier on your own land considered a war crime?"

The answer was obvious: history is written by the victors.

"They're just being salty," Sokka added. Then his eyes widened. "Look…"