Xylor[3]

Two years. It had been two years since I arrived on Xylor.

In that time, I had trained relentlessly, sharpening my combat skills beyond what I ever imagined possible. Before leaving Earth, I had copied a powerful B-ranked combat art through Silia—Weapon Mastery. It was a unique skill that allowed the user to master any three weapons they had practiced at least 50,000 times. Over these years, I had experimented with over a hundred different weapons, but now was the time to choose.

As I stood outside in the golden sunlight, Silia handed me a circular diary, its pages enchanted to record my choices. Without hesitation, I opened it and wrote:

1. Sword

2. Daggers

3. Guns

The moment I finished writing, my head was flooded with information—techniques, movements, instincts I had never learned but now somehow knew. The knowledge settled into my body like it had always been there. My grip on my weapons felt different—perfectly natural, like an extension of myself.

However, guns were no longer the same as they had been on Earth. Ever since mana had been introduced into the world, normal bullets were useless—they couldn't even pierce the skin of a strong warrior. Instead, people now used mana-infused bullets, which could be fired as long as the user had enough energy. But the ones I used were even more special. Silia had given me custom-made bullets, powerful enough to kill even an A-rank monster.

With my new mastery, I decided to restructure my training. Instead of practicing hundreds of weapons, I would now focus on five—Sword, Daggers, Guns, Spear, and Bow. It was always good to have options.

As I practiced my newly enhanced skills, Silia suddenly spoke in a calm but alert tone.

"I sense S-ranked creatures within a five-kilometer range. But..."

I stopped moving. S-ranked? That was the highest tier of power I had encountered.

I frowned. "Can they sense us too?"

"No."

I exhaled. That was a relief. If they couldn't detect us, I had the upper hand. But the bigger question was—should I engage them?

If I fought them now, my two years of peaceful life would be shattered. But if I ignored them, I risked letting a potential threat roam free.

"Show me," I finally said.

A screen materialized in midair, displaying the creatures in real time.

Three humanoid figures with skinny, blue bodies and dense, flowing hair stood in a clearing, clutching spears. Their eyes glowed white and blue, scanning the surroundings with sharp intensity. They seemed to be searching for something—or someone.

Then, suddenly, one of them collapsed onto the ground, lifeless.

The two remaining figures barely had time to react before the second one fell as well.

The last survivor—who seemed younger than the others and was wearing actual clothes unlike the rest—froze in terror. Another blue-skinned being, similar to them, stepped forward, raising its weapon.

It said something in a language I didn't understand, but its intent was clear—it was going to kill the last survivor.

I clenched my fists. I could end this instantly.

"Silia," I commanded. "Save that one."

The moment the words left my mouth, the attacker froze mid-motion as if paralyzed. Before it could react, Silia had already retrieved the young blue-skinned figure and brought it to me. She dropped it beside me and looked at me silently.

I turned my gaze toward the unconscious creature tied to a tree.

When it finally woke up, its wide, glowing eyes darted around in panic.

"Wait—" I started, but it screamed.

Louder and louder, the sound echoed through the forest.

I sighed. This was getting annoying.

Without thinking, I slapped its right cheek.

The screams stopped instantly.

I gestured for Silia. "Help me understand its language."

She placed a hand on my head and whispered, "Done."

Suddenly, a rush of information filled my mind.

I took a deep breath and spoke in its tongue. "Vapa ufer ejer kamo suna ester et sidid jen kilim?"

(Translation: "Who are you, and why did the other one try to kill you?")

The creature froze in shock. Then, once again, it screamed.

I had had enough. "Tell me, or I'll kill you myself."

The threat worked. It swallowed nervously and spoke. "My name is Chronos. That was my elder. He tried to kill me because I am the son of our clan leader."

I raised an eyebrow. "And why does that matter?"

Chronos hesitated before answering. "My father killed his son… because his son made a contract with demons."

That caught my attention. I knelt beside him.

"Tell me everything," I said. "If you're harmless, I won't hurt you."

Chronos looked at me, then at Silia, and finally at the ground.

"…Can I have some water first?" he asked weakly. "I can't stay on land for more than a day."

Silia instantly conjured a large tub of water.

Chronos dived into it, sighing in relief. I handed him a bottle of drinking water, but then I paused. Wait… how does a water-dwelling species even drink water?

Ignoring that strange thought, I let him continue.

"We are Aquarions. We live beneath the oceans of this planet. We rarely come to the surface, except for important matters."

I listened carefully as he spoke about his world. Aquarions were the dominant race underwater. His father was the head of their martial school, right now he was being investigated by other elders of this school that's why he couldn't help him.

"Why did your people even make contracts with demons if they kill you?" I asked.

Chronos' expression darkened. "Because it makes us stronger. At first, the demons were weak. Killing them was easy. But then, they grew… and we paid the price after 1000 of people died."

That explained a lot. But the bigger question was—what did he want from me?

"What do you want me to do?" I finally asked.

Chronos hesitated. Then, he bowed his head. "Take me back to my father."

I raised an eyebrow. "And what's in it for me?"

Chronos looked up, his expression filled with both hope and desperation.

"Anything you want."

I smirked. "That's a bold offer."

He nodded. "I can even give you one of our combat skills. We have collected human abilities over time."

I thought for a moment, then grinned. "Alright, I'll take you back."

Chronos looked at me in shock. But behind that surprise, I saw something else—relief.

Because he knew—his chances of survival had just skyrocketed