Chapter 9: The Counterattack

Chapter 9

In a dingy alleyway, a group of people were engaged in lively conversation, eating, drinking, and smoking.

They appeared to be ordinary mischievous students, but only they knew they were waiting for someone.

Tedy, who had been watching a specific direction for a while, suddenly glinted in his eyes. The figure they were waiting for finally appeared.

He immediately informed his friends and moved towards the figure with quick movements.

Tedy seemed in a hurry, like a predator afraid of losing its prey.

Seeing this, the mischievous kids followed, eager to join the fun.

Meanwhile, Oberon, observing the scene, remained seated, calmly watching them leave.

Raka, who had noticed Tedy's group from afar, didn't react in any unusual way.

This surprised Tedy slightly.

He couldn't help but wonder if Raka had become dull-witted. Had yesterday's beating made him stupid and resigned to their bullying? Why didn't he run away or bring friends who could fight alongside him?

However, observing Raka's movements, it didn't seem like that.

Raka appeared indifferent, as if he wasn't there to be beaten, but simply to pass through.

This further confused Tedy. He couldn't understand where Raka's courage or calmness came from.

But unable to decipher the thoughts of the person in front of him, Tedy didn't care. He remembered Raka's naive nature, his constant boasting about being the strongest as if he were a pure child who had never experienced the harsh realities of society.

Tedy assumed Raka was naively clinging to the belief that he could still be the strongest with his "garbage" Virtual Resonance, just like in those hot-blooded teenage comics.

This fueled Tedy's excitement. He was eager to show the cruelty of the world to this naive individual.

The more Tedy thought about it, the happier he became. He even considered his actions a blessing for Raka, allowing him to understand the world's harshness sooner. Tedy couldn't wait for Raka's gratitude after his actions.

"Hey hey hey, is this our friend, the future strongest swordsman in the universe?" Tedy asked sarcastically.

"Hahaha, yes, of course, this is our friend, the future strongest swordsman in the universe!"

"It's only been one day since I last saw him, but our strongest swordsman seems to have gotten even stronger!" someone said in a strange tone.

Mocking laughter echoed through the alley.

Raka, the target of their mockery, didn't react at all, as if he hadn't heard a word.

Tedy, annoyed, continued to mock Raka, but his efforts were met with indifference.

Tedy, already irritated, couldn't take it anymore. He tried to poke Raka's body, adding taunts to his actions.

But to Tedy's surprise, Raka easily dodged his touch.

Feeling belittled, Tedy became enraged. He tried nudging Raka in various ways.

As before, Raka effortlessly avoided each attempt.

Tedy, disbelieving and annoyed, watched in disbelief.

The group around them unconsciously stopped their jokes and laughter, staring at Raka with an unpleasant look.

Raka, unfazed by their anger, became even more arrogant. He calmly addressed the group:

"Alright, are you done? I still have business to attend to, so I won't be joining your little game."

Tedy and his group, as if witnessing something extraordinary, didn't react.

Raka, without waiting for them, walked past with an ordinary expression.

Only after Raka moved did some people realize what had happened.

Tedy, feeling humiliated, was filled with regret. He had been so eager to "help" Raka, but now he wished he hadn't.

Fueled by anger, Tedy grabbed Raka's shoulder from behind.

Raka stopped immediately.

Without giving Raka time to react, Tedy hurriedly activated his Virtual Resonance skill, channeling his Life force.

"Virtual Resonance: Ant Power!"

Tedy's hand hardened, taking on a reddish shimmering black appearance.

A powerful grip clamped down on Raka's shoulder as if iron tongs were squeezing him.

Raka, realizing he had to act, grabbed Tedy's hand and pressed the area between his index finger and thumb, easily releasing his shoulder.

Tedy, surprised and unwilling to give up, tried to grab Raka again.

Raka, however, continued to dodge, making Tedy's attempts futile.

Tedy, frustrated by his failures, felt anger boiling inside him.

"You cowardly bastard! If you're brave, don't dodge!" Tedy growled.

Raka, looking at Tedy with a thoughtful expression, as if gazing upon a fool, replied:

"Coward? It seems you haven't grown much since the last time. Can't you still see things clearly?" Raka asked, looking at the group who was harassing him with their strange words.

Tedy, realizing his foolishness, felt a wave of shame wash over him. His face flushed red, and he trembled, unable to speak.

Raka, unmoved by Tedy's decadence, felt he had wasted enough time dealing with this group.

He turned around and prepared to leave. 

Tedy, seeing this, immediately flew into a rage and roared at his group.

"What are you all looking at? Why are you just standing there, you idiots? Attack him now!"

Tedy's group, feeling slightly displeased by his outburst, still followed his orders. All sorts of attacks were directed towards Raka.

Raka, initially thinking that this group was a nuisance, had an idea. "Alright, if you insist, I'll be happy to experiment with you..." he thought to himself.

He dodged left and right, but unlike before, he occasionally attacked each person randomly. Initially, Raka's movements were stiff, but over time, he became more skilled, and the group attacking him sustained several noticeable injuries.

Raka didn't intend to hit hard, but humans are made of flesh and blood. It was normal to get hurt when being hit repeatedly.

Tedy, continuously failing to achieve his desired outcome, became impotent and furious. But besides annoyance, he had no other options. Raka was too slippery and shameless, making it impossible for them to gain any advantage.

Raka, still dancing around, couldn't help but smile. "It seems the content from those dreams was truly useful," he thought with satisfaction.

Having achieved his goal, Raka wasn't willing to waste any more time. He was now waiting for the right moment to deliver a final, slightly fatal blow to these people. Don't think that just because he seemed indifferent during the mockery, he would swallow the injustice. Raka would show them why honest people shouldn't be bothered.

Just as Raka was about to launch his fatal attack, he suddenly felt something strange and immediately left his position.

Swosh!

Oberon appeared, charging towards the spot where Raka had been standing. Raka, seeing this, narrowed his eyes in displeasure towards the other party.

Oberon, realizing his stealth attack had failed and there was no other chance, could only snort. "Hmph! Alright, stop making a mess, you can leave."

Raka, hearing this, was clearly unhappy. "Who are you? Why should I leave just because you told me to?" he thought. However, Raka didn't express his displeasure and instead left. He thought it was a waste of time playing with people like this.

"Hmph, you little ant!" Raka muttered mockingly in a low voice.

Tedy, who was near Raka, could hear the other party's low murmur. Feeling insulted, he couldn't contain his anger.

Seeing Tedy about to turn into a demon again, Oberon quickly stopped him. "Alright, stop right there."

Tedy, hearing this, clearly didn't accept it and glared at Oberon with dissatisfaction. Oberon didn't show any weakness and stared at Tedy with dignity. Tedy, seeing this, could only turn away with dissatisfaction.

Seeing that his friend had calmed down, Oberon could only watch Raka leave with a meaningful gaze. "That kid is truly not simple," he said with an unclear mood.

Upon arriving home, Raka found the place empty. He didn't mind too much and went into his room. On the bed, Raka found some unfamiliar objects.

Curious, Raka rushed to see them. He found a long white cloth and a two-finger-wide wooden sword lying there. He guessed these were gifts from his parents. And sure enough, when he checked his phone, he found a message from his mother.

He learned that the sword was made with his father's Mana and the white cloth was made with his mother's Mana. Raka then curiously tried both objects.

For more freedom, Raka went to the backyard of his house. After swinging the wooden sword with satisfaction, Raka then took the long white cloth. He then looked at his hands, which had many calluses and scars from training, and slightly guessed why his mother had used the cloth as a gift. With this, Raka became even more grateful for his parents' love.

After Raka was satisfied playing with his gifts, he sat down devoutly. He then entered a state of Mana refinement. Raka kept remembering his teacher's words and applying them.

While Raka was devoutly refining, he couldn't help but feel a little happy. He found that his memory had become much clearer. He didn't know if it was because of Mana's refinement or because he had more than one soul imprint that gave him superior memory. But this didn't stop him from being happy.

After a while of refining, Raka's initially beaming face became gloomy. He found that his Virtual Mana amount was lower than average. This didn't make sense because Raka could feel that his physical and mental energy was far above average. Even if his Virtual Resonance was garbage, it wouldn't make him so lacking in energy. At most, he would just be a human with average energy.

Confused, Raka kept repeating Ibu Sri's words and explanations to see if there was something wrong with his body. However, after several attempts, Raka still couldn't find the right reason.

Just when Raka was at a dead end, he suddenly felt something strange in his Virtual Resonance. There was an additional figure in his Virtual Resonance. With this, Raka immediately mobilized it and placed it at the tip of his hand.

Simultaneously, a blue object appeared in Raka's hand. It looked very strange, with a burning and flowing appearance, as if water and fire were combined. Initially, Raka was confused about what this object was, but after a while, he remembered.

Banyu Geni!

As Raka was shocked, his control over Banyu Geni weakened. Raka felt a threat from his hand. Before Raka could react, a loud explosion sound was heard.

Bang!