Chapter 18

Just as Aslan stood up and was about to turn around and leave, suddenly an old man appeared at the mouth of the cave, staring at Aslan with a sorrowful gaze.

The old man had hair that reached down to his waist. His clothes were tattered, his body was incredibly thin, and he had only one arm.

"Who are you?" the old man asked in a deep, heavy voice.

"I'm just a passerby, Grandpa. I don't mean to intrude. No need to worry—I'll leave right away," Aslan replied as he began to walk past the old man. But suddenly, a sword flew toward him, nearly piercing his neck.

"Who gave you permission to leave?"

"You think I'd foolishly believe that nonsense?" the old man continued.

"Wait a minute! A flying sword?! Isn't this…" Aslan thought as he turned to look at the old man. There was no way he didn't recognize that sword technique.

As Aslan looked at the old man closely, he realized something.

"You! Aren't you Erwin? The hero who—" Before Aslan could finish his sentence, the old man suddenly grabbed Aslan's head and slammed it against the cave wall so hard that Aslan couldn't move. Even though the man was so thin, his strength was incredible. No matter how hard Aslan struggled, he couldn't move his head an inch.

"Who sent you?!" the old man demanded.

"I honestly don't understand what you're talking about. I just happened to find this cave while seeking shelter from the rain," Aslan said.

Hearing that, the old man looked confused. "Who are you?"

"I'm Galang, I… Agh!" Aslan groaned in pain as the old man tightened his grip on his head.

"Believe me or not, but if you lie one more time, I'll crush your skull," the old man threatened.

Aslan was shocked. "How does this old man know I'm lying?" he wondered.

"My name is Aslan. I'm just a young man searching for my hometown," he explained.

"How did you get here?" asked the old man.

"I don't know. I accidentally entered a dangerous area and was chased by a giant monster. I couldn't fight it, so I ran and found some ruins. But I was so exhausted that I passed out. When I woke up, I was already in that grassy field," Aslan explained.

"How do you know me?" asked the old man.

"Who doesn't know you? Everyone knows your story. People thought you were dead since you were never seen again."

After hearing all this, the old man finally released his grip, and Aslan collapsed to the ground.

"Hahahaha! Looks like you're as unlucky as I am," the old man said as he walked back into the cave.

"I really don't understand. You're still alive? People were confused when you disappeared, even your best friend, Peter."

"Don't you ever mention that bastard's name in front of me!" shouted old man Erwin, startling Aslan.

"What do you mean? Weren't you two best friends?" asked Aslan.

"Enough with your nonsense and leave or— Wait. Maybe this is a good opportunity. Yes, that's right, Aslan! If you promise to kill that bastard, I'll teach you all of my techniques," said old man Erwin.

"I… I can't do that."

"Why so quick to decide? Think it over. Wouldn't it benefit you too?" said old man Erwin, then lay down on a rock.

The next day, Aslan still refused. He never imagined becoming Erwin's successor. He only wanted to return to his hometown. Even though old man Erwin was someone Aslan admired, taking on the role of killing a noble was far too risky.

Erwin simply smiled after hearing Aslan's explanation. "Very well, you may leave. But if you change your mind, you'll have to kneel and beg to become my student after this."

"Alright. But that's not going to happen," said Aslan as he left.

After walking for a few minutes, he had gone about a kilometer. But once he passed that distance, the forest became eerily tense. Only minutes later, a powerful monster attacked him. It wouldn't be a problem if it was just one—but unfortunately, there were hundreds of them. So Aslan was forced to run back toward the cave, remembering there were no monsters there.

Aslan kept running, and strangely, when he got within a kilometer of the cave, the monsters suddenly stopped chasing him and retreated.

"Phew, thank goodness," said Aslan.

"So, have you changed your mind now?" asked Erwin, who was already standing nearby, startling Aslan.

"No, I still refuse," said Aslan as he got up and walked away again. He was sure there had to be a safe way out of there. But after trying every direction, Aslan grew more and more desperate. All directions were filled with monsters. Every time he left, old man Erwin would appear beside him, asking if he'd changed his mind. But Aslan always refused.

Since he couldn't escape, he decided to kill the monsters little by little. If he got tired, he would retreat—and receive Erwin's question once again. Over and over again. He believed that if he kept doing this, the number of monsters would eventually decrease. But unfortunately, the monsters never seemed to diminish.

After nearly a month of doing that routine, Aslan finally lost hope—his sword had broken. Erwin, seeing this, laughed mockingly at Aslan.

"What kind of place is this?!" Aslan shouted.

"Hahahaha… haah… that's hilarious."

"This place is one of many grey zones. You think escaping from here is easy for a weakling like you?" mocked Erwin.

"What? Damn it!" Aslan cursed.

"Just so you know, even a level five energy user might not make it out of here alive. There's a reason this place isn't explored. So, do you think a level two like you can get out?" said Erwin. Aslan could only remain silent.

"Have you changed your mind now?" asked Erwin.

"Why are you so obsessed with making me your student?!" asked Aslan.

"You fool, weren't you listening? Of course I'm obsessed—because you're the only one who managed to get here. Even level fives can't escape this place. Do you think someone else is going to wander in? If it weren't for that, I'd never consider taking a dumb student like you," Erwin mocked again.

"Then why do you want to kill Peter? Everyone thinks you were best friends," Aslan said.

After hearing that, old man Erwin fell silent. He stared at Aslan with weary eyes, and finally opened his mouth.

"At first, I also thought he was my best friend. I even considered him a brother. But in the end… he showed his true nature."

To be continued…