Chapter 27

Among the rundown buildings, Aslan walked toward the city's edge. It had been several days since the auction, and a crowd had formed near the exit gate—many were waiting to catch a glimpse of the person who had won the recording of the strongest man in history practicing his technique.

To most people, that recording was priceless. But to Aslan, it didn't mean that much. The reason was simple—Grandpa Erwin had seen the technique in person.

Erwin had realized the technique wasn't all that different from his own magic sword technique, though the effect was far stronger. He'd tried to replicate it, but the results never truly matched the original.

Still, he'd taught everything he knew about it to Aslan. Using the imitation version, Aslan could unleash an attack as powerful as someone one level above him.

It sounded incredible—and it was. But the technique required a lot of preparation and drained a huge amount of energy.

---

Aslan was now deep in the forest. To his surprise, dozens of monster corpses were scattered along the ground. Most of them were level-three monsters.

"Did a level-five fighter just pass through here?" he muttered.

After walking a bit further, he heard a commotion in the distance. He spotted a man and a girl battling a group of monsters.

What shocked him was the way the man fought—his sword floated and moved on its own, striking the monsters around him.

"That technique... it's just like Grandpa Erwin's," Aslan thought.

His curiosity grew. As far as he knew, no one else had ever been Erwin's student.

Aslan moved closer to get a better look. But just as he began to see clearly, the man abruptly stopped fighting and looked straight at him.

On reflex, Aslan ducked behind the trees.

A few minutes passed. Cautiously, he peeked again—but the man was gone. Instead, the girl who had been fighting beside him was now running in his direction.

Aslan turned to leave, but before he could take a step, a voice spoke behind him.

He turned around—and froze. The man was standing right there.

"How did he get behind me so fast?" Aslan thought.

"Who are you?" he asked warily.

The man slowly removed his mask. His skin was slightly tanned, with wavy hair and full lips. Not bad-looking, but not exactly handsome either.

"It's been eight years, and you're already almost on my level," he said calmly.

Aslan stayed silent. But then it hit him—this was the same person who had saved him during the monster attack in Amanda's village.

Moments later, the girl who had been running arrived. She wore a mask similar to the man's—the one who had helped Aslan that day.

"Hey! Why'd you suddenly run off like that? Huh... who's he? And why did you take off your mask?" she asked, confused.

"I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Galang," Aslan said, removing his own mask. He hesitated, but knowing this man had once saved him, he decided to show his face too. Besides, the man clearly already knew who he was.

"I'm Firman, and this is Alya," the man said. Alya still hadn't removed her mask.

"I want to ask you something," Aslan said.

"You can ask after we deal with those monsters. If you want to talk sooner, lend a hand," Firman replied.

(Let's skip the battle 😅)

A few hours later, the fight was over. Aslan asked Firman if they could speak in private, so Firman told Alya to head back to the city.

"How did you learn that technique?" Aslan asked.

"What technique?" Firman replied.

"The one you used to make your sword fly. It looks a lot like the Hero's technique," Aslan said.

"Ugh... why does everyone who meets me say that? I don't even know who that Hero is," Firman sighed in frustration.

"Then how do you make your sword float like that?" Aslan asked, still skeptical.

"I use telekinesis," Firman replied.

"Telekinesis?"

"Yeah, telekinesis. Don't tell me you've never heard of it?"

"No, I know what it is. It's a basic ability people unlock at level three. At level six, they can even use it to fly. I can use it too, but only for light stuff like pulling daggers or small items. It doesn't use Tors energy, but it puts strain on the brain," Aslan explained.

"There you go," Firman said dryly.

"But most people can't rely on it for combat. Yet you're out there killing level-three monsters with it. That's practically impossible—unless you're already level six. Are you?"

"Nope. I'm still level four," Firman replied.

"Then how...?"

Firman paused. "For... certain reasons, I've been training my telekinesis ever since I first awakened my Tors energy."

"Is that even possible?" Aslan asked.

"Why not? Telekinesis isn't tied to your level—it's all about your mind. The problem is, most people can't stand the brain pain. They only start training it once they reach level three, when their bodies are already a hundred times stronger than normal," Firman explained.

"Must've been tough learning it from the start," Aslan said.

"Hahaha, yeah, you could say that. Anyway, want to join us? We're planning to stay in town for a few days and train in this forest," Firman offered.

Aslan considered it. This might be a good chance. Surviving alone is hard. Firman seems like a good guy too.

"Alright. I'll stick with you guys for a few days," he said. Then they all headed back to the city.

"This is our place for now," Firman said, pointing at a small shack. It was on the edge of town, far from the crowds.

"You bought this house?" Aslan asked.

"Nope. Just renting it. It's way cheaper than getting an inn," Firman explained.

To be continued...