Chapter 1251: Rumors

Fadu was swinging a sword in the open space. His body was drenched in sweat, but he kept swinging the weapon relentlessly.

"Six hundred ninety-nine... Seven hundred!"

He swung the sword one last time before collapsing. He fell to the ground, chest heaving up and down. He turned his gaze upward.

"Huff... Huff... Huff..."

Fadu took a moment to catch his breath, then turned his head to look at Souta, who was busy observing the Aqua World Fruit.

He frowned. "Why? Why can’t I get stronger?"

Ever since the turmoil, Fadu had wanted to get stronger to protect himself. He didn’t want to become a burden anymore. He wanted to stand on his own two feet without his parents worrying about him.

Souta glanced at Fadu as the Aqua World Fruit floated to his side.

"You won’t get stronger in a single day. It takes effort and the will to push through every challenge to become a strong expert," he said, his eyes returning to the legendary-grade fruit. "If you want to get stronger faster, then cheat through it."

"Cheat...?" Fadu asked, confused.

"Yeah. People always make rules and put limitations on what others can do. The only downside is that you’ll face criticism. After all, people are quick to judge those who don’t follow the rules that bind them." Souta glanced at Fadu and continued, "You have to resolve yourself and fix your mindset. It won’t make you instantly strong, but with the resolve to do what you want without caring about others’ words, you can become a strong expert. Train your mind, and your body will follow. Kill if you have to kill, be kind if you have to be kind."

"How do I know when I have to kill or be kind?" Fadu asked.

"Well, just create your own rules or your bottom line. Don’t follow anyone else’s rules, including mine." Souta paused, then released a small fraction of his killing intent. "I will kill you if I have to."

Fadu flinched, his face paling. His body trembled as if death itself was staring at him.

Souta released the tiny fraction of killing intent in less than a second. He smiled faintly. "Fortunately, I don’t have any reason to kill you, so don’t worry."

Fadu let out a sigh of relief as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Don’t scare me like that. I really thought you were going to kill me."

"Hahaha, don’t worry. Like I said, I have no reason to do that and I don’t enjoy killing. Still, it’s up to you whether you believe me or not. I do tend to impose my will on people. After all, that’s what I do," Souta laughed.

He stood and looked at Fadu. "It’s good to kill time. I’ll teach you a thing or two, so come at me with everything you’ve got."

"A-Are you sure?" Fadu hesitated, gripping his sword tightly.

"Huh?" Souta raised an eyebrow, sensing the boy was underestimating him. "You might not realize it, but there’s a reason your parents wanted me as your personal bodyguard. When I say I can eliminate you easily, I mean it. A single release of my energy could kill you."

Souta had been suppressing his energy and hat’s what he did to avoid harming ordinary people. As a fifth-stage monster, his energy was potent enough to erase them instantly.

Fadu hadn’t felt it before because Wresho had protected him from the intense energy waves. And when Souta saved Fadu in the Twisted Forest, he held back his energy to ensure it wouldn’t harm the boy.

Souta grinned. "You’ve been protected all this time. I’ll take my time showing you that there’s power you couldn’t hope to overcome from your current position."

"W-What are you trying to do?" Fadu stepped back.

"You want to get stronger, right?" Souta moved a finger, and a web-like energy sliced through the air.

Whoosh!!

Fadu’s eyes widened, and he raised his sword in front of him but the blade was instantly sliced in two upon contact with the sharp web. He shut his eyes, convinced he was about to die.

’Damn it, Atos! You said you wouldn’t kill me!’

After a moment, Fadu realized he hadn’t felt any lasting harm. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Souta standing calmly in front of him.

Souta grinned and raised his hand, gently flicking Fadu on the forehead.

Bang!

Fadu shot several meters away, pain exploding through his body.

"Get up. I’ll hold back ninety-nine percent of my strength," Souta said.

"Arghh!!" Fadu gritted his teeth, forcing himself to his feet. He glared at Souta and charged forward, sword in hand.

Bang!

With nothing else to do, Souta taught Fadu some basic fighting skills.

And just like that, a few hours passed.

...

The next morning.

Fadu walked out of his room, his expression tired even though he had just woken up. His body still ached from yesterday’s training.

Swoosh!!

Suddenly, a figure appeared beside him.

Fadu stepped back in surprise, then sighed when he saw it was Souta.

"Don’t go scaring me like that," he said, rubbing his temples.

Souta smiled faintly. "Your pain is proof that you’ll get stronger. Don’t give up over a little discomfort."

"I know..." Fadu replied, continuing to walk.

"If you’re going to look for your parents, it’s too late," Souta suddenly said.

Fadu paused mid-step and turned his head. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"They left. They’re going to a meeting of the Tidal Merchant Group," Souta explained.

"Oh," Fadu murmured, continuing his walk.

Souta studied him and realized this kid didn’t know much about the Tidal Merchant Group.

He probably only knows that it’s their business, he thought inwardly.

"Let’s eat outside," Souta said.

"What do you mean by that?" Fadu asked.

"Since the turmoil happened, I think it’s better for you to go out. Listen to the rumors about your family, and if you hear something bad, learn to control yourself. You want to help your family, right? Then how can you help them if you haven’t learned to govern yourself?" Souta made up some random excuses so they could go outside.

"Are you sure?" Fadu asked.

Souta nodded and smiled. "After this, you’ll start training again. Forget those distractions. Be a person who can command circumstances, because someone who can’t command circumstances can’t protect anyone from them."

"Be a person who can command circumstances...?" Fadu paused, as if a realization had struck him. He clenched both fists and nodded. "Fine. Let’s eat outside."

Souta sighed. It seemed easy to fool this kid. All he wanted outside was to gather information even if it was just rumors. He couldn’t do that inside the Rulman Household, since most of the people were busy rebuilding everything that had been destroyed. All their talk revolved around those traitors.

Fadu and Souta left the Rulman Household.

As they walked, they felt countless gazes on them. The people of Wave Bond City knew something had happened at the Rulman Household.

"That’s the young master of the Rulmans."

"Shh... be quiet."

"A big battle erupted at their manor. I saw that huge hole in their formation."

"I wonder what happened..."

The people whispered quietly, but Souta could hear everything clearly. Fadu only caught murmurs in the surrounding crowd, and he didn’t let it bother him.

Soon, they arrived at a restaurant. They didn’t rent a private room, simply taking a table in the corner. Naturally, Fadu drew attention from the other diners.

Souta glanced at Fadu. "What do you think?"

Fadu blinked. "About what?"

"This. You’re the center of attention," Souta said, smiling faintly.

"I-I don’t know... It’s uncomfortable," Fadu admitted honestly.

"Hahaha! Better get used to it," Souta laughed.

Soon, their meal arrived. They began eating, and Souta also listened to the voices around them. His senses weren’t limited to the restaurant; he could hear the conversations outside as well.

"The young master of the Rulmans is here."

"I heard there are traitors among them, and they targeted the young master."

"Are you for real?!"

"Shhh! Lower your voice."

"They suffered a lot. You could see from that day when their formation almost collapsed."

"A lot of people will probably take advantage of this."

"As long as Blue Executioner Freida is there, nothing will happen to the Rulman Household."

"That’s true."

Most of the conversation centered on the Rulman Household. Souta focused instead on the discussions unrelated to it.

"The monsters in the Sea Fiend Cave are getting aggressive."

"Yeah, several fourth-stage monsters fought in front of the cave."

"Master Rukhan hunted five fourth-stage monsters yesterday. He earned a lot, and a fourth-stage monster even challenged him in Calcum Arena."

"I heard that. In fact, the monster that challenged Master Rukhan was a Freezing Sea Horse."

"The Bodam Kingdom is getting restless. I heard they discovered the secrets to immortality."

"Secrets to immortality?"

"Yeah, but I don’t know if it’s true."

Souta listened to all the talks inside and outside the building. By the time he finished his meal, he had gathered numerous rumors from the Depth of Banquet and gained a clear idea about his current surroundings.

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