Chapter 15 — Disappointing
"Alright then. Let me finish a quick warmup, and we'll head out," Ren said.
The three of them began warming up.
A few minutes later, they headed over to the weapon racks.
Ren picked up his clawed gauntlets and strapped them onto his hands.
Elias and Adrian each chose a sword.
Once they were ready, the three of them left the training area and entered the forest.
They hadn't gone far when—
Hiss!
A giant python, nearly the size of an anaconda, suddenly burst from the treetops.
Its massive jaws opened as it lunged toward Adrian.
"Brother, be careful!" Elias shouted.
But Adrian froze.
He failed to react in time, and the python's attack struck him directly.
Just before the impact could seriously injure him, a barrier generated by the formation array appeared in front of his body.
Bang!
The barrier blocked the attack.
Adrian was unharmed, but the force of the impact sent him tumbling backward.
His legs turned to jelly, and he fell onto the ground.
Ren, who had been nearby observing, moved immediately.
He stepped forward and threw a punch.
Boom!
His fist smashed into the python's head, blowing it apart like a watermelon.
The beast's enormous body collapsed before quickly dissolving into motes of light and disappearing.
Ren looked toward Adrian.
'Is he acting?'
He couldn't help but wonder.
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The difference between quasi-magical beasts did exist, but this particular python was exceptionally weak.
Its physical strength was only around 1.3 times that of an ordinary human at most.
Someone with three times ordinary human strength shouldn't have been this frightened by it.
Adrian slowly pushed himself off the ground.
He picked up his sword and dusted himself off.
"U-um... s-sorry about that. I... I slipped."
There was a hint of irritation in his voice.
As he spoke, Adrian glanced toward Ren.
The resentment in his eyes was brief, but Ren noticed it.
'If only I had stayed home and refused to come.'
Adrian lowered his head.
"It's fine. Just be more careful next time," Ren said calmly.
"Yeah, brother. You really need to be careful," Elias added.
Adrian nodded silently.
The three continued deeper into the forest.
But it didn't take long for similar scenes to happen again.
Whenever another quasi-magical beast appeared, Adrian would panic or fail to react properly, forcing the formation array to protect him.
Ren's disappointment grew with every encounter.
At first, he had been curious about Adrian.
Now, he was beginning to understand.
Adrian really was this weak.
And whenever Adrian became nervous or frustrated, he would unconsciously mutter his thoughts under his breath.
Ren's heightened senses allowed him to hear every word.
'Shit... if only I had a system.'
'Why? Why did I come to this world if I didn't get a cheat?'
...
'Why did I agree to go outside with Elias? This is so damn embarrassing.'
...
'That Ren guy just keeps showing off.'
'God, if only I had his talent.'
Ren silently listened.
By the end of the hunt, his disappointment had turned into disgust.
'What a piece of shit. What a fucking disappointment.'
His fingers tightened around the claws of his gauntlet.
For a moment, Ren genuinely wanted to punch Adrian bloody.
But he restrained himself.
There was no reason to lose his temper over someone like this.
'Sigh. I was expecting too much.'
'So he doesn't have a cheat that I can exploit.'
'Disappointing.'
Ren glanced at Adrian.
'But it doesn't matter.'
'I already have my own path.'
He had never truly needed a system.
He had spent years building himself up through nothing but his own effort.
If Adrian had some incredible cheat, Ren could have tried to find a way to benefit from it.
But if he didn't, then so be it.
Ren would simply continue walking his own path.
---
Later, the three of them sat together at a restaurant near the training center.
Elias looked at Ren with curiosity as they ate.
"Brother Ren, how are you so strong?"
"Maybe it's because you don't take your training seriously."
Elias knew Ren was probably right.
But he couldn't bring himself to accept it so easily.
He put on an indifferent expression.
"Well, it doesn't matter in the end. The requirement to start magic training is five times the strength of an ordinary human. So putting in a bunch of unnecessary effort before then is just a waste of time."
It wasn't only Elias who thought this way.
Most children had a similar attitude.
They trained, but they didn't take it particularly seriously.
As long as they could eventually reach the minimum physical requirement for magic training, there was little reason for them to push themselves beyond that point.
Ren didn't care about their opinion.
"Well, I just like training. If you don't want to, it doesn't matter."
Elias shrugged and continued eating.
The two continued talking throughout the meal.
Adrian, however, remained mostly silent.
He sat quietly, occasionally glancing around whenever someone walked past their table.
His nervousness around crowds was obvious.
Ren paid little attention to it.
Instead, he focused on his meal.
He didn't need to worry about gaining fat, thanks to the potion he regularly used to keep his body at its optimal body-fat ratio.
So he simply ate his fill, enjoying plenty of the restaurant's delicacies.
After they finished eating, the three each paid for their own meals.
"See you next time, Brother Ren!" Elias said.
"Yeah. See you."
The three bid each other farewell before going their separate ways.
Today's hunt had been disappointing.
But Ren remained calm.
He had already expected that something like this might happen.
The hunt had been disappointing.
But Ren remained calm.
He had already been preparing for his future for several years.
He had spent countless hours studying magical knowledge through the magic net, researching everything that might prove useful after his awakening.
There was something he had been working toward all this time.
A technique.
If he could successfully create it, his future journey would become far smoother.
Of course, it was still far too early to put it into practice.
There were still many things he needed to understand, and many problems he needed to solve before the technique could become a reality.
For now, he could only continue studying and refining his ideas.
'There's still plenty of time.'
Ren wasn't in a hurry.
He had already spent seven years preparing.
A few more years wouldn't hurt.
As for systems and cheats...
Ren had already given up on relying on them.
If he didn't have one, then so be it.
He would simply create his own path.
And perhaps, one day, the technique he had been quietly preparing would become the foundation of that path.