(Previously—Enopy's Fight)
They clashed, forearm to forearm. Their auras rippled outward in a clash of energy, throwing them backward. The violent force of impact was nullified by the protective aura around each of them. They skid across the cracked ground, dust swirling around their bodies. Both fighters landed on their feet.
Without hesitation, they dashed at each other again. Their attacks—punches, kicks, elbows—were mirror images. The same technique, the same timing. They fought like shadows of one another. The only difference was in the sheer weight behind every hit. Enopy's strikes had spirit; his opponent's had experience.
The rank one knight leapt into the sky. One leg bent, the other extended. His aura wrapped tightly around him like a second skin. He doubled his weight midair to add force to his next attack. He plummeted at lightning speed—aiming to finish the fight in a single, crushing blow.
But Enopy wasn't idle.
He dug his foot into the ground and gathered aura around his leg. At the last moment, instead of countering the incoming attack directly, he pivoted. Enopy crouched, channeled power through his body, and launched upward with a brilliant burst of aura, his sword drawn.
He soared higher than the knight. From above, Enopy scanned the battlefield—but saw nothing. His instincts screamed. He twisted midair, swung his blade to the right over his shoulder, using both hands.
Snap!
A sharp sound rang out as his sword cracked in two, right before he was slammed from above by a heel kick. The impact drove him into the ground, dust exploding from the crash.
Groaning, Enopy climbed to his feet and inspected the broken sword. He tossed the half-blade aside with a bitter smile.
"Guess that's expected… of a rank one," he muttered.
This was a battle against someone he had no real chance of defeating. A peak-level magic knight. Still, Enopy felt something strange: he didn't feel outclassed. In fact, he felt… equal.
He looked up—his opponent was already charging. Enopy didn't panic. He evaluated himself.
Broken wrist, bruised muscles, ribs… nothing critical.
He grounded himself, took a runner's stance, and surged forward with aura blazing.
The next moments were a whirlwind. The two collided in a storm of punches. A relentless barrage. Enopy fought with raw strength and fury, but the knight had skill. The older warrior weaved through Enopy's attacks like wind through grass.
Enopy coughed blood—"puh!"—but he didn't stop.
Then came a cry.
"He's a manipulator!"
The battlefield froze.
For a second, all movement ceased. Eyes widened. Heads turned.
Then—
"Manipulator?"
The word echoed.
Neither Enopy nor his opponent spoke. They didn't need to. Enopy struck again, and the exchange resumed, faster and fiercer than before. The battlefield, tense from the revelation, erupted back into chaos.
Moments later, a collective gasp swept through the crowd.
Enopy leapt high to get a better view. In the distance, he saw the body of the bandits' leader—motionless. Multiple streaks of glowing orange bullets pierced through the darkening sky. One by one, bandits fell like puppets with cut strings.
Then, in a blur, his opponent turned to attack—but a single orange bullet struck him between the eyes.
Enopy watched, stunned, as the knight's lifeless body tumbled to the ground. Then, finally, Enopy fell too.
(Present)
"Kaito, Layen, Enopy, Tivly, Zow, Eier, Tel…"
Enopy's ears perked up at the names. He blinked, mildly surprised. Tivly, Zow, Eier, and Tel were all still alive?
Tivly's only a mid-stage average bodybuilder… Zow's a rank one magic knight, mid-stage—but she's a healer. Not really combat-ready. Still… she's got that look—brown hair, big chest, huge ass, innocent face. On Earth, she'd be… well, let's not think about that.
Eier—25 years old, rank one peak stage. Can fight, but her core's damaged. Can't progress. Short, flat, plain—on Earth, those loli freaks would've targeted her. Tel… she just follows Tivly around like a dog.
Enopy's thoughts drifted deeper, but he was snapped out of it when Kaito spoke.
"I've been heavily injured," Kaito said, his voice strained. "I've pushed myself to the limit. I'm suppressing the pain, but I need rest."
He tossed a marble bottle to Enopy, Layen, and Eier. "Looks like you guys need to heal too. We'll rest here for a week. The rest of you—clean up this mess."
With that, Kaito walked off and disappeared into his caravan.
Enopy opened the bottle. Inside were several pills.
Eier didn't hesitate—she swallowed one immediately. Enopy waited to see if anything strange happened to her. When nothing did, he popped one into his mouth as well. A surge of energy coursed through him. His wounds knit together rapidly, though the mental strain remained.
I still need sleep, he thought, rubbing his temples.
He made his way to a separate caravan and sat alone inside. "System," he said. "Play back my fight. Then show me my training from three days ago."
The system obeyed. His brutal clash with the knight replayed in front of him. Then the image shifted—to his training session.
He tried to replicate what he saw. "Haaa!"
He screamed, veins popping along his forehead. His skin flushed red. The pain was intense. "Ah! My head!" he cried, clutching his skull.
"System, show me training footage from my memories."
The image changed.
A young Enopy—calm, focused—sat silently within a ring of bushes. His eyes were closed. He barely breathed. Gray aura spread for acres, emanating from his still body. At the outer edges of the aura field, little black spheres detached, then shot back toward him. They entered his body. The aura pulsed, grew brighter… and then returned to baseline, though subtly stronger.
The memory ended. Enopy opened his eyes.
"What am I doing wrong?" he muttered.
"I've sat calmly. I've meditated."
He shouted in frustration.
"WHAT!?"
He glared up at the sky, tears of frustration brimming in his eyes.
But then…
"…Huh?"
The cloudless sky had gone dark.
He looked around. Shadows clung to the trees. Everything was dim.
"System—show this area in third-person view."
A floating display showed the clearing.
Enopy's figure stood at the center, but now he was surrounded by a swirling black aura—sinister, dense. He stared, stunned.
After an hour of quiet reflection, the truth hit him.
It's personality, he realized.
Enopy (Outh) had always been proud. Always had the drive to resist. But his intellect kept that pride buried. Until now. Now, that cornered fire was rising.
By the following night, Enopy had finally recovered. He stepped outside and spotted Layen, seated, meditating silently.
Enopy approached. "I got questions."
Layen opened his eyes slowly, his aura receding. "Fine," he said. "Cook me some sheep, and I'll answer."
Enopy raised an eyebrow. "Why not answer first? Cooking takes time."
Layen shrugged. "Alright. Deal."
Enopy sat beside him.
"Tell me everything about the police force. How do they operate? What's their structure?"
Layen sighed. "Oh Ok"