Ian and Isaac stood next to each other, watching everything in silence, not wanting to get involved.

​"I think we should get out of here," Isaac suggested to Ian. "We can come back and register tomorrow. I hate it when there is too much of a crowd. Nothing good ever comes from being around too many people." He looked over at Ian, who was concentrating solely on the young boy glaring at Friggy with pure anger.

​"Hello... hey," Isaac said, lightly shaking Ian, who was staring in a daze.

​"Y-yes... did you say something?" Ian asked, jolting awake.

​"Sigh... it’s nothing. Let’s just go, we can register tomorrow," Isaac said, turning around. "We already have enough of our own problems back home. Don’t think about making more here."

​"What are you talking about?" Ian said. "I wasn’t thinking of making any trouble at all. I’m not that stupid." He turned around, preparing to follow Isaac.

​Then he heard the boy yelling.

​"LIKE HELL I WOULD REGRET IT! IF I GOT THE CHANCE AGAIN, I WOULD DO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN! HE IS LUCKY TO GET A QUICK DEATH AT THE END, COMPARED TO WHAT HE DID... TO WHAT HE DID TO MY SISTER!"

​Just as Ian heard what Zena yelled, he stopped dead in his tracks. ’... I was kinda suspicious at first, but that look in his eyes... he looked like someone who would do absolutely anything just to kill his enemies,’ Ian thought.

​"Mmmm, why did you stop?" Isaac paused, looking back at Ian.

​Ian suddenly turned around and started walking back in the direction of Zena and Friggy, totally ignoring Isaac. ’I know that look better than anyone else. It reminds me of exactly what I felt back then.’

​"Hey," Isaac rushed back and grabbed Ian’s arm. "Have you really thought this through? Whatever you are gonna do, it will lead us to..."

​"...let go," Ian ordered with a deadly serious expression, before Isaac could even finish.

​’Tch, he is not even listening to me. Did he really have to act like a hero right now?’ Isaac thought, still holding his arm tightly.

​"Isaac, I said let go," Ian said. He slowly released a bit of his pressure to try and scare Isaac. The spectators standing near the back of the crowd suddenly felt a cold chill.

​Isaac just stared right back at Ian with his dull, golden eyes. "You may scare other people with that, but not me. I’m not really that afraid of death anyways."

​Ian felt a weird chill in his own heart when he saw his pressure didn’t work at all and the look in Isaac’s eyes. Resorting to physical force, he suddenly shoved Isaac off of him. Isaac stumbled and fell back onto the dirt.

​"It may seem like nothing to you since you are not the one involved, but I don’t know why... I just feel the need to help him," Ian said firmly.

​"So it is just heroism, huh?" Isaac asked, standing up and dusting the dirt off his clothes, with an angry expression.

​Ian actually chuckled when he heard that. "It’s not heroism. That much I’m sure of, since I’m not that great of a guy in the first place. But when I heard him yell... it just brought back some really bad memories. I want to try to help him, since no one was there to help when we needed it." As Ian said that, vague visions of his past life started surfacing in his mind.

​’What is he talking about? What help?’ Isaac thought in confusion. He watched in silence as Ian walked away, easily pushing aside the spectators as the crowd’s numbers kept increasing bit by bit.

​...

​

"Actually... nobody cares," Friggy whispered coldly, raising his fist to ruthlessly punch Zena again. "Now go to sleep for a while. We have a long day ahead of us."

​But right as he was about to throw the heavy punch, he felt someone tightly grab his wrist, stopping his hand completely.

​"What do you think you are doing? I already thanked you earlier for tripping this little bastard. What else do you want?" Friggy growled, glaring at Ian.

​"Don’t you think that is enough for today?" Ian asked slowly.

​"What?"

​"I said, that is enough," Ian repeated.

​Loud gasps and frantic murmuring instantly started sounding from the surrounding crowd.

​"Is he crazy? Trying to stop Friggy... doesn’t he know about the Scorpions?" one villager murmured.

​"I have never seen his face before."

​"Yeah, that face is not familiar at all. He really must be new here. Looking at his cheap gear, he probably just came to register as an Adventurer and try his luck in the Great Forest."

​"Too bad he just messed with those guys. I feel so bad for him."

​"But with a handsome face like that, I bet he won’t be killed. They will probably just turn him into a slave."

​’What are these people talking about?’ Ian thought, narrowing his eyes.

​"That’s what I thought you said. So I wasn’t mistaken," Friggy sneered. His expression turned dead serious as his free hand reached back to unhook his large axe.

​"Hey, you idiot! Are you crazy?! Don’t you know that Friggy is a Second-Stage Aura User?!" someone in the crowd yelled as a warning.

​Swoosh! Friggy viciously swung his axe horizontally, but Ian quickly released Friggy’s arm and easily dodged backward.

​"Wow, you sure are nimble," Friggy exclaimed with a dark laugh. "If you can at least dodge a Second-Stage Aura User’s axe like that, you must be a little bit talented, right? And in addition to your skills, you have that nice face like a noble’s. I can fetch a really big price for you in the market!" he said, smiling greedily.

​’He must be a slaver. But to think he is not even ashamed to advertise it in public... What’s even worse is that no one here is shocked or even reacting about it,’ Ian thought in disgust, briefly glancing at the fearful crowd.

​Suddenly, while Ian was distracted by the crowd, Friggy dashed forward, swinging his heavy axe right at Ian’s neck. But Ian had suspected a dirty trick like that and smoothly dodged the lethal attack.

​Friggy didn’t stop. He kept charging at Ian. With his large, muscular build, the heavy iron axe looked like it weighed as much as a piece of paper when he swung it. However, Ian kept on dodging every single strike with ease.

​Friggy finally stopped in his tracks, panting slightly as he scrutinized Ian.

​"Are you getting tired there, big guy?" Ian provoked with a mocking smirk.

​’Tch... this bastard is making fun of me,’ Friggy thought, his face turning red. "I will make you eat those words!"

​Suddenly, Friggy closed his eyes and dropped into a low stance, looking like he was about to sprint. Even the pressure in the atmosphere around him suddenly changed.

​’Is he preparing for a big attack?’ Ian thought, quickly pulling out his own cheap iron sword. ’And why would I just stand here and let him prepare?’ Without hesitating, Ian suddenly dashed forward to interrupt him.

​Just as Ian was about to reach him, Friggy’s eyes snapped open. He instantly changed his stance, bringing the large axe high above his head. The axe suddenly started glowing with a violent, reddish Aura.

​"You really are a rookie to fall for my stupid bluff! Now die!" Friggy roared.

​He slashed down with all his might. Ian saw the glowing axe coming, but he didn’t dodge. He wanted to try parrying the attack and countering it, exactly like how Vincent had done during their training. But to his absolute shock, the moment his sword came into contact with Friggy’s Aura-infused axe, the sword instantly shattered into dozens of broken pieces!

​"What?!" Ian exclaimed.

​The heavy axe did not lose momentum at all. It kept falling down toward him with terrifying force.

​"Tch... there is no time to dodge," Ian gritted his teeth. With no other choice, he raised both of his bare arms up to cover his head and face.

​"Do you really think you can block an Aura strike with your measly arms?!" Friggy shouted, smirking in absolute triumph.

​TINGGG!!!

​The sharp axe and Ian’s bare arms made direct impact, but instead of the sickening sound of flesh tearing, a loud, ringing metallic noise echoed through the street.

​"Aaaaaahhhhhhh!!!" Ian screamed loudly with blood dripping everywhere from his hands. "Fuck, that really hurts! And this is the fucking last time I will be doing this!!YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!!"

"..."

​But while Ian was screaming in pain, everyone else in the crowd was staring at him in dead silence, wondering how on earth he was still alive. They were completely dumbfounded. The most shocked of all was Friggy.

​"How can this be?! I put all my strength into that swing! Your arms should have been completely chopped off by now!" Friggy yelled in disbelief. "B-but just how? Are your arms made of solid metal or something?! No... not your arms... your bones!"

​Friggy stammered, staring wide-eyed at his axe. The sharp blade had easily cut through Ian’s skin and muscle, but it was completely stopped the moment the steel struck his bones.