CHAPTER 101: DO THINGS OUR WAY!

Chapter 101

"What? How the hell is this possible? Why aren’t we able to activate our Veils?" One of the four men asked in panic, beads of sweat cascading down his face as he took a step back in fright.

"Yo... you did this?" the hat man asked, panic making his voice sharp as he pointed at Zen’s pitch-black eyes.

’Hphm.’ Jace huffed inwardly as he stared at his hands. No matter what he did, he was unable to activate his Veil. ’Guess he is using his Veil to cancel out other Veils. Damn, his Veil is really trouble.’

"Now," Zen said as he lifted the back of his hand and pointed it toward the men in front of him. "What clan did you say you are from again?"

He flexed his fingers and the back of his hand lit up, revealing the symbol of the SilverFall Clan. The men’s eyes bulged and they took several steps back.

"Yo... you all are from the SilverFall Clan?" one of the men asked in horror, staring at the emblem.

"We were informed that a group of people have been extorting money from innocent civilians, so we decided to come investigate," Jace said as he casually strode forward, now standing in front of Zen and facing the men.

"We didn’t expect to be lucky enough to bump into them on the first day. And to think they used our clan’s name to commit theft. This sickens me to the core," he added, his hands tightening on the hilt of his sword as he glared at the men.

"Quick one," Vynn said, bouncing on his feet while grinning at the men. "How do you want your defeat? Quick and painless or horribly agonizing?"

"Kek! Kek! Kek! Buhahahaha!" The hat man chuckled for a few seconds before exploding into laughter.

"Huh?" Zen raised an eyebrow in confusion as he stared at the men.

"What? Was that supposed to scare us? Threats from four harmless kids? Tch! You should know that we do things with insurance." The hat man said and then pulled out his gloves, which made the kids take a step back.

His palms were gone; instead, from each wrist a glowing blue blade erupted.

Now his hands held infused, glowing blades and he grinned at the kids.

The remaining three men dipped their hands into their pockets, pulled out something small and flipped it. Long swords appeared and they all took a stance, pointing the blades at the kids.

"Now. We can do things the easy way or the hard way. Pick one," the hat man said, pointing his glowing blades at the kids.

"Sheesh! I guess this weapon is lucky because it’s going to be put to good use on the first day I bought it," Aria said, grinning as she ripped the wrapper off, revealing a beautifully carved green bow with a solid string.

A quiver filled with thin arrows in different colours, mostly red and black, sat ready. She quickly strapped it to her back, then leaped back, positioned herself and readied for what was coming.

"So what’s it going to be?" the hat man asked with a raised brow.

"Isn’t it obvious?" Zen asked as he held out his hands a little to the side. A crackle sounded and an invisible, small tear in reality appeared — something only he could see.

[Skill: Inventory activated]

[Wind Gale Sword equipped]

Immediately his katana settled into his hands, his pitch-black eyes still fixed and unreadable.

"We are doing things our way," Zen added.

"Fine! Beat the shit outta these kids for me!" the hat man roared, snapping the moment. Instantly the three men dashed forward, blades slicing through the air toward the four youths.

"This will be troublesome without my Veil, but alright!" Jace said as he pushed his coat aside, unsheathed his sword, and pointed it forward. "I’m taking the hat creep!" he announced, and without wasting a second, he dashed toward the hat man.

"Whatever!" Vynn shouted as he pulled out his sword and dashed toward one of the three men.

Meanwhile, Zen didn’t even bother to rush. He stood calmly, his sword held in one hand, patiently waiting for the men to come at him. His stillness almost mocked them, as if daring them to strike first.

It didn’t take long. The remaining two men charged, their blades flashing as they closed in on him.

"Two men? Sheesh! That’s not really fair, is it?" Zen asked with a wide grin as he slid into a casual stance.

Boom!

One of the men lunged toward him, his sword thrust straight for Zen’s face.

But Zen calmly raised his blade, meeting the strike with a metallic clink. He blocked it without flinching, not even a twitch in his shoulders.

"Tch! Weak," he muttered as he swung his foot, aiming for the man’s abdomen. But before his kick could land, the second man’s sword came down in a vicious arc, full force and speed tearing through the air.

Zen only tilted his head toward the incoming strike, still grinning. With one smooth sidestep, he avoided the swing entirely. Without missing a beat, he activated a skill.

[Skill: Soft Touch Activated]

His hand brushed lightly against the man’s wrist, almost like a passing breeze. In an instant, the man’s balance shattered. His body turned featherlight, his feet unable to hold him, and he slammed helplessly into the ground.

Swoosh!

The air shifted around Zen, the sound sharp enough to make his instincts flare. He snapped his head up just in time to see the second man’s sword slicing down toward his face.

’Shit!’

[Step Shift Activated]

Right on cue, Zen vanished. The man stumbled forward, swinging at nothing, his eyes wide and mouth hanging open as the boy he was about to strike simply disappeared.

"Over here, dumbass!" Zen’s voice rang out. The man spun around to see him standing five meters away, smiling like he hadn’t moved at all.

"Zen! Let me test something!" Aria shouted. She pulled a red arrow from her quiver, nocked it against the string of her green bow, and drew it back with precision. Her sharp eyes locked on the man as the bowstring creaked.

"He’s all yours." Zen shrugged casually, stepping aside.

Without hesitation, Aria released. The arrow whistled through the air, spinning with incredible speed.

"And you think I’ll stand still and let that hit me?" the man scoffed as he leaped aside. The arrow stabbed into the ground where he had stood a heartbeat before. A grin spread across his face, smug at his quick reflexes.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The sound pulsed from the arrow, too sudden for him to process. He looked down in horror.

BOOOOM!

The arrow detonated, ripping the ground apart. The explosion roared, dust and fire scattering in every direction. The shockwave slammed into the man with brutal force, hurling him through the air like a ragdoll, his scream drowned in the blast.

The earth trembled as chunks of stone rained down, and for a moment, even the ongoing fights froze in their tracks. Zen’s grin widened as he glanced at Aria’s bow, while Jace and Vynn cast quick looks in her direction, impressed by the devastating strike.