I JUST WANT A PEACEFUL LIFE

Few days pass after Angus gets in conflict with Hayden. Angus, Jade, and the others once again go to the deepest part of Porros to meet old man Draught.

Arriving at Draught's small house, they find Warton practicing his greatsword against the bubble in front of Draught's house.

After hearing Draught's advice, Warton decided to go on an adventure. But, before that, he wants to improve himself as he knows that the Endless Battlefield dimension could be very dangerous even for a seventh-grade combatant like him.

Unlike his previous training, he is currently wielding a greatsword with very thick mana in it that makes it glowing up. If it is not because he suppresses the mana, there will be huge mana disturbance in the entire area.

Suddenly, Warton disappears from his spot and swings his greatsword down [Greatsword Art - Thousand Waterfall]. *Whoosh* Every single bubble in the lawn immediately cut down and popped.

"T-This… What great mana control!!" exclaimed Jade.

Despite all of this happening, there is not a single disturbance in the surrounding area. This kind of feat could only be achieved after having superb mana control over the greatsword.

Mana control may seem the most basic technique in this world. However, it is not easy to do at this kind of level. Controlling mana within one body and controlling mana over things is different.

Even Jayna, with her talent and training in mana control, still couldn't do this easily. However, it is a different story for Angus, a control freak, especially over mana and body.

After calming down his breath, "Ohh, you're all back. Wait for a second, I'll call the old man." said Warton as he got a little bit exhausted after his training.

"No need for that, Warton. I am not old enough to not perceive their arrival. Anyway, you all come at the right time. Come into the house." said old man Draught from the house entrance.

"Alright, then excuse us." said Jade as he walked towards the house.

After everyone enters the house, "Warton tells the others I will not receive any guests for a few days." commands Draught without waiting for him to reply.

Suddenly, Draught comes in front of Anna.

"Little girl, did you eat something funny during these past few days." asked the old man Draught.

"Eat something funny? Did you mean the pretty stone?" asked Anna back while tilting her head.

"Pretty stone?" replied Draught.

"Err.. Actually, a few days ago, she accidentally ate the coldest substance called Sublime Zero. Is there anything wrong with it?" said Angus.

"Anything wrong with it? Hahahaha… That's the most hilarious thing I've ever heard." replied the old man while laughing.

"Hahaha… Sorry.. sorry.. This is too hilarious. Even an Eskor monster overlord, a natural ice monster, will die if they eat Sublime Zero. Much like a low-grade monster-minded girl like her."

"Besides, where did you get this Sublime Zero? It is a very precious ore that even I don't have." said old man Draught.

"W-Wait, that old man said the Sublime Zero is in a sealed state. Maybe that's the reason she is still fine now." said Angus.

"Absurd!! Angus, my boy, you still don't know the true nature of Sublime Zero. Even a little bit of Sublime Zero could freeze the entire Porros along with all its residents instantly. That also means all the seventh-grade combatants here." explained Draught.

Hearing this, everyone becomes solemn and looks at Anna, who is still oblivious to this.

"But, Anna seems to be fine these last few days. Does that mean it is not the real Sublime Zero." said Angus.

"Well, let me check it first." said Draught as he grabbed Anna's small hand for a moment before releasing it.

At this instant, Draught's playful face turns into horrified.

"T-This aura, It can't be…" as Draught couldn't utter any sentence properly even after a while.

Looking at Draught's reaction, "Err.. old man, is everything okay?" said Angus.

"Angus, tell me. Has she ever died before? I mean.. has she ever experienced something like death or similar?" said Draught.

"Death.. Wait, yeah. Once her heart is punctured by this Darkwing Bat Monster Overlord. Is everything okay?" said Angus.

Hearing this, Draught immediately takes a deep breath to calm his mind and think for something.

"Angus and everyone here. What I am going to tell you is the secret that I discovered during my journey. Have all of you ever heard about the fallen god of monsters?" said Draught.

"Fallen god of monsters? Is it about the legend of monster creation?" said Gilford.

"Correct, that legend." replied Draught.

Then, Gilford tells the others about the legend of the fallen god. According to the legend, there was a war among gods long ago. At the end of the battle, one of the strongest evil gods is defeated.

By some coincidence, a piece of the evil god landed on this world and began to corrupt some of the living beings in this world. The corrupted one then becomes what we call a monster this day.

After hearing Gilford's story, "Correct, however, the myth only contains half-truth. The one that falls into this world is not a piece of evil god but a familiar." said Draught.

"During my journey, I found a piece of the world record. It contains the truth of the world and records that happen around the world. By some chance, I found a record about the truth of this world."

"According to the record, when the evil god familiar fell into this world, it was already at its end. Not wanting to leave her master, the familiar uses its remaining strength to scatter her existence to the world in the hope to be reborn."

"These pieces of existence are too strong for all the living beings in this world. As a result, some living beings turn into monsters who use miasma while others have the power of mana. Only a few living beings managed to use both of the energy."

"However, these few living beings are not suitable for her. As time goes by, her consciousness starts to fade away."

"Couldn't wait any longer. She used a gift from his master to make a prophecy or rather declaration. The prophecy said through death I shall rise and stand by my master once more."

"Well, I am not sure about the prophecy, but one thing is sure is the aura she left behind. What I feel inside this little girl is the same aura as when I read the prophecy. It is so ancient yet also majestic. Even with my current strength, I could only hope but look it up."

"Does that mean Anna is the reincarnation of that familiar?" asked Jayna.

"I am not certain. But, she survives from death and has this unique majestic aura hidden deep inside her." said old man Draught while pointing at the half-sleep Anna, who listens to his story like some sort of lullaby.

"She may also be one of the candidates for the familiar to reincarnate since at the first place she seems to search for a suitable vessel who could hold her power." added old man Draught.

"Okay, that's a lot of information to take. But, it does not change the fact that she is only a little girl now. Anyway, what about Sublime Zero? Is it real?" said Angus.

"Tch… You could say that because you cannot perceive that familiar power. Well, sometimes ignorance is also a blessing. But, let me tell you one more thing."

"The current god you know is different from the god in the past. Hell, I still wondered why they could be called god since I could even beat some of them down on my own. So, you should be able to estimate how much stronger the familiar that I am talking about."

"About the Sublime Zero, I think it's real, but it gets absorbed by this little girl's body at slow-paced. You don't have to worry about her. She is someone who has that kind of familiar aura. She is not going to die easily." said Draught

"Fiuuh.. Well, that's a relief to know that." said Angus and Jayna.

"Anyway, we waste too much time already. Let's get going." said Draught.

"Huh? Where are we going, old man?" asked Jade.

"Of course to my personal forge. Ahh.. before we go, you should wear these. The forge could be quite hot for all of you." said Draught while giving everyone a blue gem necklace.

"These necklaces contain the Eksor Monster Overlord's essence, one of the coldest materials that could be found. Although it is not as cold as Sublime Zero, it is already enough to protect you from the heat. Now, follow me." said Draught.

After everyone is wearing the necklace, Draught goes towards one of the big walls inside his house. He tapped the wall in a few places with a certain rhythm before mumbling something in an inaudible voice.

After a while, the wall moves on its own, revealing a different scene than the outside world. The scene looked like inside a dark cave. Without wasting more time, Draught steps into the dark cave.

Jade and the others decide to follow Draught with some hesitation. After walking a few moments, they reach the cave's exit and find a completely different world. All they could see was red lava flowing without end.

"Welcome to The Forge. An artificial world that is specialized to create weapons and armors."