At the entrance of an alleyway in the capital of Olay Kingdom, Ashura hid most of his body in the shadows, cautiously observing the city gate in the distance.
This was the third gate he had scouted.
Each city gate was being watched, both openly and secretly, by people from Blackwater City. They were scanning everyone entering and leaving the city.
Ashura knew that if he attempted to leave the city openly, he would be hunted down. Figuring out how to escape had become his biggest challenge.
Fortunately, this particular gate was in the opposite direction of Augustus Academy, making it the least guarded area.
As he glanced at the bustling market and the continuous stream of people near the gate, a sly grin spread across his face. Quietly, he retreated deeper into the alleyway's shadows…
Before long, a group of young children appeared, seemingly heading out of the city for an adventure.
A short while after they exited the gates, they came running back, clutching a silver coin in their hands as they rushed toward the crowded marketplace.
One of them shouted excitedly, "Mother! There's silver in the grass outside the city! We all found some! I want braised pork!"
The bystanders were stunned. A woman selling snacks quickly stopped her child, grabbed the silver coin from his hand, and bit into it.
"Hiss… It's real silver!" she gasped.
She hurriedly asked, "Where did you find this?"
The child proudly pointed outside the city. "We were playing in the woods not far from here, and we found them! Mother, I want braised pork!"
The woman quietly pocketed the coin. A single silver coin could feed her family of three for a month—whether they had braised pork or not was another matter entirely.
By now, the quicker people in the market had already started running toward the city gates.
The slower ones, seeing the rush, immediately understood what was happening and followed suit. Soon, a crowd surged toward the gates, shouting as they ran.
The Blackwater family's guards stationed at the gate were completely baffled.
The chaotic flood of people rushing out of the city made it impossible to check those leaving.
Within moments, the marketplace near the gate was nearly empty, leaving only a few vendors who hadn't packed up in time, stomping their feet in frustration.
A while later, behind a large tree in the woods outside the city, Ashura emerged from hiding.
He had run out with the crowd—this entire commotion had been orchestrated by him.
The silver coins in the children's hands? He had given them. The words they shouted? He had taught them. Their reward? Another silver coin upon completing the task exactly as he instructed.
He had also left a few more silver coins in the alley where he was hiding earlier—when the children returned to look, they would surely find them.
Turning back, Ashura took a final deep look at the city gates of Olay's capital.
With determination in his eyes, he adjusted the twin blades his second brother had gifted him and ran toward Saint Goban City.
He avoided main roads, choosing instead to traverse small paths and forests.
One reason was to evade the pursuit of the Blackwater family.
The other was to hunt wild beasts and strengthen himself—after all, the entrance exam for Saint Goban Academy required a warrior of at least Third Tier.
However, to his surprise, he encountered very few wild beasts along the way. Instead, bandits seeking to rob him were far more common.
At first, he held back from killing them outright.
But then, one day, he witnessed a poor girl, about the same age as his sister Azhiya, being assaulted and killed by bandits.
From that moment on, he no longer hesitated.
Killing bandits was saving lives—he had come to terms with this truth.
...
Late Night, by a Forest Stream,the black-haired youth, Ashura, sat by the fire, roasting a wild wolf for dinner.
He had always enjoyed experimenting with food, and most of the small animals he caught in the past had ended up in his stomach.
Now, eating wolf meat, he sighed—it was a strange experience.
And he concluded: wolf meat doesn't taste good.
It had been over three months since he left home.
Every day, he had been traveling without pause.
Living off the land and exterminating bandits had given him a wilder edge.
The mischievous grin he once wore had now transformed into a devilish smirk.
He had also reached Warrior Second Tier—these smaller breakthroughs seemed to come naturally to him.
Surviving in the wild had taught him many things, but it had also left him feeling deeply lonely.
As someone who loved lively company, he had spent the past three months without any real conversations with others.
This solitude had tempered his personality, making him more composed and level-headed.
Looking up at the moon, he sighed.
"I wonder how things are at home… Has Grandfather returned? Did he heal Big Brother's leg? Is Sister-in-law still waiting for him?"
Muttering to himself, he leaned against the tree behind him and slowly drifted off to sleep.
He really missed home.
The Next Morning,as the first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon, Ashura woke up, stretched, and checked his direction.
Today, his destination was Lingquan Town.
He knew he had finally left the Blackwater family's sphere of control.
Continuing to travel on foot through the mountains would make it impossible to reach Saint Goban Academy in time.
He needed a mount.
And Lingquan Town was the best place to get one.
Lingquan Town was a small city with a unique legend.
It was said that the town's natural spring produced spiritual water, capable of enhancing strength and prolonging life.
Curious, Ashura ran straight to the spring, knelt down, and drank eagerly.
Then, as he lifted his head, he saw a cow drinking beside him in the exact same manner.
His excitement instantly vanished.
Feeling deeply annoyed, he turned and made his way toward the horse market.
A lean man in his forties, sporting a curled goatee, immediately approached with an ingratiating smile. Though the young man before him was dressed simply, his demeanor made it clear—he was no ordinary commoner but a nobleman's son.
Bowing slightly, the man said, "My lord, my name is Chaha. It is my great honor to serve you. Whatever you need, just say the word, and I will ensure you leave satisfied!"
Ashura gave him a brief glance and said plainly, "I want to see what mounts you have."
Chaha quickly stepped forward to lead the way. "This way, my lord, please!"
Following Chaha's guidance, Ashura arrived at the mount marketplace—a place he had never visited before.
The selection was vast. In the beast pens, an array of mounts was displayed for potential buyers. There were over a dozen different breeds of horses, as well as wind wolves, earth dragons, unicorns, and even some flying beasts that had been tamed for riding.
Magical beasts had to be domesticated before they could serve as mounts. Once subdued, they would be fitted with a Beast Control Ring, which would significantly suppress their wild nature and make them obey their master's commands.
Of course, the more powerful the beast, the harder it was to tame—unless it had been raised from a young age to develop a bond with humans. Weak masters could never gain the loyalty of a high-tier magical beast.
Some powerful noble families even raised their own magical beasts. These creatures would recognize their clan members, obey their commands, and could even be used in battle.
Ashura couldn't help but admire the mighty magical beasts—riding one would surely be awe-inspiring.
However, he quickly dismissed the idea.
First, his current strength was too low to control such a beast.
Second, riding a magical beast would be far too conspicuous, potentially inviting unnecessary trouble.
With that thought, Ashura turned to the goateed man and said, "I want to buy a dragon horse for travel. The faster, the better. Do you have any suitable ones?"
Chaha was slightly disappointed—he had hoped the boy would be a big spender.
Still, after a brief consideration, he said, "My lord, we do have a dragon horse—magnificent and unmatched! A true steed that can travel a thousand miles a day!"
"But… it has not yet been tamed. Its wild nature is incredibly difficult to subdue. Would you still be interested?"
Ashura found this intriguing. "Take me to see it."
Chaha led him to a stable, where a towering black horse was tied down with thick ropes.
Its jet-black coat was without a single blemish, and its presence was imposing.
Two burly men were taking turns whipping the beast. The black horse neighed in defiance, its cries filled with unyielding determination.
Ashura signaled for them to stop, then walked around the horse with great interest.
The black horse snorted, looking down at him with disdain—as if mocking the black-haired youth circling it.
Seeing this attitude, Ashura found it amusing. He genuinely liked this dragon horse.
As for taming it? A mischievous glint flashed in his eyes. He had an idea.
Turning to Chaha, he said, "Leave me alone with it. I need to have a little chat with this dragon horse."
Chaha was stunned but did not argue. He nodded and led the two beast tamers out of the stable.
Now alone, Ashura grinned playfully at the black horse.
For some reason, the horse felt a strange sense of unease upon seeing that smile.
Tilting his head, Ashura asked, "Can you understand me?"
The horse didn't respond—it merely lifted its head arrogantly.
Unbothered, Ashura took out a small bundle. "I studied medicine from a young age. This here is a pack of silver needles. I wonder if they work on horses? Hopefully, you'll listen to me, or else… I'll give you a firsthand experience of the joys of acupuncture."
The black horse, though intelligent enough to understand human speech, had no idea what 'acupuncture' was.
But seeing the long needles, it instinctively felt uneasy. Was this some kind of torture tool? Was this human trying to break me with pain?
Ashura pulled out a needle. "The first one will make your left hind leg go numb."
Before the black horse could react, he swiftly flicked the needle into a vital acupoint on its left hind leg.
There was no pain—but the leg instantly lost all feeling, nearly causing the horse to collapse.
Its eyes widened in alarm as it watched the grinning boy pull out another needle.
"This one will take out your right hind leg," Ashura said cheerfully.
The needle flew out, striking true.
The black horse's hind legs buckled—it was now half-sitting on the ground, struggling to regain balance.
Still, it tried to stand.
Ashura leisurely pulled out yet another needle. "Now… should I go for your front legs next? Oh, wait…" He smirked wickedly.
"I forgot—you've got one more leg underneath."
"This one will make that leg go numb."
He prepared to throw the needle.
But this time, before he could, the black horse clamped onto his sleeve with its teeth, refusing to let go!
The horse's once-defiant gaze was now filled with fear and pleading.
Slowly, it lowered its front legs and knelt before him.