Chapter 2: The Merchant and the Bandit

  Three months passed. The seasons turned, and the green of the Elderwood gave way to the fiery oranges and reds of autumn.

  Zeno stood on the dirt road that marked the edge of Shifu’s territory. He was wearing a new travel cloak, a sturdy leather backpack, and his usual grin.

  "Remember," Shifu said, adjusting the strap on Zeno’s shoulder. "Head to the city of Oakhaven. Go to the Adventurer’s Guild. Register. Do simple quests. Do not accept quests marked 'Death', 'Doom', or 'Certain Peril'."

  "What about 'Mild Peril'?" Zeno asked.

  "Mild Peril is acceptable. But use your judgment." Shifu hesitated, then added, "If you are unsure, ask someone who looks smart. Preferably someone wearing glasses."

  "Like you, Master?"

  "I do not wear glasses, Zeno. I have excellent vision." Shifu cleared his throat. "Here. Take this."

  He handed Zeno a small, dull grey stone. It looked like a river pebble, perfectly smooth.

  "A rock?" Zeno asked, turning it over in his hands. "Is it a magic rock? Does it explode?"

  "It is a Suppression Stone," Shifu explained. "Wear it around your neck. It will hide your true Tena level from prying eyes. To the average observer, you will look like a beginner with a capacity of 50. It is better to be underestimated than targeted."

  Zeno nodded and tucked the stone into his tunic. "I will be a secret genius."

  "Let's stick with 'secret' for now," Shifu muttered. "Go. And Zeno... no eating anything you find on the ground unless you wash it first."

  "Yes, Master! Goodbye!"

  Zeno turned and marched down the road, his steps light and bouncy. He waved until the figure of his master disappeared behind the bend.

  The world was big. The road was wide. Zeno felt the Tena humming in his veins, a warm river of energy. He had managed, finally, to hold the leaf without shredding it. He could sustain a Shroud for ten minutes. He was ready.

  He had been walking for about four hours when he heard the commotion.

  Ahead, the road widened near a small grove of birch trees. A carriage, painted a gaudy bright red, was stopped in the middle of the path. A fallen tree blocked the way.

  Standing around the carriage were three men holding rusty scimitars. They wore mismatched leather armor and bandanas over their faces. Cowering near the carriage wheel was a short, stout man with balding brown hair and watery blue eyes. Despite his trembling knees, his hands were calculatingly gripping his coin purse.

  "Please, gentlemen!" the stout man squeaked, trying to force a business smile. "Let us negotiate! I can offer you a generous thirty percent discount on the premium silk! Fifty percent on the spices! We are all reasonable men here, aren't we?"

  "We'll take the gold, the silk, and the spices, fat man!" one of the bandits growled. He was a tall man with greasy brown hair and a scar running down his forearm. "And maybe your shoes too! This isn't a bazaar!"

  Zeno stopped a few meters away. He blinked. This looked like a scene from one of Master Shifu’s storybooks, except the fat man was trying to sell things to the bad guys.

  "Excuse me!" Zeno called out loudly.

  The bandits froze. The merchant looked up, hope sparking in his eyes, until he saw it was just a teenager with messy hair.

  The bandit leader turned, pointing his scimitar at Zeno. "Are you lost, kid? Just hand over your boots before we make you bleed."

  Zeno walked forward, unbothered. "You put a tree in the road. That is blocking the path. Master Shifu says blocking the flow is like blocking the stomach—it gives the forest bad digestion. And it is making me hungry."

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The bandits exchanged glances. "What is this idiot talking about?"

  "Kill him," the leader sighed, bored.

  The bandit on the left, a burly man with a shaved head and dark eyes, charged at Zeno. He raised his sword, shouting a war cry. "Die!"

  Zeno didn't move. He watched the man come closer. He watched the sword swing down.

  Slow, Zeno thought.

  Compared to the rushing water of the Silver Stream, the bandit moved like he was swimming in thick mud.

  Zeno didn't dodge. He simply stepped forward, inside the bandit's guard. He remembered Shifu’s lesson. Don't use a sledgehammer. Use a needle.

  But old habits die hard.

  Zeno gathered Tena in his right fist. He tried to keep it small, controlled. Just a little Spark.

  He punched the bandit in the stomach.

  BOOM.

  The sound was like a cannon firing. A shockwave of blue light erupted from Zeno’s fist, tearing up the dirt beneath them. The burly bandit didn't just double over; he was launched backward as if he had been hit by a runaway boulder. He flew through the air, cleared the carriage, cleared the fallen tree, and smashed into a birch tree twenty meters away with a sickening crunch.

  The impact was so violent that the tree shook violently, instantly dropping all of its autumn leaves in a massive, colorful shower that completely buried the bandit leader, Red Viper, up to his knees.

  The burly bandit slid down the trunk, unconscious before he even hit the ground.

  Silence returned to the road. The merchant’s jaw dropped, his coin purse forgotten. The remaining two bandits were staring at their flying comrade, then at Zeno, completely dumbfounded.

  Zeno looked at his fist, then at the bandit leader, who was brushing leaves off his shoulders in shock. "Oops," Zeno said, looking genuinely apologetic. "I meant to tap him. I think my Spark is still a bit... loud."

  "Monster!" the third bandit shrieked, dropping his sword and running into the woods without looking back.

  The leader, however, didn't run. He brushed the last of the leaves off his face, his expression twisting into a snarl. A faint, red aura began to glow around his body.

  "A Tena user," the leader hissed. "I didn't think I'd find one out here. You think you're tough because you beat Jaron? He had no energy. I do."

  The leader stepped forward. The red aura flared, concentrating around his sword. It wasn't much—maybe a capacity of 100—but it was sharp.

  "I am the Red Viper!" the bandit announced. "My Blade Flow technique is unstoppable!"

  Zeno tilted his head. "Red Viper? Is that a snake? Snakes are cool. But they can't eat me. I have Iron Stomach."

  "Stop talking nonsense!" The Red Viper lunged, his sword glowing with heat. He was faster than the first man. The blade aimed straight for Zeno’s chest.

  Zeno saw the attack. He saw the red energy. It was jagged, angry.

  Defense, Zeno thought. Shroud.

  He concentrated. He tried to wrap his body in a thin, efficient layer of blue Tena.

  Instead, his energy surged out like a bursting dam. A massive sphere of blinding blue light expanded from Zeno’s body.

  The Red Viper’s sword hit the blue sphere and shattered. The steel simply couldn't withstand the density of Zeno’s Tena. The bandit leader gasped as the recoil travelled up his arm, dislocating his shoulder. He was thrown backward, landing hard on his rear end in the mud.

  Zeno stood there, glowing like a small blue sun. The ground beneath his feet had cracked wide open.

  "Oh no," Zeno muttered, the blue light fading. "Master Shifu is going to be mad. I made another hole in the ground."

  He looked at the bandit leader, who was clutching his arm and looking at Zeno with sheer terror.

  "Are you okay?" Zeno asked, walking over. "Do you want a carrot? I have one in my pocket."

  The bandit scrambled backward, kicking his legs frantically. "Stay away! Stay away from me!"

  "Okay, okay." Zeno shrugged. He turned to the merchant. The stout man was trembling, but he managed to stand up and bow deeply.

  "Young hero! Amazing! Magnificent!" The merchant waddled over, wiping sweat from his forehead. "I am Barnaby. Barnaby the Merchant. You saved my life! And my merchandise!"

  "I am Zeno," Zeno said. "I didn't save the merchandise. It's still in the big wooden box."

  "A figure of speech!" Barnaby laughed nervously. He looked at the unconscious bandit, then back at Zeno. "You are a Cultivator, aren't you? A powerful one!"

  "I am a Novice Pugilist," Zeno corrected him. "And I am very hungry. Fighting makes me hungry."

  Barnaby’s eyes lit up. "Hungry? My boy, for saving my life, I will treat you to the finest feast in Oakhaven! I know an inn that serves the most succulent roast duck, potatoes roasted in duck fat, and cakes as light as clouds!"

  Zeno’s mouth watered, his amber eyes sparking. "Duck? I love duck! Especially when it's roasted over an open fire. But Mr. Barnaby, why do you ride inside a big wooden box on wheels? Are your legs broken?"

  Barnaby blinked, momentarily confused. "It's... a carriage, my boy. For comfort and carrying goods."

  "Walking is better," Zeno stated, grabbing his backpack. "Let’s go. I will push the tree."

  Zeno walked to the fallen tree blocking the road. It was a thick oak, heavy and gnarled. A normal man would need a team of horses to move it. Zeno placed one hand on the trunk. He didn't use Tena this time; he just used his raw Strength stat of 25.

  He heaved. The tree groaned, rolled, and crashed into the ditch on the side of the road.

  Barnaby watched, swallowing hard. Novice Pugilist? he thought. That boy is a monster in human skin.

  "To Oakhaven!" Zeno cheered, pointing down the road. "To the duck!"

  As they walked away, the blue window of the System flickered briefly in Zeno’s vision, unnoticed by the boy who was thinking only of food.

  [Combat Experience Gained.]

  [Skill: Heavy Punch leveled up to 3.]

  [Tena Control increased to E.]

  The journey had begun, and the world was not ready for Zeno.