Sima returned to the world of the living, stunned to see the unknown faces before him. Sethu greeted him as Royal Prince, and they showed relief that Sima had survived. Sima questioned who they were and where he was. Another male individual walked up to Sima, apologizing for the recent incident. The individual introduced himself as Sam, the chief of Supreme Kuwai, and went on to introduce Don and Sethu, two teenagers who were about the same age as Sima. Sethu greeted him with a huge smile on her face, while Don just said "Yo" and looked away.
Sam informed Sima that starting from then, both Don and Sethu would be his Supreme guards until he fully healed. Sam then told Sima that he was summoned into his homeland, the land of the Supreme Kuwai, where all Kuwai originated from. This was the land that Matue founded to save humans from the wolves. Sima showed no signs of interest and wasn't sure how he felt because of the newly awakened powers he possessed. Sima's feelings were ever-changing.
Sima quickly realized that before all of this, he was in a battle and lost his right arm and right leg. However, when he looked at his arm and leg, they were there, but they were black. Sima looked at Sam, questioning what had happened to him. The elder explained that in an attempt to save him from being killed before the Ceremony of Awakening, they took drastic measures to save Sima by summoning him here. Sima suffered mere injuries that could have healed over a week, but Sima stated that with him losing his arm and leg meant they could start the awakening ceremony and combine the cells of Sima's relative from the Supreme Kuwai with Sima's body and let him heal with them.
For that, Sima had been asleep for only a day. The process could have taken days, however, with the Supreme Kuwai cells, Sima was forced to awaken, leading to him healing in just 5 hours. Sam then stated that Sima's sleep was probably because of the body's max output of the MAZE. Sima got up despite being told not to by Sethu, and went out to see the island with Sam, Don, and Sethu. Sethu questioned what Sima was looking for, but without answering her, Sima used his Sensory Magerue and was able to reach out to a range of 8789590 square kilometers, which was where the seashore ended.
Sima turned to Sam, telling him the island was massive and didn't seem to be surrounded by any nations. He then looked up, questioning what shielded the island. Sam told Sima the island was in a pocket dimension where the real world was not located. Sam told Sima to follow him. After a minute of walking, they arrived at the center of the village, where two massive arms towered above all the buildings. The two arms were so massive they reached the lower clouds, and yet the two hands covered the island as a whole.
Sam proceeded to tell Sima that if he were to stand in the middle of both hands, he'd be bathed in RAW MAZE, and that was where the gate was to leave the island. Sima walked toward the gate without any concern for what would happen to him. Don yelled out, telling Sima to stop or he would die. Sima didn't even bother looking back; instead, he continued. Don instantly appeared before Sima, blocking his path. Sima told him to move, and then smacked him across the village square.
Sima walked until he reached the center, where the RAW MAZE pressure pushed him to kneel. Sima's ego wouldn't allow him to do so, as he forced himself up and stood up with his right arm absorbing the MAZE around him. Sethu and Don witnessed this with Sam, who congratulated Sima as he kneeled before him. He continued to tell Sima he had no doubt that Sima could do it and that this only proved his point that 1% could make a difference.
Sima looked at Sam, asking him what he meant by 1%. Sam looked down and asked Sima to join them for a meal. After some time, Sima, Don, Sethu, and Chief Sam were having dinner. Chief Sam told Sima everything about the 1% compatibility. He told Sima that only Sima was compatible with Metue's cells ever since he died 5 thousand years ago. He proceeded to tell Sima that even the mighty King Tracker, along with Sima's older brother, were not compatible with the cells. So what Sima had achieved was not just extraordinary; it was a breakthrough, meaning Sima's descendants would likely gain more percentage.
Sima told the chief he would surpass that 1% and become the strongest with 100% full awakening before his descendants could. Chief Sam was pleased with Sima's positive attitude, but all that was ruined by Don, who stood up and told Sima to continue dreaming. He said Sima would never become as strong as Lord Metue. Sima looked at Don and continued eating. Don continued nagging Sima, telling him he would be a failure and that they shouldn't depend on an arrogant prince. Chief Sam asked Don to drop it; however, Don was seemingly angry at Sima for smacking him.
Sima brought it up again, telling Don to be quiet or he would smack him again, which pissed Don off. Don got up, challenging Sima to a battle outside. Sethu pleaded with Don to consider changing his mind, but Don was ready to kick some ass. Sima agreed, proposing that if Don won, Sima would call him the prince. However, if Don lost, he'd serve Sima as his guard. Both parties agreed to the proposal, and they stood ready to battle, surrounded by multiple villagers.The villagers held their hands up, creating a form of wall with MAZE that would act as a shield to protect the rest of the city. The battle was about to take place in the middle of the village, where the giant hands were located. Using the gateway provided by the hands as a starting point, the villagers created a circle with a diameter of 500 meters, with Sima and Don standing in the middle.
Sam, the chief, proposed that Sima shouldn't use his Rui arms, as that would guarantee his victory. He suggested that Prince Sima should only fight using MAZE and his Supreme Kuwai cells. As always, Sima didn't decline the offer, wanting to test his MAZE output. Sethu was given the go-ahead to start the battle, and as she shouted "Go!", Don accelerated toward Sima in an instant, launching a heavy right hook.
Without waiting for his time, Sima ducked, getting a clear view of Don's ribcage. However, Don had his knee following his right hook, which made Sima move out of the way before he leaped back and activated his sensors. Don called out the name of his technique, "Domain Control". The whole circle was in Sima's view, which caused Don to release his MAZE. Don had bandages covering his lower face, all the way to his feet, and releasing his MAZE caused the Supreme cells to eat away the bandages, leaving pieces falling off and showing his dark body, with only his forehead retaining its real color.
The MAZE pouring out of Don took the form of two giant hands, which were sent toward Sima. As they extended, their speed increased, but that wouldn't be a problem for Sima, as he knew the right places to dodge and the direction the arms were coming from. With a wicked smile on his face, Sima told Don he was going easy on him, questioning how he was going to take Don seriously when Don was holding back.
That must have pissed Don off, as he started changing the form of his MAZE and enhanced his strength and speed with claws made from MAZE extending 12 inches on his fingers. By doing this, Don was in full-on close combat mode, charging at Sima to dig his claws into him. At first, Sima was able to dodge Don's attacks easily, but as time progressed, Sima noticed Don's speed increasing, forcing him to block the attacks. Of course, he had to avoid the claws made from RAW MAZE, as they would injure him.
This was a problem for Sima at first, but thanks to his combat adaptation, Sima finally manipulated MAZE into being released from his left arm, which made it easy for Sima to fight Don and hold him back. Don realized that Sima wasn't taking him seriously, so he leaped back and charged an energy MAZE attack with both hands held high. Don released a sphere with a blue color and began to charge it, leading to the sphere growing exponentially.
Sima, with no expression on his face, stood there waiting for Don to finish. He was interrupted by a voice in his head telling him to stop daydreaming. It was Sima's powers warning him not to attempt to block the MAZE before him. Sima questioned why he shouldn't, and his powers told him that only RUI could block MAZE, and only for now, because Sima hadn't released his powers. The powers told Sima to charge his own MAZE too.
Sima questioned whether he could do that, and was told he could by his powers. Though they warned him not to release the same amount of MAZE as Don, if he wished to not delete Don from existence. Without wasting time, Sima reached out his left arm, with a sphere charging on his palm. Instantly, Sima's powers warned him to reduce the amount of MAZE he was holding, so he did, until he was holding it with his thumb, ready to fire, and index finger folded to hold Sima's MAZE in place.
A marble-sized MAZE was all Sima needed to counter Don's MAZE. However, Sima questioned whether the size he was holding was enough for what Don had charged up. Sima's powers told him size didn't matter; what mattered was who had the strongest raw MAZE, and Sima was stronger. Don held his MAZE forth before firing and told Sima to heads up, and Sima told him to go ahead and fire.
Don and Sima both fired their MAZE towards one another. The villagers were hoping the collision wouldn't cause too much destruction, but the collision did what they feared. The explosion was so great that it blew both Sima and Don to the MAZE shield made by the villagers and created a huge hole in the middle of the village.
Don got up quickly, manipulating his MAZE into forming a humanoid blue being. The dust that clouded the battlefield began to settle down, showing the big blue MAZE with Don as its heart. Sima had been knocked out after colliding with the shield, so his powers had taken over his body. The right side of his body was all black, with his red eye open and his left eye closed.
After the dust had settled down, Don could see Sima, so he charged a fist for Sima, who was unconscious and wasn't aware of his powers taking over his body. Sima dodged the punch by leaping vertically, using the RUI ARMS as wings to propel himself toward Don at great speed. Don's humanoid wasn't fast enough to react, and Sima used his right arm to absorb the MAZE, opening a right-sized gap to pass through and grab Don by the face.
However, Don had prepared an attack, placing another raw MAZE on Sima's chest, which exploded. Don thought that would finish Sima, but he didn't know Sima's powers could absorb raw MAZE, leading to only Don taking damage. Sima appeared on Don's injured body, grabbing him by the neck and smashing him to the ground before releasing MAZE on his face.
Sam charged for the middle of the battlefield, using his Time Stop Magerue to stop Sima in his position and pulling Don out of the way. Sethu and two more Kuwai appeared around Sima, forcing recovery on Sima and causing him to regain consciousness. Even though time was stopped, the MAZE did damage to Don's left side of the face. Don was healed by reversing time, and the battle had come to an end.
THE CHIEF'S HOUSE: Sam sat with Sethu, admiring Sima's powers. 'If we hadn't interfered, Don would have won the battle,' Sam said. 'Sima needs more training to increase his MAZE output.'
Sethu suggested that Sam train Sima using the beasts in the forest. 'That way, Sima can learn to control and increase his MAZE output.' Before Sam could reply, Sima walked in, confused about how the battle had ended. He showed concern towards Don, asking if he was okay.
Chief Sam calmed Sima, telling him that Don was alive. The Chief thought to himself that Sima had shown three different emotions so far, and he wondered if it was because of his powers that Sima had a split personality.
Sima glanced at the Chief for a moment before focusing on his sensors. He asked Sethu to teach him how to control the amount of MAZE he released and how to measure it, so he didn't destroy those he cared about during training. Sethu jumped at the opportunity, telling Sima she'd love to help. With a big smile on her face, she told Sima to eat up and refill his energy, as they would start training later. She insisted that they wouldn't spar, since she didn't want to end up like Don.
Sima laughed sarcastically, apologizing and telling Sethu he wouldn't fight until he got a hang of his power. They invited him to eat, and then they did chores. It was time for training.
Their training took place near the seashore on the sand. Sethu was a high-energy girl who always smiled and was positive. Maybe that's why Sima immediately let his guard down with her. Sethu first elaborated on how to measure the amount of MAZE one needs when fighting. She started by allowing MAZE to flow in and out of her body, this way MAZE could detect any hostile or dangerous foes around her.
As Sethu released an energy MAZE blast, Sima felt the flow of her MAZE. He was waiting for his MAZE to sense the hostility around him. However, since Sethu was with him, his MAZE remained calm and didn't detect any hostility. When Sethu fired her attack, ROYAL MAZE showed dominance by trying to put pressure on Sethu's soul. Sima tried to calm himself, remembering what happened to Lu and Jumbo when his MAZE went on a rampage.
The training proved difficult, with Sethu's soul starting to burn up because of the ROYAL MAZE and Sethu's MAZE fighting over her soul. Sima was fighting his MAZE control, trying to calm it while using Sethu's memories to view her as a friend, not a foe. Sethu dropped to her knees, holding her belly in pain.
Sima found himself standing in front of his powers again, only this time he could see the structure of his body. His powers told him that unless Sethu's MAZE stopped fighting for dominance, she would remain in pain. Sima's powers told him to remember that the ROYAL MAZE was trying to see if it could trust Sethu, since Sima didn't know her fully.
Sima's body started walking towards Sethu, holding her head. He told her to calm down and not resist. Finally, Sima's ROYAL MAZE recognized Sethu as an ally, not a foe. Sima released his ENERGY MAZE BLAST, which pushed the sea waves back and created a hole in the sand. Sethu told Sima he needed more practice, as the attack was still too destructive for a normal attack.
They went back to the village to eat, and the next day, they continued with the training for the next five days, until Sima was able to attack without Sethu suffering from the ROYAL MAZE. Don, Sethu, and Chief Sam congratulated Sima on his achievement and held a big meal to celebrate.
Without realizing it, Sima had awakened 2% of the RUI powers and was now able to summon the RUI arm without wasting MAZE. One morning, Chief Sam asked Sima if he could do them a favor and kill the giant beasts that kept his people from hunting on the whole island. The beasts didn't like Kuwai entering their territory and retaliated by killing any Kuwai who wandered into their land.
Sima questioned whether he should kill the beasts or talk to them. Chief Sam was confused, asking if Sima could speak to beasts or if the beasts of the land of humans could speak. Sima looked embarrassed, facing down and apologizing, leading to Sethu and Don laughing at him. Chief Sam dismissed the question and rose a task for Sethu and Don to escort Sima to the four territories of the beasts and have him deal with them. Sam also suggested that Sima use this opportunity to learn more about his powers.
Sima and the rest went to sleep that evening, preparing for the challenge ahead
Sima had once again been called by his powers, and he found himself standing in the dark, staring at himself. The figure told Sima that since he had been calling it his powers, it would introduce itself as RUI. RUI claimed it couldn't communicate with Sima before because Sima hadn't familiarized himself with his MAZE. RUI didn't have a free will and couldn't freely communicate with him, but now it would help Sima in the battles to come.
RUI smiled before Sima opened his eyes, and he realized it was morning. Chief Sam took his time elaborating on the monsters Sima would be fighting that afternoon. The village was surrounded by a thick forest, and the forest behind the village was claimed by the Mantis beasts. The left side was claimed by the Demon Spider beasts, and the right side was home to the Sky folks, who lived in the trees. Lastly, there were the Marine people, who had taken over the ocean and made it their home. The Chief explained that they had to pay to get seafood or beat their leader to prove the Supreme Kuwai powers were greater, so they could coexist with their enemies.
Sima claimed it wouldn't be a problem, as he would deal with the enemies starting with the beasts, then the sky and marine people. Chief Sam insisted that Sima display his MAZE to win the fights easily, as the beasts didn't want to fight insanely strong enemies, but they did like to battle.
In the afternoon, Sethu, Don, Sima, and Sam were accompanied by two Supreme Kuwai guards as they walked toward the back of the village, near the forest claimed by the Mantis monsters. Sima, Sethu, and Don entered the forest, leaving Chief Sam and his guard to wish them good luck. Sethu led the three deep into the forest, using her MAZE to search for the beast's MAZE.
The beast's MAZE was as terrifying as the beast's size, but as long as one knew the beast's weakness, they could beat them. However, the beasts had grown intellectually, making it harder for the Supreme Kuwai to deal with them. Sethu warned Sima to keep his guard up when fighting the beasts.
Sima asked if there was anything else he needed to know about the beasts. Don mentioned the different types of resistance among the beasts, claiming it was essential to check out the beast before fighting one. Sima thanked them and advanced deep into the forest. Don chuckled, making Sima question what the problem was. Don told Sima he had grown since he came here, claiming Sima was reckless and charged without knowing anything about his enemies at first, but now he showed growth.
This led to Sethu and Don laughing at Sima, who was embarrassed but brave enough to agree. It wasn't long before they came across a loud crunching sound. The trees were so massive that they had to tilt their heads to see what made the sound, and to their surprise, a number of gigantic mantises were feeding above their heads.
Their expressions were understandable, given the beasts' enormous size. A piece of a leaf being devoured by one of the beasts fell next to Sima and created a crater. Sima, Sethu, and Don's voices were caused by almost being crushed by the leaf, which caught the mantises' attention. They all descended, towering above Sima and the others.
Sima found himself amazed by the size of the beasts. The leader of the beasts screeched, letting out a terrifying presence for Sima and the others to know what they were up against. However, that wasn't enough to scare Sima away, as he showed his motives by retaliating with his own MAZE.
Sethu and Don leaped back as the MAZE cleared up the trees surrounding them. Now, Sima and the leader of the Mantis were having a staring contest with their MAZE fighting for victory. The pressure they caused was intense, making the rest of the mantises quack in fear.
After that, Sima and the mantis leader charged into battle. The mantis was rather quick for its size, able to cover the ground between them in less than a moment. It was all thanks to Sima's sensors, which moved his body plus. With its claws, the mantis struck the ground so hard it shattered and caused a huge smoke, which Sima used as cover to sneak-attack the beast with a high kick.
However, the beast didn't flinch, and it attempted to grab Sima. Sima used the RUI Arm to pull himself toward the ground, and the mantis was shocked by Sima's speed. It opened its wings to move fast and chase after Sima, but the buzzing wings made it hard for Sima to see clearly and move.
Using DOMAIN CONTROL, Sima was aware of what was happening within the dust and could tell where the beast was charging. The beast could feel the MAZE pressure moving towards it with its antennae, which made it strike right above Sima again and again. Sima could evade the attack and climb up the beast's limb to appear next to its face.
Sima launched a mean right punch into the beast's face, but the beast wasn't phased. It grabbed Sima and took a bite into his torso. In pain, Sima opened up his right hand towards the beast's body, screaming as he fired a huge MAZE sphere, blowing up the beast into pieces and the battlefield.
The blue blood of the beast splashed like a large amount of liquid exploded in the middle of the battlefield, causing a shadow. Sima fell down, bathed in the beast's blood, while his left torso was busy healing up. Sima got up, holding his shirt to cover the wound, and struggled to stand.
The beasts all bowed for Sima, recognizing him for his strength and hoping he would choose another leader for them. Though Sima didn't know anything about the beasts, Sethu took it upon herself to elaborate and told Sima how he could pick another leader. In short, the one with enough MAZE to hold its own against Sima's MAZE.
Sima and the rest of the Mantis beasts showed off their MAZE, and Sima selected a new leader. Sima requested the leader of the Mantis to escort them to the Demon Spider territory, explaining that he needed to take the forest back from them. Even though the Mantis couldn't speak, they understood human speech, so the leader of the Mantis carried Sima, Sethu, and Don to the left side of the forest, where they would meet up with the Demon Spiders.
The Mantis beast was walking toward the forest while Sethu was checking Sima's wound, and he had healed perfectly. Sethu was amazed at how quick Sima's regeneration was compared to theirs. Sima told them that as much as it was useful, it was also painful to get beaten alive while watching. Don and Sethu laughed at him, telling him he was funny.
As they approached the forest of the Demon Spiders, Sima told the Mantis to be fast. The Mantis opened its wings and flew, and they all struggled to hold on while laughing and enjoying the ride. In no time, they arrived at the forest of the Demon Spiders, and the word "Demon" truly explained the beasts, for they were as massive as they were terrifying.
Their webs could be seen covering the forest trees like a mist or a thick smoke within the woods. The Mantis used its claws like hands to cut the spider's webs as they landed, clearing up a safe space to land on the trees. However, Sima told the Mantis to infuse its MAZE into its claws and use them again.
With one slash, the Mantis cut down the trees, chopping them into pieces and leaving only tree stems. The spiders misunderstood that as an act of war and charged in large numbers, ready to battle. However, Sima was the only one waiting for them. This made one of the Demon spiders walk up to Sima, who was emitting a strong MAZE aura, challenging the Demon spiders into a battle.
The spider leader responded with its MAZE aura as it walked slowly towards Sima, Sima launched a powerful right punch into the beast's face, but it didn't faze the creature. It grabbed Sima and took a bite out of his torso. In agony, Sima opened his right hand towards the beast's body and screamed as he unleashed a massive MAZE sphere, blowing the beast to pieces and clearing the battlefield. The beast's blue blood splashed everywhere, casting a shadow as it exploded. Sima fell, drenched in the creature's blood, but his left torso began to heal rapidly. He struggled to his feet, holding his shirt over the wound.
The other beasts bowed to Sima, acknowledging his strength, and Sethu explained that he could choose a new leader from among them – someone with enough MAZE to challenge him. Sima and the Mantis beasts displayed their MAZE, and he selected a new leader. Sima asked the leader to escort them to the Demon Spider territory, intent on reclaiming the forest.
The Mantis leader carried Sima, Sethu, and Don towards the forest. As Sethu checked Sima's wound, she marvelled at his rapid healing. Sima grimly noted the pain of being beaten while still alive.
As they neared the Demon Spiders' forest, Sima urged the Mantis to hurry. It spread its wings and flew, the group laughing and holding on tight. They landed amidst the Demon Spiders' web-covered trees, and Sima had the Mantis infuse its MAZE into its claws. With a single slash, it cut down the trees, provoking the spiders into a frenzied attack.
Sima stood alone, emitting a powerful MAZE aura, and challenged the Demon Spider leader. The two exchanged intense MAZE energy, shaking the trees and sending dead animals tumbling to the ground. The western forest reeked of death, carried on the wind.
Sima and the Demon Spider finally took charge, with the beast launching a barrage of attacks in an attempt to squash Sima flat.
However, with the use of Domain control, Sima avoided the attacks, even though the speed of the Demon Spider proved troublesome for Sima as their battle progressed.
Sima was quickly trapped in a tight space, and the Demon Spider could see that Sima wasn't an easy target to hit. So it devised a plan to trap Sima and then spewed acid which melts anything it touches.
The spider's acid caught Sima by surprise, since the Demon Spider was attacking using its legs. Sima didn't think the Demon Spider was smart enough to use different attacks at once.
In a difficult situation, Sima summoned one of the RUI ARMS right above him. The RUI ARM shielded Sima from the acid, plus Sima managed to survive the attack.
The Demon Spider leaped back, firing its webs to catch Sima and stop him from moving, since anything is made of MAZE molecules. Sima could easily detect an incoming attack, which made it possible for him to evade attacks.
The RUI reached out to Sima, questioning why he'd dodge an attack that wouldn't do any damage to him. Confused, Sima questioned how the RUI was able to communicate with him even though he wasn't asleep.
The RUI reminded Sima that he had unlocked another part of the RUI abilities, making them able to communicate whenever they want. Stunned, Sima was happy that they could have a conversation while in battle, however Sima was curious as to wouldn't that disturb them from battle.
The RUI told Sima to leave the dodging to him while they're talking to each other. The RUI pointed out a question he asked, why didn't Sima just attack while the Demon Spider used its acid.
Sima told RUI he didn't want to melt, however RUI told Sima that acid could never hurt him. He was immune to it. Shocked, Sima told RUI to test that theory out.
The Demon Spider finally caught Sima with its webs and was ready to end him with an acid attack. The acid came in a large amount, which also burnt the ground as well
The steam cleared, revealing Sima unharmed. Only his clothes were burnt, and the acid had damaged the web, freeing him.
The Demon Spider stepped back in shock. Sima ripped off his burnt shirt, a grin on his face. His aura sent chills through the battlefield, turning beasts wild with fear.
The western forest became a death trap. The Demon Spider charged Sima, trying to stop the rampaging MAZE. Sima used RUI HAND to chop off the beast's leg, then slammed it to the ground.
The beast was severely injured, its exoskeleton broken. Enraged, it launched a final attack, charging a massive MAZE sphere at Sima.
The sphere towered over trees, destroying everything in its path. Sima used RUI ARMS to redirect it upwards, saving the forest.
The island shook, and a dark cloud cast a shadow on the forest. Animals fled in terror. Sima's MAZE consumed the Demon Spider, destroying its soul.
The Demon Spiders emerged, witnessing the aftermath...
They lowered their heads in respect to Sima, thus recognizing his strength. Sima had to appoint a new leader for the beasts to rule. Now the Giant Mantis of the Northern Forest and the Demon Spiders of the Eastern Forest were under Sima's control, which meant that the Supreme Kuwai had more territory than the Marine Folk and Sky Folk.
It happened that some of the Sky Folk scouts had witnessed the two battles which had taken place and rushed to report back, without being spotted by Sima and the others.
Sethu insisted they call it a day and rest before going west and south. She informed Sima that the foes he'd face next were much more experienced with their MAZE, and Sima needed to be at full power to face them. Since the village of the Supreme Kuwai was hours away, Sima recommended they fly using the Mantis in order to return to the village, so they took off.
The forest was devastated and in bad shape. Sima told the Demon Spider left in the Eastern Forest to guard the forest, for he would be back.
*The Western Forest:* The scouts had just arrived and immediately reported what they had witnessed — apparently they had seen both battles with the giant beasts. They informed their ruler that they thought the Supreme Kuwai had finally found a capable candidate to be a successor to the founder's MAZE power.
The ruler got up, his long robe flowing with the wind. The leader stood next to the window, telling the scouts that they should calm down and claiming to have a solution for their problems. Their solution was the newly awakened person who had just subjugated the beasts. The scouts looked at the ruler before bowing their heads, showing that they understood.
* Back at the Supreme Kuwai village:* The Mantis' flapping wings could be heard across the village, along with the fast-paced legs of the Demon Spider, which brought the villagers out of their homes to see what was going on. At first glance, they saw the beasts and thought it was an attack, so the MOON Clan guards of the village readied their weapons in order to fight off the beasts. To their surprise, they saw Sima, Sethu, and Don riding on the beasts, which shocked everyone.
Chief Sam of the Supreme Kuwai ordered his men to stand down as the giant Mantis descended, chasing the dust away. At the same time, the Demon Spider dug into the ground as it tried to stop. Sima, Don, and Sethu got off the Mantis and were taken to the Chief's house. There, they were served a delicious meal to make up for the days they'd been away.
Chief Sam questioned Sima whether his powers had been in contact with him. Sima denied it, though he mentioned that they did help him during the battle with the beasts, and he was hoping they could work with him more frequently. Chief Sam insisted that Sima should practice more for the MAZE to gain more experience. Sima clenched his fist, promising Chief Sam he would achieve that and that he'd be as strong as his father.
Chief Sam smiled as he noticed a resemblance to King Tracker. Don interrupted the Chief by asking whether King Tracker was as strong as Sima is when he was young. The Chief looked down and took a huge bite out of his meat before telling them the story about King Tracker.
Don interrupted the Chief by asking whether King Tracker was as strong as Sima was when he was young.
The Chief looked down and took a huge bite of his meat before telling them the story about King Tracker.
*The Story:*
Long ago, when Tracker was born, a huge amount of MAZE stormed his home. Even after he grew up, he remained drenched in it.
Tracker was born with a massive amount of MAZE, meaning he had more reserves than most even as a kid. His MAZE shook the planet itself.
The power of MAZE doesn't increase on its own — it only grows with experience. However, King Tracker's MAZE continued to grow even at his prime.
When Tracker underwent the ceremony that Sima had taken, he couldn't find a perfect substitute to become the Lizna. That was because Tracker had more MAZE than the Supreme Kuwai who were chosen. This caused trouble for the ceremony.
After some time, the Chief at the time realized that Tracker needed two Supreme Kuwai to merge with his body in order to match his MAZE. This was a problem, since no Supreme Kuwai had such reserves of MAZE.
Tracker insisted he would wait for the second Supreme Kuwai to be born so he could take part in the ceremony.
After some time, the Chief back then realized that Tracker needed two Supreme Kuwai to merge with his body in order to match Tracker's MAZE. This was a problem for the Supreme Kuwai, since they didn't have such reserves of MAZE. Tracker insisted he'd wait for the second Supreme Kuwai to be born so he could take part in the ceremony.
Chief Sam smiled before telling them that only Sima and his older brother had undergone the ceremony so far. Tracker's ceremony would happen later, before he reached 50 years of age.
Sima was shocked and questioned how his father could summon a RUI willingly if he hadn't met his RUI yet. Chief Sam told Sima it was probably because Tracker had enough MAZE to attract the RUI, or the RUI revealed itself because Tracker had been chosen. Though Chief Sam admitted those were just his thoughts—nothing serious.
Chief Sam told them Tracker had never lost a fight. Because of that, his MAZE didn't have much experience. However, that didn't mean Tracker was weak. Chief Sam clarified: no Kuwai had the experience to fight Tracker equally. Only the Supreme Kuwai were experienced enough to even stand against him. But even then, he said not all Supreme Kuwai had enough experience. The younger Supreme Kuwai still needed more experience to manage a fight with King Tracker.
Sima looked at the Chief, then promised him he would do it and become stronger than his father. Chief Sam applauded Sima, telling him that he believed in him and that he would surpass King Tracker, becoming the second coming of Mettue.
Sima asked who Mettue actually was. Chief Sam told them Mettue was the first Lizna and that they were shaping Sima into one now.
Chief Sam explained that there were no competent vessels to hold the power of both Prayer and Supreme Kuwai. They just became hybrids, like Sethu and Don, who were not Lizna but hybrids.
Sima questioned how a hybrid differed from a normal Kuwai.
The explanation was as follows: A normal Kuwai has basic MAZE-level experience and only knows their MAGERUE technique. There are a few who awaken their abilities, causing their strength to come close to that of a hybrid. So only through awakening can a normal Kuwai reach the same level as a Kuwai hybrid.
A hybrid's MAZE level of experience is drastically improved the moment a Kuwai undergoes the hybrid experiment. This pushes their MAZE experience to the next level of power, too. This enables the hybrid to come close to a Supreme Kuwai.
The explanation was interrupted by Don, who jumped in to elaborate that he thought he was a Supreme Kuwai. Now that he understood what he was, he claimed to understand why he was weaker than Sima.
Chief Sam clarified that Sima wasn't stronger than him yet. Chief Sam went on to explain that Sima uses his RUI powers, which enable him to counter MAZE attacks.
Don mumbled to himself, claiming that Sima was weaker than him. Again, Chief Sam clarified the misunderstanding: Sima will be strong. However, he will get stronger once he gains more experience.
Chief Sam told them that experience is important for one's growth. The more experience a Kuwai has, the more powerful the Kuwai is. Chief Sam went on to elaborate that a Kuwai needs a certain level of experience to awaken their MAGERUE, and those who do are said to be on par with Supreme Kuwai power.
Chief Sam gave examples: Jack, Tacker, Tiffin, EMP and the Ice Man from the Red Empire.
In the world: The mentioned figure was patrolling the northwest of the Red Empire, riding on his polar bear. Behind them was a trail of steam showing the ice left in their wake. This was because the Ice Man used his MAGERUE to detect heat from all living creatures within 800 meters. Using the cold he left behind, the polar bear had ice powers as well, shown by the spikes around its shoulders and its claws.
The Ice Man's name was Sive, a blond young man in his 40s. He wore long blue pants and was shirtless. Sive played with the polar bear's ice spikes on its shoulder, thinking to himself what could have happened if he had never found him. The polar bear's name is revealed as Buc.
Sive found Buc stranded after the big fight between Jack and Nikkie. After that fight, Buc had no one to actually handle his cold. That was until Sive showed up and took him in. Even Buc was shocked until he noticed Sive had ice MAGERUE. That is why and how he was able to tame Buc. The two had bonded so strongly that they practically never lost a battle together.
Sima looked concerned after those words, but Chief Sam told him not to worry about King Tracker. He told Sima to focus on unlocking his full potential, mastering his RUI, and gaining more experience because the world might need him.
Those words changed the whole room's atmosphere to a tense one with the name Fuse. The man whose MAZE became so experienced, he was so powerful that Mettue had to seal him. In shock, they gasped, because all they'd been told so far was that Mettue was the strongest Kuwai to ever live. However, this new figure's name made them question the power of MAZE.
Sima was left with a huge task: to become so powerful that he would surpass Mettue and Fuse.