"Brat! No one is coming to save you Today." He licked his scaber.
Leo was in a huge dilemma, he couldn't fight. He has no skill to fight to begin with, much less to fight a D-Rank.
He had no choice but to say, "Please! I need to save my mother, i will compensate you later."
"Good, I will get rid of the root itself. Cocky commoner! No need to waste a breath anymore, You and that slut embarrassed me in front of everyone, tonight, I have decided to get paid back." He brandished his sword using the slightest bit of mana. Leo dozed with everything he got but he still got sliced on his cheek. He paced his bleeding mother on the ground. And furiously flashed a dagger in the air without any special skill.. Since he got no way out he decided to go all out, no care about backlash.
"So, you can fight." He parried Leo's unskilled outraged attack.
Leo tried to make a way, but how can he be qualified to fight a D-Rank. He kicked on his abdomen. Dagger left his grip and he was soon on the ground holding stomach and grunting. Eyes red, salivia coming out of his mouth.
He approached his mother and brandished the scabber on her throat.
"Noooo..." He hastily drunk a potion and came roaring. A vein-like mark appears all over his body. His body swollen and the cloth starts to burst. His body in an instant becomes double in size.
"You want to kill my mother, GO TO HEEEELLL!"
Leo kicked him very fast that even an D- rank wasn't able to react in time. He sent flying crushing a few buildings that were about to collapse.
[You have taken
[Huge External Mana Injection Detected]
[Effect: temporarily risen to D-Rank]
[Mana Is Impure For the Human Constitution]
[Meridians are Bursting]
PAIN... Huge pain that Leo ever felt before. He knew that if he took these potion impurities, his meridians going to burst and worst he will die too. But he was forced by the situation.
[Estimating Time]
[Meridians Bursted 20%]
[Meridians Bursted 20.10%]
[TIME REMAINING BEFORE FAINTING: 05: 45 MINUTES]
He grabbed his mother and ran, tearing through the air. Without caring if his enemy is still alive.
In five minutes he will surely lose his consciousness, before that he has to make it.
Blood was leaking through his pores. Pain, unimaginable. Blurr starts to happen in front of his eye but he ran without caring about it.
****
In a quiet room, a woman—perhaps in her late twenties or early thirties—slept soundly.
Even in her sleep, she carried an air of quiet authority, as if she were someone accustomed to being obeyed.
Suddenly she was startled awake by a commotion downstairs. Someone was banging on the door nonstop.
"Who is looking for trouble this hour." She quickly took a short sword beside the wall. And approached the door. Her graceful moves were like those seasoned veteran.
"The banging suddenly stopped. Had the person outside left?"
She opened the door carefully.
A broad-shouldered young man, nearly seven feet tall, covered in blood, bloodied woman over him. Fell with heavy thud.
"Leo!!!!, what happened, don't tell me...."
He was only able to hear this much before shutting down his eyes.
*****
"Leo, Leo, Leo.."
His mother was calling him.
"Don't go outside it's raining, no one is going to play with you." She said wiping her hand with tissues. She was wearing an apron, panda engraved on it.
Their house had always been simple, big enough for two people. A small stove burned in the corner while a pot of soup slowly simmered.
The warm smell filled the whole house.
Leo had been sitting nearby, playing with a small wooden toy sword he had carved himself. Every few moments he would swing it around and make exaggerated battle noises.
"Take this!"
His mother chuckled softly without saying anything while stirring the pot.
Leo puffed his chest proudly and swung the sword again.
Then suddenly....
His foot caught the edge of the rug.
He stumbled forward.
At the same moment, a clay jar resting on the wooden shelf above loosened.
It slipped.
And fell straight toward him.
"Leo!"
His mother rushed forward without thinking.
She shoved him aside just as the jar crashed down.
CRACK!
The jar shattered against the floor.
But the edge struck her temple. What's more when she rushed she also burnt herself from porridge that fell over.
Redness from burnt and thin line of blood came over. She sucked in a sharp breath as the skin reddened from the burn.
"Mom!"
Leo's eyes filled with panic.
But she quickly steadied herself.
She gently moved him aside and quickly checked him from head to toe.
"Are you hurt?" she asked urgently.
Leo shook his head.
Only then did she touch her temple.
When she saw the blood on her fingers, she simply sighed softly.
"It's nothing."
She quickly grabbed a small cloth, pressed it to the cut on her temple, and poured a little cool water over her burned arm.
It was only a quick, clumsy first aid.
Then she tied the cloth around her head and stood up again as if nothing had happened.
Her gaze shifted to the pot.
Most of the porridge had spilled onto the floor.
Only a small portion remained.
She quietly scooped the thicker part into a bowl and placed it in front of Leo.
"Eat before it gets cold."
Leo hesitated.
"What about you?"
She smiled gently.
"I'll just have the soup."
She poured the thin liquid left in the pot into a small cup and slowly sipped it.
Leo noticed her flinch slightly as the burn on her arm brushed the table.
But she kept smiling.
"Mom.." Leo said with half opened eyes.
"You are finally awake." A half excited, half worried voice came from the side when he tilted his head he seen a woman none other than silla.
He was a little dazed when he suddenly remembered something.
"MOM!! what happened to mom?" He quickly stood from bed and asked silla holding her hand.
She pointed to one side without showing much emotion.
She was bleeding no longer. But she doesn't seem to be awake.
Her head all tied up in bandages. And she was breathing unevenly.
"She is unconscious, only B-Rank or higher healer can do something about it." An unfamiliar voice sounded.
"Meet Dr. Lydia Ryn, she is a D-rank healer." Silla introduced her.
"Aren't you Dr. From who works in Lantern Alley Clinic." Leo said in little surprised. Dr. Lydia he knew is not an awakener, how come she is D rank.
"You know her." Silla said in surprise.
"I don't do well with blood and gore… places like this make me uncomfortable." Lydia said flatly.
"Thank you so much for urgently caring about my mother. This gratitude how should I pay you." He showed his gratitude.
Lydia became a little tense than said shyly "No, it's ok."
"Ha ha ha! She easily became embarrassed whenever she heard a compliment." Silla laughed.
"W-what— what are you talking about." She instantly turned towards Leo and said, "It's not like that, You should see your own situation. What happened to you."
"Yes, Leo boy, you were in a much worse situation than your mother. We literally had no hope for you. But now even your rank seems to be upgraded too." Silla said looking outside through window.
"She wanted to throw you outside because you looked like a balloon about to burst." Lydia added covering her mouth with hand.
"Your right eye glowed and sucked all contaminated mana inside you. Even though it took the whole day and a night to do it." Silla said with a secret prying tone.
Now they all said it. He was also surprised that he is alive. But it looks like his origin eye did something again.
"Status"
[ TRUTH SYSTEM — ORIGINAL FRAMEWORK ]
[ Editor Name: Leo Thorne ]
[ Race: Human ]
[ Age: 16 ]
[ Class: Appraisal (■■■■■■)( unclassified)
[ Rank: E ]
[ Hidden Evolution Path: (See Details) ]
[30% Meridians ruptured]
───────────────────────────
Strength: 30
Agility: 29
Intelligence:30
Stamina: 28
Mana: 50/50
Physique:10
Perception:15
_______________________________________
Skills Registered:
→ [Origin Eye] (EX Rank)
→ [Appraisal – Fragmented] (E Rank)
→ [Weak Point Recognition] (E Rank)
→ [?ri???????? – Rank????]
________________________________________
[ Hidden Path Details ]
[ System Integration: 45% ]
[ Protocols Detected: 0 ]
"My rank and class seems different. Looks like I not only dodged death instead made profit out of it." Leo said excitedly.
"Now I have to find a way to wake mother up."
He was about to go outside, then silla said "your house is no more, all your stuff are inside that room. I have ordered all the stuff, if you go there you will not get anything."
'what!!!' leo was flabbergasted then he asked about eren his friend and aftermath of attack did victims get anything or not.
Eren got support from his guild so he didn't had any problem but rest of victims were in bad situation. A new city lord has been assigned. Former city lord's family got shifted in the mansion after he got the baron title. New city lord providing help. But he is noble after all so...
Grain was distributed in the central square. A few healers were hired to treat the injured. Wooden shelters were hastily built outside the damaged districts.
But everyone could tell it was only the bare minimum.
Leo's chest burned with anger.
People were suffering everywhere, yet the nobles treated it like a minor inconvenience. But there was nothing he can do.
He came out and slowly started to drift.
Leo stared at the ruined streets.
Broken walls. Burned houses.
All of this… caused by a single battle.
His fists slowly tightened.
This… is what real power looks like.
Just one clash between strong awakeners was enough to reduce half the district to rubble.
A city that had stood for decades… shattered in a single night.
Leo lowered his head, bitterness filling his chest.
"If someone truly powerful wanted to…" he muttered quietly, "they could destroy this entire city without much effort."
The realization made his heart heavy.
"I should become strong. Strong enough to easily deal with people like that. Not just that even A-Rank."