Chapter 13
Before the Storm Breaks
The river flowed steadily beneath the pale morning sun.
Mist hovered above the surface. The air smelled of wet earth and crushed leaves.
Sam stood barefoot on the riverbank, his bow resting against a tree.
Lie stood opposite him, wooden sword in hand.
“Again,” Sam said calmly.
Lie lunged.
Fast. Sharp. Direct.
Sam stepped aside with minimal movement and countered with his wooden staff. Their weapons collided with a dull thud.
Lie grinned. “You’re holding back.”
Sam tilted his head slightly. “You’re predictable.”
“Predictable?”
“You favor your right side before thrusting. Your shoulders tense first.”
Lie paused.
“…You notice too much.”
Inside Sam’s mind—
—AIRS:
Opponent muscle tension detected 0.6 seconds before strike.
Prediction accuracy: 92%.
Lie attacked again, shifting angles this time.
Sam blocked, rotated smoothly, and struck Lie’s wrist with precision.
The wooden sword fell.
Lie stared at his empty hand.
“…You’re cheating.”
Sam raised an eyebrow. “Training harder is cheating?”
Lie narrowed his eyes. “You see something. I don’t know what. But you see something.”
Sam didn’t respond.
Nearby—
Fang stood knee-deep in the shallow river, growling low in concentration.
The water near his paws trembled.
A thin layer of frost crept across the surface.
Crack.
Ice formed.
Unstable.
Then shattered.
Fang snarled in frustration.
Sam glanced over. “Control. Not force.”
Fang huffed.
Inside Sam’s mind—
—AIRS:
Mana compression unstable.
Suggestion: Gradual release instead of abrupt freezing.
Fang tried again.
This time, the frost spread smoother. Thin ice formed around a floating branch.
Progress.
Across the field—
Uncle Wang, Uncle Ding, and Uncle Ning tended the cultivated land. Green shoots had begun to rise between carefully carved irrigation channels. Water flowed gently through narrow streams diverted from the river.
Uncle Ding wiped sweat from his forehead.
“These bows Sam made…” he muttered, adjusting his grip. “They’re lighter than they look.”
Uncle Wang pulled an arrow back.
The string hummed sharply.
The arrow flew.
It struck the target slightly off-center.
“Balance your breathing,” Uncle Wang murmured to himself.
Uncle Ning laughed. “You’re giving advice to yourself now?”
“Better than missing entirely like you.”
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Uncle Ning shot.
Missed wider.
“…I was testing wind resistance.”
They all chuckled.
Then—
Xian stepped forward.
She lifted her bow.
The air shifted.
Wind gathered around her fingers.
Release.
The arrow pierced forward with a sharp whistle.
Dead center.
Deeper than Uncle Wang’s.
Yuner followed.
Wind spiraled gently around the arrow shaft.
Release.
Faster.
Harder.
Perfect center.
Uncle Ding stared. “…That’s unfair.”
Uncle Wang nodded slowly. “Their wind magic amplifies velocity.”
From a distance, Sam watched.
Their arrows were stronger.
Faster.
But his?
His would never miss.
Inside his mind—
—AIRS:
Trajectory compensation active.
Wind correction angle: 2.4 degrees left.
Sam pulled.
Released.
The arrow curved mid-air.
Bullseye.
Even the wind bent.
Lie folded his arms. “That… is ridiculous.”
Sam shrugged. “Accuracy decides survival.”
Far away—
Inside Uncle Mu’s tribe—
A large man covered in scars stood before Uncle Mu.
The Bandit Leader.
Tall. Muscular. Wild eyes.
A curved blade rested on his shoulder.
He laughed loudly.
“So… there’s a fortress hidden in the forest?”
“How strong are they?” he asked.
Uncle Mu remained composed. “Underestimate them and you will lose men.”
The Bandit Leader grinned wider. “I lose men every month.”
He leaned closer.
“But I don’t lose fun.”
An elder stepped forward. “We have only faced youths and a beast.”
The Bandit Leader spat. “Beast meat tastes good.”
Uncle Mu’s gaze hardened. “You attack first. Payment as agreed.”
The Bandit Leader chuckled. “Hunting two birds with one arrow, hm?”
He extended his hand.
“Location.”
Uncle Mu handed him a crude map.
“Forest edge. Near the river bend.”
The Bandit Leader cracked his neck.
“Good.”
He turned.
“Move!”
Boots stomped.
Metal clanged.
The bandits marched.
Night fell.
Everyone slept.
Except Sam.
Inside his building, he sat cross-legged. Mana flowed faintly around his palms. Fang lay nearby.
The moment Sam activated his mana—
Something shifted.
The air grew colder.
Inside his mind—
—AIRS:
Mana fluctuation spike detected.
Resonance increasing in proximity to Fang.
Energy synchronization probability: 41%.
Sam frowned. “Why only near him?”
His veins felt cold.
A pulse.
Brief.
Then gone.
Sam opened his eyes. “Continue analysis.”
Before dawn—
Sam walked alone along the river behind the shelter. Mist hung thick.
He held a wooden sword.
Exhaled slowly.
Mana coated the blade.
A faint shimmer surrounded the wood.
Single strike.
The tree trunk split clean in half.
He lifted a spear with an iron tip.
Mana coated the spear.
Thrust.
It pierced into stone, cracking it.
Breath steady.
Focus sharp.
Then—
He coated his body in mana and punched the stone.
A dent appeared.
From behind a bush—
“…Wow.”
Sam turned slowly.
Lie froze.
“Well,” Lie coughed awkwardly. “That explains a lot.”
Sam stared. “How long?”
“Long enough to realize you’ve been hiding something very unfair.”
“What was that?” Lie asked.
“Nothing,” Sam replied calmly.
“I’m not blind. I saw it. Now explain.”
“…Mana coating.”
“What?”
Sam explained how he controlled mana and coated it over weapons — and over his body — forming a protective layer above his skin.
After hearing this, Lie stepped closer.
“Teach me.”
“No.”
Lie blinked. “No?”
“You’re not ready.”
“Try me.”
“It requires control.”
“I have control.”
“You lose your temper when Uncle Ding beats you at board games.”
“That was strategy!”
Sam stopped.
Looked at him.
Lie grinned slightly.
“Teach me.”
Inside Sam’s mind—
—AIRS:
Lie’s mana flow detected.
Latent compatibility: Moderate.
Guidance required to avoid internal damage.
Sam sighed.
“…Fine.”
Lie’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“We start now.”
Training began.
“Close your eyes.”
Lie did.
“Feel the energy in your core.”
“I feel hunger.”
“That’s not mana.”
—AIRS:
Mana flow irregular.
Blockage near lower meridian channel.
“Don’t force it upward,” Sam instructed calmly.
After many attempts—
A faint glow formed around Lie’s sword.
It flickered.
But stayed.
Lie swung.
A ripple cut through the air.
“I did it!”
“Barely.”
Lie grinned. “You’re impossible.”
Later—
Sam decided to teach mana coating to Uncle Trio.
The Uncle Trio gathered.
Sam demonstrated power of mana coating.
The mouth of Uncle Trio wide open in surprise.
Then he start training them personally.
—AIRS:
Uncle Wang: Stable flow. High potential.
Uncle Ding: Aggressive circulation. Risk of overexertion.
Uncle Ning: Scattered flow. Requires focus.
Hours passed.
Eventually—
Each formed a thin mana coating over their weapons.
Imperfect.
But real.
Morning—
Xian and Yuner approached Sam.
“Why are you ignoring us?” Yuner asked softly.
“Do you think we’re weak?” Xian demanded.
Sam placed down the arrowhead.
“No.”
“Then why?”
He looked at them.
“Why did you hesitate?”
Silence.
“You think killing is easy?” Xian asked.
“No.”
“Those were our people.”
“And Fang is what?” Sam asked.
Silence.
“If the enemy intends to kill your friend… and you hesitate because they were once family…”
His voice hardened.
“…then you are useless on a battlefield.”
Yuner flinched.
Xian’s fists clenched.
“Choose what you want to be.”
He walked away.
Inside his mind—
—AIRS:
Emotional conflict detected.
Host dissatisfaction: unresolved.
Suddenly—
—AIRS:
Alert.
Irregular movement detected near outer trap perimeter.
Multiple signatures.
Sam’s eyes sharpened.
“Take your positions.”
No panic.
Only preparation.
The first trap triggered.
Metal snapped.
Screams.
Spikes shot upward.
Two bandits died instantly.
Others fell into concealed pits lined with sharpened stakes.
Chaos erupted.
Arrows from hidden mechanisms pierced leather armor.
The Bandit Leader stepped forward.
His smile vanished.
“No one told me about traps.”
Losses rising.
Too early.
Too costly.
A lieutenant spoke, “Leader, losses are rising!”
The Bandit Leader’s jaw tightened.
He was brutal.
But not stupid.
“Retreat!” he ordered.
Reluctant.
Angry.
But not foolish.
They withdrew.
They marched to Uncle Mu’s tribe.
Uncle Mu stood on the wall.
The Bandit Leader glared.
“You didn’t mention about traps,” the Bandit Leader growled.
“We never reached their walls,” Uncle Mu replied coldly.
“We lost men before seeing their faces.”
The Bandit Leader demanded entry for treatment.
Uncle Mu hesitated. He Knew letting these wolves inside is dangerous.
Then he calculated many of them are injured if they tried to do anything. Uncle Mu and his worriors can handle it.
He signaled and the gates opened.
Meanwhile—
Sam and Lie reached the trap zone.
Bodies scattered.
Blood soaking soil.
“That body…” Lie whispered.
“One of Uncle Mu’s scouts.”
“And the others?”
“Bandits.”
Silence.
“So he used them,” Sam said calmly
.
Lie nodded. “They won’t stop.”
Sam’s eyes hardened.
“Good.”
Inside his mind—
—AIRS:
Conflict escalation probability: 78%.
Full-scale confrontation imminent.
The wind moved through the trees.
The forest was no longer quiet.
War had begun to move.
End of Chapter 13
To Be Continued…
