n

n

n

"That's three down,

" I muttered right as Mei Gui landed back on the ground, flaming spear in hand.

nAfter we helped take down the second monster, everyone who still had energy left went to help with the third. Together, we made quick work of it, with Mei Gui dealing the finishing blow as usual. She pulled off an incredibly difficult move this time around, yet she made it seem so easy. First, she leapt up directly into the air and lunged towards the monster's heart, using the force of her entire body to push the cold steel through. Then, in an instant, she used the monster's shoulder as a foothold, and propelled herself off of it so that she fell to the ground on the other side, in the process retrieving the half-lodged spear inside the monster's body.

nAll that happened in the blink of an eye. That was how fast she was.

nDamn...Mei Gui's really strong, huh?

nMei Gui probably detected something via our emotional link, and turned to me with a thumbs-up, and smiled faintly. It was a smile no one else but me could see, since on the surface she practically had no expression at all. But to me, who could broadly tell what she was feeling, I knew that she was encouraging me with that smile, saying something along the lines of 'you'll get stronger than me soon, Master'.

nYeah...thanks, Mei Gui. I'll definitely get stronger. But still, it just doesn't feel too good, getting carried by a girl, you know? Well, technically you aren't a human girl, but you're still female, aren't you? Even Elementals have genders, from what I know.

nI didn't get a response, but I really didn't need one. I was certain she was a female, considering how her naked body felt when I wake up in the mornings...but there was no way I'm telling anyone that. That's staying with me to the grave.

nSoon, the Ancestral Mage leading the 4th group came over to us, and gave a firm nod.

n

"You guys done?

" I asked, even though I already knew the answer, seeing as how they were casually walking over to us.

n

"Yes. I managed to get a good hit in thanks to the efforts of my fellow allies, though I must say...these monsters are certainly tough. It took the strongest spell in my arsenal to kill it,

" the old man replied with a sigh.

"Bu that aside, I must thank you for coming to help us. If you do not mind, what is your name?

"

nMy name...? Hm, guess I'll use my Hunter alias here. I really can't think of one on the spot, or else he's obviously going to know I'm giving him a fake name, which might come off as rude. Of course, I have no such intentions; I'm just a very careful person, and don't want to expose any of my real information unless it's absolutely necessary.

nAfter some quick thought, I spoke.

"You can just call me Kai Xuan, senior.

"

n

"Kai Xuan...I see. I am in your debt,

" he said with a bow.

nI quickly moved to help him up, and shook my head.

"Don't mention it. It's just...

"

nI looked up at the night sky, then continued.

"...If I can help it...I don't want to let anyone else innocent die again.

"

nThe old man, seeing me reminiscing the past, closed his eyes.

"...You are very strong, young one. Perhaps not in terms of physical or magical strength right now, but your will is definitely stronger than mine.

"

nI sighed and put on a smile, then realized I was still wearing my mask, so no one would be able to see my expression underneath. Damn, I'm an idiot.

n

"Thank you, senior,

" I replied with genuine gratitude. Then, turning around to face everyone else, I continued.

"Now then, let's all hurry to the safe zone. We caused quite a ruckus over here defeating those monsters, and there's no telling when more of them will come. We should...leave while we can.

"

n

"Agreed,

" the senior Ancestral Mage said.

"Everyone, form a straight line behind Kai Xuan here. His companion is the strongest out of all of us present, so she should take the lead. I will cover our rear.

"

nI didn't see any problem with this plan, so I just nodded along, then motioned for Mei Gui to stay close to me. Then, remembering something important, I cleared my throat.

n

"Oh yeah, and one more thing? Are there any umbrellas in that store?

" I asked, pointing at the shop everyone here had been hiding in before Mei Gui and I came along.

n

"Huh? Umbrellas? Who the hell cares about rain when there are these monsters all around?

" the male teen from before asked haughtily. Feng Mian was still using him as support, since her leg hadn't full healed yet, and I didn't have any mana left, not even enough to cast a simple healing spell. I was completely out, and I assume Mei Gui didn't have much left in her either, if materializing that spear costed mana.

nI glared at the guy, and spoke quietly.

"Haven't you thought about why humans just like us have turned into monsters like the ones we just killed?

"

n

"Is that our problem?

" he shot back.

"And I really don't see how this links to umbrellas.

"

nI sighed, and bit back the urge to call him a moron right then and there, since that would undoubtedly start a fight.

"I'll put it simply - the rain is the culprit.

"

n

"The rain...?

" everyone present looked at me in confusion.

nI nodded.

"Luckily, the rain stopped before you guys came out of the shop, and didn't start again. But the rainwater is what caused these monstrous transformations.

"

n

"How can you be so sure, huh?

" the male teen asked with furrowed brows.

"Don't tell me, you're the one who started this whole disaster, all to impress some girls by saving them?

"

n

"...What?

" I stared at him in genuine bewilderment. Bewildered, at how one could be so damn idiotic.

nHe snorted.

"Isn't that your goal here? By unleashing a bunch of monsters on us, you can then come in pretending to be a hero on a white horse, getting girls like her right here to fall in love with you,

" he said, eyeing Feng Mian.

nShe, however, upon hearing this, immediately pushed him away.

"It's not like that...!

" she muttered weakly, struggling to even stand by herself.

nThe teen blinked a few times in surprise, but quickly came back to his senses and moved closer to Feng Mian once more, attempting to support her. However, she swatted away his hands, and hopped over to a nearby tree, leaning on it.

n

"Kai Xuan...isn't that type of person,

" she said with full confidence, despite her injuries and weakened state. She looked at me with a pained smile, and I averted my gaze, unable to meet her eyes.

n

"W-Wha...s-see what I mean?

" the teen yelled, looking around among the rest of the people for anyone to side with him.

"C'mon, this guy's successfully charmed her!

"

n

"...Shut it, kid.

" The Advanced Mage rank old man said quietly, yet menacingly.

n

"H-Huh?! The hell you just say to me, old geezer?

"

n

"I said, shut it. If it wasn't for Kai Xuan, we would all still be trapped in that building,

" the old man continued, pointing at the shop.

"If you were even half as strong as him, you would've figured out a way to lead us out of this predicament, or at least tried. But instead, what did you do, kid? Stand around here, waiting for someone to save us just like the rest of us old people. And once that someone really came, you begin complaining about him accidentally picking up a girl you've gotten a crush on. Shameful.

"

nWhew...way to go, old geezer. What a speech. Saves me the trouble.

n

"W-Wha....

" the teen clenched his fists, and gritted his teeth, but didn't do anything more. He probably realized he was weak, and wouldn't last a minute out here in this monster-infested city without the rest of us. And so, he could only bite his lip and endure his anger.

nI sighed, then asked around, just for confirmation.

"By the way, does anyone here have the Blessing Element?

"

nEveryone was too engaged in their own fights to pay attention to me using Blessing Magic, so they all just automatically assumed I didn't have it either, which was good for me.

nAll the people present looked at one another, then back at me and shook their heads. I smiled weakly, defeated.

n

"Yeah, thought so...

" I muttered.

n

"If any of us had a Blessing Element affinity, we would have immediately used it to heal that girl over there, but...

" the Ancestral Mage said, eyeing Feng Mian, who was still leaning against the tree. She seemed to be feeling a bit better though, so I assumed her leg wasn't broken or anything serious. Probably just a bruise, or worst case a light fracture.

nFeng Mian, noticing me looking at her, opened her mouth and was about to say something, but I quickly looked away before she had a chance to. Out of my peripheral vision, I could see her closing her mouth again, with a dejected and disappointed look on her face. Sure, I felt bad, but there was really no time right now for talking with her about...well, what else could she want to talk to me about, really? I didn't even have to say the answer.

nAfter we finally headed back into the shop and each got an umbrella, we all began heading in the direction of the Coastal Metropolis. GPS or maps on our phones didn't function anymore, probably due to all the debris caused by the monsters' destruction blocking off RF signals or something similar, since the top left corner of my phone read 'No Signal', and the others had the same thing.

nBut since we were all long-term citizens of Shenzhen with the exception of the male teen, whose name was Zhu Yong and had apparently come to Shenzhen on a trip of some sort, we knew our way around this city like the back of our hand. I got all this information from the Ancestral Mage, who apparently had talked to Zhu Yong before, when they were still hiding in the shop. Of course, our little talk was shared in whispers, so Zhu Yong himself couldn't hear, just for convenience's sake. I didn't want any more trouble on my hands.

nIn any case, we soon arrived back at the Coastal Metropolis with no major events. We ran into some monsters all the way, but we were able to bypass them without a fight using our knowledge on all the tiny roads and shortcuts of the city. It didn't rain or anything either, which was good news as well. However, when we finally arrived at the 'safe zone', our eyes immediately widened in shock.

nThe Coastal Metropolis...was on fire.

n