7 One Strike

The village elder looked seriously at Arnin after asking the question. He knew that with Arnin's talent, he could easily get into the academy, even without any outside help. As the village elder, he understood the living situation of most of the people, but he couldn't assist anyone because of how much money the village lacked. His only alternative was to help families that had children with high potential. If those kids grew up to be famous and wealthy, then they could hopefully lend a helping hand to the village. He had been doing this for years, but Arnin was the first child that he thought would naturally become someone famous, if he doesn't die prematurely that is.

"You want me to go to the academy with your two granddaughters? You should already know that I come from one if the more poor families in the village, so I would not be able to afford going to an academy." Arnin's family was actually very poor, but if Nekaia's master is able to abide by the new contract, that wouldn't be the case anymore. Although they wouldn't be wealthy, his family would at least be able to eat and sleep without much to worry about.

"Don't worry about all those little things; I will handle them for you. I just need a yes from you and your parents. There are many ways to improve your strength quickly." The way the old man was trying to convince Arnin continuously made him understand that all of this was not for free.

"Tell me what you want me to do for you! I know that all of this isn't free, so stop trying to cover it up!" Arnin was getting more annoyed with the village elder who tried to pull tricks on him. There was no way that the old man was a saint who would assist him no charge.

"Haha! I like how smart you are. I only have two conditions, the first is that you protect Lilise and Elidia in the academy from danger. I would have sent someone with them but the academy only accepts children under the age of fifteen and you are stronger than most people in that age group. The second condition is that if you become famous in the future, be sure to assist this village the best you can. That's all!" The thick faced old man didn't even care that he was asking for a lot, he only knew that this would benefit the village and his two granddaughters. He could care less about what people thought of him because of this.

"You want me to meet all of your conditions just for an entrance into an academy? I think you know better then most that if I wanted to, I could join many academies with just my talent. I am not bragging, but the truth is the truth. So tell me, what will I receive in compensation for becoming a bodyguard for your little girls?" The village elder mocked himself for thinking he could fool a monster like Arnin. He was seen through in a minute. There wasn't much he could offer at the moment but he really wanted Arnin as his little girls' protector.

"If you really do want me as a guard dog, then I have one condition for you. No matter what happens in the future, my family will stay in the village whenever they want, whether I am labeled as good or evil, you will keep them here! If you agree to this minor condition of mine, then I can be a bodyguard!" Arnin drew up another contract that listed the conditions of each party. The only reason he asked for such a demand was because he might be hunted down inthe future and his family may possibly get involved.

"Hmm. Your condition seems safe from a distance, but in the future you could very well be a great disaster, but I don't mind looking after your family. That is a deal!" The elder signed the contract and sent it back towards Arnin who also quickly signed it, binding both to the content inside the contract. Lilise watched all of this happen with some excitement. She still tried to avoid looking at the bare chested Arnin.

Moments later, Elidia came in running with some ointment. She handed it to her grandfather who then applied it to Arnin's back. "Arnin, let me meet your parents. I want to see who gave birth to such a brat. Haha!" The old man smacked Arnin's bruised back before he laughed heartily. His eyes glanced at the smiling Lilise. Arnin shrugged his shoulders before leaving the training field himself. The village elder and the two girls quickly followed behind.

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In Arnin's home, Avian was still inside discussing things with Ashia. They had settled on all major matters while Arnin was gone, and now Ashia was helping Avian familiarize herself with her family. As Nekaia's master, she could now be considered a part of the Foro family. Ashia and Florian were very excited that one of their children had high talent and would be able to have a much better future than themselves. Florian did not talk about the little deal he made with Arnin because it would worry Ashia more than anything. Although children would go out at a young age, five years old was still a little too young. Most would wait until atleast they were ten to leave their home, because by then they would be at the upper levels of Orb Birth. Arnin, who they believed to only be at the beginning stages of Orb Birth, couldn't possibly be ready to head out. Florian only made the deal to motivate Arnin to work harder. He was not willing to let him head out yet. Although he knew there was something different about Arnin when compared to other children. In his eyes Arnin was still a five-year-old child that needed his parents. Little did he know that that very child had already reached Orb Birth - Sky and could match people in Orb Birth - Hell. Ashia herself might not be a match for Arnin.

While the people in the house were busy, Arnin had already arrived with the three people. When the three saw the state of the house, they looked at Arnin with different expressions. The old man had a look of satisfaction because it showed that Arnin had his strength not because of others, but because of his own skills. Lilise and Elidia really wanted to meet the parents of Arnin. They wanted to know who brought up an amazing talent in such a bad situation.

"Mom! Dad! I am home! Can you guys open the door?" Although the house wasn't locked, he didn't want people walking in if his parents were discussing something important. He didn't want his parents feeling awkward or anything because he brought people in while they were discussing finances, so he just wanted to make sure that they knew he was home now. The door swung open and Ashia came walking out. Her face was somewhat red from anger, which caused her not to see the people behind Arnin, and rushed towards him. She grabbed his ears and started to scold him.

"Arnin, why are you home so late? Did you tell me or your dad that you would be going out? You little brat, first you make a ruckus with Avian, and now you come home late? Just watch how I take care of you!" Ashia began to pull his ears even harder causing them to become redder. She only let go when she saw Arnin's ear becoming too red. When she was done releasing some of her anger, she noticed the three people behind her son. She couldn't recognize the two little girls, but she knew the old man in the middle.

"Oh, village elder, I am so sorry for the scene that you just saw." Ashia quickly gave a bow before glaring at Arnin, who she believed to be the reason the village elder was here. She was thinking of the many ways she would beat Arnin later.

"You don't have to bow to me. I don't mind what I saw. Rather, seeing that brat so obedient makes me really happy. Haha!" The old man laughed out loud while the two girls also giggled before glancing at Arnin who was quietly rubbing his ear. They didn't think that such a cunning person could be so submissive. Ashia, on the other hand, was somewhat confused and glanced at Arnin before facing the village elder again.

"Look at me, I completely forgot to mention why I visited today. Your son hea- I mean helped me greatly today and so I wanted to meet the parents of such a talent. My two girls also wanted to meet such parents. The older one is Eldia while the younger one, who is about the same age as Arnin, is Lilise" The village elder beckoned both girls forward. Ashia gave another look at the two gorgeous children, but her reaction wasn't extreme because her own daughter, Nekaia, was also a great beauty. Her reaction however, surprised the old man and the two girls. Although, they were not narcissistic about their looks, they still believed themselves to be quite pretty, but Ashia's reaction made them dissapointed on the inside.

Suddenly, Florian walked out with Nekaia and Avian. When the two girls saw Nekaia, they gasped internally. She was extremely beautiful and she even had a tattoo on her forehead like Arnin, making her seem even more pretty. When the three people compared Arnin and Nekaia, they found that they both had slight similarities, but the aura they gave off was completely different. Arnin seemed more sinister and mysterious, while Nekaia was angelic and welcoming. Lilise felt a little sad that she wasn't as pretty as Nekaia and didn't have the same tattoo as both siblings.

She knew that these parents had outstanding children, both in looks and talent, so finding a way to impress them would be very difficult. What the village elder was shocked about was not the beauty of Nekaia, rather the presence of the woman behind Nekaia was invisible, even to him.

"Miss, I am an elder of this small village and was hoping you could tell me your great name?" The elder's attitude took a complete one-eighty turn. Ashia, Florian and the two girls were somewhat shocked. Nekaia was oblivious to what was going on so she just ran to Arnin and locked her arms in his, smiling. Arnin wasn't too surprised towards his reaction because he knew that Avian was on a much higher level then him.

"My name is Avian Illume. I am from the city and am the master of Nekaia Foro." Avian answered in a very monotone manner, not giving the village elder any formal greeting.

"Wait, do you mean the great Illume family? Like from the central city?!" The elder let out a shocked cry when he thought of Avian's background. Arnin looked at Avian before giving a puzzled look to the old man.

"Arnin, since you are young, you may not know much about Afloria, but it is a very large world. There are five major continents in this world, one for humans, one for demons, one for the animal tribes and the last two are unknown. Some say that it is for dragons and phoenixes while others say that it is for anyone that is able to enter. Forget about that for now, let's talk about the human continent. The humans have five large districts. There is the West, East, North, South, and Central district. Of course the central is the most powerful of all because it is in the middle. The other four however are close in strength, but there is still a ranking for each one. The weakest district is our West district. Even though it is the weakest, it is still very strong. The other four continents would not be able to attack and leave freely. The West has over five thousand cities. The central city is the most populace and powerful city in the West. This village is not even counted as a town, let alone a city." The old man quickly gave a summary of the place they lived in, allowing Arnin to further understand the geography of Afloria.

Arnin wasn't too surprised because he was the one who created the world of Afloria. Arnin just nodded before giving Avian another deep look.

Avian noticed this and smirked, but Arnin just looked then turned his head away, making Avian feel extremely displeased about his lack of interest. After the old man described everything, Arnin looked at his mom and dad.

"Mom, Dad, I plan on entering an academy for a while. I need to go to the academy to further my cultivation at a rapid pace. The fees and everything else will be taken care of by the village elder. Is that OK with you guys?" Arnin asked the most important thing he wanted to talk about. He wanted to go so that he could get a better grasp of Orb Cultivation. He also wanted to have more spars with his power so that he could adapt to it quickly.

Ashia and Florian were surprised but began to deeply consider this. Florian allowed Ashia to make the decision because the effect would be greatest on her in comparison to himself.

"Dear, do you really want to go? You can stay at the city and cultivate there, but if you really want to, I won't stop you. But you have to prove to me that you are powerful enough to take car-" Before Ashia could finish her sentence, Arnin released his aura causing everyone to shiver. Nekaia, who was the closest, did not find the aura uncomfortable, rather she hugged Arnin even tighter because she liked the aura. Ashia and Florian were somewhat uncomfortable because Arnin tried not to aim his aura towards them, however everyone else was shaking and had goosebumps. The more experienced Avian and the village elder felt even worse and were somewhat frightened because of the mass release. Elidia and Lilise were pale white, looking in fear at the aura. The old man noticed this and quickly told Arnin to take his aura away.

"Brat, that's enough! Can't you see Lilise and Elidia are about to faint?!" The old man was angered but also frightened. He had never felt such sinister aura in his life. Arnin looked towards the girls before taking back his aura, he smiled towards both of them.

Sorry about that. If you both want, you can stand beside Nekaia while I fight the old man again. Mom and Dad, you guys also come here and watch this. Old man, let's do this!" Arnin walked forward and took his top layer off. His bruise was seen by Ashia, which caused her to rush towards Arnin, but Florian held her back before facing the upcoming fight. The village elder scoffed and grunted before walking out. He kept his aura At Orb Birth - Hell so that he wouldn't get overpowered again.

The old man started out with a rush towards Arnin, however Arnin vanished from his sight at a much higher speed before reappearing on top of him. Arnin hit the back of his neck, causing the old man to stumble and then fall on his knees. Some blood leaked out of mouth before he looked at Arnin in great shock.

"I understood the crux of your movement speed when we were sparring last time so I just increased my own." Everyone watched in shock, it started and ended in less than ten seconds. What kind of monster was Arnin?