In the distance.
Cold rain tapped against the thatched roofs of the village, forming rivulets on the muddy paths.
Mist drifted out from the woods, blurring the distant mill into a hazy, gray silhouette.
And beside this village...
...flowed a winding river.
Perhaps due to the rain,
bubbles were continuously rising to the surface.
The fish below swam to the top, gulping greedily at the air.
And by the riverbank,
several bare-chested youths were fishing with crude spears and baskets.
A boy of about sixteen or seventeen stood on the bank. His dark gold, curly hair clung wetly to his cheeks, and droplets from the ends of his hair slid down the tip of his nose and fell into the water.
What was most striking were his eyes.
They were a rare purplish-gray, like the clouds gathering before a storm.
Unlike the other boys who used spears and baskets,
he held no fishing tools at all. He just stared at the river’s surface.
Then, he leaped directly into the water.
Within moments, he had easily captured two plump fish, each weighing more than three pounds.
He then casually and accurately tossed his catch onto the bank.
From his appearance,
the boy didn’t seem much different from the others.
But under the penetrating gaze of Hu Qi’s Eye of Tempered Blade,
the boy’s Qi and Blood was more than ten times greater than that of the ordinary youths beside him.
He was like a Fierce Beast in human form.
This level of power surpassed even that of a typical Sequence Nine Professional.
Furthermore, while the boy’s body looked mostly human, there were subtle differences.
And the reason for all this...
...was the potent Dragon Blood flowing within him.
In short.
To put it nicely,
this person was a half-breed, a half-dragon.
To put it bluntly, he was a mongrel born of a human and a dragon.
This was precisely why Hu Qi was so surprised.
Giant Dragons were dozens, even hundreds of times larger than humans.
That the two could ignore the reproductive barrier to mate and produce offspring was astounding.
’Never mind anything else,’ he thought, ’Giant Dragons are oviparous, while humans are viviparous. So how would this mongrel even be born? Honestly, I’m really curious about that.’
Of course, Hu Qi didn’t truly dwell on it.
’In a world with Extraordinary Power, such thoughts are impractical and meaningless. What do these problems matter in the face of the Extraordinary? Maybe the Giant Dragon could take human form, or maybe there’s some other method. Who knows.’
He didn’t probe any deeper.
At that moment,
a gust of wind blew through the rustling leaves.
And Hu Qi, who had been standing among them, was suddenly gone.
...
By the stream, water splashed everywhere.
"Ville! Your fishing skill is just divine! How on earth do you do it? Teach us!"
The other boys crowded around the golden-haired youth—Ville—watching him.
Their eyes were glued to the flopping fish in his hands, their faces full of envy.
They had witnessed Ville’s ’Divine Fishing Skill’ countless times, but it still felt unbelievable every time.
They knew better than anyone how cunning the fish in this river were.
It wasn’t that no one else had tried his method.
But they either ended up getting slapped in the face with a fish tail or choking on water, never even touching a single scale.
"This... I can’t really explain it. I just grab them."
Ville chuckled.
"Maybe... I was just born with it."
"Tch, you stingy jerk!"
The boys jeered in unison at Ville’s words, clearly not buying his explanation.
However, having grown up with him, they knew Ville was incredibly agile, so they didn’t make too big a deal out of it.
In response,
Ville just shrugged helplessly.
’It’s the honest truth, after all.’
’For other people, jumping into the river to catch fish bare-handed might be difficult. But for me, catching fish is as easy as breathing.’
But similar scenes had played out so many times that he couldn’t be bothered to explain anymore.
He had discovered long ago that he was different from other kids his age.
For example, things that were difficult for normal people were effortless for him.
His strength and speed were far beyond that of an ordinary person.
Growing up, other children, no matter how well-protected, would inevitably catch a cold or a fever a few times.
But he was different.
Even if he went bare-chested in the middle of winter, he wouldn’t feel the cold at all.
As a result, he couldn’t understand how a little cold could possibly make someone sick.
He had once asked his old man why he was so different from the other kids.
But in response,
his old man offered no explanation.
He just told him to live and act like a normal person.
And not to show off how special he was too much.
That was why he had stayed in the village all this time, never leaving to venture out into the world.
But young men are naturally prone to showing off. After possessing strength far beyond that of a normal person, it was impossible for him not to reveal it at all.
It was inevitable.
"Sigh! I wonder when the old man will finally let me leave the village!"
Ville sighed.
His dream was to become a Knight.
Unfortunately, his old man absolutely refused to let him leave.
It made him feel like a master chef with an empty pantry.
"It’s getting late. I’m heading back. I still have to cook for my old man. You guys can split these fish. You should head back soon, too."
Ville said, looking up at the sky.