The Mysterious Black Magician

Once again, Jugo was sent crashing on the ground. his face twisted in pain as he tried to get up, baffled as to what had just happened. How was that guy able to fight back? Jugo asked himself in wonder. He could not believe it. Does it mean he still has more strength even after receiving that consecutive attacks?

What was more suspicious, it was an attack from Jugo himself. He could not believe it. A trainee from the lower class was able to withstand his attack. Did his strength become so weak that even someone from the lower class survived from it? Of course not! Not even those monsters in the floor 20 and above inside the dungeon were able to survive his attack.. He did not train for nothing. He trained arduously and diligently almost every day. His skills along with his strength rose remarkably.

But why? Why was this enemy still able to survive? No, he must be lucky only. Perhaps his attack failed to hit the critical parts of the enemy. Right, it must be the reason.

He tried to find excuses as he could not bear seeing his enemy in good shape after his fury.

Jugo once again stood up. But a glint in his eyes was noticeable. His face showed a bitter expression when his eyes landed on the timer that could be seen above. It was passed one minute already and his declaration of defeating his enemy in a second had long since become history.

While Jugo was in deep pondering, the audience had random conversations.

"Hey, what had just happened?" Asked one of the audiences.

"Why are you asking me? Don't you see this puzzled face?" Replied the person beside him while pointing at his face, similarly flabbergasted as him.

"….."

Behind them, "Hey Ultima, that RatSlayer, is he always that tough?" Asked Vortex, who was sitting beside Ultima. He was surprised that even though the RatSlayer just got a good beating, he was still able to retaliate against his enemy. Upon knowing that RatSlayer's opponent was from the elite class, Vortex could only laugh drily and thought, 'RatSlayer's luck isn't good. He would certainly lose in the match like those other participants who lose in a few seconds.' Yet, it had already passed a minute but RatSlayer was still active on the stage! It was surprising!

He could only ask mercenary Ultima as the two of them had once teamed up in a Rat-killing mission. Ultima did not answer right away. He tried to remember if there was a chance that Yman suffered in their mission before then survived.

"Well, I don't remember him being in such a situation before. But honestly, if there was anything most noticeable about him, that is, he could maintain a cool head even in the face of dire situations," Ultima replied honestly. "And also, that guy, he was so merciless that you would doubt if he was another person…" Ultima added after he remembered what Yman did on those Evil Rats they encountered in the former Underground tunnel.

"Eh?" Vortex stared at Ultima with a frown. "RatSlayer is a merciless person?" He asked, could not believe what he heard. 'Is the RatSlayer really a merciless person?' He repeated in mind. He noticed Ultima nodded with a serious face. Vortex returned his eyes on the stage. Could not believe that the RatSlyer was such a guy. Look, that person looks like someone who could not hurt even a bug.

Right, it was true that he changed a lot, he grew taller, and his face became handsome, probably because of leveling up, however, the meek and warm aura around him was still the same. So even though he changed a lot, it was still easy to recognize him. It was the kind of aura that was mostly picked up easily by bullies. An aura that could be found in a person who is mostly the subject of bullying.

Ultima sighed upon noticing the expression written on Mercenary Vortex's face. He could read what he was thinking. He knew it was hard to believe him. But it was the truth. He was fooled also by that gentle face of Yman. However, that person was hiding a monster inside him. It was the merciless dark side of him.

"He is. He was merciless against those rats in the tunnel," Ultima replied. Then, returned his gaze to the stage.

Regardless, they came here to watch RatSlayer's match. Ultima was curious about Yman's growth. That guy suddenly disappeared after the incident regarding the Demon of Possession.

He had to thank him. Lady Ice, Miss Almina, and Miss Maena told him that it was Yman who did a big part in defeating the demon. Ultima was surprised upon hearing it. Not only that, it was Yman who rescued him from the Demon's clutches.

That time, among those who came in the Underground Channel, Yman was the weakest. Yet, Lady Ice and the others all said that Yman was the one who defeated that frightening enemy?! Unfortunately, he had no idea what happened that time as he was possessed by the demon.

Also, there was no way the three of them would lie. Miss Ice was already in bad shape when they arrived. And Yman did some astounding performances when they fought those other monsters before they arrived at the deepest part of the Underground Channel. So, Ultima could only believe that it was thanks to Yman.

When he regained consciousness in the hospital, Yman had already left the city. He tried to ask his whereabouts from Miss Almina and the others, but. None of them had any idea where he went. Most of them speculate that he came back to the surface, beyond this world. Ultima regretted that he wasn't able to thank him. That mission, he benefited a lot from it. And all of it was thanks to Yman.

Regardless, time went by and he slowly forgot about Yman. The city changed a lot in just a month. Aside from him and the others, there was also another person who did great help in defeating the demon, the mysterious black magician who once saved a group of second-year trainees. That person was so mysterious that he would suddenly arrive and out of a sudden disappearance. Everyone was wondering about his identity. However, no one succeeded in unveiling him. Some rumors are stating that he already left the city. Moreover, there were some rumors of appearances of a mysterious black knight from the other city, specifically in the Encantasia Empire.

Everyone wondered if they were the same person. Those rumors were of course carried from the mouths of some merchants. 

While Ultima was pondering, on the stage, Jugo was once again preparing another attack. This time, he would use another tactic.