Chapter 136: Rurik's Fall .

Huh? I can't catch it… What kind of force is this?

But this brat's strength should only amount to the Tabula-Rasa Realm

he thought, his mind racing as the dagger closed in on him.

At the last moment, Rurik tilted his head slightly, the dagger whizzing past his ear by a hair's breadth.

"You missed, brat!" he mocked, a grin spreading across his face as he continued his charge.

But then, he noticed something that made his blood run cold.

Huh? What is this string attached to my dagger?

Rurik thought as he glanced down, noticing a thin string of mana connected to the weapon that had just passed him.

He looked back at the dagger, which was still moving, and then back at Oasis, who was now veering to his left.

Oasis's speed was terrifying, leaving Rurik struggling to keep up as the young martial artist's movements blurred.

The mana string, still attached to the dagger, was being pulled taut as Oasis moved, leaving Rurik caught in the middle.

Oasis's speed was terrifying, and Rurik could barely track his movements.

As Oasis closed in, the mana string on his finger tightened, leaving Rurik in the middle.

Realizing the danger, Rurik tried to block the string with his dagger, but it sliced through his weapon as if it were made of paper.

The string aimed directly for his neck, and in a desperate move, Rurik blocked with his left arm, which was instantly severed.

Rurik barely managed to twist his body, sacrificing his left arm to block the attack.

A sickening crunch echoed through the field as his arm was severed, blood spraying into the air.

Rurik screamed in pain, his expression twisted in shock and disbelief.

His mind raced as he tried to comprehend what had just happened.

Rurik's mind was a whirl of confusion and pain.

What… what just happened?

he thought, struggling to comprehend how the situation had spiraled out of control so quickly .

Oasis thought, his expression calm as he made a sharp U-turn, heading back towards the now-injured Rurik, who was still reeling from the unexpected assault.

Oasis controlled the dagger with the string, hurling it back towards Rurik.

This time, the dagger spun through the air, the string coiling tighter as Oasis directed it with precision.

Rurik, disoriented and panicked, looked back just as the dagger sliced through the air towards him.

Rurik's thoughts were cut short as the dagger pierced through his head, leaving a clean hole.

His eyes widened in shock as he realized his fate in the final moment.

The dagger shattered upon impact, and Rurik's body crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

Rurik, the once formidable assassin, had been defeated by his own weapon, his life ending in a burst of raw, deadly force.

Oasis stood over Rurik's lifeless body, his thoughts racing.

"Huh, he died," he murmured to himself, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"I could've at least interrogated him. He might have tried capturing my body using his soul. At least then I could have consumed his soul and read his memories."

The ease with which he had dispatched Rurik, the same assassin who had nearly killed him just two days prior, was a stark reminder of how much he had grown.

Without wasting time, Oasis knelt down and began searching through Rurik's storage bracelet.

A small smile formed on his lips as he uncovered various valuable items and, most importantly, retrieved his beloved sword, 'Kaze no Kagetsuchi'.

He had some pretty good things, Oasis thought as he examined the contents of the bracelet.

And now I have my sword back.

He glanced at the shattered remnants of Rurik's dagger, shaking his head slightly.

And his blade shattered. What a waste.

Not wanting to leave any trace, Oasis incinerated Rurik's body with a burst of fire, reducing it to ashes and leaving only scorched ground behind.

"Time to head for Mistvalley," he decided, turning to leave the scene.

"Morning, young master," a voice suddenly echoed, causing Oasis to pause.

He turned to see a man emerging from the shadows, the same guard who had knelt before the city lord of Belvan Town.

Oasis regarded the man with a calm expression.

Without a doubt, it is him , the guard thought as he studied Oasis.

But he's just a kid, just like the report says. I'm not sure if I can take him… he just killed that assassin in two moves.

"Ahh, hey uncle," Oasis greeted politely, his demeanor at odds with the power he had just displayed.

The guard was momentarily taken aback by Oasis's politeness.

Huh, the kid is too polite for someone of his strength, he mused.

The guard quickly explained the situation to Oasis, detailing why he had been searching for him.

Oasis listened attentively, nodding in understanding.

Without wasting much time, he agreed to accompany the guard back to Belvan Town.

As they walked together towards Belvan, Oasis's thoughts drifted back to the moment he had emerged from the sphere artifact.

He had found himself underwater, the sphere having been submerged in the stream.

The current had carried him a bit farther from where he had initially jumped in.

Oasis's first experience after two years of intense training was to be drenched in water.

Not the most dignified return,

Oasis thought with a wry smile as he recalled having to swim to the surface and change into the last simple tunic outfit he had left.

Despite spending two years in the other realm, Oasis's appearance had hardly aged.

His body had only matured slightly, a few months' worth of growth due to the exposure to the Pond of Eternal Youth.

To any onlooker, he was not much different from when he had first entered the sphere.

The guard kept glancing at Oasis as they walked, his mind buzzing with questions.

What kind of world do we live in where a boy like him possesses such power?