Not Half-Bad

The Masked man used earth magic to make me appear in front of him.

"Uh? Eth? What exactly are you doing here?" In surprise, Father inquired.

"Ahahaha! I was just passing by father...ahaha"

"Passing by, what using concealing skills? You have a lot of talent, kid. I will give you that!" As my father stared at me with an unusual smile, the masked man said. No one knows about my training, and my father hasn't heard anything about my abilities in the last six months. As a result, it is to be expected.

I didn't do anything but smile at the masked man, assuring him that I was ready to be tested. You could say that I'm overconfident, but I just want to feel this man's strength and grow stronger with this oprtunity.

"So, Kid, I'm sure you've heard everything we've said, so how about we start?" the masked man asked me after my smile.

"Mr. Blue Grim, we can begin!" I said to the masked man, looking at my father and nodding. I responded.

\*\*\*

BLUE GRIM P.O.V:

My name is...confidential, but I go by a lot of different names. I'm commonly referred to as Blue Grim. Blue Grim of the Council of Assassins. I'm an assassin.

As a Veteran Assassin, I trained a lot of people, all of whom are now viable. Among them is Edwin Asher, also known as Blue Blood, my second best student. He sent me a messenger falcon beast with a silly message about a week ago for some reason.

Well, I'm a person who is curious about everything, even if it's trash. I think seeing through things is a great skill, but... Let's start with the topic.

He sent me a Sil...important message in which he stated that he had been defeated by his own child.

I thought he was saying that because he had become a doting parent, but seeing his son conceal his presence and fooling me and his father throughout our conversation was really an admiration for him as an assassin.

Who would have thought that an eight-year-old child could attain light-red-Stage, with two elemental mana and assassination physique, would exist? I'm impressed.

When I asked him about testing his abilities, his eyes confirmed the point. I suppose he did it because it was an ideal habit to blink his eyes, but he seemed pretty sure of himself. What is this kid going to do?

If this kid do well, I might take him to Atlas city for his early education and then assassination council, but at the same time, more than anything, I'm sure a kid like him will always thing about leaving home to explore the world. I might also think about joining him for a short adventure before his academics to help him improve his skills. After all, he's only eight years old; some one should train him until he's twelve at the least.

...

We took our stances as I prepared to strike him first. But then something unexpected happened.

Ethan simply vanished before my eyes, and all I could feel was wind rushing through me. As Wind Blades, more than ten slashes of wind were launched behind my back. Fortunately for me, I can deflect it with my earth mana. He's fast...like super fast. This explains his Lightning mana.

However, just as I turned around, Ethan smiled.

"My back!" I yelled and attempted to turn around. But there was a lightning crackling along with Ethan's wind blade, causing the blade to spin much faster than it should, and it slashed through my back and front like a sword.

"Hey, Kid, you're not half bad!" Though, I didn't use my full power yet.

"Mr. Blue Grim, are you certain you're not feeling something? You think my techniques are half-decent!"

Ethan said, but at that time, I didn't understand. I felt the wind blowing through my face as he began to create Wind blades again.

This child...

He sawed my mask in half. Well, look at this little guy.... Now I understand why my student Edwin was so excited to meet Ethan.

hmm.

Ethan created Wind Blades to attack me again and again, but I reinforced my earth mana in my hands and body to deflect all of his attacks.

It would be foolish to strike him, as his speed is comparable to that of a Light Yellow cored mage. I'm curious what kind of training Edwin gives this little kid to get this much power out of his small body.

Ethan vanished just as a swarm of blades descended on me. I didn't have time to counter him because he was so fast. And as I slowly turned back as I deflected every wind blade, I was overcome with a sense of evil, chills, and goosebumps. I began to reflect on my childhood.

running away from death Behind me, the kid's terror was like a wrathful monster smiling to brutally destroy me. He started mana manipulation to reinforce mana and started to pierce my back as he slid behind me with an evil smile.

Then, as Ethan leapt above my head like a phantom, directing his blades around me, all wind blades that had previously been scattered in the air, gathered into a neat row with lightning reinforcement, orderly and sequentially cut toward the same position on the back of me.

"Now then!"

This child's strength has been demonstrated. But he lacks the necessary potency. He requires more refinement and sharpness. This test should be halted. Right now.

So I just stood there and raised my right hand, closing all of my fingers.

"Earthen Cage!"

The spell reverberated throughout the room, and suddenly, a four-sided wall, more resembling a small prison, rose from the ground and entrapped Ethan inside. Ethan tried everything he could to break through, but his mana core level is insufficient to do so.

***CHAPTER 12***