Link looked at the scar-faced man and Avril, who had both survived the ordeal, and felt a genuine sense of accomplishment welling up inside him.
He wasn't the kind of person who couldn't bear to see others die — not some bleeding-heart saint — but if he had the ability to help without risking himself, he was more than willing to lend a hand.
"Thank you. Truly, thank you so much," the scar-faced man said, offering an embarrassed smile.
After all, who would have thought that someone he had initially taken for a rookie would turn out to be such a powerful Esper?
That mutated Lunabbit earlier had radiated terrifying waves of spiritual power.
The scar-faced man knew very well that even at his absolute peak, he wouldn't have been able to defeat it.
And yet, the young man in front of him had effortlessly slain it, as if it were nothing.
Just how powerful is he?
The scar-faced man was shaken to his core but didn't press further with any questions.
In the human rear lines, things were far from peaceful.
Everyone had their secrets. His job was not to pry — it was to help protect those secrets when needed.
"If you hadn't come to our aid," he said sincerely, "my sister and I would've almost certainly died here. You are our savior."
As he spoke, he nudged Avril discreetly.
At that moment, Avril's cheeks turned crimson, as red as a ripe apple.
Only not long ago, she had dismissed Link as a mere rookie...
But now? It was painfully clear who the real rookie was.
The thought made her feel unbearably embarrassed.
After fidgeting for a while, she finally spoke in a small, awkward voice,
"I-I'm sorry... and... thank you!"
Link didn't seem to mind at all.
He simply smiled lightly and said,
"I just happened to be passing by. It's good that you're both safe. We're all human — there's no need for so much formality."
"Alright then, it's getting late. Let's get you to the entrance."
—
Two hours later, Link successfully escorted the two of them to the entrance of the Wilderness Battlefield.
During the journey, they had gotten to know each other a bit better.
Link learned that the scar-faced man had once fought on the front lines against the moonfolk — the scar across his face was a memento from that brutal time.
After sustaining serious injuries, he had been forced to retire and return home, now scraping a living by hunting moonfolk within the Wilderness Battlefield and selling their corpses.
As for Avril, she was a recent graduate from an academy.
Her dream had been to pass the Dark Watcher's recruitment exam and join their ranks.
However, the brutal reality was that her current strength was far from meeting the standards required.
Thus, for the past two months, she had been training under her brother's guidance, trying to strengthen herself.
"Link," the scar-faced man said earnestly, "you saved our lives today. If there's ever anything you need, just say the word."
As he spoke, he pulled out a small box from inside his clothes.
"My friend," he continued, "I don't have much of real value, but I did recently acquire this Fortification Elixir at an auction. Please, I insist you accept it."
Without giving Link a chance to refuse, he shoved the small vial into his hands.
Link wanted to decline.
The vial might have been small, but Fortification Elixirs required rare spiritual materials to produce — one such elixir easily sold for 300,000 credits.
Judging by the two siblings' appearance, they were not people of wealth.
This potion probably represented years of their hard-earned savings.
"You should keep it," Link said, frowning. "This is too valuable."
But the scar-faced man shook his head firmly.
"My friend, please accept it," he said, his voice full of emotion. "No matter how expensive a potion is, it can't possibly be more valuable than the lives of my sister and me."
"If you refuse, our consciences would never be at peace."
Seeing how determined they were, Link could only sigh and accept the elixir.
Still, he added,
"I'll accept the Fortification Elixir, but the Lunabbit corpses — those are yours to keep."
Link could tell that the two of them were good-hearted people, not the type to betray kindness.
He didn't want them to suffer a heavy loss because of him.
Given the presence of the mutated Lunabbit, the value of the corpses would skyrocket — they could probably fetch at least a hundred thousand credits.
For the siblings, that was no small fortune.
Link's generosity left the scar-faced man feeling even more grateful.
Even Avril, who had been so shy earlier, now gazed at Link with undisguised admiration shining in her eyes.
The scar-faced man looked like he wanted to say something else, but Link merely waved his hand casually, turned, and walked away without another word.
"Brother," Avril whispered, her eyes fixed on Link's retreating figure, "when did such a powerful young Esper appear in Velmoria?"
The scar-faced man let out a long sigh.
"Young and powerful?" he said. "This isn't just some young powerhouse. That's a once-in-a-generation genius.
He's barely reached adulthood — I'm almost certain he awakened his abilities less than two months ago!"
Avril's mouth fell open in shock.
"Wait... are you saying he's only eighteen?" she exclaimed. "That's impossible! How could anyone become a Level 1 Esper at eighteen? Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
The scar-faced man simply spread his hands helplessly and replied,
"When I first found out, I was even more stunned than you are.
But you know my Talent. It allows me to see the fluctuations of an Esper's awakening. I'm telling you — I didn't see wrong."
Avril could hardly speak anymore, overwhelmed with shock.
Meanwhile, her brother's expression grew rare and solemn.
"Avril," he said seriously, "listen carefully.
You must never — and I mean never — tell anyone what happened today.
A genius like him... if he doesn't fall, he will one day become the hope of the entire human race."
"We must protect his secret.
We absolutely cannot let the Moon Worship Sect scum get even the slightest hint about him."
Avril nodded fiercely, but her heart was still pounding with astonishment.
Her mind couldn't help but drift back to when she first awakened her Talent.
At eighteen, she had barely begun to touch the threshold of power — and yet Link was already soaring leagues above her.
Is the gap between people really this huge?
At the beginning, she had thought he was just a rookie.
But now, it was painfully obvious: the real rookie was herself.
—
Meanwhile, after finishing the training session, Link returned home.
The exhaustion accumulated over these past few days finally caught up with him, and he didn't force himself to continue training.
Instead, he allowed himself to fall into a deep, restful sleep.
The next morning, after a simple breakfast, he headed toward the school.
Today was an important day —
It was the day he would meet with Yilan Elixir Workshop to sign a contract!
With this deal secured, Link was about to reap a substantial windfall.