Thus, Ryan spent his night playing with the old man Mario, while his two friends were asleep. However, before they went to sleep, Carlos asked Rafan about something.
"Rafan, how does Ryan know about this Mario? Didn't he only see him yesterday morning? Did someone tell him that he was here?"
Rafan answered his question as follows, "Well, we went through a small incident before arriving here. That's how Ryan learned about Mario. While Ryan and I were arguing, we passed by a narrow alley. There, Ryan overheard some people talking, and they mentioned the name 'Mario.' The moment he heard the name, Ryan suddenly stopped and moved toward them. I told him to stop—those people looked like nothing more than thugs or criminals—but that didn't deter him from asking them about the Mario they were talking about."
Carlos interrupted Rafan's explanation, "So that's how it was. I thought something else had happened."
The words Carlos spoke cut Rafan off, and a look of relief appeared on his face. However, it seemed that Rafan wasn't done yet.
"Wait a moment," Rafan said. "It doesn't end there…"
"Alright, alright, stop. No need to continue. I've already imagined what happened. Those men insulted Ryan and refused to tell him anything, so Ryan beat them up and forced them to talk, right?"
Rafan was truly astonished. Carlos's guess was completely accurate, yet a question lingered in his mind.
How did he predict exactly what happened?
Well, since he could be so certain in advance, there was no need to worry.
"Good night, then."
"Huh…?"
As soon as Rafan finished speaking, he noticed that Carlos didn't look well at all. The expression on his face was extremely unsettling, prompting Rafan to ask him about it.
"Hey, Carlos, what's wrong? Are you alright?"
Carlos replied, "Alright? Where would 'alright' come from as long as that Ryan is around? Did you say he beat those people up and forced them to confess using brute force?"
Rafan answered, "Yes. Is there a problem with that?"
Carlos said, "No, it's just that we've made ourselves a new enemy, that's all. If those bastards belong to a gang, that means they'll come back for revenge with their companions."
"Tch. That bastard never stops bringing trouble upon us—one problem after another."
Carlos's words were unsettling, but Rafan paid them no mind and told him not to worry. They were nothing but a bunch of weaklings; Ryan had crushed them all by himself.
"Hey, Rafan," Carlos said, "it seems you haven't realized something yet. Do you know who we are?"
Rafan replied in confusion, "Aren't we Shadow Warriors?"
That disgraceful answer was not what Carlos wanted to hear.
"You idiot," Carlos snapped. "We're mutants. Don't you understand the weight of that word? Do you know what would happen if people discovered that? Huh? Do you think the kingdoms would leave us alone? Do you know what the mutants did alongside the Black Mage in the distant past?"
"Rafan, to put it simply—we are not free. In the eyes of ordinary people, mutants are nothing more than weapons designed solely for killing, and they should never mix with others. The Nine Kingdoms confine them within special cities and organizations that oversee them. If it weren't for the Nine Lords who established these laws and forbade mutants from leaving except on critical missions, humanity would have been wiped out by a massive civil war long ago."
After hearing this, Rafan swallowed hard as he imagined the scale of the disaster that would occur if their true identities were exposed.
"So," Rafan asked, "what should we do? Should we leave this place as soon as possible?"
"No," Carlos replied. "That's no longer possible. After that idiot Ryan met his so-called legend, Mario, he won't leave so easily now. All we can do is go to sleep. Nothing more."
"Haah… sleep? After everything you just said, you want me to just sleep?"
Rafan was shocked by Carlos's indifferent reaction. He had expected something far more dramatic.
"Yes, sleep. And what do you think you're going to do? Like I said, those people are nothing but a bunch of losers. Even if they come back, Ryan will crush them easily. Don't worry about it and go to sleep."
And just like that, Carlos ignored everything and fell into a deep sleep.
"Well," Rafan muttered, "it seems I need some time to understand the way these people think."
After saying that, he too fell asleep.
Meanwhile, back to Ryan—who was suffering tremendous losses.
"Aaagh! This isn't fair! I asked you to teach me, but all you're doing is winning and taking everything I own!"
Old man Mario replied, "No, no, stop saying that. If you still wish to be my disciple, you must learn by observing your teacher. I don't need to explain much."
Mario's words somehow motivated Ryan to continue. What exactly was motivating about them was unclear, but Ryan seemed to think otherwise.
And so the two—master and disciple—continued playing until their peace was interrupted by someone.
A person entered the inn, not by knocking, but by kicking the door open forcefully. He was a heavily built man, muscles bulging all over his body, with irritation clearly written on his face. Soon, a group of people followed him inside, among them the two men Ryan had beaten earlier.
Strangely enough, neither Ryan nor Mario paid them any attention. They continued playing as if the newcomers didn't exist. This behavior infuriated the gang leader.
"Hey, you two!" he shouted loudly. "Do you even know who I am?"
Once again, Ryan and the old man ignored him completely. This was the first time in his life the man had ever been subjected to such humiliation.
A mere child and a senile old man dare to insult me?!
Unable to restrain himself, the man rushed toward them. As he approached and reached out toward old man Mario, Ryan suddenly stopped laughing and turned his gaze toward him. The look in Ryan's eyes was utterly terrifying, freezing the man in place from sheer fear. Still, he forced himself to move in order to save face in front of his subordinates.
"Hey, brat," he said, "how dare you look at me like that?"
He quickly stretched his hand toward Ryan, but before it could reach him, a small flame ignited atop Ryan's finger and slowly drifted toward the man. It moved so slowly that the man burst out laughing.
"Hahahahaha! You call this magic? Fine, let's see what we can do with this cute little flame."
Mockery filled his voice, and his subordinates joined in, even insulting the two men Ryan had beaten earlier as part of their ridicule.
But as they laughed, Ryan spoke calmly, "If I were you, I'd run."
"Huh? Run from what? I'll—"
Before the man could finish his sentence, Ryan's flame reached him. That tiny flame alone was enough to engulf him from head to toe in fire.
"Aaaaaaaargh!"
He screamed in agony as his companions fled, abandoning him to his fate. While the man writhed in pain, Ryan and old man Mario were in the middle of a decisive match. However, the man's screams were far too annoying.
Mario quickly stood up, grabbed a bucket full of water, and poured it over the burning man, extinguishing the flames.
"Hey, you bastard," Mario said, "get up, leave, and never come back here again."
With that, the man fled the inn as fast as he could. Mario then returned to his game with Ryan as if nothing had happened.
In the midst of their play, Mario asked Ryan about something.
"Hey, boy, Ryan… are you a mage? I've never seen magic like that in my entire life."
Mario had touched a sensitive nerve, causing Ryan to stammer.
"Uh—haha… actually, I—I am, yes. I'm just a trainee mage. Nothing more."
"Hmmm, a trainee mage… You truly have a promising future ahead of you. To think that someone like you is one of my greatest fans—it really is something that brings joy, hahaha!"
Late into the night, Ryan and Mario finally reached a dead end. Ryan was exhausted and desperately needed sleep. On top of that, he had lost all his money to the old man.
"Well then, Uncle Mario, it was an honor meeting you. I'm going upstairs to get some rest."
"Alright, alright. Good night."
And so Ryan went to sleep as well, while old man Mario remained alone, gazing around the inn.
"Haah… these youngsters nowadays… they're truly remarkable."
It seemed someone had gone back on what he previously said—or perhaps it was the money he had won from Ryan that changed his mind.
As morning came, Carlos woke up to find Rafan already awake. Turning to his left, he saw Ryan sleeping beside him.
"Tch. Since when has this idiot been sleeping next to me?"
Rafan replied, "I don't know. When I woke up, he was already sleeping deeply like this."
"Well, fine. Let's wake him up—it's time to leave."
But often, words are easier than actions.
And thus, another challenge began… waking Ryan from his sleep.
End of Chapter