Ren's fists shook—not from fear, but from the reckless fire in his eyes. His stance was absurd, his hands clenched like a child copying cartoons, yet he stood tall with ridiculous confidence.
"Super Ultra Galaxy Dragon Fist!!!" he shouted, voice booming across the beach.
The bandit leader laughed, veins bulging in his neck. "You think shouting some dumb move will save you, brat?!"
The sword gleamed, slicing through the air.
But the blade never reached Ren.
---
A sharp thunk! echoed. The bandit's body jerked, his eyes bulging with shock before he collapsed face-first into the sand—unharmed, but completely unconscious.
"What the hell?!"
The others froze in horror. Their weapons clattered as they too stiffened, then dropped like flies. It felt like a blunt strike slammed into their necks all at once, knocking them senseless.
No blood. No death. Just silence.
---
Ren was still mid-pose, fists up like an idiot. He blinked.
"…Eh? My move… worked?!"
He turned—and finally saw him.
A tall man stood a few steps away. Broad shoulders. A long dark coat fluttered in the sea breeze, a hood pulled low to hide his face. One hand rested casually on the hilt of his sword, though the blade hadn't even been drawn.
The faint chime of a small bell dangling from his ear broke the silence.
His presence pressed down like a storm, heavy but without killing intent.
---
Ren lowered his fists, squinting. "Oi, did you just steal my kill?"
The man tilted his head, as if confused.
"…Steal?"
"Yeah," Ren said seriously. "I was about to unleash my ultimate finisher. A guaranteed win. And then you show up and knock them all out first. Totally cheating."
Silence.
Then, a low chuckle escaped the man. It wasn't mockery, but genuine amusement.
"You… are a strange boy," he finally said, voice deep, steady, like thunder rumbling behind clouds.
---
The bandits lay scattered in the sand. The man walked forward, each step heavy yet calm.
Ren instinctively stepped back. Not from fear—more like a kitten puffing up its fur to look bigger.
"Don't think I'm impressed," Ren declared, raising his chin. "I was gonna win anyway. Just… y'know. Slowly. Like cooking rice."
"…Rice?"
Ren nodded solemnly. "Yep. Slow, but guaranteed delicious."
The man crouched down so his face was closer. Ren could make out faint lines of age, a thin scar across his jaw, and sharp steel-like eyes that carried a weight of years.
"What's your name, boy?" he asked.
"Ren," the boy replied instantly. "And you?"
The man didn't answer right away. He only smiled faintly, as though choosing to withhold. "…Not something you need to know yet."
---
Ren tilted his head. "Ohhh, so you're doing the mysterious-character act. Fits you. You look like the kind of uncle who dies in episode three."
"…Uncle… what?"
"Yeah, you know, in stories. There's always that wise, badass old guy. Super cool. Dies early. Don't die though, okay? I still wanna see more of your moves."
The man exhaled, half a sigh, half a laugh. Truly, this boy had no filter.
---
Behind them, a bandit groaned and twitched. Without sparing a glance, the man slammed the butt of his sword into the ground.
BOOM!
A ripple of pressure surged outward. The groaning instantly stopped—the bandits collapsing once again, out cold.
Ren's eyes sparkled. "WHOOOAA! Teach me that! Please!"
"…You don't even know what it is."
"Doesn't matter. It looked badass. Eleven out of ten."
The man straightened, pulling his hood lower. "You're too loud, boy. You should leave before worse trouble comes."
"Trouble? Pfft." Ren waved him off. "I eat trouble for breakfast. Well, actually I eat rice. But if trouble was rice, then yeah, breakfast."
The man closed his eyes briefly, exhaling slowly. For the first time in years, he felt both irritation and amusement at once.
---
"Listen carefully, boy," he said, his voice firm, sharp enough to silence Ren's babbling. "If I hadn't stepped in, you would already be dead. Remember that before you act tough again."
Ren froze. Then scratched his cheek with a goofy grin. "…Maybe. But who cares about dying, anyway? If I die, I die. At least I'll die looking cool."
The man's eyes hardened. That wasn't bravado. It was sincerity.
A fool who didn't fear death… or a fool too stupid to understand it.
Either way, the man thought to himself: This kid… is interesting.
---
Ren suddenly yawned loudly. "Alright then. Thanks for stealing my spotlight, Mister Mysterious. I'm gonna… uh… nap now."
Before the man could reply, Ren dropped backward into the sand, eyes closing instantly. His snore echoed a second later.
"…This boy…" the man muttered, though a faint smile tugged at his lips.
The waves crashed gently in the background. The man stood silently, arms crossed, watching this ridiculous child sleep without a care in the world.
He didn't know where Ren came from. He didn't know why fate had thrown him here.
But one thing was clear: this boy carried something unusual. Something that might one day shake the entire world.
---
Ren: "Zzz… spicy fried rice… extra egg… zzzz…"
The man paused, then let out a quiet chuckle.