Chương 10: Interlude 1: The [Very] Difficult Childhood of Guar Shum

Guar Age 14"Dad, I can't run anymore!" I gasped, stumbling over a root and flailing my arms to catch myself.

"Yes, you can. When I was traveling the demon realm Jehenam, I had to run for …" Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before—me and every other person who knows about the Gates and would listen to you for more than five minutes. The ground blurred beneath my feet, every step a battle against the burn in my legs. The pounding of my boots echoed in my ears, drowned only by his endless droning. My lungs burned. I pushed forward, tuning him out.

"… and I entered the cave, and there were those giant lizards with horns …" He's still going about it? I barely had the energy to roll my eyes. Guar Age 15 A sharp pain shot up my forearm as I stumbled back, shaking out the sting.

"Ouch, Dad, you almost broke my arm!" He glared at me.

"You have to learn to block."

"I did block, but you hit me too hard. I don't have the Trait numbers like you!" I flexed my fingers, testing for damage. My arm still worked—barely. Void take it, that hurt. He pointed an accusing finger at me.

"Those are just excuses; Trait numbers are not everything. When I traveled the demon realm Jehenam, I had to fight …" Here we go again … Biting back a groan, I braced for another long-winded tale. Meanwhile, my arm screamed in protest, but sure, let's pretend that was just an excuse. Guar Age 16"Mom, I can't eat that! It's raw!" I pulled my hand back like the thing might bite me, grimacing as the smell reached me. This story originates from a different website.

Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The pale flesh glistened and wobbled like a gelatinous sea creature when I poked it. The worst part was the smell: sharp, metallic, and far too fresh. It turned my stomach.

"Yes, you can. You have to learn to adapt. When your father was traveling the demon realm of Jehenam, he had to survive on raw …" She folded her arms and gave me that look, the one that meant the conversation was over before it began. Oh, Blessed Spirits of Old, not you too! I dropped my head into my hands, groaning as the inevitable lecture began. First Dad, now Mom? Was there a secret agreement to test my endurance, both physically and mentally?

My appetite had already fled, and now my patience ran to sea, screaming for help. Guar Age 17"Swear to me!" He pressed.

"But it's not fair!" I shouted back.

"You left our world with 50 gold Grandad gave you. Why can't I leave until I earn five gold on my own? You're setting me up to fail!" Frustration burned in my chest, my fists clenched at my sides.

"NO!" he shouted.

"I'm preparing you for every eventuality. When I was traveling the demon realm of Jehenam, I had to …" Blessed Spirits of Old, please kill me; I can't hear this again. I tilted my head back, eyes searching the sky for some merciful force to strike me down before the lecture ran its full course. I could hear the next part in my head, or even recite it with him. Guar Age 19 I threw my hands in the air, frustration boiling over.

"Seriously? You want me to leave with one week's worth of food rations and two weeks' worth of water? You left home with all of Grandad's traveling equipment, food and water for months, and 50 gold. How is that fair?" He fixed me with a stern expression, standing like some great sage imparting the wisdom of the ages. His arms folded, his chin lifted just enough to make it clear I wasn't about to win this argument.

"You need to make your own fortune in the universe. When I was traveling the demon realm of Jehenam …" Yeah, yeah, three demons wanted to eat you and chased you for five days. You had to fight monsters. Then they found something else to eat and left. You didn't have Ability Points to buy Invisibility, so it took you twenty-two days to sneak to the Gate. You Gate-hopped home and never left." … I climbed the cliff …" Blessed Spirits of Old, why do I deserve this? Did I offend some great deity? Why me?

I rubbed my temples, bracing for the full saga. If past experience was anything to go by, this would take a few hours, complete with dramatic pauses and grand hand gestures. Guar Age 21 Travelers Gate #186227376 Destination: Shimoor Status: Integrated Mana level: 17 Threat level: Minimal FINALLY!