2.A BLOOMING FLOWER

After leaving the dining hall, Arthur walked through the large corridors of the orphanage. His hands were pocketed in his pants while he walked albeit slowly. He wasn't in any rush to get anywhere.

❛From Arthur's memories, this world has what they call hunters. A special group of individuals having the power to awaken innate abilities to fight monsters. This is not that different from my world, but it seems in this one, only few can awaken and some awaken as children's but Arthur has not yet attained his awakening yet. Troublesome. ❜ Aether thought, as he puppeteered Arthur's body.

He knew if he forced himself to regain all of his power at once, the body would not be able to withstand the power at all. He needed to play it smart and play it cautiously.

Just his day.

As he was walking, he bumped into something, it wasn't hard it was mellow in some places, delicate and squishy. Arthur wondered when did walls have, a soft texture. He looked at what he bumped into and understood.

Charcoal eyes stared at blue ones filled with anger.

The matriarch wasn't happy, not one bit. She was brooding after her team canceled their daily gathering. As such she was forced to return home rather quickly, and just her luck she bumped into this useless child, as she liked to call him.

She clicked her tongue “Tsk! Can't you see where you are going hun? You almost broke my nose, pay attention to where you are going.”

Arthur nodded. “I'm sorry ma'am, I'll pay more attention next time.”

“Good” was the reply he got. Not that he was complaining or anything.

Something clicked in his mind, he needed to request this immediately. Arthur turned to the matriarch and looked her directly in the eye, standing up straight.

“Ma'am I'd like permission to enter the Hunter's examination this year. I want to be a hunter.” Arthur said, with conviction laced in his tone.

This gotta be a joke right?

The matriarch laughed, she felt her mood lighten up after the boy coughed out what had been eating him. She thought he was joking but when she looked at him, he saw he was not.

Clearing her throat, she placed a hand of Arthur's shoulder and looked him in the eye, dead serious. “Quit this little charade of yours, you have absolutely nothing that could help you become a hunter, no awakened abilities, no nothing. Do you think you'd survive out there?”

❛ This woman has some nerves, who does she think she is talking to? ❜ Aether thought. He was getting irritated by the blunt animosity he was receiving.

Without batting an eyelash, he nodded. “Yes I do think I have what it takes to survive as a hunter. Individual capabilities are what makes us stronger, our awakened abilities are mere tools to use not clutches to get fixated on.”

The matriarch scoffed again and removed her hand from his shoulder, her gold tresses moving with her head as she shook it subtly. “ In that case, show me what you have. Show me that you can survive out there, I am a A-ranked hunter, defeat me and I'll permit you to go for the trials.”

Arthur was quiet, an A-ranked hunter? From the memories he gathered, A-ranked hunters were only second to S-ranked hunters who were quite fierce but not as fierce as the World-ranked rankers. Him challenging, an A-ranker just to prove a point seemed absurd.

The matriarch took his silence as him yielding, not many could dare fight A-rankers. But to her shock, Arthur nodded.

That was not what she had been expecting.

She calmed her nerves and told herself he will chicken out sooner than later. “Meet me in the courtyard in twenty minutes.”

With her having concluded what she had on her mind, the Matriarch left. Allowing Arthur some room to breathe.

『Achievement complete』

『He who transitioned from another world 』

『Sorcerer Supreme: Aether Fie-Yin 

Current Alias: Arthur Enryu 

Ranked:? 

Title: He who transitioned from another world 

 Title perks: +1 extra point, Partial immunity to harmful substances, +1 vitality point 

Strength: 15

Speed: 13

Vitaliy : 0

Intelligence: 20 (+45 Aether) 

Endurance : 15

Durability : 10 』

Multiple pop up pages appeared in Arthur's line of sight, he was instantly put on edge as the pages revealed every information about him including the ones from his previous life.

How did this thing know of him? Why did it suddenly appear now, was it Arthur's awakening?

Many thoughts swirled in his head, Arthur or Aether, shook his head trying to calm his racing thoughts. He wanted to get down to the bottom of it.

『Inventory:

Ring Of Archeon: Increases stats by +3 points and offers the unique ability of conjunction weapon. 』

Arthur pressed the ring on the inventory and the ring itself manifested in his palm. He observed the obsidian ring with a crimson diamond in the middle and placed it on his ring finger.

“Weapon conjunction huh, I wonder what that does.” Arthur mused to himself. He looked at the wall clock and saw that it was nearly time, nodding he left the corridor to his destination.

Stepping outside, Arthur's eyes drifted to the heavens. The sun beamed down on the city, while puffs of clouds moved idly by spectating what was going on, on the ground. Late autumn had its perks, the Sakura blossoms were in season. Some of the petals moving with the chilling winds.

Arthur stepped into the courtyard, he put his hands in his pockets and waited.

His wait however, was not that long as the matriarch came from the other side, the children she was looking after behind her. She stopped on the other side of Arthur, leaving a fifty meter gap between them.

“Your objective is simple, lay a hand on me or make me use my left hand.” she said, positioning herself in a more comfortable fighting stance.

“Haha, this fool won't do it.”

“What can he do? He doesn't have any special awakenings.”

“I know right!”

Arthur glared at the noisy group from the corner of his eye, they were busy chatting about his abilities and how he was weak. And that made him see red for a moment.

❛ Calm down ❜ He mentally gave himself a peptalk.

After calming his emotions, Arthur relaxed his posture. His right leg, slid forward, an inch forward to be exact. The left stayed where it was only the knee was bent, decreasing his height a bit. Both his fists were placed near his face.

“Begin!”

Arthur sprung forward, he darted across the distance faster than a normal human, he appeared to be flickering. And he instantly appeared on the left side of the matriarch, his fist already being pushed forward to maim the woman on side.

❛ Speed, above average. That could match even C-rankers ❜ She was shocked at the speed Arthur showed, but kept her composure. She shifted her body accordingly and used her right hand to grab the punch before pulling the boy forward and slammed him on the ground with one hand.

“Is that all you got?”