Weak Flames

...

“Please teach me your ways. I want to become strong.”

“Huh? You already have a teacher, don’t cha?”

“I want a spar.”

“Spar? You’ll get flattened kid. And that is me, being humble.”

“I want to get stronger. You are stronger than me. As a Destructive-grade hero, and a 93 percenter, you are about as strong as my teacher. My teacher always held back against me when we spar. I don’t like it. I want to…”

“See the peak? Is that it?”

“…” Eron went silent at the questionable gaze of the King of the Hills.

His spar with his teacher is not very conducive, Eron selfishly believes. Though he doesn’t want to admit it, his teacher is holding him back. Flamecore, his teacher, is reluctant to go all out against him, for a good reason too, however, Eron doesn’t like that.

Furious Flames simply doesn't stand a candle against a colossus like Flamecore. That is a fact. But hearing it is different from experiencing it.

Strong people ain't really like grass, so Eron can't find a sparring partner that can put pressure of a higher level on him.

"Haha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"What's so funny?"

"No, not really. It's because you're so innocent."

"Huh?"

"If only you are aware of the real monsters of this world. HahahaHAHAHA! You won’t even last a second against the Magician. Even Sword Blue, a mere low percenter can make mincemeat of you! And now, you are asking me to fight you for real? You might really die, you know? HahahaHAHAHA!!”

"..." Eron felt his pride taking a hit. A mere 62 percenter can make mincemeat out of him. He can understand the Magician who despite being a low percenter possesses incredible might, but Sword Blue.

"It looks like you don't believe me, sheesh... Kids nowadays have no respect for the elderly. Do you know, I’ve sparred with Sword Blue already… and I am telling you, kid, I lost."

"Is it because of the level difference? Is that why you are making these stories? There is no way she could’ve defeated you. You just don’t want to accept my request, is that it?"

"Are ye thinking of me a liar?” A dangerous aura manifested from the King of the Hills, but Eron didn’t flinch. He might not be showing it, but Eron is scared. He thought that tricking the King of the Hills into fighting him would be easy.

“You accepted Sword Blue’s request for a spar, but you don’t want to accept mine? This is clearly biased.”

“Because it was just a spar. What you want is for me to fight at my full strength. If I accidentally kill you in the process, your teacher would be sad.”

The dwarf then gave his most vexing smile. Eron is feeling annoyed at the moment. The King of the Hills isn't known for being a good conversationalist. But clearly, the King of the Hills is eloquent enough to dodge Eron’s request.

“What is it that you want? So that I can make you fight me?”

“Sure. Join my team, become a rescuer at least for a year.”

That was fast, Eron thought. This must be what the King of the Hills wants all along. It’s quite easy to fulfill so Eron immediately agreed.

“Sure, I can do it for more than a year if you want. However, once a month, you must spar with me with everything you got.”

“Hehehe… deal. Pray you won’t regret it.”

The two of them arrived at a secluded area where there is no vegetation. There are only flat rocks everywhere filled with glass, sand, dirt, and obsidian.

"Kid~ though I don't like fighting, I didn't say I am not very good at it. In fact, in this same field, I fought Flamecore to a tie... Let me ask you? Why do you fight?"

Eron considered the question very carefully, but he can only think of one answer. "To protect," He confidently said.

“As a hero, we’ve always thought that it is our duty to protect and maintain the world order that the fore founding heroes desperately fought for since the ending of the Rising Ages… We—“

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahaha!" In the midst of Eron’s answering, the King of the Hills suddenly laughed. The dwarf's ridicule is annoying, but Eron restrained himself from lashing back. It’s just a harmless display of ridicule, and it is not worth it.

"Stop with the teasing. Let's just get done with it..." Eron taunted the immature dwarf.

BANG! A heavy pressure shattered Furious Flames's defense as he was plunged by a pebble he hardly noticed its presence. He crashed into the trees, and rocks alike. When he finally came to a stop, the King of the Hills suddenly appeared in front of him, the dwarf's fist hanging lowly an inch away from his face.

Cold sweat gathered at Furious Flames's back.

"We fight because we want to inflict pain." The dwarf seriously spoke.

"And I don't like pain... I don't want to inflict it... I don't want to be a destroyer... That is why I have always remained a pacifist. I don't want to become a saint or something. It's simply in my principles." He added.

The King of the Hills wore an orange stocking cap, at the tip of it is a hammer-shaped tassel. His height didn't even reach a meter after wearing the cap. But the King of the Hills looked threateningly big to Eron's eyes.

"We won't spar. We'll battle to the death! Today, let me teach you a lesson about power. I won’t even use my core special ability," declares the King of the Hills.

The dwarf kicked the soil scattering dirt into the air. Then... the dwarf is gone. A fist with the weight of the hammer instantaneously appeared within Eron's sights.

It grew bigger as it came closer.

'I need to move, or else I will die.'

Eron's breathing synchronized with his muscles as he unleash his powers.

FLAME BLAST! As its name suggests, it's a blast of flames made to engulf and blast the enemy.

From Eron's palms, deadly flames were ejected. Because of the propulsion, it increased Eron's distance from the dwarf, while the flames inflict damage. Eron's flames are at his 100% output, an output that can even kill most top percenters.

But, it didn’t do anything.

"What the?” He called in surprise. The King of the Hills is unharmed.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, kid. I am at fucking 93% potential level! Have a taste of my fist, idiot. You have the gal of challenging someone stronger than you, let me reward you with some tough love.”

The dwarf penetrated through the flames unharmed. The dwarf despite his claims of not liking to fight, is actually smiling like a kid enjoying his toy.

“I am really in a very bad mood today, that’s the only reason I am entertaining you kid.”

FLAME BURST! Flames erupted from Eron's palms again. It's a short-distance explosion that capitalizes on a strong knockback. But the King of the Hills remained relentless as he bulldozes through the flames and heat.

Eron unleashed a series of palm strikes with his FLAME BURST to make space for himself. But the dwarf is not even bulging. For each palm strike, the dwarf simply reciprocated in kind, with ordinary palm strikes.

With his FLAME BURST, he maneuvered in the air like a swallow, but the dwarf followed like a bee. Eron needs to change strategies. But the King of the Hills didn’t even give Eron the luxury of thinking, there is no breathing space.

“Huf.f… h.uff…”

"What's the problem, kid? You can't move like you used to, right?"

"..."

"You mayt* be wondering what is happening, let me tell you. You are weak."

Way to tell the obvious. Eron felt conflicted. He even doubted himself, is there a way for him to get stronger? His potential grade has been stagnant for years.

From a bee, the dwarf became a bullet. Eron can't even see the dwarf's afterimage.

HARDENED DIAMOND FIST!

It's true— he is weak— too weak!

Eron raised his arms to protect his head. The results of his desire to get stronger pushed him to persevere, to become a better hero, and to protect those he cares about… And if it means that he can only do this by harming someone then so be it!!

A punch for a punch, Eron's fiery fist digs deep at the King of the Hills’ face.

The result of the exchange is obvious. Eron was flung away, crashing hard to the soil, he blanked out. When he opened his eyes, he saw the sneering dwarf raising his palms to the air.

"Heh~ at least you have guts." The king of the hills… then brought his palms to the earth.

The flames that enlivened his already declining strength are burning their last. Eron's stamina is staggeringly decreasing. Meanwhile, the dwarf is still full of vigor.

“EARTHQUAKE PALM!” The King of the Hills ominously pronounced his skill’s name.

The flames Eron is summoning to support his waning stance were extinguished by the wind unleashed from the dwarf's palm strike.

The air shook, and the dust settled.

It is over— a landslide victory for the King of the Hills. He didn't even use his primary powers.

When Eron is sparring with his teacher, it is not like this. The feeling of standing on the edge of life and death. That uncertainty~

"I am disappointed Eron, Sword Blue did a lot better than you."

The King of the Hills and Sword Blue also have a history of spars, of course privately. It is to Sword Blue's request as a fellow rescuer-type of hero, that’s why the King of the Hills agreed. Sword Blue despite her lack of potential percentage is quite the fighter even to the King of the Hills' eyes.

Even Eron is gravely disappointed by his own performance that he wasn't able to perform the tricks in his sleeves and wasn't able to react on time during the battle. It was pathetic.

He… is weak.