The helicopter was rapidly going down.
But suddenly, a barrier flickered around the helicopter, stopping it completely amidst the blizzard.
"Well, GPS is working, so let's continue." Axir took out a Mana potion and chugged it. "This is going to drain me fast, so I gotta take the potion."
"Wait, are you moving the helicopter just with your Mana?" Aunt Kira was startled. "So you can fly even without Rocket Wings?"
"Yeah. I kind of learned the applications of Mana after reading a book in the Kingdom's library." Axir grinned. "The thing I taught you is called the Magic Clay technique from the book."
"But flying using Mana consumes more Mana, so it's better to have a flight-type card."
Axir looked ahead, his eyes narrowing. "And we are here. That's the hidden valley."
"I can't see anything." Mio rubbed her eyes.
But soon, they got out of the bad weather like magic.
"Whoa…" Mio's eyes sparkled. "So beautiful."
It was all greenery with beautiful trees and ponds.
This was the most secluded valley, spanning a hundred kilometers, the only place where the sun could shine properly every day. It had a perfect geographic location and weather cycle.
"Wait, what's that?" Aunt Kira's eyes widened. "Is that a large… house carved into the mountain?"
"Whaoo… how is that possible?" Mio was shocked. It was a house stretching over a hundred meters with glass and wooden frames. All around was lush greenery, and facing it was a beautiful forest with a flowing river and multiple ponds.
It was heaven on Earth.
And it was hidden from the world by a few extraordinary people from different corners of the world.
The helicopter landed on the helipad that was already there.
A moment after that, three people in different attire, each with a distinct aura, stood before the helicopter's door.
Axir, Aunt Kira, and Mio exited the helicopter.
"This is quite a surprise." One of the three spoke, an old man looking in his fifties with a thick gray beard and a bald head. His bare upper body showed vibrant, smooth skin despite his age.
"Sakamoto-san, this looks like a coincidence." Next to him, a blond-haired man, looking in his late thirties, wearing a loose black suit, eyed the trio. "It looks like your helicopter was damaged, and you decided to land here."
"But that's not the case," his blue eyes narrowed as he looked at Axir, "your eyes tell me a different story, and you aren't even trying to hide it."
The third person was a black-haired woman from China. Beautiful looks. Age unknown. She was also looking at Axir with interest in her black eyes. "You look strong. Stronger than James."
James rolled his eyes. "Nice joke."
"Where's the rest of the gang?" Axir smiled as he turned his head toward the mansion. "Are they in the game?"
"Ni-san, it looks like you somehow know about us, but we have no idea about you." Sakamoto caressed his beard. "Very interesting. The logical conclusion is that you are related to one of us, and that person told you about this place and us. Who is it?"
"Sakamoto Fistblade, Level 28." Axir looked at the old man. "Ranked third on the level leaderboard. A genius who combined karate and ninjutsu with other martial arts, becoming a deadly force in the martial world. Nice progress on the first day."
Axir looked at the blond man. "King James. Ranked sixth. Level 26. Mastered most mainstream martial arts and undefeated against all except for a few."
Then he turned to the Chinese woman. "Ling Zhuan, the current master of ancient Zhuan Kung Fu. Ranked fourth, level 27."
"And your real age right now is… thirty-two." Axir smiled. "Did I guess right?"
Ling's eyes widened. "Are you a wizard?"
"Or he has some kind of card that gives him information." King James's eyes glinted. "This game is already flipping the boards."
Sakamoto's eyes flickered with caution.
Axir raised his index finger. "First, I am not your enemy."
"Second, I am here with my family because you are people with a warrior spirit. You are enlightened. You don't wish harm upon others, or rather, innocents. You only strive to improve yourselves."
"That brings me to the third point." Axir smiled. "This is the safest place on Earth for my family, which is why I am here."
"And to earn the right to stay and live here," Axir cracked his neck and then his fingers, "If any one of you can defeat me, I'll leave."
"Of course, you can decide whether to use cards or not. I am fine either way." Axir grinned.
The trio was surprised.
"Kid, you look young. Less than twenty, maybe. And yet, you dare boast you can defeat us without cards?" Sakamoto blinked. "That's very interesting."
"Yeah, yeah, everything is interesting to you. But he is being stupid." James rolled up his sleeves and grinned at Axir. "Come, let's have a spar."
He jumped straight down, landing on the ground sixty meters below.
And so, the group arrived at the training ground below.
Aunt Kira and Mio descended via a circular platform lift that led them from the house above to the ground with the other two.
James cracked his knuckles. "Alright then. Let's see what kind of confidence lets a kid say something like that."
He stepped forward, stance low and balanced, the posture of someone who had trained since childhood. His breathing slowed. His presence sharpened.
Axir did not take a formal stance.
He stood relaxed, shoulders loose, weight evenly distributed, eyes calm.
That alone made James frown.
They moved at the same time.
James exploded forward, closing the distance in a single step, his fist snapping toward Axir's jaw with perfect timing and structure. It was fast. Clean. Deadly.
Axir tilted his head.
The punch skimmed past the air.
Before James could recover, Axir's palm brushed his wrist, redirecting the force just enough to break his balance. Axir stepped inside the opening, elbow already rising.
James twisted, barely blocking, but the impact still drove him back two steps.
'What…?'
James didn't hesitate. A knee followed, then a spinning back kick, chaining techniques smoothly. Each strike carried the weight of years of mastery.
But Axir flowed through them.
He didn't dodge far. He didn't retreat.
He adjusted.
Every strike James threw was met with minimal movement. A shift of the hip. A half-step. A turn of the shoulder. Each redirection stole momentum and fed it back.
James felt it immediately.
His strikes were landing more slowly.
His balance was being disrupted without him noticing how.
And the main factor in this disparity was that his speed and reaction were slower than those of the young man.
Axir stepped in again.
This time, he struck.
A short punch to the ribs. Not explosive, but heavy. James felt the shock travel through his torso, his breath knocked loose.
Axir followed with a low sweep that clipped James's ankle. James jumped back, barely regaining his footing.
James's eyes narrowed. He surged again, faster this time, pushing his limits. His fists blurred, combinations tightening, angles changing.
Axir met him head-on.
This time, he didn't just redirect.
He overpowered.
Axir blocked a punch and crushed through the guard, his forearm slamming into James's arm with raw physical dominance. James felt his muscles scream as he was forced off line.
Axir's knee struck his abdomen.
James folded.
Before he could fall, Axir grabbed his shoulder and flipped him, sending him skidding across the stone.
James rolled, coughing, and forced himself up, eyes wide now, not with anger, but realization.
'He's stronger. Faster. And his technique…'
James lunged one final time, putting everything into a straight, decisive strike.
Axir stepped in.
James made a feint and skidded, about to do a swift leg sweep.
But his momentum came to a halt...with one hand of Axir that caught his ankle as he saw through the feint.
James froze.
Axir twisted his wrist gently, just enough to force him down.
James flipped and as he pushed his hand on the ground and stood back on his feed, his breathing heavy and sweat beads visible on the forehead.
Silence hung over the training ground.
Jame laughed once, breathless, and shook his head. "…I lost."
He bowed his head slightly. "Cleanly."
Above, Sakamoto's eyes gleamed with restrained excitement. Ling's lips curved faintly, interest deepening.
"Wow, I didn't know Brother was a martial arts master." Mio was amazed.
"Me too." Aunt Kira smiled wryly.
Sakamoto stepped forward. "Well, there's no need for you to prove your might, but let's spar still. Your techniques and the way you move are advanced. They match your high parameters."
'As expected of this old fox.' Axir smiled. 'He managed to see the essence of my style.'
Indeed, martial arts were myriad. They were created to elevate trained humans to a high level.
But when people broke their limits with the game and became superhumans with incredible strength and speed, the level of martial arts increased significantly. Axir already had five years of experience in advanced superhuman combat arts that were superior to all established martial arts. Though he learned most of that from one fellow here, the most dangerous one in the group.
But against these three, he could win.
Fighting against Sakamoto, he proved just that by winning cleanly.
"How can a kid like you gain such vast experience in techniques?" Ling was surprised. "You must have a terrifying comprehension of martial arts to learn so fast."
"What can I say? I am gifted." Axir smiled cheekily.
"So, who are you related to in the group?" James asked curiously.
Axir blinked. "No one."
The trio blinked.
They could see Axir was not lying.
"That's very interesting." Sakamoto caressed his beard. "So how do you know about us?"
Naturally, Axir already had a story to convince them.
"I used a card. I can't show it to you because it was a one-time-use card. You'll find them in the game."
Axir was not lying.
"What kind of card?" Ling asked.
"A card called Search. You can write instructions in it, and it searches accordingly. I searched for the safest place on Earth to live in nature, and I got this place. It also gives some information about the location, so I got your information as well."
The trio was startled.
"There's such a card?"
"Sounds very interesting."
"How do you get it?"
Axir chuckled. "Luck. I got it from a Mystic Treasure Chest. By the way, allow me to introduce myself properly."
"I am Axir Grimspire, also known as Player Ace. Level 38."
The trio blinked.
"I had a feeling you were the number one player when you boasted earlier." Sakamoto laughed.
"So it's you. Yeah, I thought the same." James chuckled.
"Well, it's a pleasure and an honor." Ling grinned. "I hope you'll share some tips with us."
"Of course." Axir grinned.
"Umm, I am hungry, so can we eat first? We spent six hours flying." Mio made a pitiful face.
Suddenly, a loud boom came from above.
"HEYYO DOWN THERE! What's going on?"
Mio covered her ears.
"Stop shouting like that, there's a child here!" Ling snorted.
"Well, that's our cook, and he's good." James chuckled. "Hey, Robin! Make us some food. We are coming up."
"We have one more cook, but we need an important occasion for him to cook." Sakamoto laughed.
"He'll cook today." Ling grinned. "The world changed today. For the better. I think it's an important occasion."
From above, Robin shouted.
"I ain't cooking today! Old man Siddha is back. He is in the kitchen. Come on up!"