CHAPTER 203: NEW PLACE

As he stood there, processing the raw, untamed power of the jungle, a voice called out his new name.

"Adam!"

He turned. A middle-aged man and a young woman were running towards him from the village. The man was broad-shouldered and rugged, with a thick beard and hair the color of fiery copper.

He wore simple leather clothes, the practical attire of a hunter. The woman, who looked to be about twenty, shared the same vibrant red hair, tied back in a long braid.

The man reached him first, his face etched with worry. "Adam, are you alright?" he asked, his voice a deep, concerned rumble.

The red-haired woman rushed past them both, her attention fixed on the still-unconscious figure on the ground. She knelt beside Rachel. "Mom! Are you okay?" she cried, gently shaking her mother’s shoulder. Then, she glared back at Adam, her eyes flashing with anger. "What did you do to her?"

Adam was stunned for a moment, then his mind cleared. I need to get out of here. Now. He completely ignored the girl’s furious question. He turned his attention to the middle-aged man, the one who was clearly in charge. His expression was cold, his voice devoid of all emotion.

"Where am I?"

The man’s concerned expression vanished, replaced by a look of shock and then growing anger. He gripped Adam’s shoulders, his hands like iron vices. "Adam, what is this behavior?" he demanded, his voice turning serious. "First you hurt your mother, and now this attitude? You know you will be punished for this."

"Father," the red-haired woman, Anastasia, interrupted. "We can deal with this later. Let’s get Mother inside first."

Adam stood silently as the man—Ricky, this body’s father—lifted Rachel into his arms and, with Anastasia’s help, carried her back into the wooden house. He did not care about their family drama.

His mind was already miles away, back at the academy. A cold, hard decision had formed in his mind. He would return. He would find Void, Gold, and Silver. He would not confront them. He would neutralize them. And then he would ask them a very simple question: Who gave them the courage to attack him?

With that thought, he turned his back on the village and began to walk. He passed by small, neatly-tended fields that stretched out for a short distance from the edge of the houses.

Beyond the fields, a massive wall encircled the entire village. It was not made of stone, but of huge, thick logs, sharpened to a point at the top, a formidable boundary against the dangers of the forest. It was a crude but effective fortress, a testament to the villagers’ resilience.

He paused for a moment, taking in the sight, then continued walking. He crossed the fields, his pace steady and purposeful. As he neared the massive wooden gate of the boundary wall, a voice boomed from behind him, a voice that carried an incredible weight of power.

"Adam. What are you doing?"

Adam stopped. He glanced to his right and saw him. A man of immense stature stood there, broad and powerful, built like a mountain. He had short, black hair and a long, jagged scar that ran down the side of his face. Adam was taken aback. He had never seen a human radiate such an raw, overwhelming power. Not even the Emperor. If the Emperor fought this man, Adam thought, he would have a very difficult time.

Before Adam could even react, the man vanished from his spot. He reappeared directly in front of Adam, blocking his path to the gate. The sheer speed of the movement was breathtaking. Adam was genuinely impressed.

"Did you cause trouble again today?" the scarred man asked, his voice a low rumble. "Are you in such a hurry to become a hunter that you can’t even stick to your daily practice? Your time is coming near, boy. You know how dangerous this jungle is."

Adam stared at him, confused. What nonsense is this? he thought. Then, he realized. This man was talking about the boy whose body he now inhabited. He didn’t care. He had a goal. He needed to leave this place. This man, no matter how powerful, was just an obstacle.

The scarred man reached out, his large hand moving to clamp down on Adam’s shoulder. But before his fingers could make contact, Adam vanished. He reappeared behind the man, already walking towards the gate, his back to the powerful warrior.

"I don’t have time to argue with you," Adam said, his voice flat and dismissive. He continued walking.

The man stood frozen for a second, his hand still outstretched, grabbing at empty air. He was completely shocked. Was that... speed? he thought, his mind struggling to comprehend what he had just seen. He whipped around and saw Adam still walking calmly towards the jungle. With another flicker of movement, the man disappeared from his spot and materialized directly in Adam’s path again.

"Adam, what did you just do?" His tone had changed from casual to sharp and intense as he demanded.

Adam paused, his face displaying extreme boredom and irritation. This was getting boring. With a tone full of condescension, he asked, "Do not you understand?" "Move out of my way."

He tried to step around the man, but his path was blocked. The man simply smiled, a dangerous glint in his eyes. Without any warning, he threw a punch.

It was not just a fast punch. It was a movement that seemed to break the laws of physics. Adam, a being who perceived time differently from mortals, did not even see it coming. One moment, the man was standing there, smiling. The next, an explosive force slammed into his jaw.

The world turned into a haze. With the force of a cannonball, Adam was hurled backwards and flew through the air. Like a human missile, he blasted back across the fields he had just traversed.

A small wooden house exploded around him in a shower of splinters as he crashed through the wall. He continued after that. In a cloud of dirt and debris, he skidded to a halt after crashing end over end down the dusty village street and bouncing twice.

For a moment, he lay there in shock. His mouth tasted noxious and coppery. A drop of blood trickled down his chin as he coughed. He was startled by his own body’s response, not by the attack per se. He propped himself up on one elbow and thought, I did not use any of my magic. This body was not reinforced in any way by me. How could it have escaped such a severe attack? He had underestimated the durability of the boy he lived with.

The scarred man appeared before him again, standing over him, his expression a mixture of anger and amusement. "You have some nerve, boy," he said, his voice a low growl. "Giving orders to your own uncle. Just because your father is the chief doesn’t mean you can command me."

Adam paid no attention to what the man said. He was more concerned with his new the vessel’s condition. He put a hand over the impact point on his chest.

His palm started to emit a soft green light that permeated his skin. His jaw no longer hurt. The internal bruises disappeared. The wound closed itself after he used the back of his other hand to wipe the blood from his mouth. It was an intuitive use of his power, a straightforward healing spell.

The man’s smile disappeared. The amusement in his eyes was replaced by a look of pure, unadulterated shock. He stared at Adam’s glowing hand, then at his completely healed face. The relaxed posture was gone, replaced by a tense, wary stance.

"What was that?" the man demanded, his voice sharp with surprise. "What did you just use? Tell me."