A bright flash of light engulfed the air, and in an instant, Alex and Ranpo found themselves standing amidst a vast, breathtaking landscape.
Towering stone spires rose around them like ancient monuments. Waterfalls cascaded from high cliffs, their mist mixing with the wind, and dense forests of emerald trees stretched as far as the eye could see.
Alex blinked in disbelief. "W-Where are we? Is this even real?"
Ranpo smirked. "This is a special training ground called The Mount of Law."
"The what now?" Alex turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "Did you just say Mount of Law?"
Before Ranpo could answer, two elderly monks emerged from one of the nearby towers. One was bald, his posture calm and serene. The other had long, flowing brown hair, and a wide smile crossed his face the moment he spotted Ranpo.
"Is that you, Ranpo?" the long-haired monk called out. "It's been too long."
Alex glanced at him curiously. "You know that guy?"
Ranpo nodded, his tone respectful. "He's a sacred monk—one of the keepers of this place. They protect the Mount of Law from any harm."
As the monks approached, Ranpo stepped forward with a rare warmth in his voice. "It's really been too long. It's good to see you again."
"Yes," the monk nodded. "I'm glad to see you as well… But who's this white-haired boy?"
Ranpo laughed softly. "This little guy? He's my grandson."
Alex gave a respectful bow. "I'm Alex. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."
The bald monk smiled kindly. "A determined young man. You even resemble Kazuma—the Spirit Lord."
Alex tilted his head with confusion "Kazuma? Who's that?"
Before the monk could answer, Ranpo quickly interjected. "We're sorry to cut this short, but I brought Alex here to train for a week. Is there a place we can stay?"
A few hours later, Alex found himself in a giant bedroom unlike anything he'd seen before. Dozens of beds lined the walls, and even the bathroom had an indoor waterfall. Alex's eyes lit up in amusement.
"You'll be sleeping here overnight," Ranpo said. "Now—it's time to train."
"Aww, come on!" Alex groaned. "We just got here!"
Outside, beside one of the great waterfalls, Rampo stood with his arms crossed while the mist cooled the air around them.
"There's a reason this place is called the Mount of Law," Ranpo said. "Because there are three core laws here: the Law of Energy, the Law of Strength, and the Law of Revenge."
Alex furrowed his brow. "Law of strength, energy, and revenge, its a bit too straight forward but whatever helps. But what does that even mean? "
Ranpo exhaled slowly. "I'll be teaching you the Law of Energy. It's about charging energy over time, renewing it while fighting, and absorbing energy from the environment."
Alex scratched his head. "That sounds awesome and all, but... I'm not really sure what to do."
"I'll show you," Ranpo said with a sigh.
Without warning, he closed his eyes, and an intense energy began to radiate from his body. Wind spiraled around him. His hair grew longer, flowing upward, and its color shifted from black to a radiant blue.
Alex's jaw dropped. "No way… I've never seen grandp charge up energy so intense before he's so cool!"
"This is the Law of Energy in action," Rampo said. "It multiplies your energy by 40 times your normal level. It even causes physical changes depending on how much energy you're channeling—like my hair."
"Now that's crazy. Iwant to learn that!" Alex said, eyes shining. "If I can get that strong, I could hit B-Rank easily!"
"You've got the potential," Ranpo said, smirking. "But only if you survive my training."
Meanwhile, back in the city…
Kojin stood with Tomoa and Sughi, preparing to depart.
"How long would it take to reach the Lightning Nation at max speed?" Kojin asked.
"About a couple of hours if we fly at full speed. If we dont decide to fly at full speed, it would probably take us a day or two. It depends" Sughi replied.
As they prepared to take off, Sōn jogged over. "Dad! You didn't say anything about leaving. I was going to show you some flame techniques that I'd need your help with advancing."
Kojin sighed. "Look, kid. I'll be gone for a while. Just hold off until I get back."
Son frowned and turned to Tomoa. "You promised you'd train me, but you're leaving too?"
Tomoa gave a sheepish laugh. "Sorry, I'm Lord Kojin's advisor. I have to go with him. But hey, Deo's around, and he's your best friend. You can train with him."
Sughi glanced at the sky. "We're running late."
With that, Kojin, Sughi, and Tomoa shot into the sky at insane speeds.
Sōn scratched his head and sighed. "Guess I'm training solo this week… I wonder if Deo has any porn mags I could read…"
Back at the Mount of Law.....
Alex stood beside the waterfall, hands trembling as he channeled his energy. The power surging through him grew heavier by the minute.
Ranpo watched closely, the bald monk standing beside him.
"This boy's energy is… excessive," the monk said, clearly impressed. "I've never seen such high levels in someone so young."
Ranpo nodded. "He was born with it. And he's been training excessively since he was a kid. It only makes sense if his energy grew this much."
The monk looked over curiously. "Has he learned how to use his demonic energy yet?"
Ranpo's smile faded slightly. "Not yet. That's why I brought him here. If he masters the Law of Energy, he might finally gain control over that hidden, dangerous power inside him."
The monk chuckled softly. "Looks like you've got your hands full. He really does resemble Kazuma… Have you told him the truth yet?"
Before Ranpo could answer, Alex collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily. The energy he'd gathered dispersed into the air.
"You only managed 20 minutes," Ranpo said, grinning. "Start again."
Alex groaned. "Hey, old man! I just started—I'm not gonna magically get it perfect right away!"
"Old man?! I'm only 53, you little brat!". Ranpo replied, clearly annoyed.
"What the hell?! You are old! Geezer, geezer, geezer!"
The two began arguing like kids, their voices echoing off the canyon walls. The monk with long dark hair simply smiled while watching the exchange with quiet amusement.
"You really do care about your students, Ranpo," he muttered to himself.
End of Chapter.