What happened during the disciples' journey?

They didn't tell, simply glossing over it.

They saw no glory in thievery, even with a monster as the target.

They would have preferred to fight the creature directly, but they weren't strong enough.

Not yet at least.

Still, they managed to bring back the treasure.

Before long they had figured everything out and managed to set up the formation.

It would prevent people from committing crimes.

It would bring peace to the city.

They had to ask for help from many mages too.

Many people objected and were against that idea.

But then once more HE came out of his courtyard.

Alone, their master made all listen.

They could either accept this or leave the city altogether.

A few did leave, but the vast majority remained.

Many disliked the man, but they trusted his character.

For he was not the scheming kind.

His wife oversaw the whole process.

Somehow, she managed to find many flaws and correct them.

All the while not being able to use magic herself.

Once more she broke common sense.

But her husband was used to it already.

Before long it was functioning.

His disciples having control over it.

There were still a few issues.

Mostly people tricking each other's using the flaws in the system.

That is when the eldest disciple created an investigation squad.

One that would be in charge of searching for any exploiter and crush them.

It wasn't perfect, but it worked.

For the first time in forever many sects were at one location without killing each other.

It was a dream come true, to say the least.

That is when he started pondering about the future.

He didn't have to remain in the city anymore.

He started a new project.

A very small one.

He started building a farm outside of the city.

One where he and his wife could retire.

His disciples heard about it and insisted on installing formations to protect it.

At first, he refused, but then they convinced him that it was for her safety.

Then he agreed.

Finally, everything was done.

They hosted a big banquet to celebrate the coming of a new era.

That was one of the best days of his life.

He had a loving wife.

He had worthy disciples.

He had accomplished his life's goal.

He was ready to retire.

Sadly, as it often is, the happiness was short-lived.

The next day a ruckus started.

People had spotted a blurry shadow on the horizon.

One that was growing bigger by the minute.

As the city defenders climbed the city walls to observe it, the disciples understood what it was.

The creature they had stolen the treasure from.

It had followed them here somehow.

It was clearly after what it had lost.

But there was an issue, it already had been used.

Trying to remove it would make it so everything would be destroyed.

Furthermore, there was no guarantee that the creature would leave even then.

The master knew what he had to do.

He kissed his wife one last time and entrusted her to his disciples.

Then he leaped from the tall city walls toward the atrocity.

His wife wanted to stop him.

She wanted to ask him to run.

But she knew that he wouldn't.

That even if he did, he would regret it for the rest of his existence.

She couldn't accept that for she truly loved him.

He dashed toward his opponent.

Faster than any horse.

He held his sword tightly.

One that he had only ever used to train in the recent years.

After all, there were no worthy opponents.

But that was the case no more.

Before long he came to a stop.

Right before the giant twin-headed snake.

One so long it could coil around a palace whole.

Scales looking sturdier than any armor he had seen.

Fangs bigger than his whole body.

Every breath sending a poisonous mist flying.

A creature that was very close to evolving.

Almost a rank 5.

That is when he knew he would die.

After a long and devastating fight.

He resolutely attacked the creature then he ran.

It understood what he was trying to do yet still went after him.

Eating this human could accelerate its growth.

Not as much as his original target, but he would look for it afterward.

He kept running until finally, they were away from all civilization.

The only thing in the area was a small desolate temple on a nearby mountain.

One that he knew for a fact was abandoned.

Then they started fighting.

Making the earth itself quake, every of their clash sending shockwaves in the air.

The creature couldn't understand.

The human was clearly weaker than it was yet wasn't losing any ground.

Any other would have faltered as soon as they saw the powerful beast.

Not him.

Not the city's protector.

He had trained all his life for this single moment.

He simply kept hacking and hacking.

Dodging every single blow.

Unknowingly the human managed to use a power that was way beyond his rank.

A power that was invisible to most.

A power that he would never even realize he had used.

He used faith power.

One that deities fought tooth and nail for by getting followers.

He wasn't any god.

But he was the symbol of prosperity for an entire city.

An entire city that was currently praying for his success.

In a world when even the lowliest have traces of mana in them it made a slight but decisive difference.

The snake could have in fact overpowered the man.

The snake was still stronger.

Except that the creature became scared.

It knew that should they keep fighting maybe they would both perish.

It wouldn't die to a worthless human for sure!

It ran away, knowing that its poison had been affecting its opponent.

That there was no way the man would press the assault for he would die if he did.

But it failed to consider one thing.

The man didn't have the leisure to think.

The man's only driving force was his conviction.

That and instinct.

Instead of surviving to fight another day he kept going.

Until he finally beheaded the evil that was threatening his beloved city.

Thus he sealed his fate.

He felt the poison immobilize him.

He was about to die.

But he knew he had succeeded.

He knew they would be safe.

He knew she would be.

That was all that mattered.

That is when his wife appeared.

As beautiful as the first day he had seen her.

Somehow, she was flying with huge feathery white wings.

He felt her embrace him then fly toward the nearby temple.

He thought he was delirious at first, but then he realized.

It was real.

This explained so many inconsistencies.

How she was so knowledgeable.

How she never found him intimidating.

When he saw the broken statue inside, he wanted to scream.

But no sound came out of his mouth.

The statue of the goddess of sacrifice.

The last thing he heard was "I love you."

Thus he lived and she died.