Half an hour passed by, and Cash had to go and continue his jog. But I found it quite off-putting how he was doing it alone despite being a child...

  My mother then walked over to where I was after she finished chatting with some neighbors, standing just near me as she looked at Cash. Her expression seemed serious and disturbed about something, and then she looked at me afterwards with a question.

  "Did he say anything strange to you, Toki?"

  I replied, "No, I don't think so, mother... He just wanted to be friends with me after he saw me reading one of dad's books."

  "Well..." She hesitated, putting her hand on her head with a sigh, just relieved that nothing bad happened. "Alright, Toki... But I'm so glad you finally made your first friend! I knew my Toki could do it!" She said happily, then sat down right beside me on the bench and hugged me tightly.

  "It wasn't hard at all mother... Plus, don't you think it's weird for him to be jogging alone?" I asked, being worried about his safety since he is just a child.

  "Maybe it is, but he might be living nearby, so you don't have to worry, alright? Besides! The neighborhood here is safe. As long as you don't go to the forest at the edge of the town, understand?" She said seriously, though that had me wondering, do monsters still exist in the country? But I didn't want to overthink much. I nodded in response to her warning.

  "Good, now let's go! I want to go cook a delicious meal back home!" She exclaimed excitedly and hungrily. I laughed as both of us got off the bench, with me making sure I held the book tightly as we began jogging back home.

  —

  After lunch, mother had to leave due to a friend of hers needing some help with some work they importantly had to do immediately. Of course I had taken a bath and got some change of clothes, which was a normal black t-shirt and red shorts. I didn't want to stay sweaty after jogging.

  While I was currently about to finish the black book my father left for me. But the last page was a bit worrying.

  "The probability of anyone having no Magic Core in the current era today is zero, or impossible to achieve, regarding the evolution of humanity's magic and very existence as we continue to strive for the future. Anyone without a Magic Core cannot be harmed by magic. Due to the non-existing M-Cells in their body, they are unable to be injured because of the positive and negative energy of M-Cells. Inside our bodies, M-Cells are considered positive energy. But, if magic were used to attack the opposing party, the positive cells that hit that party, making contact with their own positive energy, will be converted into negative energy due to the difference of their Magic Core. Healing, on the other hand, is another question. The only way for one's ability to heal is to make sure they make physical contact in order to transfer the proper positive energy they have on their body to the other party. That is all for this book."

  "Anyone without a Magic Core... Can't be harmed. That's impossible, I never heard of such a thing before, not back then in my previous life either. Nor did I even meet anyone without magic."

  The sense that a person could have no Magic Core despite humanity living with magic as a norm is impossible, everyone had it even back then from my previous life. But if it really is possible...

  Suddenly, I heard our doorbell ring while I was overthinking in my mind. I didn't expect anyone to ring it at all. Mother wouldn't either, since she has the key to the front door. Then I heard a voice outside my window, calling for me rather loudly. "Hey! Toki, are you there?"

  I looked out to see that it was none other than Cash, wearing some casual attire compared to the jogging attire he had earlier. I put the black book aside, along with the other books, because I'll probably continue reading it later.

  As I headed down the stairs, I didn't want to keep Cash waiting, so I made sure to speed my pace a little. Looking at the security system and seeing that it was still enabled, I had nothing to worry about. But what does the security system do if an invader comes? Or a thief?

  I shouldn't think about it too much. I opened the door and saw Cash just waiting in the front yard. Not before wearing some shoes and then heading outside as I locked the door. Of course I had a spare key with me in my pockets.

  I walked over to Cash while smiling as I spoke, "Nice to see you again, Cash. Though how did you know where I lived...?" I asked, being curious and confused about how he figured it out.

  "I live next door." He responded casually, pointing at the right side of my house to see their house just near ours. I didn't expect that at all.

  "I didn't notice... Sorry." I laughed, embarrassed. I mean, who would even know that in the first place?

  "Don't worry about it, Toki! Besides, you're a friend, just speak casually. You don't have to be formal." He nodded with the same eerie smile he had. His pupils are still the usual capital S with a vertical line in the middle. Honestly, I can't get over how that's possible.

  I responded back, "Ah alright! I'm just not used to speaking casually since it's usually me and my mother."

  "Oh really? Well, if it isn't your lucky day! Because you and I, my friend, are venturing out to the forest!" He exclaimed with so much enthusiasm, I almost thought he was shining. Then I remembered what my mother told me about.

  "Wait, isn't the forest dangerous? My mother told me not to go there after all," I asked, wondering if that's true and to get confirmation from him as well.

  "Hmm... Maybe. But who cares? Besides, I can tell we'll be fine, so trust me on this one!" He answered confidently. He might have already ventured into the forest, so I don't think anything dangerous would be there.

  "Well... Okay, let's go!" I said excitedly.

  "That's the spirit, pal! Race you there!" He said before bolting off, running out the front yard and on the sidewalk.

  "No fair! I don't even know where the forest is!" I shouted as I followed him quickly.

  —

  A couple of minutes and multiple steps passed by, and Cash and I arrived at the forest. It was at the edge of the town, but I can sense a magical barrier covering almost the vicinity of the town from this specific part.

  I was tired, panting tirelessly while Cash was standing right beside me, looking unbothered and energized. I don't even see a drop of sweat from him.

  "How are you... Not tired? We ran without stopping!"

  "Don't worry about it, Toki! You think too much at a young age, you know?" He replied.

  "Yeah, well, you talk like you've lived a life already..." I responded back jokingly. It sounded faint, but I may have heard a chuckle coming from him while I was trying to catch my breath. I then asked after regaining my energy. "Why are we adventuring here again?"

  "Why do we need a reason to adventure? We do it for the fun of it! So come on, Toki!" He said before grabbing my wrist as we entered the forest. Although I felt a surge of magic passing by me as we entered. Knowing that we had gone through the barrier of the town.

  As we ran and ran, we ended up reaching a clearing in a certain part of the forest. Some boulders were resting around the area, the sun shining brightly in the afternoon. The area looked peaceful even.

  Cash then let go of my wrist after we finished running. He seemed rather calm and collected, as if he'd been through here before. As he spoke, "See? Nothing to worry about, Toki! As I told you, you worry too much—"

  Right before he finished his sentence, a monster came and appeared from one of the boulders. It wasn't any ordinary monster, but something I feared even in my previous life.

  "N... No way... I thought they'd be gone by now!" I exclaimed in fear, my knees giving in as I dropped on the ground.

  As I looked to see the monster, a Mantisickle, grabbing Cash by their mouth and crushing them rather hard. I can almost see bits of blood coming out of his body. But even after being held captive, he was still alive.

  The Mantisickle's claws are so sharp and deadly that they could almost cut diamonds. I know I stood no chance.

  "Toki... Help me..." He said in a weak and begging tone. But I didn't know what to do. I was frozen in fear. Because even though I was the legendary hero. I was afraid of bugs.

  —

  In Toki's Previous Life.

  "No way! No way! And that's final!" I said while crossing my arms and looking away, pouting angrily while murmuring complaints.

  I was currently at an inn, resting with four party members after we had just finished a tiring mission. I needed to eat and drink, but apparently, our tank, Cyclo. Had a mission that he found that could help us get information on the Demon Lord's whereabouts.

  "Come on! It could help us!" A party member of mine said. An elf with dark skin, or a dark elf in other words. Her name was Darky, she didn't want to use her real name since it was embarrassing to hear about, so that's the name she chose when we met her. She spoke again, saying, "You'd rather prefer to fight the Demon Lord than fight some stupid bugs?!"

  "Yes, Darky! I would! What good would those bugs do other than just terrify me with their disgusting bodies and spine-shivering looks?! Have you ever thought about that?!" I replied while standing up from my seat, with her standing up as well.

  The both of us smashed our foreheads against each other as she spoke in an annoyed tone, "I never expected Mr. Hero here to be so afraid of bugs. Must I ask why?" I stared at her dead in the eyes, which she did to me as well. And I wasn't going to back down on my decision.

  "Because it's a pain to deal with and a complete waste of time! We can get info in another place anyway, so why bother with that?!" I answered confidently.

  "Oh, is that so?" She grinned, her face looking at me with frustration, then continued to speak, "Maybe it would also make our time finding the Demon Lord quicker! Have you ever thought about that?!"

  The both of us didn't stop barking at each other for almost half an hour. The other three party members just laughed and enjoyed the bantering she and I did. It was almost like this every time we had a disagreement. And I never regretted it.

  Ultimately, we ended up having to do the mission because we would be rewarded handsomely if we also gathered some of the bug monster's body parts. And Darky forced me into it.

  So far, we were in a cave where the supposed bug monsters reside. Our team consists of me, a knight. Darky, the archer. Cyclo, the tank. Dent, the healer and support, and lastly, Yumi, the mage.

  Cyclo, a tall half-man, half-centaur hybrid with long red hair, had all the equipment he needed as a tank: massive defensive armor, a huge shield, and a mace to fight back just in case it gets messy. What makes it better is that he's half-centaur. The height, beard, and every other aspect a man would want, he has. And centaur strength is not something they should underestimate. I do wonder why he didn't have the horse-like part of the centaur when he was born.

  Darky, a dark elf with short blue hair who can almost captivate any man with her looks and voluptuous body, huge breasts, and wide hips. But a temper of a kid. Although her aim with the bow is something I've always looked up to, her accuracy is on another level. Another issue is she has to wear a long dark cloak in order to cover her outfit. Because it's just a bra and some panties due to their ability needing less clothing to be more comfortable using magic. I will say, I found it stupid.

  Dent, the healer and support, is a half-vampire, half-human with long yellow hair. Confusing as it sounds, they have incredible healing capabilities because of their genetics. A vampire's self-healing is next level compared to a demon's or even a slime's. Due to their immortality, Dent has the ability to transfer that unique healing ability to other people. He isn't weak to sunlight due to him being human, but he can be harmed by the holy element. He wore a combination of a vestment and a mage robe just to be stylish. Since he's obsessed with fashion.

  Yumi, a beastwoman with short black hair, who, despite being physically gifted, was also gifted with amazing magic capabilities. Her fur was nowhere to be seen, yet her ears were different. They were rat ears, and they also had a rat tail. Their nose was similar to a snout but was more on the human side, which made them look rather adorable. She wore a classic mage robe that provided increased magic power along with magic regeneration, along with a staff that helped her cast magic easily without incantation.

  And lastly, me, the Legendary Hero, River. A normal human who dreamt of being a hero, and it became true. I had white hair with bangs, but it made me able to see without my eyes getting hit by my hair. I wore a tunic that was upgraded for me to have physical boosts. Thanks to the smith I always had to rely on, I was able to wear the tunic my parents bought for me still while having it upgraded as much as I wanted.

  As we walked with our guards up, I could feel the magic energy radiating nearby. The bug monsters were close. I looked at Dent and gave him a signal, upon which he began casting onto us some spells: Poison Nullifier, Paralysis Nullifier, Intermediate Protection, Magic Boost, and lastly, Enhanced Physical State.

  I went ahead first, taking a look at the view only to see multiple different kinds of bug monsters below. There were other passageways leading to the bottom of the cave. Until I felt a surge of magic coming from behind us. I turned around to see a Windroach.

  "Cyclo! Behind!" I warned Cyclo immediately. As he charged at the back and raised his shield, covering Darky, Dent, and Yumi behind him as the Windroach flapped his wings hard, blowing a tremendous amount of magic energy of wind towards us.

  Cyclo was pushed back slightly, trying his best to endure the power as I looked down and then at the Windroach. I had to make a decision. I spoke in a loud tone, "We have no choice! Let's take them on at the bottom!" They nodded in response as I jumped down first while beginning to cast some magic. "Let the winds hear my favor, heed my call, and let us defy gravity. Float!" Before we reached the ground, our bodies would float carefully, landing safely on the ground.

  With our feet now on land, we were prepared to handle and take the bug monsters on. Windroaches, Fiery Ants, and Scorpoisons. Those were the monsters we saw, and they weren't easy, but they are at least almost our level.

  "You owe me food for making me fight these bug monsters," I said while all of us backed into the center of the area, forming a circle while facing the monsters. I held my sword, my hand shaking slightly as I gripped the handle with my right hand.

  "Seriously... Get over it! Do it now, Yumi!" Darky spoke loudly. The bug monsters instantly rushed towards us the moment she called out Yumi.

  "I just hope I don't get dirty from this... Blinding Fire." Yumi raised her staff up in the air, a fireball appearing at the top of it as it floated above the air, before firing bits of fire directly at the bug monsters' eyes instantly, temporarily burning and blinding them.

  "Your turn, Cyclo!" I spoke as I jumped forward to already get some action started. With Cyclo inhaling loudly and letting out a deafening roar. A skill that was called "Roar of Pride." Which makes any enemy have their defense and attack lowered.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  "That guy never disappoints!" I said with a huge smile on my face while looking at Cyclo. Then I felt something coming towards me. Without hesitation, I looked back to see a Scorpoison's venomous tail's stinger lunging in my direction, already nearing my face. But thanks to the buff Dent had provided me, I can move easily.

  With ease, I dodged the stinger and the huge tail along with it. Ducking down and letting my knees and legs slide easily through the ground towards the Scorpoison, looking at the stinger above me that was going to impale me and inject me with poison. I used a small amount of air magic to bounce me up. I spun a hundred and eighty degrees in the air while swinging my sword to give more force and cutting the Scorpoison's head clean off, with their blood splattering everywhere. As I landed safely on the ground after.

  3RD POV.

  "He's such a show-off," Yumi spoke while giggling. Beginning to cast another magic spell, with Dent replying, "That's why he's the hero. Who's afraid of bugs, of course…" he jokingly said.

  "Let's get this party started! Don't let River get all the fun!" Darky replied, as a swarm of Windroach from above was coming its way. Darky jumped up and stood on top of Cyclo's helmet, using it to give her more momentum and jumping up towards the surrounding Windroaches.

  She took her bow and arrow out. She counted that there were twelve Windroaches coming at her. Carefully, she aimed at one Windroach while inhaling deeply. She was almost floating due to how much air time she had, then she spoke, casting a spell, "Heads: Twelve O' Clock." She exhaled, firing the arrow with so much force that it pierced through the Windroach's shell and head easily. Then after going through one, the arrow would suddenly stop from hitting the wall. As it turned and pierced through another Windroach's head, then another, and another, until the swarm was immediately wiped out by a single arrow, twelve Windroaches falling down to the ground with Darky landing back on the top of Cyclo's helmet.

  "Was that necessary..." Cyclo asked, asking Darky as he looked up at her with his pupils, seeming a bit annoyed at how she used him as a stepping stool.

  "Shut up! I wanted to show off in front of him after all..." Darky exclaimed in a worried tone, thinking that she did too much.

  "I don't think he noticed it," Dent responded, with Darky confused about what he said. She saw River being way too focused on fighting a horde of Scorpoisons and Fiery Ants at the same time. A sigh came out of Darky as she scratched her head. "Then what did I do all of that for?!" She complained, with Cyclo clearing his throat and then speaking, "Mind getting off my helmet first?"

  "Oh, sorry, Cyclo!" She laughed, jumping down and landing safely on the ground as the four of them prepared. With Yumi already taking action with the incoming Fiery Ants at their side, casting a magic spell, "Water Tower."

  She said coldly while staring at the horde of Fiery Ants. Spouts of water appeared from the ground, the pressure and strength of it were enough to impale the Fiery Ants, killing them instantly. Yumi looked at the others and said, "Let's help River before he overdoes it again."

  The other three nodded as they joined River and helped him to kill the wave of bug monsters together with amazing teamwork. Showing how in sync and confident they are to trust each other in the fight.

  —

  After what felt like an hour but was 20 minutes. The fight ended with Darky, Dent, and Yumi on the ground. Tired and exhausted due to the amount of energy they had used up just to kill all of them.

  "I can't believe you guys are tired when I had to get close to them in order to kill them... Ugh, their faces are still stuck in my mind," River said while grabbing hold of his hands and shivering, his sword resting behind his sheath as Yumi laughed, replying, "Wasn't there a Fiery Ant that got close to your face and you screamed—"

  River interrupted her before she finished, "No. There was no such thing." He said while waving his left hand in denial. Darky smirked and looked at him with a grin, asking him, "Oh really? Then whose scream did we hear, hm?" She asked teasingly, wanting to provoke River even more.

  He looked away embarrassed before answering back unsure, "It was obviously... Dent! Who else? Couldn't be me!" Dent would look at River, having a "seriously?" Kind of expression towards him. The other shared a laugh on how silly he was despite being a coward towards bugs.

  Then out of nowhere, the wall was destroyed, with a Mantisickle coming out and charging towards them. The five of them couldn't sense the monster's magic energy at all. As the Mantisickle rushed quickly and swung its sharp claw back, it retracted and slashed towards Yumi, Darky, and Dent, who had no time to react at all.

  With the three of them receiving a direct hit on their body as they made contact with the deadly sharp claws of the mantis. But instead of cutting them off cleanly, they were instead flung to the cave's wall. The three of them slammed hard against it as they let out a ton of blood.

  Dent coughed while chuckling, speaking weakly, "G... Good thing I didn't remove t- the buff we had..." Before passing out along with Yumi and Darky, who were already out cold.

  Cyclo was caught off guard, terrified and disappointed at himself, but immediately rushed to their aid. Arriving just in time, they stopped in front of them as the Mantisickle swooped in to attack Cyclo with their sharp claws. Cyclo retaliated by parrying it and making the Mantisickle get their claws pushed back. But that didn't stop the bug monster at all. Furious, it began attacking Cyclo with a barrage of slashes, with him parrying all of them, yet he knew he couldn't endure them for so long.

  "River! Defeat this monster!" He called out to River, pleading and waiting for him to launch his attack.

  But River... He stood still, frozen and shocked. Looking at his dear friends who were injured badly because of his incompetence and naivety. He didn't know how to feel but only blamed himself for being unable to sense the monster in place.

  He had to move. He had to save them. He had to help Cyclo. But that one mistake had made him begin overthinking with thoughts such as:

  Am I enough?...

  Could I have done more?...

  What if I can't?...

  Add the fact that he has a huge fear and disgust towards bug monsters. The Mantisickle has been his number one fear ever since this incident happened. He had to conquer his fear, right here, right now.

  They say humanity has its limitations. Be it their physical body, intelligence, or magic prowess. But there are certain feelings that can make humanity overcome their limits and do everything they need in order to win, to grow, and to conquer.

  Wrath. And Adrenaline.

  Without River knowing, his feelings swirled into something deeper than fear. His Magic Core began swirling uncontrollably, an engine beginning to power him even further beyond, his M-Cells beginning to grow crazy and increase even more. But of course he had no knowledge of this yet until his new life.

  His magic power was oozing out of his entire body, a dark reddish magic aura covering him as he grabs his sword from his back, gripping the handle tightly with his right hand, yet his expression... Was different from before. Rather than enjoying the battle, he instead wanted to finish that bug monster off quickly.

  Instantly, River leaped towards the Mantisickle that was still attacking Cyclo. Cyclo was almost reaching his limit, but as River charged, he was already near the Mantisickle's head. He swung his sword at the neck but was blocked by one of the Mantisickle's sharp claws. River used his left hand, facing the palm towards the Mantisickle's body and releasing a huge amount of energy, casting a magic spell, "Gust."

  The Mantisickle was instantly blown away from both River and Cyclo, hitting the wall and making a crater behind it. As it tried to stand up but was rather shaken by River's magic. Cyclo then suggested, "Let's fight it together while it's unable to focus—"

  "No."

  River interrupted, his voice now being cold and angry. He didn't look like the same River at all. Cyclo wanted to help, but River suggested, "Keep watch of them and heal them with some potions. I'll fight it on my own." He said, then began to walk slowly towards the Mantisickle, dragging the pointy edge of the sword on the ground while staring at it with so much bloodlust.

  Cyclo didn't want to anger River even more, so he just followed the instruction. Besides, it was for the better anyway. He hurried and brought the three of them down on the ground, making sure they lay on the ground comfortably as he got Dent's bag and brought the potions out. Suddenly, he felt a strong gust of wind from behind. Looking over to see River and the Mantisickle already fighting.

  Not having to worry about him, he popped open the potion and poured it on the three's injuries. It wasn't as bad, but it was enough to knock them unconscious. The potions thankfully healed all of their injuries as Cyclo sighed in relief. But his expression turned worried and serious, looking at River as he fought.

  River and the Mantisickle were going at it rather seriously, their blades clashing and making enough force for the wind to make a huge gust around the area. River swung his sword at them but was blocked in time, clicking his tongue annoyed as the Mantisickle returned the favor, swinging one of its claws and taking the initiative and making a barrage of slashes towards River with ease.

  River responded by parrying every slash that came toward him, his eyes deadlocked onto the Mantisickle's as it did so to him as well. The both of them are almost fighting at their full strength, but only one of them can win.

  Suddenly, Cyclo heard a groan from behind, seeing Darky sitting up while rubbing her head, asking, "What... happened?" She said groggily, as Cyclo responded, "A Mantisickle came out of nowhere and attacked the three of you. Thankfully, Dent still had the protection he cast earlier on us, so there weren't any casualties."

  "Oh..." Darky felt relieved, looking at the side to see Dent and Yumi resting and healing peacefully, a sigh coming out until she noticed that River wasn't here. "Wait—River!" She looked over to where River was, gasping with her eyes shocked, not expecting to see such a sight. Cyclo laughed and told her, "He's amazing, isn't he?"

  Darky saw River, beginning to get stronger and more incredible as the fight progressed. Amazed by the scene of him jumping around, clashing against the Mantisickle toe-to-toe, a response came out of her, speaking softly, "Yeah... He is."

  River would swing his sword so hard that when the Mantisickle's claw came into contact with it, it was shattered into pieces. As the monster screamed in pain, with River landing another hit on the other claw, making them unable to attack as it kept screaming both in pain and anger.

  "Let's end this." River spoke coldly, putting the sword down as the Mantisickle screamed in fury at him. The magic energy from the monster began growing uncontrollably, then an intense gust of wind was being pushed outward due to their crazy magic energy.

  River stood still, watching it using almost every ounce of magic energy it had to regenerate its claws again, but this time, they were sharper and larger than before, with an intense amount of magic energy infused in them. A chuckle came out of him seeing the sight of a bug monster improving and growing stronger as he spoke, "I might as well copy you then."

  He began covering his entire arm with a ton of magic energy, leaving the other parts of his body with little to no amount of magic energy, almost leaving him defenseless. A voice came at the side, calling out to River. It was Darky, "You idiot! Don't do anything stupid!" She immediately knew that he was being arrogant as she tried to rush to his aid but was held back by Cyclo. Looking at him confused and worried, Cyclo simply shook his head and responded calmly, "It's his fight. We shall not disturb it."

  Due to Darky's loud voice, Dent and Yumi were woken up. Already standing beside Darky, with Yumi stating, "If he only focuses magic energy onto his arms, his entire body will easily get cut in half." Cyclo, Darky and Dent looked worried, but they had to put their trust in him. Beginning to watch again because the fight was going to end with whoever charges first.

  River and Mantisickle had finished gathering enough magic energy. Now, they both stood still, waiting for the signal to charge. A droplet of water at the top of the cave would slide down and splash onto the ground.

  That was the signal, which made the both of them charge toward each other with incredible speed. As the Mantisickle's claws pulled back and slashed downwards at River. A dust cloud was formed the moment the attack made contact.

  "River!" Darky shouted, worried and afraid River had gotten a direct hit. But as the dust cloud disappears, River is shown holding onto the edges of Mantisickle's edge of the claws with ease. No blood was seen on his hands either as he held it.

  "Your death won't be painless," River spoke as he ripped off the Mantisickle's arms, screaming in terror and pain. Before it could even react, it received a devastating punch from below its head. Launching at the air, almost even hitting the ceiling of the cave.

  River knelt down, preparing to jump, but he moved all of his magic energy towards his right arm, a fire-sword-like magic aura appeared. It was flaming hot, yet it had no effect on him, as he formed a chopping stance with his right arm. "Right Hand's Fury." Jumping towards the Mantisickle and cutting them in half with his new ability. But he wasn't done.

  He used the cave's ceiling and propelled himself down towards the Mantisickle again, cutting one of its limbs, then using the wall to launch himself towards the Mantisickle again to cut another. Doing it over and over until the entire body of the monster was diced completely with his insane speed. Leaving only the head with him on the ceiling. In the Mantisickle's eyes, all the monster saw was another monster with red glowing eyes.

  With River ending the fight, propelling himself for the last time and cutting the monster's head in half, he landed on one knee as his head was also lowered. He stood up, then shook off the blood that covered his right arm after slicing the Mantisickle multiple times, dispelling the magic energy around his body, and grabbing the sword on the ground that was resting. Pulling it out easily as he sheathes it back behind him.

  The diced body parts of the Mantisickle would come flying down on the ground. As it suddenly exploded right behind him while River continued walking, his expression couldn't be seen by his other party members. But as he looked up to see them all fine, he smiled with the usual expression he always had. Speaking proudly, "Glad that monster was gone! They looked ugly and disturbing..."

  Darky, Dent, and Yumi would run towards him, relieved and happy to see he was alive and well, with Cyclo, following them from behind. But once he finally finished using every ounce of his energy as well as going past his limit. River passed out on the ground.