Ryker's form was quite good. Though he was certain that his father's keen eye would be able to pick out several flaws, he was still excellent given his current level and experience. He would be even better if it wasn't for the fact he wasn't very interested in close combat, at least not with his fists, anyway.

That said, the point wasn't to show off.

The small mirror vibrated, a small wall of energy rebounding the short wave away.

'Still not quite there.'

The wave wasn't very impressive. There wasn't much difference between a little girl and Ryker himself doing it with the exception of the fact he was able to do it with a fist as opposed to a palm. However, the strength was as important as the result. There was a certain threshold Ryker was looking for that the small mirror was still just short of.

Without wasting time Ryker headed back to his cabin to pack up a large wooden box that was about a meter tall and a half meter wide and thick. Once he was finished, he put on his clothing and headed out, trekking down a mountainous pass.

Ryker leapt from rock to rock with a practiced agility. His hands held onto the straps of the large wooden box, keeping it from bouncing around too much.

To ensure his peace, Ryker had purposely built himself a home over two hours away from the nearest town. This was about the only way he could get into all the trouble he did yet live relatively peacefully.

He knew well how lucky he had gotten with this location, though. In worlds like this one, the wilderness was an especially dangerous place, and that was even more so for someone as weak as his current self. He had a certain mysterious Spirit Beast to thank for the peace he had had to this point.

Ryker broke out into a light jog, reaching the bottom of the mountain. This was the most dangerous part of his journey, but he wasn't worried. With his senses, picking out and avoiding danger was as easy as breathing.

A small city appeared in the distance, the smell of kindling smoke and industry clogging up the clear, mountainous air.

Smog and soot rose up high, layering the city in a sheen of black that was impossible to notice unless you stepped outside of it.

Ryker flashed a worker's permit at the gates and slipped through under the envious eyes of those camping for an opportunity to enter. It was quite a shock to Ryker the first time he had seen this. He was used to grand cities with long waiting lines, but this city wasn't even considered First Circle, and yet it received just as much enthusiasm.

Ryker began to weave through the familiar city streets. Though the immediate path into the city was clear, it was quick to become cluttered even so early in the morning.

This sort of industrial city was a staple of lower class worlds. Without access to higher forms of energy, they were forced to rely on steam and coal powered machines to live their day to day lives and survive the harsh environment wrought by Spirit Beasts.

With the population of Mythical Masters being so low in these worlds, there was no choice but to make up the gap in other ways. The result was what was seen before Ryker now.

Ryker sported a bright smile, grinning at almost everyone he passed by. He quickly made it to his usual spot nearby a soon to be bustling road.

"Ryker!" A middle-aged man with a face covered in soot poked his head out from a curtain masquerading as a doorway. "Didn't I tell you to lay low for a while?! Do you have a death wish?!"

Ryker let out a chuckle, "Worried about me, old man? When'd you get so soft?"

Without a care, Ryker began to set up his stall, using his large wooden box as a table and crossing his legs before it.

A loud snort came from the curtain doorway before a box came flying out.

Ryker caught the small black box and opened the lid, finding a worn timepiece laid within it on a bed of silk the old man should have definitely been unable to afford.

"You're finally letting me have a go at it?" Ryker's head shot up toward the curtain door.

"If you leave even a scratch on my precious baby, I'll have your head, brat!"

"You're trusting your prized possession to a dead man?"

There was no response on the other end, but Ryker could almost see the reddened cheeks of the easily embarrassed old man.

Ryker didn't waste anymore time, a faint excitement glowing in his eyes. He had wanted to tinker with this rusted watch for a very long time already, but the old man had always refused. Ryker had no idea what had gotten into him today that made him change his mind.