The day after I showed Lord Loki how serious I was, I came to train with Mr. Bete.
Actually, during last night's training, Bell asked me if I could help with an adventurer quest request... but I refused. If I took two days off, Bete would probably come looking for me. This is all Bete's fault. Today, I'm definitely going to kill him.
So, with determination, I headed to the training warehouse. Bete was already there. Unlike the day before yesterday, he now had twin swords strapped to his waist.
"Why are you armed?"
"To kill you more surely."
Seems like he's thinking the same thing.
"I am filled with the Abyss."
He began chanting, and simultaneously, I conjured daggers in both hands. Bete drew his twin swords.
"Everything I touch will be dyed pitch black. All that reflects shall fall into twilight."
Without any signal, we both charged. My back heated up, and my physical abilities surged.
"In the city of eternal night, under the new moon, I am the wandering killer."
Bete charged toward me as well. He wasn't surprised by my"parallel chanting." He probably expected it.
"Manifest, power of judgment!"
"Infinite Abyss!"
Shadows swelled and attacked Bete.
"That's your magic?"
"Yes. It's different in both power and scale from before. If you get hit even once, you'll definitely pass out."
"There's no way a slowpoke like you could hit me!"
"You sure do bark a lot. As expected of a wolf!"
I attacked from all directions, time delays, blind spots, restraints, using every possible tactic to finish him off. But recently, Bete learned how to vary his speed, making it even harder to predict his movements.
If someone can't perceive those changes, it might not matter much, but thanks to my skill, I can track his movements well enough to anticipate them. When he changes speed unexpectedly, it becomes difficult to predict. I'm not even sure how fast his top speed really is anymore.
On top of that, this time he's armed with twin swords. That means he won't use strikes with his hands. His metal boots make kicks unblockable. I have to dodge every attack.
But today, maybe because of the break, I feel great physically. My mind is sharp and my condition is perfect.
Today, I will finish him. I whispered that in my heart.
𓂀═════════════𓂀
"Tch, this is still tough."
Bete cursed inside. He swung his twin swords, trying to kill the boy in front of him who radiated snake-like murderous intent.
But his swords were deflected by the boy's knives, and he was caught in a pincer attack from shadows in his blind spot and from the front. The boy side-stepped, then back-stepped to dodge the tentacle-like shadows.
The most important thing when facing this boy is to never create blind spots, basic for any adventurer.
Yet, if you get distracted even for a moment, a gap appears, and this boy never misses it. Though fighting one opponent, it felt like dealing with many.
Yesterday, I reluctantly trained by myself, but it didn't feel right. No matter how much I moved, it didn't feel like real training.
Gareth helped, but it wasn't enough. He was strong, and I couldn't beat him, but I wasn't serious.
I need the fight to be fierce enough to seriously risk death, like this boy, like real killing.
Bete grudgingly acknowledged me. Though unspoken, he felt I was different from other low-ranking adventurers. This kid, relentlessly chasing after the top, was exactly the kind of"weakling" Bete imagined.
Still, he didn't want to admit it. This was a guy even Bete couldn't kill seriously. Not like Olivas or Revis, who had overwhelming power.
So he would kill me, this snake, and become stronger. And catch up to Eyes!
Bete's attacks grew fiercer.
𓂀═════════════𓂀
After training with Bete, it was time for training with Bell and Lefiya. Bete's sessions were from morning till evening, intense and thorough. Ours was shorter since both had training with Eyes the next day.
Bell was out of town for an adventurer quest, so it was just Lefiya and me today, but she seemed moody.
"What's wrong, Lefiya?"
"Ais said..."
"Ais said?"
"Tomorrow's training will be all for Bell, so I'm off."
"I see."
Bell's growth was abnormal, no doubt. But little can be taught in short sessions. That's why Ais wanted a longer time. I understood her position as Bell's instructor.
"Want to call it off for today?"
"No. I want to train."
"Alright."
I summoned shadows and attacked Lefiya.
"A single beam of light unleashed, sacred bowwood's limb, strike forth!"
As Lefiya chanted, a tentacle struck her directly, interrupting her spell. Her Status was nullified, and tears welled up in her eyes from the pain. Still, she pressed on with the training.
I already knew why Lefiya couldn't do"parallel chanting." It was because she tried to perform"high-speed chanting" and"parallel chanting" at the same time, which caused her to fail. Sure, doing both simultaneously would be more powerful, but attempting two equally difficult techniques at once is tough.
I asked if she'd try without the"high-speed chanting" to see if it would work. She replied that it had become a habit and she just couldn't stop. There was nothing I could do about that.
If only someone could teach her better than I can…
𓂀═════════════𓂀
After training ended and I saw Lefiya off to the Twilight Manor, I sensed someone following me. The aura wasn't from an ordinary adventurer.
Instead of going home, I headed toward Daedalus Street. Sure enough, they were still tailing me.
Daedalus Street is so maze-like it's called the Second Dungeon of Orario. Even locals sometimes get lost here, making it a perfect place to lose a tail.
But no matter how hard I tried to shake them off, they kept following precisely. They seemed to know I was aware and followed deliberately.
No choice.
I darted into an alley and jumped up immediately, using shadows to cling to the wall.
The follower entered the alley, a suspicious figure cloaked in a hooded robe, head to toe.
I dropped down silently behind them and conjured a knife. Pressing the blade against the back of their neck, I whispered,
"Don't move."
There was a sharp intake of breath. Had they not expected resistance?
"Take off your hood and raise your hands. Try anything funny, and I'll kill you."
The robed figure's shoulders shook... were they laughing?
"Heh heh heh, I heard you became an adventurer and wanted to see how soft you've gotten. Looks like your skills haven't dulled~"
The voice stopped my thoughts cold.
It was a young man's voice. Impossible, the rumors said he was dead.
The man pulled back his hood. His hair was a shining blonde, and long, pointed ears peeked out, the hallmark of an elf.
Suddenly, I sensed murderous intent from above. Reflexively, I leapt back to dodge. Landing between me and the man was another figure, also cloaked, about 1.6 meters tall.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes, thanks for the save."
The man turned to face me. I recognized that face immediately.
"Six years, huh? Long time no see, Toki."
"Sen, "
My foster guardian. Real name unknown, simply "Sensei." The very person who taught me assassination.
"But you know, you're doing it all wrong. You should kill tailers immediately, there's a risk they'll bring information back to the enemy. You've gotten soft there~"
"What do you want, showing up here now!?"
"Getting worked up over nothing is a point deduction."
He narrowed his eyes and smiled like always, the same inscrutable expression from six years ago.
"Well then, Toki, just to ask, are you planning on coming back to me?"
"No way!"
"Oh my, such a quick answer."
I wanted to end him here and now, but the cloaked figure between us was blocking me, watching every move carefully.
"By the way, that elf girl, is she your lover?"
"Try touching her, and I'll break every bone in your body, cut off all your fingers and toes, crush your throat, then beat you to death while you bleed out!"
"She's quite precious, huh? People really do change."
He laughed quietly, shaking his shoulders.
"Well, I'm not here to do anything just yet. I haven't been here long myself. There's some preparation I need to do~"
"Preparation? What are you planning!?"
"That's a se-cret. Well, I'll take my leave for now."
He spoke, and the robed figure suddenly grabbed him.
"Wait!"
I extended my shadow and attacked, but the robed figure's shadow stretched out too, blocking mine.
"What!?"
"Until next time, Toki."
The robed figure leapt up and disappeared over the rooftops.
That was... no way... A deep, unsettling anxiety sprouted inside me.
𓂀═════════════𓂀
Note: I planted a bit of foreshadowing here, but the payoff is planned far ahead, though, depending on the author's mood, it might come sooner.
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