Although Masayuki himself stood over 170cm tall, the huge man in front towered over him by at least one whole head. The man's face was dyed a crimson red as if he were drunk. He was also armed, a longsword strapped about his waist.
Masayuki had no hope of winning in a fair fight in the first place, to say nothing of his chances with a weapons disadvantage. Even if he somehow managed to avoid screwing up, there was still a high probability that his opponent would end up killing him regardless.
Masayuki wanted to run away, but the woman clung onto his chest tightly.
Shit, looks like I'm done for now…
His smile was frozen on his face, and he couldn't quite keep his feet from shaking. Masayuki wanted to praise himself for not pissing his pants on the spot.
However, it was at this point that an inconceivable voice rang in his ears.
«Courageous act of heroism has been conducted… Unique Skill 'Chosen One' acquired. Would you like to activate it? YES/NO»
Ummm, I guess? — Masayuki answered with a fair bit of skepticism. This became the turning point of his fate.
«Confirmed. Under the effects of 'Chosen One,' language mastery…successful. Subsequently, 'Heroic Spirit' and 'Heroic Coercion' have been activated.»
Some strange words began to echo in Masayuki's mind.
—What? What happened…
While his head was swimming with doubts, given his current situation, he had no time to worry about any of that.
"Oi oi, what'cha doin' buddy??? Yer' ain't tryin' to get in my way, are ya?"
He could suddenly understand what the large man was saying thanks to the effects of the Unique Skill 'Chosen One' that had just awakened within him. However, that was no cause for celebration.
What was more important was figuring out a way to get out of the pickle he found himself in. One wrong move and it might be game over.
No, Little ol' me doesn't plan on that AT ALL — Masayuki had planned to drop on his knees and apologize. But before he could do that, the woman holding on to Masayuki made her plea.
"That's right! This person here promised he'd save me!"
"—Ho ho?"
Veins popped on the large man's temple. He bulged out his muscles, exuding an aura of pure strength.
Oh, he doesn't even need to use his sword. I'll be done for if he just smacks me down…
Despite being overwhelmed with sheer terror, Masayuki was able to think calmly. But still, he could not think of a way out of his current predicament.
"Interesting!" the man yelled, "Let's see you try taking me down and protecting that girl."
The commotion attracted a crowd as passersby, along with the people from the surrounding shops, came to check out the ruckus.
"Oi oi, that kid's picking a fight with Jinrai, the 'Crazed Wolf!'"
"Shouldn't we stop them? He's gonna get himself killed."
"That bastard Jinrai… After failing the B-rank exam, his temper's been flaring up. Even Katya refused to serve him, knowing that."
"Damn…so that's how it is. He's gone into a rage after she cold shouldered him. Ah man… Nothing anyone does is gonna stop him now…"
"Ah, there's no time for chit chat now. If an adventurer ends up killing civilians in town, it's gonna be a huge problem. Quick, someone contact the guild!"
"Someone's done that already. Moreover, rather than just talking, why don't you go stop him?"
"What nonsense are you on about? Jinrai might only be ranked C-plus on paper, but his strength surpasses even B Rank! The only reason why he didn't make it was due to inappropriate conduct during the test, but his strength is the real deal. That's not someone I can take on—!"
The people bantering were likely colleagues of Jinrai.
Overhearing their conversation, Masayuki's heart filled with a mixture of both hope and despair.
They seemed to have sent someone to inform some guild. Cavalry was on the way as long as he could stall for some time. However, without knowing when the rescue would arrive, and with the surrounding people not willing to help, Masayuki was left to fend for himself. That was the equivalent of a death sentence.
"Katya… How could she drag that innocent boy into this whole mess…" some bystander whispered.
That's right! Why me? Masayuki thought to himself, though he did recall nodding and smiling to the girl despite not understanding anything she was saying or what he was getting himself into.
Considering the outcome, he had only himself to blame.
"You made up your mind yet?"
Definitely not.
Masayuki was far from making up his mind, but the burly man was running out of patience.
At the very least, he was going to go out in style.
He didn't mean to become an edgy delinquent when he changed his hairstyle during high school. He merely dyed his hair for the sake of it and had absolutely zero combat experience. Although he had learnt some basic kendo, it was of no help to an unarmed Masayuki at the moment.
With that being said, talk-no-jutsu was his best bet as of now.
"The weakest dog barks the loudest. Have YOU made up your mind? How dare you come bothering me?!"
Masayuki had already resigned himself to getting sent to the other side with just one punch from the guy. He threw out bluffs left and right in a desperate attempt to save his hide. Best case scenario, he got to stall for some time. Even if he couldn't, he might still get lucky and escape with only getting beaten to a pulp. If he weren't quite so fortunate, he'd be dead meat.
He was frozen with fear just a moment ago. Now, however, his feet had stopped shaking…
"…We got a badass here. Sure, then I won't hold back."
Jinrai glared at Masayuki with a devious smile. Masayuki immediately regretted his decision upon seeing the bloodthirsty look on Jinrai's face.
I can try to slip away now—oh yeah, there's a girl called Katya behind me…
"Can I ask you to leave for a moment?"
"All right!" Katya responded with enthusiasm. "That guy has been ogling at me like a pervert for quite some time. Please teach him a lesson, big bro!"
Masayuki only told Katya to stand aside so he could plan an escape. Katya probably thought that she would get in the way of Masayuki's fight.
She left him to his own devices just as she was told, slipping back into the crowd.
…Ugh. No matter what I do, I'm already surrounded by people. Now I'm definitely done for—that was an absolutely wrong call, thought Masayuki. The only reason Jinrai didn't attack before, was because Katya was around. Masayuki thought she'd interfere with his escape plans and told her to go, but doing so only seemed to have hastened his death.
"Hehe!"
Jinrai's smile deepened…
With how things had developed, Masayuki had to utilize his last resort. He'd need to use the chewing gum in his mouth as a distraction and then find a way to turn tail and run.
«Initiation of Heroism 'Bravery Aura' has been confirmed. Effects of Unique Skill 'Chosen One'—'Heroic Charisma' and 'Heroic Action' have been realized. As such, the Unique Skill 'Chosen One' of individual "Masayuki" has been fully unleashed.»
No no no, I was just thinking about running away! — But Masayuki's wish was ignored.
Speaking of which, what's up with that voice I've been hearing for a while now?
Masayuki was a bit perplexed despite hearing the phrase "fully unleashed." Unique Skill sounded pretty strong, but there was no way a skill that could be so easily obtained would be any big deal, Masayuki concluded.
Seriously though, I don't have any time to be worrying about all that.
Masayuki was not trying to fight Jinrai at all. As a matter of fact, his escape plan was quite despicable. He intended to spit out his gum to startle his opponent, which quite frankly didn't sound anything close to being heroic at all.
Yet all those concerns were of the past. There had been a new development.
"—Woah, su-such an oppressive aura…who are you really…?!"
Jinrai, who was brimming with confidence just moments ago, was now covered in cold sweat.
Masayuki unconsciously chewed on his gum. He thought chewing gum would calm himself down, but all it did was further intimidate Jinrai.
"Ugh, what type of weird sorcery is this?! It doesn't matter who you are! Just watch as I slaughter you!"
After his declaration, Jinrai immediately set himself upon Masayuki.
As for Masayuki, he was caught completely off guard.
"?"
Confused, Jinrai froze on the spot. He then took a step forward with the intent of striking Masayuki down. Masayuki gawked dumbly at Jinrai's giant fist slowly approaching him right in front of his eyes.
Shit, it's over! Whatever I do now is already too late, Masayuki thought to himself as he shut his eyes and ducked his head, attempting to dodge the fist and ease the pain.
Yet the worst-case scenario that Masayuki imagined did not happen. Pain began to set in, but it was only limited to a small part of his forehead. He opened his eyes, full of surprise and fear. Before him was a Jinrai, who, for some reason, was sprawled on the ground with his eyes rolled to the back of their sockets.
"Eh?" Masayuki mumbled in confusion.
Masayuki had no clue what had just happened.
The crowd erupted into cheers, drowning out his own voice, much to his surprise. Then—
"S-so strong! That guy didn't even move a finger and he defeated Jinrai the Crazed Wolf!"
"Unbelievable! Did you catch his movement just now?"
"Yeah… He avoided the punch by a hair's breadth and went on to deliver a headbutt to Jinrai. He's no doubt a master of combat."
"Just who the hell is this kid—?" the bystanders murmured amongst themselves.
In reality, this was the result of Masayuki's Unique Skill 'Chosen One' being activated.
Hero's Haki: A Skill that Atem himself once granted to Eterna's mightiest. An aura only true heroes can exude. Opponents who are weaker are crushed under the weight of this overwhelming pressure — their movements sealed before they can act.
Hero's Blessing: The user's luck is magnified to impossible levels. Even a simple movement or attack turns into a critical strike. Onlookers will remember every action in a glorified light, their perception forever tilted in the hero's favor.
Hero's Charisma: Those who witness the hero act will have their fear stripped away and courage ignited. Many will be moved to follow them. Even defeated foes, if not slain, will swear loyalty.
Heroic Action: The first step to becoming a living legend. The hero's deeds inspire others, shaping how the world sees them.
These were the abilities of the Unique Skill—'Chosen One.'
To be continued…