Chapter 14: A Blade at the Throat
Another day had passed. Alisar appeared near his tent, exhausted. For him, three more days had gone by.
"Damn… this is draining," he muttered to himself.
The physical fatigue had almost faded — he was used to the effort. But doing the same thing, over and over… alone, with no one to talk to — it was starting to wear on him. Boredom. Loneliness. Repetition.
He had nearly finished another level of the training room. Progress: 87%.
"Next session, I'll get another big batch of experience. Maybe even level up a few times," he said aloud, though no one was there to hear it.
But every next step was getting harder. Doing the same thing over and over was becoming unbearable.
He glanced at the tent. Inside, near the bag, were about two dozen potions — all second-rank. In this one day — or three days, if you counted the time inside the training room — he had managed to create around twenty such potions. Not a bad result.
He wanted to go inside the tent and rest a little... but in the very next second, everything changed. Suddenly, he felt the touch of cold metal against his neck.
Cold. A blade. Sharp, naked steel rested against his skin, ready to cut his throat at any moment.
He froze, heart pounding.
"Well. We meet again," came a familiar female voice from behind him.
Alisar's eyes widened. He recognized that voice.
"Rem? Is that you?" he asked, his voice trembling, not moving an inch.
"It's me... What are you doing? It's me, Alisar. You saved my life… just a few days ago," he added, hoping she wouldn't strike.
"Alisar, huh?" said Rem. "If that's your real name."
"What do you mean by 'real'?" he asked, confused.
"Turn around… slowly," she said quietly but firmly.
He obeyed. Carefully, slowly, he turned as she asked.
Rem stood before him. Cold eyes. A stone face. In her hands was a bare sword, its blade still at his throat. It didn't shake. It didn't waver. The sharp edge reflected the dim light of the setting sun.
She didn't even blink.
He froze, afraid to even breathe too deeply.
There was no anger in her eyes, no emotion. Only cold resolve. If he made even one wrong move — she would cut off his head. Without hesitation.
He swallowed hard.
"Please…" he said softly. "I'm not your enemy. I didn't do anything wrong. That's the truth…"
Rem said nothing. Her blade remained at his neck. Only the slight tension in her fingers on the hilt revealed she wasn't just holding the weapon — she was ready to act.
Rem stared at him silently for several long seconds. Then, finally, she spoke.
"The last time I saw you was ten days ago. If I'm not mistaken, your level then was… twenty-nine."
Alisar flinched. She could see his level?
"So she has the Appraisal skill," flashed through his mind.
"Yeah, don't look so surprised," she said, as if reading his thoughts. "I have the Appraisal skill. I can't see your abilities, but… your level? That I can."
Her voice was calm, almost detached. No surprise. No emotion.
"You're at level sixty-one now," she said, never breaking eye contact. "In ten days, you've gone from twenty-nine to sixty-one."
She paused.
"I know you have the Alchemy skill," Rem said. "But that doesn't explain such growth. Gaining thirty-two levels in ten days is almost impossible. No skill, no ability… allows that through normal means."
She looked at him coldly, straight in the eyes.
"Unless… you're using something entirely different."
"I've been watching you since yesterday," Rem said.
Alisar flinched. That explained a lot.
If she'd been watching since yesterday, then she had seen everything. How he appeared near the tent, went to the river, took water and food — and then disappeared. Then returned again — only for short moments to resupply or sleep.
She could've seen it all. There was no point hiding it anymore.
I'll have to tell her about the second skill, he thought. If I want to stay alive…
"Yes," he began cautiously. "I didn't tell you everything back then. I… have another skill."
Rem said nothing, but her gaze made it clear — she was waiting for more.
"It's called… well, it sounds a little weird," he said. "'Training Room.'"
Rem kept her stone-faced stare.
"I disappear from here and appear there," he explained. "Whenever I want. Inside the room, there's training equipment. Different things I can train with. If I spend enough time there, I gain experience points."
Rem didn't interrupt. She only said quietly:
"Go on."
"The more I train, the more I gain. Last time… I earned two million experience points."
"Two million?" she repeated, and for the first time, real surprise entered her voice. "Two million… from training?"
"Yes," he nodded. "I'm telling the truth."
Rem was silent for a moment. Then she gave a short nod.
"Alright. Let's say I believe you."
She moved the blade away from his neck, lowered her weapon, and stepped back.
"What about the potions?" she asked, nodding toward the tent. "The ones lying inside?"
Alisar looked in the same direction.
Rem carefully sheathed her sword.
Alisar looked at the potions she had pointed at. Yes, inside the tent lay several health potions — all second-rank.
He immediately understood what she was asking.
"Yes, I managed to raise my Alchemy skill to second rank," he said, trying to keep his voice steady, though he still felt tense inside. "So I can create second-rank potions now."
Rem frowned, then glanced at his bag.
"I'd say there are a few hundred of those potions in your bag," she remarked. "Why so many?"
"Well… I didn't want to waste time," Alisar replied, scratching his head nervously. "So every time my mana recovered, I used it to make more potions."
"Why not do it in a safer place?" Rem asked. "Like… that village we sent you to?"
Alisar nodded, letting out a small sigh.
"I went there," he said. "Registered as an adventurer."
He touched the metal badge hanging on his chest — on a thin but sturdy chain.
"I stayed two days. Sold a few potions. Got my rank, rented a room at the inn."
He paused for a moment, then added:
"But I kept feeling like someone was watching me. I was afraid someone might suspect something. You warned me — if anyone found out, it'd be dangerous. So I left. Got away from people. To grow stronger."
"Are you paranoid or what?" Rem smirked.
"Caution doesn't hurt," Alisar muttered. "Better safe than…"
"Still," she cut in, "what if wild beasts attacked you out here?"
Alisar shrugged.
"Nothing's attacked me yet. I've been here over a week… and it's been peaceful."
"You got lucky," Rem replied. "This isn't the most dangerous forest. No especially strong monsters here. But… staying in the wild, living in a tent, sleeping without protection? You'd have to be a real idiot to do that."
She stepped closer and looked him straight in the eye.
"What if something attacked you while you were asleep? Even a wolf. A stray dog. Or some small monster. It could crawl into your tent and rip your throat out. That's it. You're dead. Monster food."
"I… hadn't thought of that," Alisar said slowly.
He really did think about it. He imagined how things could've ended.
Damn… I really didn't think about that. Am I… actually an idiot?
Rem looked at him and smirked.
"Seems like you are," she said with a hint of a smile in her voice.
"It's safe. You can come out now," Rem said a little louder than usual.
At first — silence.
Then a faint rustle nearby. Soft, almost unnoticeable. And with it — a sense of unease. Someone was approaching.
A silhouette.
A figure moved across the clearing, through the grass, coming closer. When the distance was short enough, Alisar squinted and recognized her.
"Sherial…" he whispered.
Of course. It was her.
"Hey, Alisar!" the girl said cheerfully as she approached.
"H-hi…" he replied a bit awkwardly.
Soon they were sitting around a campfire. The flames crackled gently, lighting their faces. Naturally, the girls had built it — Alisar hadn't really used a fire during all his time on the clearing. There was simply no need.
"So… you already found the dungeon?" he asked, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, of course," Rem nodded. "We discovered it the same day you left."
"But… why are you still here?" Alisar asked in surprise.
"Finding the dungeon is just the first step," she answered calmly. "It's not enough to find it. We have to study it. Assess its danger level. Clear it if possible."
"And that took you this long?" he asked, unconvinced.
Rem shook her head.
"No. We cleared it in three or four hours. It was really small."
She glanced at him and added:
"One floor. Final room — standard boss zone. And the dungeon itself — just a first-rank one."
"Then why are you still here?" Alisar asked, genuinely puzzled.
"Clearing it once doesn't complete the mission," Rem explained. "We had to confirm how stable it is. Some dungeons change over time — monsters, structure, even bosses. So we decided to observe it thoroughly."
"We've been running it daily," Sherial added, "over and over again. Same floor every day. Watching for any changes."
Rem nodded.
"But nothing changed. Same monsters. Same boss. Everything the same."
She paused and concluded calmly:
"We decided it's a stable dungeon. Perfect for beginners."
"Yes, even stable dungeons change eventually," Rem added. "All dungeons change over time. It's just that stable ones do it slowly."
She looked at him.
"That's what the Adventurer's Guild statistics say. So we figured this dungeon is suited for newbies."
"And now you're returning from… the dungeon… to be curious?" Alisar stumbled over the words.
"Exactly," Sherial nodded. "We finished our research yesterday. And when we were coming back in the evening, we noticed the tent here."
"But no one was around," Rem continued. "We wanted to check who set up camp. And just a few minutes later — you appeared… out of nowhere."
"So we decided to observe," Sherial added with a sly smile.
Alisar sighed and ran his hand through his hair.
"Damn… I didn't even notice."
"Of course not," Sherial giggled. "Wouldn't be much of a watch if you had."
"Well then," said Rem, "tomorrow we're heading back to Guildora."
"Guildora?" Alisar raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Sherial nodded. "That's the name of the city we came from."
She glanced at the fire, then back at Alisar.
"The city was founded by the Adventurer's Guild several hundred years ago. Back then, they discovered several large dungeons nearby."
"And adventurers started pouring in," Sherial continued. "Then came the merchants, blacksmiths, and artisans. What was once empty land became a camp, and then a city."
"And now it's a huge city," Rem finished. "Population over half a million."
Alisar nodded as he listened.
"Well… the name really fits," he said softly. "Guildora."
As they talked, the girls resumed cooking dinner. The same meat Alisar had tasted before sizzled again over the fire. It smelled incredible. After days of eating only dried meat, bread, and fruits, the meal felt nearly divine.
They ate in silence, but it wasn't tense. It was the calm and weariness of a peaceful evening on an open clearing.
After a while, the girls settled in for the night — each in her own sleeping bag, as before. Alisar lay down in his tent.
He soon fell asleep.
And only then did the real part begin.
Rem, who had only pretended to be asleep, opened one eye. Making sure Alisar's breathing was deep and even, she quietly sat up and whispered to activate her skill.
Golems appeared out of thin air.
One — massive and heavy — stood near Alisar's tent. It wasn't meant to guard. It had a different task: if Alisar tried anything — he would be eliminated.
Two more golems took positions closer to the girls. One stood slightly aside, the other — right at Rem's head, like a loyal sentinel.
Only after everything was ready, only then did Rem allow herself to close her eyes and fall asleep for real.
The night turned quiet once more.