[Time Elapsed: 4 Hours]
The basement had become incredibly hot with all the movements inside.
WHOOSH.
A massive iron blade cleaved through the air, creating a low, terrifying shockwave.
It was Chris's old practice sword, a dull, chipped greatsword that weighed as much as a small motorcycle. With his old stats, Julien wouldn't have been able to lift it off the ground. Now, with his newfound strength, he swung it like it was made of paper.
But swinging it was just one thing. Accurately hitting the target was the tough part.
CLACK.
The wooden dummy didn't even step back. It simply tilted to the left, moving with the fluidity of water. Julien's blade slammed into the concrete floor, sending sparks flying and vibrating up his arms.
"You are telegraphing," Alice noted from her perch on top of a stack of crates. She was eating a spectral apple that vanished every time she took a bite. "You lift your left shoulder before you take a swing. Stumpy sees it, and his expression shows disappointment."
"Stumpy... is a cheater," Julien wheezed, heaving the sword back up.
The dummy stood in front of him, motionless. Its blue eyes were glowing with a steady, mocking light. It hadn't attacked in the last ten minutes, simply dodging and taunting him.
"It's the Adapt mode," Julien muttered, wiping sweat from his eyes. "It figured out my range. It knows exactly how long this sword is."
Julien grit his teeth. "Okay. Let's try something stupid."
Unknown instincts kicked in, visualising a new trajectory for an attack. Standard slashes weren't working for him at the moment.
Julien tightened his grip. He moved forward, feinting a high chop. The dummy shifted its weight to dodge.
Now.
Julien planted his foot and twisted his entire body, turning the slash into a spinning horizontal sweep. He used his agility to spin like a top, the blade becoming a blur of grey steel.
"Tornado Slash!" Julien shouted because anime taught him that naming attacks increased damage.
It was fast and powerful, aimed to take the dummy's head off.
THWACK.
The spin came to a sudden, violent halt when the dummy walked into the attack without dodging.
It had stepped inside Julien's guard, jamming its wooden elbow into Julien's chest, effectively stopping the rotation before the sword could connect.
Julien's momentum backfired. The kinetic energy of the spin had nowhere to go but into his own ribs.
"Gah!"
Julien stumbled back, dropping the sword. He collapsed onto his butt, gasping as he clutched his chest. The dummy stepped back, returning to its neutral stance.
[Technique Flawed.]
[Counter-Measure: Close Distance.]
"It... it shoulder-checked me," Julien gasped, looking at the ceiling. "I tried to be a whirlwind of death, and it shoulder-checked me."
"You looked like a helicopter that lost a blade," Alice offered helpfully. "Very majestic. Until the crashing part."
"Where is Chris?" Julien groaned, sitting up and rubbing his chest. "I need him to tank this thing so I can actually hit it."
"The big man went to the market," Alice said, floating down to the floor. "He said something about 'Protein Powder' and 'Shield Polish'. He takes his shiny aesthetic very seriously."
Julien sighed, grabbing a water bottle. He downed half of it in one gulp. His body was screaming, but it was a good scream. The muscles were repairing themselves instantly thanks to his high Endurance.
He looked at the dummy while taking a peek at Alice.
She was floating a few inches off the ground, her bonnet casting a shadow over her pale face. She was always there, watching and cracking jokes. But Julien realised he knew almost nothing about her.
Alice was a ghost, bound to a ring bought with credits, and loved to eat ribs. That was the extent of his knowledge.
"Alice," Julien said, his voice lowering as the adrenaline faded.
"Yes, Merchant?" Alice tilted her head, her single visible eye blinking.
"Why are you here?"
Alice paused. "I am here because you bought the ring. That is how capitalism works. I am a commodity."
"No," Julien shook his head. "I mean... before the ring. Ms Grimble said the ring was cursed. She said the spirit inside refused to move on. Why didn't you pass over?"
Alice went still upon hearing that. The spectral apple in her hand dissolved into mist. She drifted over to the dummy, tracing the wood grain with her finger.
"I have a brother," she said softly.
It was the first time Julien had heard her speak without a layer of sarcasm.
"A brother?" Julien asked. "Is he... like you?"
"No," Alice shook her head. "He is alive. Or he was. A little smaller than me, but very loud. He liked to catch bugs and put them in my tea."
She chuckled, but the sound was empty of feeling.
"I don't know where he is," Alice continued, her voice drifting. "When the Dungeon Break happened... we were separated. I stayed behind to hold the door. He ran."
Julien went silent. He remembered the chaotic events that happened when a Gate wasn't cleared in time. Monsters are flooding the streets. Civilians were slaughtered mercilessly. It was the nightmare scenario every district lived in fear of.
"I need to find him," Alice said, looking at her transparent hands. "I cannot leave this world until I know he is safe. Or until I know he is... not."
"We'll find him," Julien said firmly.
Alice looked at him. "You are an E-Rank merchant with a debt and a wooden nemesis. You cannot even find your own nose with a sword."
"I'm working on it," Julien smiled tiredly. "But we will have our own resources very soon. Once we get established, we can hire trackers or move to other districts. We can put up requests."
Alice stared at him for a long moment. Then, the corner of her mouth twitched up.
"You are a strange human. You scam money off thugs and hunters, but you spend it on ghosts and cripples."
"Investments," Julien corrected. "I spend it on investments."
He stood up, picking up the heavy sword. The conversation had shifted the atmosphere in the room.
"Alice," Julien asked, pausing. "If you don't mind me asking..."
"Ask."
"How did you Awaken?" Julien asked. "I mean, Chris Awakened during a screening. I Awakened when the System chose me. But you... You're a Spirit Class and a Necromancer variant. That's rare."
Most Hunters Awakened naturally during gate openings or were triggered by high mana exposure. But Alice's power, the ability to interact with the dead, to exist as a spirit, was unique.
Alice floated upward, turning her gaze to the damp ceiling of the basement. Her single eye glowed with a pale, green luminescence, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air.
"Awakening is usually a gift," Alice whispered.
She looked down at Julien. Her expression was completely blank, devoid of the humour she wore like a mask.
"For me, it wasn't a spark."
She pointed to the scar that ran down the side of her face, hidden under the bonnet.
"I didn't Awaken, Julien," she said simply.
"I died."