《I Only Have One Wish I Want to Become a Knight》 Prologue Kiritsuka Rei, age 15, a young man that always sacrifices himself for helping others. Why would he do such things? when there''s a polices that keeping the people safety and a firefighter who helped people in trouble. But despite all of that he doesn''t want to choose either of those as his carrier in his dream, he rather choose to become a "Knight". Yes, a knight with shield and armor, who gives an oath to himself, to protect others from enemies. In his childhood when Rei was still 5 years old, his parents got divorce and left him alone without love. He is now lived with his uncle family, but he decided to live alone so he won''t trouble their family like a mature person. When he was 7 years old, in the midst of emptiness and boredness, he watched a simple cartoon shows in tv, the story was a knight that was brave enough to protect the princess with all his might from the demon kings army and sacrifce himself before the heroes come to the save. Rather being captivated of that hero, his eyes was sparkling when seeing this brave knight willingly to protect others. So his childish dream had started and he wish to become a knight that could protect someone despite how powerless he is in front of powerful enemies. But in the end... that dreams end before he knows it. Kiritsuka Rei, got into car crash accident after saving a girl when on his way to go home from school..... ****** In the realm between life and death Rei was standing there clueless why he was here. "Where... am I...?" He said while looked around, the place he was standing was pure white and nothing else. But then a voice came out. "Boy .. you finally awake .." the voice was gentle yet there''s a strong pressure on it. Then a young man wearing a white robe appear in front of him. His face was blured just a like a glitch in computer program. The young man smiled at him. "I Welcome you .. boy .." "Who are you .." Rei said in calm tone, he looks too calm in this kind of situation. "I see .. it seems that your life from before must be pretty hard .. most of the people who I met .. feel fear, panick, and scared. But I didn''t sense anything of that from you .." the young man said while observing Rei. "Why should I be scared of? A knight must not feel fear of everything ... and the moment he feel fear .. he will died in the hands of enemies ..." he explained his own rules to the young man. The young man looks suprised as he laugh at him. "Hahahaha! .. that''s a good one! Boy! .. aren''t you interesting one ...? I never imagine someone from modern era .. having that kind of mindset ..." "Well I always read about knighthood story in my free time .." Rei replied. "I see .. I see .." the young man said in playful manner while rubbing his chin and a smile on his face as if he was having fun. "So what do you want from me ..? and you haven''t told me about who you are.." Rei said while crossing his arm looking at the young man. "Hmmm .. ? aahhh, I''m a god of course .." the young man proclaim himself as the god as he just said it casually. Rei''s eyes widen and looked confused, seeing this young man just blurted something absurd casually. "Hmmm .. you doesn''t seem believes of what I said .." the young man said while smiling and still rubbing his chin. "Of course ... why should I believe a stranger that suddenly appear out of nowhere .. calling himself a god ... or you might be a demon or something ..." Rei just explained it calmly, then after that the young man snap his finger a black board pop out beside him. "True, but first let me explain it to you .. right now you are in this realm between life and death ... this is an empty space where the soul of someone ... wanders ..." The young man explained and suddenly a black board screen pops out beside him, while showing him there''s a young man with black hair sleeping on the bed, and around him it looks like a hospital room. The young man on that bed look exactly the same as Rei. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Seeing this, makes Rei''s eyes widen. He was suprised seeing himself on that screen. "Wait ... is that ... me? .. So that''s mean .. I am-.." "-Yes .. and no .. you are not dead yet .." The young man cutted Rei''s words before he have to finish it. The young man continue "Do you know about ''Out of body experience'' ..." "You mean ''that'' out of body experience?? ..." "Yes ... the truth is the car accident didn''t kill you at all ... but it puts you into long coma after being checked by the doctor ..." "So rather waiting for you to die slowly ... I decided to pull your soul out from your body and bring you here .." he explained in playful manner while he slowly sit on the air. "Then what do you want from me ... it doesn''t explain why you are doing this to me ..." Rei said while looking straight at the young man, his eyes looks like he already accepting his own situation. The young man or the god smirked after seeing his determination to accept everythinh so easily. It makes this god laughed again then he said "Hehehe ... Hahahaha!! Hahahaha!!.. just as I thought, you truly are interesting!! .." Despite seeing this god laughing, Rei remained calm and wait for his question to be answered. "Okay okay ... enough laughing .... so the thing that what I want from you is that ... I''m going to make you reincarnated into this world .. called Astria ..." "Astria .... then what do you want me to do there ..." Rei quickly asked again for another question. "Hey .. hey .. calm down ... don''t rush it ..." "The thing what I want to do is .... that I want you to be happy there ..." After hearing those words, the whole space gone silent again. Rei who are standing in front of this god was confused of what he told him to do. "Happy? ..." This one word struck into his heart, it makes him remember, when is the last time he is happy? he gladly to help others and make them happy, but he never seen himself being happy, rather being glad to help. "What do you mean .... by that ...?" The god didn''t stayed silent with a smile on his face. "Just as I told you .. I want you to be happy there .. as you know we are gods and we know everything and always watching you all from above ...." "And for the first time ... a god like me ... got interested such a human like you ..." Rei could only stare at this young man in front of him and only listening of what he said. "Kiritsuka Rei, born in 16th April, 2000 .. his parents got divorce because of their own affair to each other ... feeling disgust having a child between them ... they decided to move on leaving their only child ... you ...." Rei remain calm after all those introduction of himself by him. Rather feeling down or sympathy to himself, he just sigh. "So .. is that it ..?" The only words that come out was that, his facial looks doesn''t change and he looks as if he stop caring all of those past. The god smiled again and clap his hand. "You are a person ... who always help the others without payment .." "You who keep sacrificing your own happiness for people around you .." "You who never accept someone kindness and kept moving on without any regret .. and makes this god took interest of you ..." *SWUSHSHHH* The whole white space start distorting as it changes into hell and covered them with hot fire. Rei''s eyes widen once again after seeing the whole place start changing. "I, the God of Flame"Ifrit" will grant you one wish ... before you go ..." All of sudden the young man body in front of him start burning that making a swirl of flame, as a huge muscled man came out from that swirl of flame, he had face of lion that with mane of fire surrounding his face. "Now .. what do you wish for!! Kiritsuka Rei .. what kind of happiness do you want to have !!" Rei still remain his calm and slowly showing off a grin. "You already know what I wish for ... I don''t need happiness .... but I want to be the strongest knight that can protect everyone I will care ..!" "Hahaha! what a childish wishes! Well then tell me human ... why do you wish to become the strongest knight .... even though you don''t have someone that you care .. or even care for you?!" "Then I just need to find one!! I rather create my own happiness without someone help!!" Rei continue smile and stay calm in this situation, as the heat surrounding him getting stronger and stronger Ifrit smiled and laughed as the whole realm finally covered with sea of flame that he created. "Ku...ku..ku..kuhahahaha!!!!! Very well!! Since you wish a rough path then I give it one to you so don''t cry after that!! ..." "Then I''m looking forward to it old man ..." Rei looked at the god of flame with his serious determine looks. "Old man .... Heh ... fine... then .. this is a gift for you from me .." Ifrit suddenly point it''s finger on Rei forehead as a symbol carved on his head. "That''s a blessing from me ... it will help you when you are at the certain age ... and after this the process of reincarnation ...." "The body that you will be living have a certain dark fate that he will meet .... who knows what will happen to you after that .... but that the least thing I can do to help you ..." As the flame from around them slowly vanish as the Ifrit was smiling at Rei. Rei could tell, despite those playful and arrogant manners he show it to him, he is a kind god. "Don''t worry ... I won''t lose to those things ..." Rei said while closing his eyes and giving off a warm smile towards Ifrit. "Hmph! Well I guess I can expect that for someone that I choose .... and ... it''s about damn time.." Ifrit snorted while smiling as Rei body slowly slowly disappearing like a mist. "Farewell human, I wish you safe journey .." Ifrit said. "Thank you ... and farewell .." Rei replied with a smile as he slowly disappear but.. "Oh yeah .. I forgot the world you will reincarnated is the world of Otome game .. so good luck!" Ifrit quickly said as he forgot to give another explanation of that world. "Wha¡ª?!" Rei suprised after hearing that but before he wanted to complained his whole body already disappeared. "Ah .. sorry" and that for the first time the [God of Flame, Ifrit], reincarnated a person. ****** In the world of Astria, Rei soul finally arrived in a body of a child that sleeping in his room, the place that he lives at certain village called Blumund village that located far from the human Kingdom called Luxion. The body was belong to Ray Houston, at age 6 years old. He is the eldest son of the Houston family that famous with their blacksmithing skill in that village. After few minutes Rei(Ray) finally woke up from his slumber and felt pain around his head. "Uggghh.... my head.... so this is..." He looked around the place while touching his head and remembered that this place was his room, no Ray Houston room. "Finally I got reincarnated- / -back to past .." Then Rei got silent, the words that coming out from his mouth was different and it was at the same time when he said something. Rei closes his eyes and went into his own mind and found himself looking at a person that looks the same like him wearing an armor, as the man was standing there right in front of him. "Wait¡ª... Who are you?!!!" "Wait¡ª... Who are you?!!!" Asking the same question, after that Rei found out there is another person inside this body. As the story of the strongest knight had begin... To be continue... Chapter 1 : Two Souls Astria, the world filled with fantasy and unimaginable things such magic, the whole world roaming with monster, treasure and adventure that no one know where it could lead them. It was already midnight, in the certain village called Blumund village. Kiritsuka Rei who''s soul that being pulled out from the gods and finally got reincarnated into Ray Houston''s body. After his reincarnation succeed, he went deep inside his mind. Right now Rei standing in front of the man who looks just like him, his face was in middle of age around 30s. But feature of his face and voice was the same as him. The man in front of him was wearing a white shirt but with a sheated sword hanging on his waist. While Rei was wearing a black color school uniform. The man had the same feature as Rei, such as his spiky hair but have different color than him which for Rei, he had black-jet color but this man have a deep red color. The color of their eyes was different as well, Rei''s eyes had crimson-red color meanwhile this man have golden-yellow color. Rei who stood there slowly observing this man and the man himself also observing him back as if they looking at the mirror. After a few minutes of silent from observing each other, the one who spoke first was Rei after clearing his throat. "A-ahem, My name is Kiritsuka Rei, nice meeting you." Without a problem Rei introducing himself towards him. The man nodded his head and replied, "Nice meeting you as well, my name is Ray...[Ray Houston]." "[Ray Houston]...?" Rei repeated his name. "Yes, I am...the owner of this body." "Huh? the owner? W-wait hold on!" "You are the owner!" Rei pointed his finger at him, as he remember that he supposed to possess a young boy''s body. "But, how come is the owner of this body is an old man like you?!" Rei who having conversation with this man confused of his statement. Ray who looked at his reaction, began to laugh, "Hahaha! aren''t you quite honest one. But I guess you are right, before coming here you saw and feel your body had become small like a child." "Yeah?" Rei nodded of his words and waiting for him to giving him another answer, but at the same time, he began to feel suspicious of this man. Ray could tell from his expression alone, and decided to give him another answer, "Indeed for an old man like me considered suspicious." "But what if I told you that, I am someone from the future, what will you say?" ''Future?'' Rei widened his eyes for a moment but still wary of him. The words "future", just made him nervous, but... ''If it''s true then there''s no explanation than this.'' Rei thinking back, so he began to ask. "What do you mean by [future]? Or is this some sort of jokes." Ray looked straight into his eyes, ''How extraordinary, he still try to keep his distance of me.'' "Of course, it isn''t a joke. Because this [future] that I am gonna tell you, will be something that you will face it later on." "But more precisely, this [future] is still my future not yours." Ray gave him assurance by telling him words by words. Showing no any weird gesture or changes from his expression. To show that he is someone that he can trust. Rei slowly lowered his guard seeing how serious he is, "Uhhh...okay? Then are you saying that you are this body future self? ...." "Precisely, well this body still mine, but I am the [Ray Houston] in the next 29 years from now on." "And this body we reside in, was me at 6 years old." "...?!" Rei was suprised of this man bold words and statement, in the end he could only accepted this situation. "I see." But deep inside, he still amazed and felt weird of this situation. Because...''To think I am not alone.'' A two souls had reside within a child body, one is from the Earth world and one is from Astria world who came from the future. ''[Ray Houston].'' ''If what he said is true then does that mean I will look just like him?'' Rei who are in his thought, staring at Ray who just smiling in confused. "....?" "Okay, I get it, I gave up! I cannot be picky about this situation, since I need an information of this world." "Which is why, I''m gonna need you to give me the information." Rei spoke with demanding tone, though he still feel being scammed into this situation after all. Ray looked at him and chuckled, "Heh, sure then." "And! Would you mind if I call you Houston?" "Hm? Of course...but why?" "I mean, it is awkward to call you by your name [Ray], since our name is quite similar with each other." Rei replied to him. Like he said their first name sound the same and it''s quite hard for them to called each other like that. "I guess that''s true, then I don''t mind it, [Kiritsuka]." "Same here, [Houston]." Ray accept it easily, and he understood his intentions of asking that question. "Good, then so let me ask you my first question." This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. "What is your reason to come back from the future to past?" When Rei ask that, Ray was stood still on there in silent, as his face was very calm. Then he began to smile after that silent, an awkward smile that he is unsure of something. "Well even you ask me that, I don''t even know how to begin." Hearing that, Rei was suprised again and raising one of his eye-brow. "What do you mean by that?" He asked. "The truth is...I don''t know of how did this happen." Ray replied. "You don''t know?" Rei asked. "Yeah, the only thing I remembered was when I was in verge of dying during a battle...I heard a voice." "A voice?" Rei repeated. Ray nodded, "Yeah a voice, a female voice who called my name over and over." "So, I answered her call, she asked me, if I have a wish before I died." Ray vaguely answered him. "And you wished to go back to the past?" Rei continued his words as he already know of what he wished for. Ray could only laugh it off and giving a smile. "Yeah, and the thing that I wish for...so I can go back and fix my own mistake .." "Mistake?" Rei repeated him. Ray nodded and slowly sat down on this black empty space floor. "You see, in the future, I had seen many people died in front of my eyes, from friends, teacher, neighbors, lover and including..." "My family." Ray spoke with this bitter smile on his face. "....." Rei just silently stood there while listening every words he said. Ray smiled and began to tell him, his story, "It was a peaceful day, where I played with my sister and my friends." "We ask about our dreams together, running around and playing pranks to each other like other kids." "We went back home where our parents are waiting for us, eating dinner together and laughing to each other stories that we had everyday." Ray explained a happy smile yet it felt like he is being immersed with a nostalgic memories. Until, his expression turned grim. "Until...that incident happen." ''An incident?'' Rei thought. "A horde of monsters, began to attack the village." Ray answered his question. "...?!" "Yes, powerful hordes of monsters just barge into our village, unnoticed." "They destroy our home, attacking and killing all the villagers, eating their flesh and conquered this village within a minute." Ray explained every single detail of what he remember that day. "Even we fight back, the monsters are too powerful for us, so we couldn''t do anything about it." Rei gulped down his dry saliva, hearing this story, felt so realistic for him. "And...what kind of monster is it?" Rei asked since he was unsure of this [Monster] existence. Ray looked even more grim, "The monster was a giant wolf, they have black fur like the night with red color eyes." Ray answered and even explained the detail of the monster he had face that day. Rei could only nodded his head and finally began to sat down in front of him. "And your family...?" Rei asked it on whim, which he wanted to know about it. "Of course, they were killed by protecting me." "My parents shielded me and my little sister to run, but despite that those monsters still chasing us." "And when we were about to escape from them, my little sister...she..." Ray bit his lips as if he felt too remorseful by the memories. "She sacrificed herself for me...to escape." Ray''s hand began to tremble, Rei could see how he was traumatized by the past he had before. "They protected me from those monster, giving me the chance to escape." "And I still remember, the moment when they devoured them in front of my eyes, and that...I promised to kill those monsters, to take revenge on them." Ray''s expression start to twisted into madness of hatred. "I cursed myself over and over while I run with the others." "Even after escaping, the scream of my dead family still lingers in my sleep, and continue to remind me of how cowardly and weak I am." Ray explained the story he had from the start. Rei could feel the intensity of his story, from the tragedy, the loss and the hatred that Ray had shown. All he can do is to listen to him until the end. Ray sighed after trying to calm himself down, he continued his story. "As time had pass, we had arrived at another village that is far away from our village." "At first we were happy to find a place to stay, but the villagers weren''t that happy as we do, more like..." "They didn''t welcome us." "Why is that? Isn''t natural to help someone in need, especially after that incident happen?!" Rei got emotional by that statement. "Because I was there." "You...? Why?" "Because a child who survived during a monsters attack, it was told to be a child who bring calamity." "Since I was the only child who survived in the village." Ray replied to his statement. "Houston..." Ray chuckled, "Though I don''t really care any of those and start to train myself with a sword." "I trained hard, day by day without a rest, just so I can take my revenge to those bastards." Rei who listened could only understand, and that reminded of himself where he was also being insulted by those kind names during his childhood but he just ignored them all. "Until a certain age I finally get to know what kind of [Job] that I will get." "A [Job]?" Rei repeated. "Yeah, that''s the reason why I trained myself from time to time." "So I could be [Swordsman], a [Job] oriented for fighting." "I-i see." Rei replied, while still doesn''t know this [Job], he mentioned. "But the fate, they sure know how to make my situation worst." Ray bitterly smiled again. "What kind of [Job]?..." Rei decided to ask him. "The job that have been bestowed to me was...[Blacksmith]." "A [Job] that meant to forge a weapon and items." "As soon as I heard it, my heart began to break apart, and the only thing I could feel after that was....despair." "Why? Because all the efforts, that I have been putting on had completely gone like a dust." "After that I cried from day to night non-stop and refuse to eat." "Isn''t it hilarious, that I sound like a brat?" Rei could tell that Ray was trying to comfort himself to joke about himself....but that still doesn''t hide the fact was feeling despair that day. Although, Rei who just arrived into this world and know nothing, could only be silent over this. After that, Ray continue his story with a smile. "But one day, there was one person who willingly to help this pitiful me, out from those despairing moment." "That person told me, that the job which I got, could still help the others." Ray chuckled. "Heh, at first I wasn''t convinced of that person words, so I tried myself the [skill] which I got from my [Job]." ''[Skill]?'' Rei reacted to that new word. "So, the first thing that I made was a farming tool for the village, although it was quite incomplete and shabby one, at least it helps the people of the village." Ray smiled and being immersed by another memories, "To think they were that happy and praise my works." Rei still listened to his story, though there is some parts that''s still confused him. "Despite that, the hatred that I bear towards those monsters, remain the same." "So it makes me thinking, what if I forge a weapon to help others to get rid of them...though it might be stupid, but it is like hitting two birds with one stone! Am I right?" Ray grinned widely at him, showing there''s nothing to worried about it any longer. "And so, I finally start my journey..." "Though that will another story." Rei sighed, after hearing such intense backstory. Ray smiled, "Though, I felt so pathetic, you know?" "I mean, I just want to save everyone I care and love, so they can keep living and being happy all the time." Ray looking at his own hand and slowly grips it with sorrowful looks. "But...I don''t know if I am capable to change it." Rei looked at him and closed his eyes, "Houston....I never thought of you as pathetic." Rei replied while looking at Ray with a honest looks. "I mean, there''s no one in this world who doesn''t want to fix their own mistake. "Even someone like me also have regret after making mistake, but....instead thinking about it." "I need to look forward rather than pondering a useless stuff that is in the past." Rei spoke. "I know your past is something you cannot forget, but it also to keep reminded you." "About the goal and the wish that you want in this new chance and path even it may hard." "So, just do what you think the best and continue the path that you want to take." "Kiritsuka..." Ray was touched by his words and felt somewhat connection towards him. Rei smiled, "And of course, I will help you!Houston! Since we are in the same boat, using my knowledge and yours, we can change the bad future that going to happen." "And I promise you, that I won''t disappoint you." "So trust me." Rei slowly offered his hand towards Ray with a smile full of confidence. Ray widened his eyes, surprised from the speech that was given by him. So he extended his arm and held his hand. "I never thought that I got lectured by a kid like you." Ray muttered. "Well think of it, a life chance that you cannot miss, since I''m going lecture you more." Rei replied. "Now then, I am looking forward to work with you, Kiritsuka Rei." Ray spoke. "I will be in your care, Ray Houston." Rei replied while he shook his hand with him. But after those long talk and agreement, Ray''s body began to disappear slowly from his legs. "....?! Houston!" Rei who saw this widen his eyes and called his name. Ray sighed and smiled, "It seems I have I finally reached my limit on talking with you." "What do you mean by that?!" Rei began to feel worried. "You don''t have to worry, this is just mean that our body couldn''t handle the two souls that reside in." "So before it could damage our souls "The body will began to react by putting the other soul to sleep, which is why my soul had been chosen to sleep first." "Houston..." Ray smiled, "You don''t have to worry, I will be back after the body had been adjusted." "It was fun to talk with you ..." Ray said as half of his body already disappeared. Rei widened his eyes and nodded his head, "I understand and I had fun too talking with you." "So, make sure you wake up quickly, since I still wanted to know all the information here regarding about this [future]." Rei replied. Ray chuckled, "Sure, just look forward to it." "I will." Rei replied. "Oh right, I almost forgot." "Before I go, I have parting gift for you." Ray spoke before his body completely disappeared. "Huh? What is¡ª" *BZZT* Ray who still holding his hand, began to send some electrical surge through their hands. Those surge goes up to Rei''s head, as a memories gushed forcefully into his head. ".....?! AAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!!!!" Rei immediately screamed in pain. "Y-you...ughhh...this is..." When Rei endured the pain, suddenly a memories that never seen nor remember. Began to show up within his mind. Rei began to remembered the painful training and his hardwork of how to use a sword. The memories of Ray Houston, it does looks mediocre swordmanship. "This is the least I can do for you, so I hope this could help you on the hardship you are going to face on.". "So, make sure you put good use on it, my friend." "See you next time." Before he disappeared like a sparkling dust, he gave him the warmest smile he ever had towards him. After that Rei came back to the real world. Rei slowly gets up from the bed and felt faint pain on his forehead, the most exact part the pain came from near to his left eye. "Uggghhh...the pain still there...those hellish training he have been through, how the hell he can do all of that." Rei grunted in pain, after that he sighed. "But at least it does help me to learn from it, on my next goal." "So before that, let''s check something up ..." Rei stood up and looked around the room. The room was made from wood log, with only one bed, a table for study and a chair, beside it there''s a mirror and a closet for his clothes. "So this is his room huh, it is quite neat...hmmm???" When Rei walking around the room he found his reflection from the mirror, as he found himself looking at the body of 6 years old Ray Houston. "Just as I thought he looks similar to me." As he slowly touched his face and observing it. "Hmmm??..." But then there is one thing that makes this body felt different, it was his eyes. Just like Ray Houston''s eyes, it was golden-yellow color but the only part of that color is on his right eye, while his left eye color was different. Yes, it is his own eye color(red-blood). "Hmmmm... is it because because of effect from reincarnation ...? Hmmmm...." Rei slowly leaned over the mirror to take closer to look on himself as all of sudden a black board appeared in front of him. "Huh?!" Rei suprised after seeing the black board that popped out of nowhere in front of him. The black board, slowly showings some words on it saying [Congratulations on your reincarnation!! ¨Cfrom Ifrit] As it continued, [This is what they called [Status Board] in RPG terms from your modern world, try to say "Status"] Rei readed the black board in front of him. Then he said "[Status]..." ======================================= STATUS NAME: Kiritsuka Rei JOB :"Blacksmith" TITLE :"The Reincarnator", "Time Traveler" Level: 1 [HP: 100] [MP: 10] [FATIGUE: 0] EXP : 0/1000 STATUS POINT : 0 _________________ STRENGTH : 1 AGILITY : 1 VITALITY : 1 INTELLIGENCE : 1 SENSE : 1 SKILL Blacksmith Mastery Lv1 Sword Mastery Lv1 Battle Instinct Lv1 None ======================================= "Is this my status...?" Rei said while observing his own status and that was his first night after being reincarnated. To be continued... Chapter 2: The Memories & The Status The Houston family had been a blacksmith from generations to generations, passing their techniques, improving it, and their duty to help the village, by creating and repairing their tools for their daily life work, such as farming and hunting. The Blumund village located far away at the near border between human world and demon world. They live secluded and can only rely to themselves. That''s why Houston family needed for their surviving. It was early in the morning, the sun had rise, the birds are chirping and a sound of hammer could be heard... *CLANG!!* . . . . . *CLANG!!* . . . . . . *CLANG!!* . . . . . . The sound came from at the workshop of the Houston family business. And the culprit was Rei who is currently forging his own sword. He start by swinging his hammer towards the blade with his tiny hands and arms, but it was unbelievable sight to see that he still 6 years old. Because, it had been been a week after the day when Rei came into this world. ****** 1 week ago. It was at night after Rei''s possessing his new body succeed, he is currently looking at his own [Status]. ======================================= NAME: Kiritsuka Rei JOB : Blacksmith TITLE : [The Reincarnator], [Time Traveler] Level: 1 [HP: 100] [MP: 10] [FATIGUE: 0] EXP : 0/1000 STATUS POINT: 0 _________________ STRENGTH : 1 AGILITY : 1 VITALITY : 1 INTELLIGENCE : 1 SENSE : 1 SKILL Blacksmith Mastery Lv1 Sword Mastery Lv1 Battle Instinct Lv1 None ======================================= "So....is this my status?" Rei questioned himself. "It is said that, I''m level 1 and my job is [Blacksmith]." Then he sighed. "I guess even there''s someone else possessing this body, my [Job] still remain [Blacksmith], just like what Houston told me." Then his eyes moved to see the other parts of his status, "...?!! What the?" And something caught from his eyes. Then his eyes widen a bit after seeing some words on his status. "In the [Skill], I already got [Sword Mastery] and [Battle Instinct]." "Is this the [Skill] that Houston mention?" "It seems I got some skills other than [Blacksmith Mastery].'' ''Since it already sound from my job as [Blacksmith].'' "But I never thought I got skills, is it because the influence from me? Or is it something else?" Rei pondering himself about how did he managed to get those skills. Until he remembered, the lingering pain from his left eye. "Wait....is it because of those memories that he gave it to me? Hmmmm...is it possible to gain skill after receiving those memories??" Rei was deep in his thought, after thinking how is it possible or not, he simply gave up on it. "I guess that''s the only explanation for it." He muttered, as he soon starts to moving his body a bit by stretching his arms and legs. He also tried to jump and walking around the room. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Hmmmm....I guess there''s nothing wrong with the body, no deformity nor any lackness, or distinct trait that makes me the [Child of Misfortune]." "Though, all except the eyes of course...." He looked at the mirror again to see his eyes have two different colors, as he start moving his hand to touch his face to look and feel if this is a dream. "Now this is creepy, how the heck his face looks exact the same as my face back on Earth." "...?! Is he my Doppelganger?!" Rei was surprised that fact, but he then laughed after making a joke of himself. "Hahaha, well that can''t be true." Rei muttered until his eyes shifted towards something. Which he found a small X scar on his forehead near to his left eye when he brush away his bangs. "Hmmm, how did this body get this scar? Is this the reason how I got possessed his body?" Rei slowly held his head with his right hand and closed his eyes, "How about I check out his memories first, let''s see here....hmmmm..." then suddenly he could see some image in his head. An image of Ray Houston from his recent memories and the memories he received. "I see....so is this his memories before he pass out?" The image shows him where the young Ray Houston trained his sword by swinging it towards a training doll. "It''s like watching a recorder and it is quite different feeling when Houston mentioned it words by words." *TAK* In that image, it shows Ray still training even at night and not stopping until he fell off into exhaustion. Rei gulped, "Woah, I guess he did trained from day to night without resting, I guess those are from his dedication and hard work towards this training." The image soon changing, as this time he had body of 29 years old of him, trained his sword still the same but on different spot. "This is...I guess it''s mixed with his time when he was a soldier? Hmmmm....I don''t know since it''s quite blurry to see." Rei muttered as the image of his training indeed blurry. Then the image changing again, where this time Ray Houston is now shouting and fighting against people. Rei widened his eyes, "I can see, is this the experience from the war and fights he had?" "I guess the future I will face, later on.....will be a bumpy road." Then the images ended there. "I guess that''s all, he sure have a lot of things to keep it from." Rei muttered. But that was far from over. After he take a deep breath and opened his eyes then looking down at his own hands. Once again, he close his eyes while trying to clenching his hand and focusing a deeper memories. And that is... "Hmmm ....I see." The memories of this body, before Rei possessed into this body "An accident ...." The accident that he mentioned, that is the scene that he saw in image. Where there''s a young boy who went to help his mother and his little sister to collect some herbs in the forest. They plan to use those herbs to create health potion and sells it. But on their way home, a monster that looks like a boar assaulted them without a warning and so the young boy got hit by one of their charges attack after protecting his little sister before helps arrives at the scene. "I see...." Rei suddenly smiled after seeing the scenery, "Like I told you, you aren''t that pathetic." Despite from all those rambling about him being pathetic, weak and coward. Ray still have the brave heart to face on a boar to protect his little sister. Then the memories was cut short after that. "I guess he passed out after being hit by that boar and haven''t woke up ever since that day." "Now I am wondering, how many days he have been unconscious? I can feel how weak I am now." When he could see his body looks skinny and it seems because of sleeping for many days, which he didn''t get that much nutrition. When he thought that he is weak he begin to smirk. "Well, at least it won''t hinder my plans to become stronger, and the goal I have been set on." "Since all I need is to eat and train, my body." "But first let''s check the status again...and test out some skills that I have." He slowly moving his neck and cracking it a bit while rubbing the back of his neck. "Hmmmm...let''s see here." Then he stared down at his [Skill List] in his [Status] right now. "From the way I read it, [Blacksmith Mastery] and [Sword Mastery] needs a tool for them to active....like [Sword Mastery] need a sword to know the feeling." "But what is this [Battle Instinct]? Does it have to do with battling?" "Hmmmm, let''s try it first and test if this could work ...." He slowly taking a deep breath and let it out slowly while closing his eyes. "Hmmm..." Without him knowing, [Battle Instinct] have been activated because [Passive Skill] doesn''t required any motion or technique. He suddenly felt where his sense start getting sharp, from his surrounding. "...??" Then he start to sense someone below from this room and there is 3 people who are sleeping in separated room. "Ohh!...I could sense them! Even with my eyes close, I can feel it as if I am looking pass through the walls and floor towards them." He slowly smiled as his hearing gotten better too, he could hear something better like crickets sound from the outside from here and the wind as well. "I see....I get it now, so this is [Battle Instinct], it allows me to increase all my senses to see and hear my surroundings better." "And since it is still level 1, does that mean I can sense more better after it level up ??" Rei sighed, "well I will know when I level them up ..." "Now then the status .... it does looks like RPG game system .... and it''s a good thing that I played them before ..." He slowly read the instructions from the system. "Let''s see, there is [STRENGTH], [AGILITY], [VITALITY], [INTELLIGENCE] and [SENSE]." "[Strength]...like it''s name is related to my raw power or strength, [Agility]....is something related to my speed." "[Vitality] is something related to my stamina or HP, [Intelligence] is related to my mana or MP." "And lastly is [Sense], it''s related to my sensibility? hmmmm....does it mean like Dexterity in RPG terms? if it is, then I might need to put my point on them for my plans." He finally finished assessing his status and his memories. It''s time for him to bring out his plan and goal. He started holding his chin and deep in his thought. "Now then, let''s start with the plan." "The first plan will be...that I need to start by focusing on my [Blacksmith mastery] skill by increasing it level until a certain level or maxed level." "The reason is because my [Job] as a [Blacksmith] doesn''t allow me gain powerful strength that could help during the fight." "So, to fill the gap of my strength, I need a powerful weapon to fill them in." "The second plan, will be where I need to train my body and level up my [Sword Mastery] or any other skill that I learn in the future." "The reason is connected with the first plan, because being too dependent with powerful weapon can be also fatal, since if I lose my weapon during the battle." "It will be my loss since the gap had become wider." "I don''t know there is a limit for it for a [Blacksmith] to level up their other status." "Which is why, I need to increase my [Strength] and [Sense] first." "The third plan will be info gathering information, from materials, hidden treasure and all other things." "The reason, is that I need a knowledge, since before starting something new and unknown, you need information, books and maps." "With these knowledge, it can also help the first and second plan from before." "So I will ask Houston when he woke up and share all his information he had from the future." He begin to smirk again while thinking of drying all the information he will get from Ray. "The fourth plan, I need to join the [Adventurer Guild]. Since this is fantasy world, there should be one." "The reason is, I need to make a name and reach the highest rank, since I can gather more information which also help the other plans too." "But making a name might be too risky, because it can be dangerous if people I know start getting targetted because of my identity being exposed." "Which is why I need to use a fake name and hid all of my information." "And last but not least, that old man did told me that this world based on otome game." "If I remember, Otome Game is a game where a girl met multiple handsome guy, right??" Rei muttered for being unexperienced of this matter. "So, I guess I might meet these people, or there will be a school or academy, for the this game happen." "Knowing my age, I might need attend there so I probably need a nomination from the guild as the famous adventure or something, if that is possible." Rei sighed. "Well, I guess that''s all! Uhhhh...I feel tired...never knew reviewing and planning everything could be this tiring." He began to strech his arms after planning those plan and calculating them. "Now then, I have 10 years before reaching 16 years old." "It might the appropriate age to go to school, so before that, I need to become strong...strong enough to pave away anything that goes into my path." "But wait, if there''s a school, when will the war start at?" Rei blinked for a moment and gave up again from thinking too much. "Hmmmm... maybe I will ask him about that too later." He sighed again after knowing he have limited information of future, but at least to him that still enough info for today. "Well it''s a big plan....I don''t know if it''s going to work out, but yeah, I don''t mind it." "Because this is the path that I choose, since all I need to do is to work hard and prove it to that god, that I will be the strongest knight even I''m a blacksmith!." He felt determinate and gripping his both hands and lift it on the air. But by the time he finished creating his plan, he felt something bright coming from his left side and he could see the window already opened. "Hmmm? Wait...is it morning already?" He didn''t noticed that the whole night had pass. He could see the sun had rise, as the sun light covering the whole room. He slowly walking towards the window with his hand covered a bit of his eyes since its too bright for him. But then after that his eyes widen after seeing the view. "Woah ....!" His eyes sparkled after seeing how beautiful the view was, he could see the green forest and mountain that surrounding this village, the beautiful blue sky, the bright light from the horizon that coming from the sun, as the warm breeze welcoming his arrival to this world. He couldn''t imagine that this is actually reality for him and he pinched his cheeks to wake him up if this is really dream. But of course, he felt the pain on his cheek. "Hahaha...I guess I really am in fantasy world." He gave off a small laugh and couldn''t help to be amazed of this world he will be living. He smiled at the view. "Now then .... what should I do¡ª" *TAP* *TAP* *TAP* Before he finished his words, his [Battle Instinct] activated on its own and sensing that someone approaching this room. ''Is there someone? but I can hear that this person is running towards this room ....'' As the sound stopped in front of the door room... "....?!" His head quickly turned around and looks towards the door as he brace himself while gulping his dry saliva to see who it is. *CREAK* As the door was opened, a little girl shows up in front of him with her teary eyes.... "ONII-CHAN!!" To be continued... Chapter 3: The Family Not too long ago, when Rei about to finished his words. A little girl shows up in front of him with a teary eyes. *TAP TAP TAP* Then that little girl ran at him with full speed. "ONII-CHAN!!!" *BAM* "Buuughhhh??!!!" And tackled him down towards the floor, Rei''s eyes about to pop out from the impact and felt the pain from his stomach due that tackle. "W-what happen?" Rei opened his eyes and rubbing his head a bit, as he confused of what happen to him. "Uwaaaahhhh!! Onii-chan...!!" After that, the little girl cried while hugging onto his body. ''She cried?! Uhhhhh...is she?'' Rei recognized this little girl, because the moment their eyes met, he unconsciously remember her through Ray''s memories. ''[Emily Houston], she is Ray''s little sister.'' This little girl have brown color hair just like Ray, but the difference on between them that her eyes have green-jade color. While Emily continue to cry in his arms, Rei gently embrace his arms around her body. ''Is she....worried about me?'' Rei looked at her with loneliness in his eyes when remembered his past. "How long was it....when someone worried about me like this?'' But he shook his head and slowly smiled at her and gently stroke this little girl long hair. ''I shouldn''t think like that...right now, I should act as [Ray Houston].'' "I''m fine now, Emily. So don''t worry." Rei said in his gentle tone. Emily slowly looked up at him while still clinging on his body, with her teary eyes. "B..but..but...b-because of me...Onii-chan got hurt!" "I-if I was careful...and take mom away...I...I" She stuttered with her running nose. Rei smiled and shook his head as he patted her head again. "I told you, see? I''m fine now!" He said while he showed her by lifting his arms and waving them to assured her that he is fine. Emily nodded as fast as she could but she still hugging him tight and not letting him go. Rei smiled and somehow it made him feel warm and relaxed, "Don''t worry, your onii-chan is fine now." He said with a cheerful tone, after that he get up from the floor with her while still holding her in his arms. But then... *TAP TAP TAP* A sound of footsteps came in just like before. A lady came into his room. The lady that looks like in her 20s with brown hair color and green eyes just like Emily. The lady holds her mouth with her both hands while looking at him in disbelief looks. She quickly ran at him. "Ray!" Then she hugged him tight together with Emily, "I''m glad...I''m glad...forgive mommy...for not being able to protect you." As her tears slowly fell down, Rei could only accept the hugs and looking at this lady. ''She is...his mother, [Sheila Houston].'' Rei remembered her in his memories, ''Well let just reply to her, or she might get worried.'' Rei gives off the same smile towards her and tap her back softly to comfort her. "Don''t worry...I''m fine now, see?" Rei dies the same thing like he did to Emily by waving his arms. "So, you don''t have to worry about me... . . . . . . [Mother]." . . . . . . . "....???" Suddenly, the whole room suddenly begin quiet. Rei was confused for this silent appeared out of nowhere, ''Did I made a mistake just now?'' Rei blinks his eyes few times and still confused why they got quiet like this. Then...her expression change. "M-m-m-m-mother?!" Sheila panicked. "Y-yes??" Rei replied as he still confused by her reaction. "No no no no!!! Ray had stopped calling me me [Mommy]!!" Sheila began to cry as her tears streaming down non-stop. ''He did?!!'' Rei was surprised that she cried because of him calling her that. Then Emily, joined in, "Uwaaaahh!!... Onii-chan!!!" She cried loudly together, after seeing her mother cried in front of her. ''You cried too!!'' Rei panicking as he doesn''t know what to do with these two cry babies. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ''Uhhh...this is insane.'' Suddenly... *TAP TAP TAP* A sound of someone running to this room, and this time an uncle came into this room. "What happen?!! Did something happen to Ray?!" He looks in his 20s as well like Sheila, he have a deep red color messy hair and golden eyes just like Rei''s right eyes. He was wearing a black apron with his simple clothes and he also wear a big gloves on his two hand with a google around his head. ''Another one appeared!'' ''But is he? [Adam Houston], Ray''s father?'' Rei thought of it for a moment, while observing the way he looks. ''He is so messy! Did he just came back from his workshop or something?!'' Rei could tell from the way his appearance, but more importantly right now, Adam is concerned about these two crying. "Daddy!" Emily called her father. "Y-yes Emily?! What''s wrong?! Did something happen?!" Adam panicked as well. "Onii-chan just now....he....he called Mommy." "[Mother]. " *RUMBLE* Suddenly, Adam felt like he is being struck by a thunder. "M-m-m-m-mother??!!" And even showing the same panick expression just like his wife. ''You too?!'' "Is he in that age?! No, he shouldn''t be, but calling Sheila, [Mother] just like that!!¡ª" Adam muttering non-stop and that made Rei worried about what is about to happen, right now. "Ray!!" Adam called him. And Rei shook for a moment when he called him with a loud tone, "Y-yes?!" Then Adam leaned closely to his son, "T-try to call me [Daddy] okay? Like you used to!" "H-huh??" Rei was embarrassed by what he told me to call him, "U-umm....that''s a bit..." "Oh no!! He is on rebellious age!!" Adam didn''t let him finish and stated his age. But Rei currently is 6 years old, while in reality he is still 15 years old in heart. ''I haven''t said anything... but he already letting his fantasy goes wild.'' Rei sighed a bit. ''But...I cannot let them knew that I am not Ray they used to know, so!'' Rei braced himself. "D-d...d..." Rei stuttered and hesitated to call him. When Adam sees this, he felt hope, "Yes! Just like that! Just keep going!" "D-d-d...[father]." "..." . . . . . . . Suddenly the whole room back to become quiet again, after that. "UWAAHHHHHHH!!!" Emily and Sheila begin to cry more loudly. "OH GOD!!! What happen to my son?! Is this my punishment!" Adam cried as well. As Rei stood there watching the whole family cried over those words, he gave up trying. ''How did this happen ....'' In that morning, a loud cried can be heard from Houston''s house in the village. "Uwaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!" ******* After few minutes had pass, Adam, Sheila and Emily was sitting on the floor in front of him while staring at him in teary eyes after Rei calmed them down. Rei sighed, "Have you all calm down now?" While acting like he is the only one who matured. They all nodded in sync and stay quiet. Rei sighed again while looking at his parent and sister who staring at him with their teary eyes. "I told you, that I''m fine now." Rei spoke to them again. "But...but..." But their tears won''t stop. "Stop crying like that, it will bother the neighbors." They nodded in sync again, but still worried about him. ''They still worried, how am I supposed to explain them.'' Rei thought to himself while looking at them as he closing his eyes and slowly sighed again. ''I just need to lie.'' And thought a plan to assured them. "I''m sorry, I just don''t know what to call you both, since my memories are all over the places." Rei explained while rubbing the back of his head and stay smiling at them. ''I feel bad about lying, but I need them to stop being worried.'' Adam and Sheila start to looked at each other before they looked at him back again. After that, they gently embrace him together. "It''s fine, the only thing that is matter...is that you are fine now." Adam said. "Yes, the doctor said you got hit by your head, and it might took few days to wake up, so we were worried." "But over all, that we are happy that you are fine." Sheila explained. "So...welcome back, our son~" Adam and Sheila spoke with smile, together with Emily who joined together as well. Rei was suprised to see such scene, that he never thought would see in his whole life. ''They...accepted it so easily.'' Then he could feel his heart start beating hard. ''Is this really fine?'' His face suddenly looks discomfort while looking down. ''I am not their son, but they were worried about me...'' ''No, they were worried of Ray Houston, the real owner of this body who is currently sleeping within me.'' ''But...is it really okay, for me to he here? Receiving their kindness that should be for him?'' Rei''s thought was jumbled. The reason is simple. Because...this is his first time being welcomed like this. ''Do I really deserve to be treated like this?'' While Rei still looking down, Emily slowly crawl towards him and gives him a hug. "Onii-chan, are you really okay?" Emily words wake him up and slowly makes him to look at her. "U-uhhh...?? Y-yeah, I''m fine." After he replied, Emily gently reached her small hand towards his head. "...?" Then she gently patted his head, just like the way he did to her to comfort him. Rei widened his eyes as he was surprised and could feel her warm hand touched his hair. He closed his eyes and slowly smiled a bit seeing this little girl trying to comfort him. But then, some words passed by inside his mind. Words that he never said it once to his parents who abandon him in the past. "Mom....Dad...." Rei called Adam and Sheila, as they both looking at him again. Then a question, appeared within his head. The question he is meaning to ask to his parents long ago. "Am I, a good son for you both?" That question makes Adam and Sheila froze a bit. After hearing their son asking such question that shouldn''t be said by mere 6 years old kid. "Why are asking that?" Sheila asked him first. Rei didn''t know how to answer that, he cannot said that he is not the Ray Houston. "I just don''t know...I don''t remember." "Ray..." Sheila could see the pain from his eyes. Rei then began to talk. . . . . . . "When I was asleep..." ''No, don''t...'' . . . . . . "I had a dream.'' ''Please stop.'' . . . . . . . "In the dream, I saw you all left me alone." ''Stop saying that!'' . . . . . . . "And I just thought that...maybe I did something wrong." ''STOP IT.'' . . . . . . . "And that make you both sad." ''It''s not his past!'' . . . . . . "So...I wanted to say..." ''.....'' "I''m sorry." Rei were conflicted with his inner heart that he have been suppressed it for so long. The words he said, the scenery that keep playing over and over in his dream when he was tired. A dream where his parent left him after divorce. Now, he began to regretted it after saying that to them. "...." They both looked at him as the whole room gone quiet again. Rei shutted his eyes tightly, bracing himself if they gonna do something to him. But unexpectedly... *THUD* Adam and Sheila began to hug him. "....??" Rei looked at them with widen eyes, he wasn''t expecting them to hug him like that. "What are you saying? You did nothing wrong, Ray." Adam spoke. "And even if you did, we would always forgive you." Eliza turn to speak. "So don''t worry, because whatever you do, even if they were good or bad... . . . . . you are still our son that I can be proud of." Adam said. "...!" Rei was surprised to hear it, the words he have been waiting to hear. "Yes, no matter how bad you will became in the future, or even when the world goes against you...we will always love you, no matter what." Sheila continued. Now, Rei who heard those words, made him felt like something struck into his heart. And that triggered something within him, that he had been holding. Which start to burst out. And suddenly... His tears begin to fall down. "....??" ''U-uhh....? W-why am I...crying?'' Rei just realized his tears keep falling down and even though he tried to wipe it, the tears keep coming. ''Were those words was the words that I have been longing for?'' ''This place...no, this body isn''t mine to begin with, yet why am I feeling like this.'' In the midst of crying, a voice came out from his mind... ''Hey.'' Rei widen his eyes, when he heard a familiar voice. ''Why are you crying...?'' But the voice was faint. ''This...isn''t my place.'' ''Why not...?'' And it slowly became clearer. ''Because this is Ray Houston place from the start.'' "So what?" When the voice become more clearer, Ray appears at right in front of him. As they went back into his mind. "Houston...?" "Kiritsuka...I had seen your memories in my sleep." "You''ve seen it?..." "Yes, it was hard to watch, to see your parents left you alone during your childhood." "So, I understand because of those painful memories you''ve been through, you had it hard time to accept other kindness." "But despite that, you stayed strong and help others, and continue live until the end, for yourself." Ray spoke about his memories that he encountered during his sleep. ''Houston...'' Then Ray sighed, which surprised Rei. ''...?!'' ''Seriously, it wasn''t that long when I go back to sleep, here you are look a mess.'' ''Now I am sure, that you are a crybaby just like me, Hahaha!'' Ray laughed at him which made Rei irritated by him changing the atmosphere. ''Don''t laugh.'' Rei sniffed. ''Yeah yeah~'' Ray acted coyly towards him. ''This guy...'' which made Rei felt irritated again. Ray chuckled, ''Heh, but anyway, I''m sorry of my meddlesome family, but despite that, they are kind people.'' ''So try to get used to it.'' ''...'' But Rei stay silent after he said that. Ray sighed, "From the way I see it, we both really are the same, from the way we look and the misfortune that befall to us." "But on the other side, we are different." Ray looked straight at him. "Houston..." "So now you just need remember these words." "What words?..." "You are me and I am you." Ray spoke. "You are me...and I am you?" Rei repeated. "We are one and now we share the same fate together." "So, no matter what happen we will help each other." Hearing those words Rei''s heart feel resonates towards his. "I am not in a place to told you this, but...I want you be happy in my place, Kiritsuka " Ray smiled at him. "So, take care of my family, [partner]." And finally... Rei went back to the reality again, as he saw Adam and Sheila with his little sister Emily are now staring at him with worried looks after seeing him crying. "U-ummm... s-sorry...I-I didn''t mean to¡ª" *THUD* "...?!" Suddenly Adam, Sheila, and Emily. They hugged him together at the same time. "It''s fine...cry much as you want....Ray" Sheila said with her gentle tone. "You don''t have to worry about it...just let us be here to comfort you." Adam followed. They both smiled at him but Emily cried again. "Uwaaaah!!Onii-chan!! Don''t cry! Emily is here!" Emily just keep tugging his shirt with her teary eyes. Rei begin to smile towards them as he held his chest feelings the happiness swell inside of him. ''They aren''t my family, but....what is this feelings?'' Rei thought of it while slowly hugging them back. And reminded him, those words that Ray mentioned to him. ''We are one....huh....such a weird feelings.'' ''But...this isn''t bad at all, Houston.'' ''I will be happy in your place just like you said Houston.'' ''And I will swear with my life, that I will save your family, these kind people, in your place...no matter what it takes.'' Rei closed his eyes, letting himself being embraced by them. The boy who always suffer and sacrifce himself for others, finally he felt happy for the first time in his life. After few hours had pass, Rei already calmed down from crying as Emily was laying down on his lap and sleeping after crying so much. Rei slowly looking at Adam and Sheila who sits on between them. "Ummmm...Dad, can I have a request to ask?" "Request? You don''t have to ask! Just tell me what you want! Because I will do anything for my son!" Adam said while accepting his question with proud looks as Sheila giggled seeing him like that. "Then, can you teach me how to forge a sword?" Rei ask with a smile. "Of course!!¡ªhuh??" Adam who answered him right away, began to be surprised by his request. "EEEHHHHHHHHHHH?!!!!!" Again on that day a loud voice could be heard again from Houston house as people from the village wondering what happen inside their house. To be continue... Chapter 4 : The Growth "[Status]." Suddenly a hologram of status board shows up in front of a boy. "Now, let''s see what do we have here." ======================================= STATUS NAME: Kiritsuka Rei JOB : Blacksmith TITLE : [The Reincarnator], [Time Traveler], [Quick Learner] !NEW! Level: 1 [HP: 100] [MP: 80] [FATIGUE: 0] EXP: 0/1000 STATUS POINT : 0 __________________ STRENGTH : 3 AGILITY : 1 VITALITY : 1 INTELLIGENCE : 1(+5) SENSE : 1(+5) SKILL Blacksmith Mastery Lv2 Sword Mastery Lv1 Battle Instinct Lv1 Super Growth LvMax !NEW! Fire Magic Lv1 !NEW! Fire Lv1 !NEW! ======================================= It was in the middle of night, where Rei was lying down on his bed while checking on his own status. It''s been a week ever since his reincarnation succeed and came into this world. He finally able to adapt in this world, after a week had pass. "Although, it is quite hard to live in medieval era, knowing I came from modern era." "But...it wasn''t bad at all, hmmm??" While checking his status, Rei''s eyes widen after seeing something inside his status information. "Huh? [Super Growth]? Since when did I get this skill?" He quickly clicked the skill as the description of it shows up in front of him. ======================================= [Super Growth] Passive skill A skill that allow the invidual to get another additional 2.0¡Á EXP on both status and skill. (It''s also allow the individual to acquired or learned a new skill.) ======================================= "....?!" "A skill that allow you to get more exp? When did this happen?" When he discern his eyes and saw that he got another tittle he checking on it. "[Quick Learner]? A [Title]?" He clicked on the [Title] as the description of it shows up. ======================================= [Quick Learner] A tittle being given by the [God of Wisdom, Athena] who are interested in this individual. She impressed by how quick this invidual adapt to this new world and learn about their live pretty quick. So she gave him this title and additional skill called "Super Growth". ======================================= "G-god?! wait wait!¡ªIsn''t the one who sent me here was Ifrit?! ..." And suddenly a [Notice] pop out in front of him. "Huh??" ======================================= [Notice] [Message] dear Kiritsuka Rei. I''m sorry! The other gods found out about you as they start to ruckus about it, right now they are watching you together with me. So be on guard of what you do and..... Good luck! (Ow<) - Ifrit ======================================= "....." "Does this guy hates me or something." "Even though I told him that I want to become stronger with my own hand, I guess everything cannot go the way you want." Rei sighed. "And he haven''t explained about this world being Otome Game, maybe I will ask him later." Otome Game, a game designed for womens. A game that develop a romantic relationship between female player with few handsome and beautiful male character. "Even though it''s called Otome game, I still doesn''t know what kind of role does Ray have in this world." "Or maybe he is some sort of hidden character?!" "....." "Probably not." But he decided to brush off those thinking and focusing on getting stronger. "And I guess it''s because of this skill [Super Growth], no wonder I could easily understand all the words here." Rei muttered while still checking onto his status. "And I guess that''s also why my Blacksmith mastery got level up." He sighed once more and cover his face with his hand, but he slowly open his finger a bit and looking at his own title. "[Title]." [Title] is given by the system itself and God''s perceptive, it was given automatically whenever people achieved something. "Title" also giving a boost of the status they have. "And so the title I got so far is ...." ======================================= [Reincarnator] With the memories he gained from his past life, the user get additional +5 [Intelligence]. ======================================= ======================================= [Time Traveler] With the memories of gained from his future life, the user get additional +5 [Sense]. ======================================= "I see, it''s because of [Time Traveler] title, I gained the memories of [Ray Houston], that is why I could use such heavy hammer pretty well." Then Rei reminded of his parents shocked reaction, "I guess, that''s why their face looked like that." "I mean after seeing their 6 years old son doing something like that." Their reaction, Adam and Sheila were shocked after seeing his talent as their eyes looks like about to pop out. But at the same time, he remembered when they told him "We are proud of you". Which made him smile in the process. "And I guess my [Strength] got some point as well, it''s probably because of those weight lifting and push up." Remembering those hardship again it makes him in tears, it was quite tiring but he still need to do it again. "Though I guess it''s because of that skill again, my growth slowly become more abnormal." "When I remember it, the more [Sense] you got the more nimble your movement is on certain job you got." "And the more level you got on [Blacksmith mastery], there''s a chance that you could forge a stronger weapon ?" This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "....?!" "Wait, does that mean I can produce stronger weapon much faster and much stronger ? because of this skill...?" When he thought about it, it gave him a creepy smirk as he thought how powerful this skill is in Blacksmith. "It''s like gacha game, this is quite fun, but I guess I need to work hard two times no¡ª10 times harder." "Oh right! There''s a grading system on each item and weapon as well." Every weapon and item in this world have their own grade. Like [Common]*white color*, [Uncommon]*green color*, [Rare]*blue color*, [Epic]*purple color*, [Legendary]*orange color* and [Divine]*red color*. "Since I already learn everything about Blacksmithing, all left is...." "To start my Sword Training." *********** It was early in the morning, Rei gets up from his bed before everyone else does. He immediately went to his father''s workshop to finish his works that he have been doing. Inside the workshop, it was an old looking place, a few all kind of hammers and tools hanging on the wooden wall. A black anvil near to the fireplace which is used to heat the metal. "Let''s begin." He began to cracked his fingers, "First is..." then pointed his hand towards the fireplace, "[Fire]." Using his low-grade magic skill [Fire], a small fire appeared on his hand then start turn up the fireplace. He learned this magic skill from his father, Adam. ======================================= [Fire] Active skill MP cost: 5 Cooldown: 10 sec. Maintain the skill: -1 MP/1 sec. A low grade fire magic that allow the user to create small fire. ======================================= "This magic skill sure is handy, but it required [mana]." "I need to use is around 5 MP and if I continue to maintain the fire, the MP will continue to lose -1 point for each seconds." He began to heat the blade of his sword in the fireplace while controling the temperature of the fire. ''Not yet...'' He carefully and using his sense and feelings to make sure he had the right spot of it. ''Not yet...'' Until he felt the sign of cracking from the fire. "Now!" He immediately pulled out the blade from there, the blade is now glowing light-yellow bright. After that he put the blade on the anvil and began to swing his hammer. *CLANG* . . . . . *CLANG* . . . . . *CLANG* ''Carefully...'' *CLANG* . . . . . *CLANG* . . . . . *CLANG* ''...focus.'' He make sure to keep the rhythm, with the memories that he had from Ray Houston and his father teaching. By controlling his strength while focusing on the right point where he should swing his hammer on it. His body began to sweat and his lips slowly forming into wide smile. Everytime the blade cooled down, he heated it up again in the fire. *SHUSSSHHHHH* And then, he continued to swing his hammer over... *CLANG* And over... *CLANG* . . . . . Again. *CLANG* As 1 hour had pass and he finished forging the blade and cool down the blade into the water. His body was full of sweat as he was wearing a tanktop to revealing his slim arms, its unimaginable that this kid only 6 years old. After that he quickly sharpened the blade and molding a handle for his sword. "And finally after 3 days of failure, I finally completed forging this sword!" Rei shouted in satisfaction, he never knew forging a sword would be this fun. At the same time he didn''t noticed of himself that he was smiling all the time when forging that sword. "Now! [Appraisal]!" ======================================= [The Beginner Sword] Grade: Uncommon Type: Sword Attack: +15 Durability: 100% A sword forge by a young genius, even though it''s looks normal the sharpness of the blade could cut through almost everything. Skill: [Sharp Edge] It''s allow the individual temporarily increase STRENGTH and AGILITY by 5. Duration : 30 sec. Cooldown : 45 sec. ======================================= "....?!" After looking at the status of this sword, Rei''s eyes about to pop out. ''A skill!? and it''s grade is [Uncommon] ..... I never thought I could get a skill in uncommon grade on my first try!'' ''Is this because of that skill?'' Rei pondering himself, but he immediately shook his head to brush off the thought. ''It''s useless to think about it, but I need to hide this sword quickly.'' ''I don''t know how other people gonna react after they found out about this skill.'' ''But I need to hide it from others, even from my family.'' After that he quickly sheathed the sword and wrapped it with cloths. Then he back went out from the workshop and back to his room while feeling the heaviness and satisfaction in his heart. ****** Since today is weekend, Rei planned to play with his little sister, Emily. Emily is a kind and playful girl, she always follow her brother and admire her brother Ray. Whenever Rei walks out to do errand, she always follow him and helped him. Now Rei is walking together with Emily while have been in his thoughts in his mind. ''Hmmm, I never thought I got so lucky for my first try, father said that it''s hard to make a sword with a skill, especially for beginners.'' ''That sword had [Uncommon] grade which is near to [Rare] grade, but I wonder what it will be for [Epic] and [Legendary]?'' Rei continue to wonder his thoughts. "Onii-chan?" A small girl voice could be hear but Rei still in his thoughts ''Should I make another one? For the village? I mean it''s quite risky but...ughh...this is hard.'' "ONII-CHAN!!!" Emily yelled loudly to call him once more. "W-what! Y-yes?!" Rei finally snapped from his thoughts and looking at the source of the voice which is Emily. "Muuuuu...you always in your thoughts these days, are you feeling okay? Is your head still hurt?" Emily said while pouting. Rei looked at her and smiled softly at her as he pats her head. "Sorry for making you worried again, your brother had something in mind lately." "Hmmm? What were you thinking Onii-chan?? Oh! Is it me?!" Emily ask while acting cute and sparkling eyes. Rei couldn''t even resist to see her like this, ''W-what is this cute creature...'' "Y-yeah! I was thinking how cute Emily is!" Rei immediately replied to her question. And that made Emily smiled brightly and jumped in happiness hearing his response. "Yay! Yay! Onii-chan thinks Emily cute!" "Mhm, mhm, Emily is the cutest!" Rei nodded "Hehehe~~" Seeing this girl accepting his brother words, it makes him smile and couldn''t agree more. "So Emily, can we meet uncle Nel? I have something to ask him." "Hmmm? Uncle Nel? okay! But!" "But?" "Ummm...can we play after that??" When Emily act cute and shy together in front of him, it makes him blush a bit. And that struck his heart, ''Uggghhh...she is too cute!'' Then Rei smiled, "Sure, let''s play a lot after that okay?" "Yay!!~" Emily jumped happily and continue to walking together with her brother while holding hands like a cute pair of siblings. ****** After that they both arrived at the post near gate of the village as they found an old man with huge built wearing an armor and holding a spear on his hand, and standing still while looking towards the forest. "Uncle Nel!~ Emily and Onii-chan is had come to play!~" Emily called over the uncle who was standing straight with a serious looks on his face, but when he noticed the children there he softened his face. "Oh! Well look at who it is, if it isn''t Emily and Ray." "It''s been a while, Uncle Nel." Rei replied to him. "It is, but wait." Nel said with a smile at them, then, "Hey, mind if I take a break for a while?" He asked the other guards about it. "Oh, sure sir Nel!" The other guards just agreed with a smile, seeing this stiff serious old man suddenly softened of these children. "Thanks!" Nel quickly walk towards them and pats their head with his big hand. When Nel approached them, Rei widen his eyes in surpised. ''As expected, he''s huge as always....as if he is a mountain, compared to me...I look so small in front of him.'' Rei thought of it. "So how are you guys doing?" Nel asked them. "Emily doing fine!" Emily answered him quickly. Nel laughed, "Hahaha! I''m glad to hear it, how about you Ray? are you fine now?" He spoke while looking worried at him. Rei smiled, "Yes, I am fine now, Uncle Nel." "That''s good to hear, I don''t know what to say about myself." "It''s okay, Uncle Nel." "No, it is my fault, so I''m sorry that I couldn''t protect you that time." Nel spoke while looking guilty this time. "It''s okay, Uncle Nel, but thank you for worrying." Rei felt bad about this, so he thanked him instead. "Of course! Since you are the son of friend of mine!" Nel replied. [Nel Shubert], he is their father best friends ever since they were a kids. They both always hang out together and sometimes they were called as brothers from how close they are. "So do you guys need anything from me? This uncle will help you the best as I can!" Nel asked with a smile and slowly crouch down to match their heights. "Hmmmm, then...Uncle, I have something to ask, but I cannot said it loudly, so can you lend me your ear." Rei requested him. "Ohhh, ask me anything!" "Then...." Rei leaned closely to Nel''s ear. "Does monsters have been in sight within the forest lately?" Then he whispered. ".....?!" After hearing that, Nel was surprised and suddenly become quiet for a moment. "...." But then he smiled at him. "I''m sorry Ray, I don''t know what you are talking about." Nel answered to his question. "But you don''t have worry about that, since your uncle here will protect you all!" Then he added it to assured them. "..." Rei seems unconvinced while he stay silent for a moment. Before he smiled at him again, "Okay!" And acting innocently. ''Just as I thought, he is hiding something... from the way he reacted, there''s only one conclusion.'' ''Those monsters had already begun to move.'' Rei clicked his tongue, ''Tsk...we don''t have much time, I need to get stronger as soon as possible to prevent it before the disaster happens.'' Rei clenched his hand then he looked at Nel while maintaining his smile towards this uncle. "Let''s go and play Emily!" Rei then acted like a child again, to hide his intentions again. Emily who have been standing beside them was clueless about what happen and stay quiet with a smile and act cute. "Okay Onii-chan!" But in the end, Emily didn''t ask and just accepted her brother invitation to play while smiling and followed him from behind. Meanwhile, Nel slowly looked at their backs when they are walking together. "Why did Ray asked that question? I guess rumors have goes around and made that child curious." Nel muttered while making a troubled expression and walked back to his post. "I will protect them, no matter what." He muttered and stayed on guard to focus for the children''s safety. ****** As times had pass, it was already afternoon. Rei was carrying Emily on his back as she was sleeping and exhausted from playing too much. Meanwhile for Rei, he look more exhausted than she is, ''I never thought we would play until sunset.'' While he sighed. Then his eyes shifted towards his sleeping sister, ''Now that I think about it, I never had sister before...'' he reminded of his past, but after that he slowly smiled. ''But well.... . . . . . This isn''t bad.'' Rei thought while smiling and looking up at the red sky as the sun already set from his right side. And soon, they arrived at home. "We are back, Mom." Rei spoke out after he goes inside the house. "Oh, welcome back~ Ray~ Emily~" Their mother Sheila welcoming them with gentle tone and smiled after seeing her children. The atmosphere around here is so warm, added with the warm light coming from the window in front of her. While she was cooking their food for dinner in the kitchen. Rei''s eyes was widen as he felt mesmerized from this warm welcome. "U-uhh, yeah, we are back ... Mom..." He begin to feel shy and repeated the same words. ''I''m feeling embarrassed about this, since I''m not used to call someone like that.'' Rei thought while carrying his sister back to her room. "Ara~ it seems my son and daughter are having fun today~" Sheila said as she was still cooking. "Y-yeah." Rei nodded his head while stopping at upstairs. "U-ummm, I''m going to bring Emily to her room now, she looks pretty tired after playing for whole day." Rei spoke while walking to upstairs and carrying Emily on his back. Sheila giggled to see them, "Fufufu~ Okay~ don''t forget that we will have cream soup and roast meat for dinner~" then she spoke while focusing her cooking. "Y-yes." Rei went towards his little sister room and laid her down on her bed. Before he went out, he looked at her and gently stroke her hair while watching her sleeping soundly. Then he begin to smile. "Heh, how cute, rest well my little sister." He said while he left the room. He went downstairs and see his mother, Sheila cooking from behind. "Say, Mom?" Rei asked her. "Yes, sweetheart?" Sheila answered him. "Can I go outside for a while?" "Outside?" Sheila looked at him. "Yes, I promise I will come back as soon as possible, just need few things to do!" Rei said while walking towards the door. "Hmmm? Sure~ but make sure to come back at six, and don''t be late~" without further asking, she just agreed his request. "Yes, I will!" Rei replied while smiling back at her before he left the house. ''I never thought it''s gonna be this easy, and...when was the last time I got greeted like this.'' While in his thoughts, he ran towards the place where he hid something from everyone even to his sister. Where he went to the wooden wall that protecting the village as there were some twigs underneath them. "Found it..." He slowly brush the twigs off from there and he could see a big hole from the wall. He found this hole not too long ago when he walking around the village to search a place to keep his stuff. As he went inside the hole, he quickly put the twigs back on the hole to hide it before anyone could notices it. Now he is standing near to the forest and there''s some kind of small bags that hanging on the tree surrounding him. "It''s seems these [Monster Repellent] are quite working." "I guess, it''s time for sword training, before six.'' [Monster Repellent], just like it''s name it is a mixed herbs that have strong smell to repell any monsters that had sensitive nose. Which he learned it from the book he had in the house. He secretly made it with the herbs that he gather around the village during the night, to created this secret training place. Rei took out a sword from hole in the tree, the sword was found in the storage and he stole it for training purpose. "Hmmm....since I already trained my body a bit, my strength is now almost around at teenager age." "But the problem is, my body is still undeveloped and I don''t know my limit at this age." Rei sighed, "It useless to think about it, since I have Houston''s memories, I''ll just do my best to get stronger." Rei taken a position where he stood still with his both hands holding the sword and wielding it in front of him. "First I need to acquired [Horizontal Slash] and [Vertical Slash], by repeating the same process until the skill appeared." Rei muttered. "Though, I don''t know when I will get that skill." "But I guess I need to do thousands of swing from straight line for Vertical and side to side for Horizontal." Rei looked at his own hands gripping the wooden sword, "This is gonna be hard, but...this is my choice." "First, the basic, by taking a deep breath and lift the sword up to straight." Rei slowly lifted the sword. "Then swing!" *SWOSSH* He swing the stick in straight line in front of him. ''Fuuhhh...again!'' He continuesly swung the wooden sword in straight line, again and again. . . . . . . . Finally, after he reached 50 swings, he begin to swing his sword again but on side to side while striking onto the tree. ******* As the red sky slowly turning dark, Rei who relentlessly swing the sword had finally stopped. He panted in exhausted and wiped the sweats that goes under his chin. "I guess that''s it for today, but wait¡ª?" He soon realized something amiss and immediately looked at the sky. "This is bad! I was too focus on training and forgot the time!" He said as he quickly went back to the hole, but before he went in, he saw something that grab his attention and quickly took it. He ran towards his house as quickly as possible and saw Sheila was standing there in front the door. When she saw Rei, she looks upset and sad as she were about to cry. "Ray!" She quickly ran towards him and hugging him tight. "Oh, thank god! Are you okay?! Where have you been?! I told you to come back at six?!" Sheila said with tears and worried looks. "I-i''m sorry." Rei felt guilty that he didn''t know that he would make her worried like this. Sheila seeing him scared, she start to sigh, "It''s okay, as long you are fine...but make sure don''t make me worried again like this okay?" "O-okay." Rei looked down. Sheila noticed something on him, "But, where did you go? And why are you so sweaty and...dirty?" Sheila asked while staring at him. "U-umm..." Rei avoided doing eye contact with her. ''I can''t explain that I went training, but I hope this could stop her from asking further!'' He suddenly took out something from his back. "Here...for you...Mom." As time looks stop and Sheila widen her eyes after seeing what he brought. . . . . . It was a beautiful white flower on his hands. Sheila who saw this was in tears and suddenly hugged him tight once again. "You silly son, do you know how much I worry about you, ever since that happen." Sheila reminded him when he fell unconscious due that incident. It made him feel bad, but all these training that he does is for preventing the disaster that going to happen in this village. "I''m sorry...Mom." Rei apologize. Sheila wiped her tears and smiled, "Because of this flower, I forgive you...but! Promise me next time, that don''t be late okay?" With that words, Rei bit his lips "Yes...I promise." Then he nodded his head while knowing...that someday... He will broke that promise. ****** After that he had a wonderful meal together with his family. Rei went back to his room. In the midnight, where everyone still asleep. Rei hasn''t sleep yet and sat on the chair beside the window while leaning his body against. Then he looked towards the night sky. "Such a beautiful night, to think that so many things happen in just a week." "A wonderful family, a warm welcome, and delicious food." Rei slowly reminded him of his past, ''Compared to that world...'' "Am I allowed to be this happy? Houston." Rei asked himself and remembered what Ray told him. Then he repeated those words, "You are me...and I am you...we are one and we share the same fate, and no matter what...we will help each other." Rei closed his eyes and chuckled "Heh, you said that, but I am here alone Houston." "But don''t worry Houston, with me here, I will protect our precious family." Rei then yawned, "I guess I need to sleep, tomorrow will be another tiring day." "I will get stronger as soon as possible...." "Just you wait." After that, he went back to the bed and quickly fall asleep. . . . . . . In the back... *TICK* . . . . . *TACK* . . . . . *TICK* . . . . . *TACK* . . . . . The countdown had finally begin. To be continued... Chapter 5 : The Trouble "Woah! My [Blacksmith Mastery] is already at level 3!" "Hahaha! To think I could reach level 3 this fast, I guess it is because of that skill [Super Growth]." It''s already been a month after Kiritsuka Rei wake up in this world. "Though, I think you who just started doing smithing for the first time, and reached this level already impressive." And the one who spoke with him right now was Ray Houston. They finally got reunited after his long sleep as they are now talking inside Rei''s mind. After Rei told him that he got up to level 3 on Blacksmith Mastery, Ray went suprised and laughed in happiness. But then the laugh stop as his eyes looking at Rei while smiling. "So, what do you want to ask? Kiritsuka-kun." Ray asked, knowing his intention to meet him. "Please just call me, Kiritsuka, it felt weird when a guy call me with -kun." Rei looked at him with complex looks on his face towards him. Ray laughed, "Hahaha, sure sure, then what is it that you want...Kiritsuka." Rei sighed, "Well, since I already acquired the minimum strength needed for the disaster." "You need to tell me...when will the attack happen." Rei spoke. Ray stared at him and sighed, "Hmmm, I need to confirm if you had reached the minimum strength." Ray asked him, as he still need to check whether what he is saying is true. Rei looked at him and nodded his head, "[Status]." ======================================= [STATUS] NAME: Kiritsuka Rei JOB : Blacksmith TITLE : [The Reincarnator], [Time Traveler], [Quick Learner] Level: 1 [HP: 200/200] [MP: 90/90] [FATIGUE: 0] EXP: 0/1000 STATUS POINT : 0 __________________ STRENGTH : 9 AGILITY : 3 VITALITY : 4 INTELLIGENCE : 3(+5) SENSE : 3(+5) SKILL Blacksmith Mastery Lv3 Sword Mastery Lv2 Battle Instinct Lv1 Super Growth LvMax Fire Magic Lv1 Fire Lv2 Horizontal Slash Lv1 Vertical Slash Lv1 ======================================= Ray eyes widen seeing Rei''s status so far. "I am convinced and couldn''t be impressed more than this." "Even after looking at it again through your memories, it makes me think that the whole world sure is unfair." "You are definitely genius at both smithing and swordmanship." Ray couldn''t help to praised him due the status that Rei gained from his training. "....." Rei stay quiet after hearing those words, and indeed it''s seems very unfair for him to get those. Ray looked at him, could tell the expression that Rei is making now. "Don''t worry, I''m not blaming you for that, it just that, I''m glad that you are the one who replace me." Ray spoke to assured him that he had no regret nor hatred towards him who took his place. "Houston." Rei looked at him and still felt bad about it. Ray smiled at him and clapped his both hands to stop thie heavy atmosphere. "Now, enough about myself, let''s get into this, about the information that you need." Ray immediately getting into the main reason. "But before let me ask a question, what is the date for today ?" Ray asked "Hmmm...I think it''s day 23th on the 4th moon." Ray widened his eyes after hearing the date numbers, "....?! I see 23rd, I guess I loss sense of time after sleeping that long." "What do you mean?" Rei asked as he wanted to know why he said that. "It means, the attack will start at in2 days from now." Ray answered him. Then Rei was surprised by it, "What?! 2 days left?!" "Yeah, I am certain...since in 2 days, is where the full moon start." Ray explained. Rei looks troubled by the thought, "I didn''t think to be this fast...then..." "Does that mean, I need to attack them first before to prevent the disaster." Rei suggested the plan. "Yes, tonight you need to set off early and prepared everything you need." Ray instructed. "Because it is gonna be tough battle and your first one." "So...I wish you luck and sorry that I couldn''t be any help." Ray tapped Rei''s shoulder and entrusting him with such a big mission. Rei looked at him could feel his hand was trembling, holding his shoulder, "It will be fine." Then he spoke. "Because I am here, your trustful knight!" Rei spoke proudly to lessen the heavy atmosphere around him. Ray was surprised seeing him this calm, and couldn''t help to admired by his bravery. "I see." Then he smiled. "That''s why, I will do my best to protect our precious family." Rei smiled at him. Ray chuckled seeing this young man had grown in just few days and adjusted well, "Heh, good..." "Then...." *THUD* After that Ray pushed him. "...?!" "Off you go, partner...don''t miss the morning." After that... Rei woke up from his bed, looking at the ceiling. Then he lifted his right hand to reached his right eyes that have golden yellow color. "Only 2 days left...to think time goes by this fast." "I don''t have much time left." Rei muttered while he opened his status to look up his skill list. "I had acquired [Horizontal Slash] dan [Vertical Slash], but the only thing I need to do is level them up." He shifted his eyes towards his status again. "Despite being level 1, my status continue to go up on everytime I do training or doing something." "For example, by swinging a sword and body training, my [Strength], [Vitality] and [Agility] went up." "While my both [Intelligence] and [Sense] went up, just by reading some books and memorize some stuff." "Added with my [Title], it increased a bit." Then he looked at a certain skill that he had. "[Super Growth], if not for this skill, I wouldn''t be able to go this far, rather than cursing at it, I should be grateful." Then he got up from his bed and went to the closet as he change his clothes. Until his attention went towards a certain thing that he hid behind the closet. "Because of that skill, I manage to created these." He reached his hand towards the thing and pulled it out from behind the closet. It was a robe and a glove. ======================================= [Beginners Warm Cloak] Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Grade: Uncommon Type: Cloak Vitality: +5 A robe made for protecting, the robe itself have a durability to withstand attack and it have additional effect which is giving warmth towards who wears it and it''s great to use it when it''s cold night. ======================================= ======================================= [Beginners Battle Glove] Grade: Uncommon Type: Glove Agility: +3 A glove made for battling, it''s also gives a comfortable feelings towards who wears it. ======================================= "Although, I luckily getting [Uncommon] grade, it''s still too bad that I couldn''t get any skill from it." "Or maybe it was beginner luck that time?" After that, he put them back behind the closet and began to stretched his arms. "Hmmm...what is the plan for today?" He muttered while looking at the village through the window. "Oh right, Emily told me that today we''re going to meet with the other kids...but somehow I never met them." Rei was reminded since this whole time from day one until current day. He was busy with preparing everything and taking care his little sister. "Hmmm...they probably just some innocent kids like Emily, it''s not gonna be a big deal, right?" Rei muttered not knowing that his words, would strike back to his face. ****** "Hey hey hey! do you think you are confident that you are stronger than me!" a kid who have tall feature said. "Yeah! just like the boss said!" a kid who wears a glasses said. "Boss is the strongest!" and a kid who have fat body said. Rei finally regretting and taken back his words, ''I take that back...they now start bullying me.'' Right now, Rei is surrounded by a group of kids who is now bullying him. The glasses one is [Hans], the fat one is [Bob], and their leader which is the tall one is [James]. Rei who looked at them, soon recognized their faces, ''When I look at them closely, I remembered them in Houston''s memories.'' ''Since these three always together and constantly bullying without reason.'' At the same, when Rei was deep in his thoughts. James became irritated since he didn''t get any response from him. Then he grabbed his collar, "Oi! don''t ignored me!" Then shouted at him. Rei snapped back and looked at him nonchalantly, "Hmm? ah, sorry about that, I was lost in my thoughts." and he replied with a smile as if he doesn''t care about his rough action. James gritted his teeth after seeing his calm behavior, "Grrrrr.....you dare to ignore me like that!? I challenge you to a fight!" James shouted. Rei looked at him and became quiet. ''He suddenly surrounded me, and now he picked a fight with me for that reason?'' ''What a kid...'' Rei mocked him through his thought, ''Wait...I''m also a kid.'' Rei sighed, "But do we have to fight you, just for that reason?" Rei asked while raised one of his eyebrows. "Yeah! I''m gonna defeat you and¡ªhuh?!" Before James finished his words, he stopped his sentence while his face turned pale. "Huh? What did you said?" Rei couldn''t catch what he said on the last part. Until he his clothes being tugged by someone from behind. He turned around to check who it is. Finally, he knows that it was Emily who is currently hiding behind him this whole time. "Emily? what''s wrong?" Rei asked but Emily continue to hide behind him. After that, the situation turned into silent when Emily arrived. Meanwhile, James expression turned more pale after when he noticed Emily was standing behind him. Rei took a quick noticed by the change of his behavior, ''Hmmm? Why is he reacting like that?'' James immediately turned around, "I-i guess that''s all! W-we''re going fight on the n-next time we meet! So...see you later!!!" Then he run away as fast as he could, leaving his two lackeys behind. "B-boss! W-wait for us!" Hans and Bob followed him and finally the whole group disappeared from his sight. In that short moment before they left, Rei took a glimpse when James turned around. ''Hmmm? Did his cheeks....turned red?'' As he saw it before he ran away. Then he looked at Emily, soon he realized something. ''Ahhhh....I see, what''s going on now.'' Rei sighed and smiled, ''I guess that''s youth.'' Then Emily began to tugged his shirt again. "Onii-chan...are you okay?" She looked at him and being concerned by him. "Did they bully you? Are you hurt?" As she continued to ask. Rei couldn''t help to smile seeing this little girl being concerned this much, so he gently stroke her head to calm her down. "Onii-chan is okay! So don''t worry! Because Onii-chan will protect Emily from anything!" And also trying to assured her by cheering her up with his big smile. Emily looked at him, "Really?" "Really!" Rei replied to her. "Then! Emily will protect Onii-chan! I will help him and get strong!" Emily said with her determined cute looks. ''Ughhhh...'' Rei felt his heart melting upon seeing this, "Then, it is a promise...that we going to protect each other!" After that, he gave her his pinky to her. Emily looked at it and hold his pinky with hers, "Mhm! It''s promise!" While smiling happily at him. Rei smiled seeing her smile, then he held her hand, "Now, how about we go play before going home." "Mhm!~" Emily nodded and walking together side by side wirh him. Then the two played together after making that promise. But Rei didn''t know... That he is going to broke two promises... ******* Meanwhile, when Rei was playing with Emily. James and his gang having a group talk to one of each other behind a house where no one around. "Tsk, when did Emily get there, I was about to challenge him into a fight between men!" James said in irritated tone while knocking a pebble away. Bob who is currently eating, raised his hand, "Ummmm...how about we secretly take Ray away and have fight with him, before Emily around." *BAM* Bob suddenly gets hit by James on the head. "Ouch!" Bob whined while still nomming his food. James glared at him, "Bob! Are you that stupid! That''s not manly at all!" "R-right! S-sorry boss." Bob felt down after getting yelled like that. Then Hans raised his hand this time, "Boss...I think the idea of challenging him into a fight, isn''t that good idea." "Why is that?" James asked. "I heard, Ray recently got hit by a monster, so if you pick a fight with him...don''t you think Emily would hate it?" James was startled by the news, "U-uhhh...that''s true." Then he scratched his head, "Aghhh!! Then how am I supposed to do! To make Emily notice me!" "Hmmmmm...." The groups start thinking and the one who raised his hand first, was Hans. "Then, I have a suggestion." Hans had an idea. "What is it?" James poured his attention towards Hans. "So! Instead beating her older brother in a fight. How about we go to the forest and show her something amazing? Maybe a beautiful flower for him since she likes flower." After Hans suggested it, the two of them began to stared at him. Hans was startled by the stare, "I-i mean it just a suggestion." And that made him feel nervous. *TAP* James tapped his shoulder, "Hans...that''s a great idea!" Then he approved and praised his suggestion which made Hans happy. "I wonder what kind of flower does she like?" James muttered while being in his happy thought about Emily. But Hans become serious again, "But there is one problem." Which snapped James back to reality, "Huh?? There is?" "Yes, how can we go out without the adults noticed us? Since kids are prohibited to go out without them." Hans reminded them about the guards who guarding the gate at outside. James looks troubled, "Yeah...that''s true, they won''t allow us to go to the forest without them." In the midst of thinking, Bob suddenly raised his hand while his other hand used for him to eat his bread. "Ummm, I think know how to get out without the adult noticed." Bob spoke which mads the two of them surprised. "....?! Really Bob?!" James quickly asked him and even shook his body. "Wait! Bob...how do you know that there is a way?" Hans asked. Bob then stopped eating his food and made them gathered together, so his voice won''t leak out. "Actually....it was yesterday when I was walking home, I seen Ray was heading somewhere." "So I got curious and followed him, after that I saw him crawled outside through a hole in the wall." Bob explained them. After that, two became quiet and then James tapped Bob''s back. "Nice job! Bob! I know you had some potential in you!" James praised him. "Since now know how to get out, we shall set off when time before dark!" James spoke his plan. "But wait!" Hans interrupted them. "What is it Hans? It is getting good!" James spoke. "This is strange...don''t you want to question why did Ray goes out without him telling his family and even Emily?" Hans spoke. "What about it? We can know about it after we go out right?" James replied. "Ummmm...that''s true." Hans just accepted it. James giving off a wicked smirk on his face, "When we know what behind that wall, we can expose it to Emily and made him look bad! Muhahahaha!" James laughed wickedly, not knowing his pride as a man had been thrown away by evil thoughts. But Hans was the only one who is concerned by this. ''Why would Ray went out from there alone...I got bad feeling about this.'' Hans then shook his head to brush off the thoughts, ''No... I shouldn''t think too much, let''s just follow them.'' Finally, they agreed and towards the place where Rei hid it. ****** As the sun start setting down. Just like they planned, they went to the location. Where they found few twigs covering underneath the wall. "Is this where Ray hid it?" James muttered while he looked around that this location pretty much isolated. "Boss! look!" Bob shouted when he pushed those twigs aside. Finally, they found the hole that will lead them to the outside. "It''s really there." Hans said while fixing his glasses and gulped. "Great job you guys! Now, what are we waiting for! Let''s go in before it is too late!" James suggested. . . . . . . After they crawled pass through the hole, they suddenly stopped. "Woah." Because they were amazed after seeing the entrance of the forest for the first time in their life. When they looked around, their attention suddenly stopped at something. "What the..." James''s mouth opened wide. "This is..." Hans fixing his glasses. "Hiiii..." Bob shivering. James''s face went pale as whole group is now in awe and scared... After they saw.... Cut marks on almost on all the trees around them. "What happen here..." James muttered, even he couldn''t help to be curious of the state of the trees around them. Hans slowly noticed something, "What is that?" He pointed on the thing that is currently being hanged on the trees. "I will check it out!" James replied and went to climb the tree and taking one down before he get down. The three began to stare at the thing that James currently holding. "What is this?" Then when he leaned close to it, his nose picking up something, "Ugghh! What is this smell?" The thing that on his hand, was a small pouch filled with something in it. But when Hans take a closer looks, he immediately recognized it, "This is...a [Monster Repellent]!" He claimed it. James look confused of what he just said, "Monster....what now?" "[Monster Repellent]...just like its name .... it is an item that can repell monster away from by using herbs that had strong smell." Hans explained it. "I read it on the book, but I never seen one before." Hans spoke while examining the pouch. "I-I see..." James nodded his head as if he understood what he meant. "But I wonder why does this thing is here? There''s a lot of it around the trees." Hans questioned himself. "Hmmm...maybe Ray use this to hide something even from the monster!" "Hahaha! I knew it! He have something to hide" James spoke with proud as if he just solved a mystery. "Now, since you said this thing is to do whatever it is to the monster, it keep us safe right?" James spoke. "Y-yeah..." Hans somewhat hesitated to give him the answer. "Then we should bring this with us! To keep us safe!" "Now then, let''s not wait far too long! Emily, here I come!" James start bravely walk forward "W-wait for us, Boss!" Then Bob and Hans followed him. Not knowing, when they walked inside the forest, as the road slowly turned dark inside... They don''t know...the danger they will have to face... *********** The night had come, where Rei is currently at his room. He is now preparing his attires and everything to start his mission. "I guess everything is ready, all I need is some [Monster Repellent] to change." He muttered while holding his sword and putting the [Monster Repellent] that he had into his pocket. Then he wore his robe and put on the glove. "Now, I am ready." After he walked out from his room quietly, checking his surrounding. Then, when he went down the stairs he heard a voice. "...?!" He hid in the shadow while peeking to check who is it, at night time like this. And that when he saw his mother Sheila talking with some womens at the front door. ''Hmmm?'' Rei who tried to eavesdrop them, found out that these womens at outside...sound distress. "Do you know where James is?...I haven''t seen him ever since morning..." "Yeah ! Bob and Hans also haven''t gone home yet!" "....?!" When Rei heard their name, he widened his eyes. ''They haven''t gone home yet?'' ''How could that I be? I saw them a while ago before I play with Emily.'' ''But that''s still strange....if they haven''t gone home yet...their parents should be able to search them.'' ''Unless...'' That is when Rei realized it. ''Did they went out!? But how?! The adults should be watching over the gate if they tried to go out!'' Then finally... "...?!" Rei realized something again. ''No way....'' After that, he suddenly jumped straight down and went outside through them. Sheila who saw him was surprised, "Huh?! R-ray?! where are you going!?" "Sorry, Mom! I have something to do!" Rei replied while he ran in full speed. ****** Soon Rei stopped at the location where... He hid the hole which is the passage that lead to the forest. Then he saw those twigs were pushed aside. ''This brats!'' Rei felt irritated while clenching his hands as tight as possible, seeing his plan got ruined. Then he took a deep breath, ''Calm down...it''s my fault to begin with, I should have noticed their disappearances earlier.'' Rei shook his head and crawled through the hole, then he immediately looked his surroundings. ''I need to find them quickly as possible.'' Then he looked at traces of footsteps leading the forest. ''They shouldn''t be far from here...if they aren''t that idiot.'' Then he noticed one of the pouch that hanging on the trees got taken down. ''It seems they brought one with them...I guess not one of them are stupid.'' ''But...that thing they took, I don''t know how long the effect will wear off.'' He clicked his tongue unsheated his sword that on his hand. ''Let''s not waste my time! I have to get them before it''s too late.'' ''So you brats! Be safe!'' Rei quickly dashed through the dark forest and hoping for their safety. ****** On the same time James and his group was still walking together inside the forest. "B-boss....it''s already getting dark....I-i''m scared." Hans said while trembling and tugging James shirt from behind. "Y-yeah, boss...we need to go back..." Bob added as his face already went pale. James turn his head to his back and saw them getting scared make him worried. Then he sighed, ''Dammit...to think it is already dark now.'' ''We already gone so far and found nothing...but I guess we should go back and go search it again tomorrow.'' James finally gave up. "Yeah...we should go back ..." James gave up and accept their request to go back. Then it made them smiled, "T-thank you boss!" But sometimes, when everything goes well.... "Hmm?" Something wrong happen. James pulled the pouch near to his face and sniff on it. "Is it just me...or the smell is less than before?" When he keep sniffing on it, Hans and Bob''s faces went pale as if they saw something. "B-boss..." Hans stuttered and point his finger on something behind James. "Hmm? what''s wrong you guys?" James looks clueless seeing his friends being scared like that. *Grrrrrrr....* "...?!" James widened his eyes after hearing a sound came out from behind him. "....." His body start to tremble, then he when he slowly turned around he saw... A pack of wolves with their red color eyes that shining bright in the shadows. And now they start to crawled at them. James couldn''t stop trembling in fear, as they start to step back. "B-boss...w-what should we do..." Hans asked while trembling as well. "Y-you guys....should run straight to the village and tell them...what we saw..." James replied while also trembling. "B-but...what about you boss...?" Bob asked him while his tears start falling out. "I will distract them..." James answered him, even he was trembling, he was smiling as a brave leader for them. "B-but...b-boss! We can''t!" Bob said as he start crying. "Just run! Now, you idiots!" James shouted and gave the pouch to Hans, before he starts running. "B-boss!..." Hans cried. As the pack start howling, start to follow where James ran. As for Bob and Hans, they ran away with the feeling regret and guilt. ******* When the two of them continue to run fast as they could through the forest. There were two wolves that didn''t follow James and start chasing for them. "Run! Bob! you can do it...!" Hans encourage Bob to keep running as they were run out of breath. "J-just...l-leave me here....Hans!" But Bob slowly getting exhausted. "No!...I can''t leave you!!" Hans shouted at him, until he spotted the two wolves is now approaching Bob. "No! Bob!! watch out!!" Hans keep shouting, but Bob''s speed getting slower. Until he stopped. "Bob...?" Bob then smiled at him and stood there, "Survive, Hans." He said while he act as the bait for him. "No...!!" Hans stopped and ran towards at Bob. But... Their distances is far away and his hands couldn''t reached him, ''It''s my fault...'' ''I should have told them to stop...no...I shouldn''t have told them to go to the forest.'' As their fangs about to reach Bob''s head suddenly... ''Anyone...please...'' . . . . . . . ''Save my friend!!!'' . . . . . . *SWOOSH* Then something approaching from above. *SLASH* . . . . . . After that... One of the wolf''s head was cutted off by something. Hans who saw it, immediately recognized it, ''You...are...'' ******* Meanwhile James was standing behind a wall, as he was cornered by the wolfs. He is now exhausted while covered in dirt and small scratches on all over his body, Dammit...I hope they got away..." he muttered while thinking about Bob and Hans. James could see that those wolves are now salivating and showing how hungry they are and waiting to eat him. He gulped and trembling, "I guess this is my end...I should have apologize to Ray and Emily before..." James had given up seeing these wolves are slowly getting near him. Soon the tears start falling after thinking something. "Bob... Hans... Emily... Ray..." "Mom..." as he start to cry. The wolves began to jump towards him... "I still want to see you..." As he closed his eyes. . . . . . *SWOOSH* Suddenly a voice reached out of him... "Then say that after getting out of here..." James quickly opened his eyes after hearing those words. As the wolves steps back, a mysterious person with with robe and holding a sword is now standing right in front of him. "Y-you are..." James quickly recognized that voice, as he slowly begin to cry and lean his head down.. "I-i''m sorry..." He pleaded for the first time in his life, "Please save me..." As the wind slowly blowing to their side the robe that covering his head got blown off and revealed this mysterious person. As the moon light above them start to show up and give the light to them, so they could see who he is. "Don''t worry." "You won''t die, because right now!" Then he lift up the sword and went into his stance. "I am here!" Kiritsuka Rei joined the fight.... To be continued... Chapter 6 : The Monster (Part 1) [Monster], a creature that was created by an unknown god, name...[Demon God, Ars]. The legend once said that this unknown god created these creature for the benefit of human lives. But unfortunately... They are also the source of the destruction for humanity. Their body contain magic power that couldn''t be explain by many people. They possess strength that is stronger than normal creature and they had many forms that similar to animals or even closer to human being. And their size comes from the smallest to the largest. The resemblance from animals, for example like rabbits, insects, birds, wolves and even a bears. When the [Monster] died, their body which contained magical power will be absorbed by the one who kills it whether it''s a human or a monster themselves and transform them into their own power. That''s how human could fight back against such being. And that''s the origin of what [Monster] is.... ****** When Rei was on his way towards those kids. He saw two of them running through the forest. ''There they are!'' But then, he also saw something chasing at them from behind. "...?!" ''Is that...[Monsters]?'' Rei saw two pair of wolves, chasing at them. ''It''s my first time seeing it...but somehow they looks like just any wolves for me.'' ''But first, I need to prioritize their safety first'' Suddenly he then step forward, then tighten his legs muscles. After that, using his legs, he throw himself up towards them to reach them faster. *********** Hans who was about to reach his friend Bob, find himself in desperate situation. ''Anyone...please...save my friend!!!'' When the wolves about to reach their fangs towards Bob''s head. Right before that happen. A voice answered their plead. "Bob...get down." When Bob heard that voice, he crouch his head down. After that, Rei appeared from above Bob''s head, then... He drew his sword... ''[Vertical Slash]'' *SLASH* He swing his sword and cutted off the head of the wolf without a warning. The blood splatter from the wolf headless body... While the two kids who saw it...was surprised after seeing what happen right in front of their eyes... Suddenly a [Notice] came out on above Rei''s head. [You leveled up!] After noticing that, Rei didn''t stop his attention towards the next target. ''Next.'' *GRRRRR* *RAAARRGHH* The other wolf who saw its brethren being killed by this mysterious kid. It starts to howl and jumped at him, with its fang sticking out to bite him. Hans noticed it and quickly warned him. "Becareful there still¡ª?!" Without minding his words, Rei already prepared for his next action. Since his sword was on his right hand, after he did swing his sword from the first attack, he turned the blade changing his sword direction to the monster that approaching him. Then he turned his body towards where the monster which going for his left side. The monster jumped towards him. ''[Horizontal Slash].'' *SLASH* Then Rei swung his sword in straight horizontal line from his right, creating a large cut through the monster mouth towards its body. [You leveled up!] Rei sighed and swing his sword to clean out the blood, then sheated the sword back. "Done." He muttered while turning his head towards the dead monster that lying beside him. "Woah..." "Woah..." Hans and Bob who saw the scene, opened their jaws and amazed by it. When the moon start to shows up, brighten the view in front of them, they finally able to see who is this mysterious person face. Until, they found out it was Rei who saved them. "H-huh?! Is that you Ray?! B-but h-how?" Hans stuttered after he realized that the person who saved them was none Rei himself who they bullied him this morning. Rei turned his head towards them. "There''s no time to explain Hans, why there''s only two here?" "Where is James right now?" Rei asked immediately while noticing one of three are missing. "J-james told us...t-to left h-him behind" Bob said it first. Hans bit his lips and suddenly kneeled towards him. "Please Ray...I am begging you, I apologize for what happen this morning...and for bullying you this whole time!" "So please....help my friend...James." Hans pleaded to him while crying Bob who saw him, cried as well and began to kneel towards him, "Yeah Ray! W-we''re sorry about what we done in the past .... s-so p-please! Save our boss!" Ray who saw them kneeling and even pleaded to save their friend, made him felt weird. ''I don''t know these kids in my entire life, maybe they might do something bad again in the future.'' ''Since...we cannot determine whether they will be bad or good after this.'' Rei having a thought of it. ''But...'' Then he smiled and after that he thrown something at them. ''I am a Knight, someone who would protect the people who need me.'' "....?" Both of them immediately catched it together. "H-huh?....this is..." Hans recognized it, righr now on their hand was a pouch which is similar to the pouch that they had before. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "You guys can apologize to me later....including James." Rei spoke and turned around. Hans and Bob who looked at his back, made them cried again. "Ray...." the two called his name. "I will save your boss, so go back now and tell the village." "There will be a [Boss Monster] that might show up tonight" When they heard those words, their faces went pale. "B-boss monster?!" They said in sync. "B-but h-how do you know this all?! .... a-and what about you?!" Hans asked as his tears continue to fell. But... Rei turned his head back to them and gave them the warmest smile he had. "I will explain it later, so don''t worry too much, because..." "I''m pretty tough." Rei showed his confidence to them, to assured that he will be fine. "So go now! We cannot delay any time longer!" Rei shouted at them, after that he jumped off towards to where James is. Seeing his moving, Bob and Hans nodded their heads together. "Y-yes! We will! Make sure you come back alive! Ray!" Hans shouted but Rei already far away from them. Hans wiped his tears, "Let''s go Bob! We have to tell the whole village about this." "Hmph!" Bob nodded his head, and finally they ran towards where the village direction. ******* When Rei running to search where James is, he went to checked his status as quickly as possible. "[Status]." ======================================= [STATUS] NAME: Kiritsuka Rei JOB : Blacksmith TITLE : [The Reincarnator], [Time Traveler], [Quick Learner] Level: 3 [HP: 250/250] [MP: 100/100] [FATIGUE: 0] EXP: 0/2000 STATUS POINT : 10 __________________ STRENGTH : 11 AGILITY : 5(+5) VITALITY : 6 INTELLIGENCE : 5(+5) SENSE : 5(+5) SKILL Blacksmith Mastery Lv3; Sword Mastery Lv2; Battle Instinct Lv1; Super Growth LvMax; Fire Magic Lv1 Fire Lv2 Horizontal Slash Lv1 Vertical Slash Lv1 ======================================= ''I finally be able to leveled up, but my status rise up less than I thought.'' Rei looked at the [Status Point] part, ''I see...I need to use this [Status Point] to increased my other status.'' ''It seems you will got 5 for each time you level up." ''I will put those points later on...now I need to focus on¡ª??" Suddenly he felt something just struck his into senses and turn his head towards a certain direction. "Found it." Then he stopped for a moment and turned his direction towards the location that he found then jumped off to the nearest tree. After that, he took another jump again making him fly through the night sky. While his eyes fixated towards this location, where he found James who is now surrounded by a pack of wolves. ******* Finally, back where Rei is now standing in front of these pack of wolves while defending James. Rei stood there calmly while maintaining his stance by pointing his sword at those wolves. They became wary of his presence and observed him quietly first. James surprised from his sudden appearance. Because after seeing the boy who he called [weak], is now standing before him. ''Is it...really him?'' James questioned himself whether he had a dream now. Rei shifted his eyes towards James to check his condition, ''He looks battered...but I guess I''m glad he is alright.'' Then shifted his attention back to the wolves, "It''s a good to see you still alive, James...having fun with the doggies?" Rei made a joke with him. James widened his eyes and slowly laugh, "Hahaha...yeah." to soften the mood. Rei smiled seeing him responding to his jokes. James looked at his back, standing straight without trembling in front of these monsters, waiting to devoured him. ''How can he so calm while being surrounded by those monsters.'' James asked to himself and realizing that, he was the one who should be called as [weak]. But Rei just focusing his attention and observing their movement, from breathing, eyes movement, their claws and sharp fangs ready to bite him. But there''s one thing he focused on, which is on top of their heads. [Forest Wolf]*orange* ''The name on their heads...it''s all orange.'' ''Which mean...they are higher level than me.'' Rei reminded of the manual or the guide that came from the system. He read it during his stay after few days living in this world. The guide he read was about [How to defines "Monster Level"?]. That is by defining them in 5 color. [White], means that the monster is under level than the user. That mean the user can easily defeat the monster but get less exp from it. [Green], means that the monster is on the same level as the user. It also mean that the user can still fight the monster and gained a bit more exp than the [White]. [Orange], means that the monster is above few levels than the user. It mean that user will have bit a hard time to defeated the monster but also gain significant exp from it. [Red], means that the monster is on higher level than user. That mean, the user will be having a hard time fighting against the monster or might lose, but if they did defeat the monster. They gained larger exp than any color below. But the last color...is the hardest one, and so far it is impossible to defeat. The [Black] color. After knowing that the wolves had orange colors on their names, it means they are above few level from Rei. So, he doesn''t hesitate anymore and gathered his senses by using [Battle Instinct]. His senses slowly growing sharp, as he now could sense all the monster presence around him, through his hearing and vision. ''Hmmm, 10¡ªno...I guess it''s 15, I am out numbered.'' *RUSTLE* *RUSTLE* Rei could sense the wolves that stands behind that to crawl, ''It seems 4 of them are running in circle to get behind us, huh.'' Rei thought of it and slipped his other hand inside his pocket behind his robe. *THUD* Rei then throw a pouch to James, the same pouch like he gave it to Bob and Hans. James catched it and looked at him, ''....?? Ray?'' And confused why he gave him this pouch. Then Rei took a deep breath while waiting a little bit more before the fight start. He closed his eyes to focus his sense more, making him looks like lowering his guards down. Then, he start to count. ''3...'' . . . . . ''2....'' . . . . . . ''.....1'' Then he opened his eyes. "James get down!!" And yelled at James. "....?!" James quickly crouch himself down, then Rei turned his body around to face off the 4 wolves that came out jumping to strikes him from behind. ''First to fill the gap...[Sharp Edge]'' Rei took this chance to finally used the skill that came from his sword, his sword began to envelopes with red aura. It made the sword looks sharper which temporarily increased his [Strength] as well. ''and then...'' Rei took a step forward, while turning his sword to his right side. "[Horizontal Slash]!'' After that, he swung his sword in straight horizontal line. *SLASH* Which end up beheaded the 4 wolves in one swing. ''So easily...the sharpness is no joke.'' Rei praised his work because he just beheaded these 4 wolves at the same time. Their bodies fell and their blood splattered around him. ''It''s a good thing they jumped together, it created perfect line for me to cut them at the same time.'' James who still crouching, started to lift his head. ''What just happ¡ª?!'' James widened his eyes and surprised when he saw those wolves corpses that got beheaded with their heads lying around Rei. "N-no way..." [You leveled up!] [You leveled up!] [You leveled up!] [You leveled up!] Rei saw the [Notice] that appeared in front of him, but he still need to maintain his focus against the rest of the pack which is now they start to howl after seeing their brethren died by his sword. ''That''s 4...'' Rei counted. ''I only have 30 seconds...before the buff ended.'' Then he clenched the grip of his sword. ''I need to end them quickly.'' After that he pointed his sword at the wolves. "James, hide behind me! Do not try to run! And watch me!" Rei yelled at him and getting into stance before the wolves start to charged at him. "Y-yes!" James replied and then... It start with one wolf jumped at them first. *GRRRAAAHH* *SWOOSH* Rei took one step forward and turned his body to his right and let the wolf flew towards James. ''[Horizontal Slash].'' *SLASH* Then he swing his sword in straight line, cutting through its body into half from its left. ''That''s 5.'' Rei counted again. After that another one jumped at him after he killed the other one before. *GRRRRRR* "...?!" Rei immediately noticed it. When the wolf''s jaw about to open. *BAM* He swing his right leg to kick towards its mouth and shutted it close. After that, he change his sword trajectory and swing it to stab its chest that goes right to its heart with the blood splattered a bit towards his cheek. ''6.'' Rei counted it again. *SWOOSH* Then two wolves start running towards his both side. *GRRRRAAA* They jumped at him. "Look out!!" James who noticed them yelled. Rei pulled out his sword from the wolf he stabbed to death and remain calm in this situation. When they about to bite him from both sides, he took a small jump. *BAM* And let the wolves crashed to each other. *SLASH* *SLASH* Rei immediately took that chance swung his sword down and quickly cutting their heads off at the same time. ''7...8.'' Then this time, three of wolves ran towards him from behind. ''You think the same trick would work?!'' Rei picked up their presences and spun his body around then swinging his sword again from his left. *SWOOSH* ''[Horizontal Slash].'' Then he cutted their heads off as their headless body dropped down one by one while their blood splatter once more. ''9....10....11.'' *RUSTLE* *RUSTLE* Finally, the last four of the wolves jumped towards him from all direction. One at his front. One at his back. Then two at both sides. But Rei didn''t move, because he noticed them first already without taking a single glance at them and purely trusting his senses. Rei took a deep breath. As they''re about to reach to him. He unexpectedly start to jump high enough for their mouth won''t be able to reach it. He back flipped his body in mid-air and made his landing towards the wolf that was attacking from behind. *BAM* He stomped on its head, then... *SWOOSH* He used its head as stepping stone for him to jump forward towards the three when they stopped moving. *SWOOSH* After that, he swung his sword from his left. ''[Horizontal Slash].'' *SLASH* And cutting two of their heads in one go. "...?!" But one of them slipped through his sword. The wolf that attacking him at his front, managed to dodge his sword by jumping back. ''You think...I will let you go!'' With his sword on the side, it probably won''t be able to reach the wolf. So...he decided to use his left hand and reached out towards it. Then grabbed its neck, and... "Hmphh!!!" *BAM* He smashed its head down to the ground. *CRACK* Then he heard a crack noise from its skull that start to cracking. ''12...13...14¡ª'' *GRRRRRRRAAA* Rei then turned around and found out wolf that he used as stepping stone, is now jumping at him from behind. *GRRRRRAAAA* Then he swiftly lifted his sword. ''[Vertical Slash].'' And swung the sword down. *SLASH* And ended it, by cutting the wolf in half with him. ''Finally...15.'' In just 30 seconds, right before his buff [Sharp Edge] had ended. The fight finally, Rei had single-handedly killed 15 wolves monsters by himself and the result... [You level up!] [You level up!] [You level up!] [You level up!] [You level up!] [You level up!] [You level up!] [You level up!] [You level up!] Made him leveled up more than he could think as the notification continue to ring in front of him. Rei kneeled for a moment and stuck his sword on the ground, ''So tiring...'' and panted heavily. He could see that his [Fatigue] point had reached 60 and the color turned orange. Then his eyes looking at his sword, stained by blood of the monsters. ''Even though this is my first battle...'' ''I feel pretty calm...despite having myself outnumbered.'' ''Is it becauss the influence from Houston''s memories?'' Rei wondered. ''It''s useless to think about it right now...what level I am now?'' ''[Status].'' ======================================= [STATUS] NAME: Kiritsuka Rei JOB : Blacksmith TITLE : [The Reincarnator], [Time Traveler], [Quick Learner] Level: 9 => 16 [HP: 2050/1050] [MP: 300/300] [FATIGUE: 60]*orange* EXP: 0/18000 STATUS POINT : 75 __________________ STRENGTH : 9 => 14 AGILITY : 3 => 18 VITALITY : 4 => 19 INTELLIGENCE : 3 => 18(+5) SENSE : 3 => 18(+5) ======================================= Rei was surprised to see his status, ''I am at level 16...I guess those monsters did gave me plenty of exp.'' ''But....how much status points that I got?'' Rei slowly scrolled down his status. ''....?!'' Then he got surprised more by the numbers. ''No way....did I just got 75 point?! That doesn''t make any sense!'' Rei troubled by the numbers that he got was something unexpected for him. He sighed, ''I will put them later....right now, my first priority is to bring James back, before it''s too late.'' Then he slowly getting up and pulled his sword while turning around. But when he saw James who sat there on the ground with his mouth open. ''Is he...scared?'' He thought of it. But unexpectedly, after seeing him defeated those monsters. James'' eyes start to sparkled. ''Huh??'' Rei looked at him and being confused why he had that kind of expression. "T-that was amazing!" Until James start to shout and couldn''t contained his excitement. Rei stopped moving and find it weird for him to be this excited, ''Why is he smiling? Is he...broke?'' Though he doesn''t want to ask him for his mental, he swung his sword to clean the blood off from it. Then sheathed his sword back, before he went towards James to offer his hand. "Can you get up?" Rei asked him. James nodded his head fast and took his hand, so he could pull himself up. "T-thanks...Ray." James looked at him, as he somewhat look shy. "...?" Rei stared at him weird, but hearing him thanking him like that, made him smiled. "It''a not a big deal, but right now we need to be hurry....before¡ª?!" Before Rei finished his sentence, he picked up something from his sense. "Huh? What''s wrong Ra¡ª" *THUD* Rei grabbed James and carry him on his shoulder. *SWOOSH* Then he immediately jumped away... "Ray!? What''s wrong¡ª?!" *SWOOSH* . . . . . *BOOM* Right after they jump, something just landed on where they stood before, creating a strong shockwaves around it. ''Ugh...?!'' Rei and James got caught by the waves and got pushed few miles away from it, as they landed on the ground together. Rei immediately put James down and unsheated his sword, "Damn it..." he cursed. James confused on what happen, and looked around "W-what just happed?" As he asked. ''If I didn''t react fast enough...we both probably dead.'' Rei gulped and staring at this thing that is now in front of them. ''What is that thing....?'' When Rei asked himself. The dust that was around this thing, start clearing away. Revealing giant silhouette, emerged from it. *GRRRR* With its red eyes glows in the dark. Rei couldn''t see it clearly due the dust, but when he took a glimpse of it. "....?" His right eye. *BA-THUMP* "Ugh¡ª?!" Starts to throb, when he saw that thing in full view. Rei quickly covered his right eye with his hand, "Is it...reacting?" As he felt a slightly pain through his golden eye. "What is that thing...?" Rei muttered to himself again. Finally... *GRRRRAAAAAAA* Its start to howl which created another huge soundwaves enough to clear the dust away around it. "Ughhh¡ª?!" Rei could feel his body about to be blown away just from its howl. But he suddenly stop moving. "What...?" He widened his eyes after finally be able to see, the creature that attacked them before. *SWOOSH* From the shadows, a [monster] has appeared. A monster with a massive body covered in black fur. Its dark claws cut the ground as its lips opened to reveal its enormous, sharp teeth. The ruby eyes of the creature glowed in the darkness. And above its head, it displays its name... [The Dark Wolf Leader]. That has the red color in it. Upon seeing its name, Rei grinned and took a deep breath. "Seriously...." "Aren''t you quite early....[Boss Monster]?" When Rei lifted his sword, the enormous wolf begins to howl... Finally, the second round had begun to sound. To be continued... Chapter 7 : The Monster (part 2) Meanwhile, there was a stir regarding the missing kids in the Blumund village. Sheila, Rei''s mother, in particular, is terrified in her room. The reason of that, because her son recently had an accident and now he vanished from sight. Adam, Rei''s father, came into her room. "Adam!" Sheila ran at him, "Did you know where did Ray went to!? He hasn''t gone home yet ever since he ran out!" "I''m worried...something terrible happen to him..." Trembling in fear, Sheild held onto her husband. "We are currently searching for them, right now we have to wait and believe that our son will be back." "Because I know, Ray is a strong kid now." Adam assured her and comforting her in his arms, but behind those words, he was the most worried of all. Now they just hope that their son would come back home safely. ''Ray...please...come back home.'' Adam thought of it while he looked at the moon above them. Emily, his little sister, currently at her room, cuddling onto her pillow while she cried and worried of her older brother. ''Onii-chan...where are you?'' Suddenly... *KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK* Someone knocking on their house door. Hearing that, Adam immediately ran towards outside Sheila following him. Emily also went out from her room to check. When Adam open the door, Nel was standing there while being exhausted as if he has been running for miles. "Adam...we found the kids." Nel spoke to him. "Is Ray okay!?" Sheila interrupted as she while looks worried. "Where is Onii-chan!" Then Emily came out from behind her, crying for her older brother. "Nel...did Ray come back home." Adam asked him. Nel who looked at these three worried over someone this much, made him felt nervous and hesitated to answer. But as his best friend, he told them the truth, by shaking his head, "I''m sorry...we haven''t found Ray yet." "...?!" They were shocked to hear it. "The one we found are Bob and Hans...while James and Ray haven''t been found yet." Nel answered them. Sheila felt her strength slowly slipped away from her body as she about to fall. "Sheila!" Adam immediately caught her in his arms. "Mommy!" Emily cried and held her as well. "I''m okay...sweetie." Sheila spoke while her looks become pale. Then she looked at Nel. "Nel...please take us to those kids, we need to know where did Ray went to." Nel looked at her condition, but he couldn''t refuse to their request. "Okay...but do not force yourself." Nel accepted it and start to lead them his to where the kids are. Adam and Emily held Sheila to walk together, as they brace themselves for the news regarding their son. ****** When they arrived at the post near to the gate, they could see Bob and Hans were crying while being covered in blankets. One of the guards who work together with Nel, approached them. "Sir Nel, you are back! My apologies sir, we still haven''t found the other kids." The guard reported to him. "It''s okay, but is there any clues to where did they go?" Nel asked him. "Yes sir, apparently the kids here...Bob and Hans, told me about the situation and where the other kids are." The guard replied to him. "Bob and Hans? What did they told you?" Nel asked. The guard began to tremble and hesitated to answer. "Hey, come on! Tell me what did they tell you!" Nel held the guard''s shoulders and shake him off to stop his trembling. "T-they told us that...a [Boss Monster] might appear where James and Ray located." The guard finally gave his answer. Nel widened his eyes, "What?! A [Boss Monster]!?" Nel was surprised to hear that name, which he haven''t heard it for so long. Adam and Sheila who heard those words from behind, they couldn''t help to feel hopeless. Emily who stood on behind them, looks scared, "Onii-chan..." "That can''t be! Where did you heard all of this?! Where did you get this information?!" Nel asked him once again. The guard couldn''t help to feel scared, but he need to answer his question. "They told me...the one who gave them this information was from... "Ray...himself." The guard answered ".....?!" They all surprised to hear it, especially his parents who just knew about. "W-wait, Ray know about this? How is he involved with this situation?" Nel asked again, but the guard just shook his head and confused while being scared. "I-i don''t know sir....I think you should ask them in more details...because, you might not believe it." "Because...the one who saved them from danger was..." "Ray." *********** *RUSTLE* *RUSTLE* ''Dammit....dammit....dammit!!!'' Meanwhile, Rei and James currently inside the forest. Where they ran through the trees around them. When Rei turned his head around to check behind him. He saw a giant silhouette is still chasing after them. ''Dammit! The pouch doesn''t work!'' Rei thought of it. *SWOOSH* But then that giant silhouette suddenly disappeared from his sight. ''....?! W-where did it g¡ª'' "Ray!! look out!!!" James warned him before he could noticed the presence that is about to approached them. "Ugh....!!!" Rei quickly stopped his movement to pushed James back to behind him. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. *BOOM* And suddenly this giant silhouette crashed at in front of them with the trees around them began to fell from getting crashed by this thing. ''....?! Did it just jump over us like that?!'' Rei quickly land on his feet while covering James to his back. As the moon start to show up again, they could see what kind of monster that they are facing again. An enormous black-furred wolf with red eyes that gleam in the dark, a mouth that displays its long, sharp fangs, and a black claw on its paws. And above the head of that beast, a name appears. [The Dark Wolf Leader]. Rei looked at the name, ''To think my first encounter [Boss Monster] would be [Red] color name.'' ''I guess...this monster''s level is higher than those wolves before.'' Rei thought of it. At the same time. ''Ugh¡ª?!'' he could feel the lingering pain on his right eyes came back to him. Where his golden color eye, start to glow a bit as if he could feel his right eye getting hotter. ''Not again...'' But he make sure to endure it. Rei put down unsheated his sword, "James...you have the pouch that I gave you, right?" Then he asked him. "Y-yes, what about it?" James asked him back as he doesn''t know why he asked him that. Rei looked at him and smiled, "Well I don''t know if one of us can survive this, so at least¡ª?!" Before Rei finished his sentence, the giant wolf start to jump towards him. *SWOOSH* Then it swung its right claw. *TING* Rei lifted his sword and blocked its claw with his hand holding the back of the blade. But despite that his body getting pushed back a bit. ''U-ughhh!! s-so heavy...'' While holding its claw with his sword, he glared at James that is still behind him. "James!! What the hell are you doing!!! Run now!! Hurry!!" Rei yelled at him when he suddenly fell to his knees to kneel just from holding on its giant claw alone. "B-but..." But James couldn''t move, as his legs trembling this time and his eyes swelled from the tears. Rei clicked his tongue, "Run!! You damn coward!! You are a burden!!! So go away!!" Then he let out harsh words towards him, to make him run while he still have the strength to hold this. James closed his eyes, "AAAAAAAAAA!!!!" Then he yelled out and quickly turn his back against him, and finally... He starts to run away with tears... ''I''m sorry...I''m sorry....I''m sorry...Ray!'' James continue to run without looking back cried to his heart. Rei who saw his back, finally smiled. ''Good...he is finally gone now.'' Rei sighed in relieved, but he isn''t at the situation where he need to let his guard down. So, he gathered his focus again towards this one beast. "I''m your opponent here, you damned beast!!" Rei tried to provoke the beast, to get its attention to him. *TSSSKKK* Then he shifted his sword to the side to make its claw slipped through away from him. *SWOOSH* Then he jumped back to distances him away from the beast. The beast looked at him and stopped moving for a moment. Rei who stood there, sighed heavily, ''Dammit...this monster is too strong for my current self.'' ''Even I did use [Sharp Edge], the gap between us are still wide.'' Rei thought of it, ''So...while the monster is still waiting...I need to do this! "[Status]!" Then he opened his [Status]. ''26 to [Strength], 12 to [Agility], 16 to [Vitality].'' ''7 to [Intelligence] and finally! 12 to [Sense].'' Finally, he used almost all of his status point. After that...he could feel something surging from within his body. *GRRRRRRR* The beast began growl at him as if it knew that there something change to its prey. ''Done.'' ======================================= [STATUS] NAME: Kiritsuka Rei JOB : Blacksmith TITLE : [The Reincarnator], [Time Traveler], [Quick Learner] Level: 9 => 16 [HP: 4250/1050] [MP: 375/300] [FATIGUE: 60]*orange* EXP: 0/18000 STATUS POINT : 75 => 2 __________________ STRENGTH : 14 => 40 AGILITY : 18 => 30 VITALITY : 19 => 35 INTELLIGENCE : 18 => 25(+5) SENSE : 18 => 30(+5) ======================================= But when he shift his eyes to check that monster name... ''.... it''s still [Red], how high is it level does this monster have?'' Rei thought of while getting into his stance then he face the beast again. . . . . . . . At that point, they begin to observe one other in silence. . . . . . And they stood where they were. . . . . . . Despite the cool night, Rei starts to sweat. However, when one of his sweat drops off... . . . . . . . As soon as it hit the ground... *SWOOSH* Once again, the giant wolf jump forward to strike him with its claws. "...?!" *TING* ''Don''t think that I will fall for the same trick ...'' Rei, however, responded to it by raising his sword to deflect its claw, which caused his body to be pushed away a bit. "...?!" Just parrying that one attack made his hand tremble. As soon as he get into his stance back. *SWOOSH* The giant wolf continue to strike him by using his other claw. *TING* Rei didn''t back down and swung his sword to parried its claw away again. "Ugh¡ª?!" Rei jumped back again to create a distances between them. However, the beast prevented him from having that opportunity. Suddenly, its body dive into its own shadow. ''What?!'' *SWOOSH* *GRRRRRRAAAA* When the beast materialised from the shadow in front of Rei, it was too late for him to react. The beast altered its behaviour, by opening its wide mouth and attempting to bite him with those sharp fangs. ''Where should I go?!'' Rei thought of while its mouth to bite his whole body. ''....?!'' Until he noticed one path. *SWOOSH* Rei leaped under the beast and passed through just in time before it closed its mouth. *BAM* *GRRRRR* Then, with a single bite, the beast toppled the tree in front of it. Rei flipped his body and get back to his stance, ''That was close.'' As he gulped. When the beast turns its body around, it begins to radiate a sinister aura all around it. *GRRRRR* Rei lifted his sword, "Are you angry? Then try to bite me!" While he provoked. ''[Sharp Edge]'' Rei cast the skill, making his sword surrounded by red aura. After that. *SWOOSH* They start to leap towards one another. The beast start striking first by swinging its left claw towards him. *TING* Without delay, Rei moved the blade to allow its claw to pass through and deflected it. *SWOOSH* He then spun his body to gain additional momentum and swung his blade from the monster''s right side. *SLASH* It was a direct hit, but... "...?!" His sword only caused a graze on the beast''s body rather than any actual harm. *GRRRRAAAA* Before the creature could try to bite Rei. *SWOOSH* He swiftly leaped away to escape, ''This is hard....'' After he landed, he quickly ran towards the beast right side increasing his speed. *SWOOSH* Then, once again, he swung his sword towards the beast. *GRRRRR* In response to his attack, the beast whacked its claw towards him. *SWOOSH* However, Rei quickly dodged it by twisting his body slightly. *SLASH* Then countered by grazing its body once again. *GRRRRR* It definitely angered the beast. After inflicting that minor wounds on the beast, Rei grinned before leaping back to flee and beginning the going anew in a new direction..... He start to graze its body from... *SLASH* Its left side.... *SLASH* its front side... *SLASH* its back side... *SLASH* and back to its left side once more... The monster only receives little grazes from each strike he makes, but... With each consecutive hit, the damage increased. *GRRRRR* The beast knew exactly what Rei was planning to do. Thus, the beast started to emanate those ominous aura once more. When Rei leap towards the beast again and his sword to reach its body. It was too late for him to react... *GRRRRAAA* From beneath its claws, a pointed black spikes emerged from the shadows to encircle the giant wolf. "....?!" Those spikes struck Rei without warning, injuring both his right thigh and left shoulder. "Ukh¡ª?!" He swiftly withdrew from there and separated himself from the beast after realising how painful his wounds were. ''That''s hurt...'' When Rei turned his head to look again, he saw what had hurt him. ''Is that....'' His eyes widened as he realised that the object originated from the beast''s shadow. ''His shadow?...did this monster just used a skill?!'' Rei thought of it, until... *TSSSSS* "...?!" Rei looked at his injured shoulder and noticed... That his flesh start corroding in black and slowly spreading around the injuries. ''Uggh...! Does it have [Corrosive] power...! It hurts like hell!'' Because of the corrosion, he could feel his skin scorching by it, but he had to endure the pain and keeping his eyes on the beast. *GRRRRR* After the giant wolf drawing back those shadow spikes, the beast abruptly... vanished in the dark. ''Where did it go?!'' Rei widened his eyes and began to scan his surroundings. But the weird part is... ''I cannot sense it...'' Then, he felt something move behind him, "...?!" but when he looked behind, nothing was there. *GRRRRRAAA* Afterwards, the giant wolf materialised from the shadows in front of him, striking him with its claws. ''What?!'' When Rei noticed its presence, it was too late for him to lift his sword in defence. "Ugh¡ª?!" And he ended up got slightly injured on his right arm. *SWOOSH* After leaving an injury on him, the beast then leaped off, passed through him, and dove back into the shadow. ''Ughh...!'' The wound on his right arm start to corroded, turning his skin into black around that wound and the pain start to grow as well. However...the beast didn''t stop at that. *SWOOSH* It continued to leap from a different direction. And just as Rei was about to block it. *SLASH* "Agh¡ª?!" He was slightly injured on his left leg, left another corroding area. ''This pattern...don''t tell me! It''s try to imitate me!'' Rei thought of it while he tried to search it where about. ''I need to retreat...'' But when Rei about to move... *SWOOSH* *GRRRRAAA* With its mouth wide open, the beast lunged out from the shadow on his right side, threatening to devour him. "...?!" Rei quickly noticed and crouched down before it bites his head off. *SWOOSH* Then the beast went back to the shadow again. ''Ugh....but it doesn''t let me escape¡ª?!" Afterward, Rei sensed something on the ground beneath him, forcing him to throw himself from where he had stood before. *SWOOSH* Suddenly, a shadow spike emerged at that location where he had stood before. "TAP* Then when he landed on the ground. *SWOOSH* Rei quickly jumped again before another shadow spike emerged from where he landed. *GRRRRAAA* Just as he managed to dodge it, the enormous wolf materialised from the shadows and struck him once more with its claw. *TING* However, Rei was able to parry its claw and his left abdomen still received a slight injury. "Ughh....!!" As the pain grows again. *SWOOSH* The beast kept moving and attacking him in all directions, as though it were making fun of him. ''When this is going to end...'' Meanwhile, Rei didn''t know how to handle those shadow movements, so he the only thing he could do... Is to dodge and block with everything he had. ******* As time goes by... Rei stood before the giant wolf with his body full of injuries added with the corrosion that progressing faster. His vision turned blurry and his tiredness had affecting it all. "HAAAAAA!!!" Rei lost all rationality and cried unexpectedly, swinging his sword towards the beast. But with his both sides wide open... *BAM* "Ugh¡ª?!" Rei couldn''t react when the beast whacked him with its claw from his right side. And got blown away. *BOOM* Then crashed against some trees besides him. "Agh¡ª!!!" He could feel the intense pain in his right stomach and was coughing up blood. "Ughh...I can''t give up..." As he attempted to stand up using his sword to help him stand. "...?" He saw the beast used its tail. *BAM* Then whacked him on his left side. "Agh¡ª?!" His body was thrown aside like a rag doll. "Ugh...." He then coughed more blood as the corrosion continue to spread around his body. That last strike caused him to lose almost half of his HP that continue to goes down because of the corrosion. ''It''s hurt...'' When he attempted to stand again. ''It''s hurt...'' His mind slowly become distorted. ''It''s hurt...it''s hurt...it''s hurt...it''s hurt...it''s hurt...it''s hurt...it''s hurt...it''s hurt...it''s hurt...it''s hurt...it''s hurt...it''s hurt...it''s hurt...'' Then suddenly... ''It''s hurt...?'' The pain slowly fading... ''Huh??...it''s not hurt anymore....?'' as his body start to fall... ''Why is it cold now...?'' His blood start leaking from his body. He could see his blood flowing onto the ground next to his face, ''Am I....? going to die...?'' His consciousness slowly fading. ''I am feeling sleepy...'' And his surrounding become dark... But suddenly a voice came out... ''Hey, wake up.'' ''This voice...Houston?'' Rei, felt his finger twitch upon hearing that voice. ''Yeah, it''s me.'' Ray replied to him As Rei could tell, that he standing directly in front of him. However, he lacked the strength to raise his head and look up at Ray, so he remained still on the ground. ''I''m sorry... I couldn''t fulfill your promise...'' Rei spoke weakly. Ray shook his head, ''It''s okay...Kiritsuka, it''s not your fault.'' But upon hearing those words, his tears start to fall from his eyes, ''But...I failed...I failed to protect our family...'' Ray looked at him and smiled ,''You didn''t failed, you managed to hold on against that monster alone.'' ''Because of your efforts...I had awaken, which is why...'' ''It''s my turn now.'' ''So go back to rest...Kiritsuka.'' Rei looked at him, ''Houston, what do you mean by¡ª'' Before Rei finished his sentence, he begin to fell asleep... ''Your partner here...will handle this.'' . . . . . A few minutes later, the giant wolf was observing Rei, who was lying on the ground. Then it started to approach him with its mouth drooling and prepared to devour him. *....?!* But suddenly the beast sensed something and stopped its approach... When the young boy, who was at the death door. Had start to stand with his sword. [Notice!] [You acquired a skill!] A notification from the system came out. [Skill [Persona] had been used] As he raised his gaze to the beast, the young boy''s golden right eye began to shine. "We finally met again...you furry bastard." The voice that came out from him was different. "But I am surprised, managed to injured a you, a [Boss Monster], I am truly thankful for him to hold on until I came back." The young boy spoke. When the giant wolf notices something unusual about the child in front of it, it begins to growl. *GRRRRR* The young boy began to looked directly towards the beast''s eyes and smiled. "Are you happy to see me again?" As he spoke. [Notice!] [Skill [Persona] has neutralize the corrosion] Following that shift of his attitude and demeanour, another notification appeared, while the corrosion on his body started to halt. "I am happy...because I get the chance to kill the bastard, who ruined my life." *CLINK* The young boy raised his sword and pointed it towards the beast. "Shall we begin our final act...end this charades." Finally... [Ray Houston] had joined the fight. and started to confront the beast that had destroyed his past... To be continued... Chapter 8: Farewell My Past At the same time... In the middle of the night, a carriage was travelling to the village of Blumund. Through the carriage''s glass, a young girl could be seen with her maid and guard inside. "Ojou-sama...we are about to arrived at the Blumund village at morning, so it best for you to sleep first." The maid spoke with a polite manner. The young girl had a robe that cover her head, with her face remained hidden. "I understand, but right now, I just have a bad feeling." The young girl replied while holding her both hands together as she looks at the window. Her maid and guard were confused seeing this young girl for having those kind of feelings. But then... *BOOM* The carriage suddenly shook a bit after that explosive sound. "H-huh??" The young girl was surprised from the sudden noise. "Ojou-sama!" And her maid suddenly hugged her to keep her safe While her guard immediately knocked the glass, "What was that!" The guard asked to the courier who drove the carriage. "I-i don''t know sir!" The courier replied. "Stop the carriage now!" The guard ordered him. "Y-yes!" Finally, the carriage begin to stop. The guard immediately went down first to checked their surroundings with the other guards. Then they saw a smoke coming out in the middle of forest. "What just happened?" The guard asked again. Then... *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* As the explosion noise continue to be heard, the young girl went out from the carriage alone. "Ojou-sama! you must get inside!" Her maid immediately went down to follow her. "Yes! Ojou-sama! It''s dangerous!" And her guard immediately stopped her from walking further. But she suddenly raised lift her hand. "...?!" Then they stopped. The young girl somehow looks so calm, her gaze move towards the source of the smoke. "It seems, my bad feelings had come true..." ******* *TING* Soon after, a young boy and a giant wolf beast were seen fighting in the middle of the forest. [Ray Houston], the one who controling the body right now as began to deflecting the monster claws in ease. *TANG* After they both clashed, they begin to run around the trees. *TING* Then, with astonishing speed, they clashed once more. *TING* With that kind of speed, Ray continue to blocked and parried all the incoming attacks using his sword. *GRRRRR* The beast start to get angry when most of his attacks are now being deflected just like that. So when they stopped their movement and having face to face, the beast used a new kind of attack. *SWOOSH* By using its tail that dive into the shadow and appeared behind from behind him. "...??" Ray saw the incoming attack from behind and turned his body. *TING* Then raised his sword and blocked the tail that enveloped with shadow. At the same time... "Heh!" By using the force from its tail, his body was thrown towards the beast. *GRRRR?!* *SWOOSH* Ray spun his body in mid-air to created a strong momentum, after that... ''[Horizontal Slash].'' He swung his sword from its right side. *TANG* It was a direct hit, his sword whacked the beast''s head over which grazed its eye. *GRRRRR* Then the giant wolf... *GRRRRAAA!!!* ...started to howl as its shadows began to spread out across its body, creating shadow spikes everywhere. "...?!" When Ray noticed the spikes getting closer, his eyes wide opened, but he was smiling. *TING* Then he struck the spikes with his sword once more, allowing his body to be forced back by the force of the impact. And at last, he managed to get some distance from the beast. Ray sighed and raised his sword again, ''This isn''t going anywhere.'' ''Even though I had boosted my status due the new skill, the gap between us, aren''t getting shorter...'' ======================================= [Persona] Active Skill MP Cost : 0 Duration : 10 min. A skill that allow the user to switch their soul with another soul that live within the user body. Increasing +50% overall status for 10 minutes. Penalty: Decrease -20% overall status for 1 hour ======================================= ======================================= [STATUS] NAME: Kiritsuka Rei JOB : Blacksmith TITLE : [The Reincarnator], [Time Traveler], [Quick Learner] Level: 16 [HP: 740/2050] [MP: 300/300] [FATIGUE: 300]*orange* EXP: 0/18000 STATUS POINT : 2 __________________ STRENGTH : 40(+20) This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. AGILITY : 30(+5)(+17) VITALITY : 35(+17) INTELLIGENCE : 25(+5)(+15) SENSE : 30(+5)(+17) ======================================= Ray checked the time duration of his skill, ''I only have 5 minutes left.... I need to be quick, before I switch back with Kiritsuka.'' Ray would laugh when he noticed the beast glaring at him after their eyes met once more. "Hahaha! Do you hate me...? We have the same feeling here!" "I am so thankful here... for Kiritsuka. Who gave me this chance to take my revenge." Ray tightened his grasp on his sword while feeling a surge of rage from within his mind. "I have been waiting for this moment ever since the day you devoured my family." But his expression remained composed as his right golden eye glinted. "So don''t worry....I will make sure to give you the worst pain that you will ever had! before your death." "But that won''t be enough...I shall peeled your skin to be used for my clothes, plucking your claws and fangs as to be used for my sword." "And finally I will use your core until the day those items worns its duty!" With a twisted smile, he then aimed his sword at the beast. "So, let me show you...the training I have been going through." Then he begin to take a deep breath before slowly letting it out. After that, he took a stance while focusing his eyes towards the beast. Then...he raised his sword. . . . . . . With incredible speed. *SWOOSH* He appeared right in front of the beast. *GRRRRR?!* ''[Shukuchi].'' Then he swung his sword down towards its upper body. ''[Vertical Slash].'' *SLASH* . . . . . . . *SPURTS* Finally, he had wounded the beast with that blow, the cut was deep on its upper body which causing its blood to fly all over the place. *GRRRRAAA* The beast cried in pain, after it couldn''t react to his speed on that time. *GRRRRR* But the beast didn''t just let him attack, the monster lifted its right claw to strike him down. *SWOOSH* But he took a step back and avoided it with the least amount of effort. *TAP* Following that, he took a step forward and leap up, while rotating his body. *SWOOSH* Then he swung it in straight horizontal line towards the beast''s head. ''[Horizontal Slash].'' *SLASH* . . . . . . . *SPURTS* As he left a deep cut towards the giant wolf''s face. *GRRRRAAA* Once again, the beast let out a painful growl as its shadow started to twitch, causing a similar shadow spike to appear on its surrounds. *SWOOSH* But Ray took another step back again and jumped back to take some distances away from the beast. *GRRRRR* Now that its body has sustained additional injury, the beast feels cornered. From the minor damage on the rest of the beast''s body that Rei had inflicted, until two deep wounds on it caused by Ray. *GRRRRR* The beast eventually released a massive dark aura, as it started to grow cautious of Ray''s presence. Releasing a pressure around it. Ray still being composed even after seeing that. ''Since you, finally getting serious...'' Ray looked down at his sword, which looked worn and as though it would crack from all the use Rei had made of it against these creatures. "Thank you for helping me until the end..." "I will use my all now." "[Sharp Edge]." He raised his sword directly in front of him, and a red aura start enveloped it. While his eyes, both red and golden, shone brilliantly. When he closed his eyes for a moment... He suddenly had a flashback from his future and that reminded him of someone''s words... ****** It was a memory of Ray having a conversation with a young girl sitting near to him. "Ray, do you ever heard a job called [Magic Swordsman]?" The young girl questioned. "[Magci Swordsman]??" Ray repeated her words. "Yeah! a [Magic Swordsman]! Instead of focusing on either sword or magic, it''s a job that allow you to use both!" The young girl excitedly explained. Which made Ray surprised to hear it, "A job that allow you to use both magic and sword?" Then he began to laugh, "That sound like a [Hero] job to me..." The young girl pouted, "Muuu! It''s not a [Hero] job! you silly!" Then punch his arm lightly. "Hey!" Ray laughed once more while watching the young girl silly acts. It was a nostalgic memory he had. ****** Back to present. ''[Magic Swordsman]...like the name, it''s a job that allow someone to use both magic and sword.'' ''It''s a job that is extremely difficult to learn, because you need the aptitude to use both magic and sword.'' ''But for someone like me who doesn''t have combat job...it''s still doable.'' ''I still remember how many times used this one certain skill from [Magic Swordsman].'' ''Even though it''s a fake.'' Ray breathed deeply once again before closing his eyes and concentrating on his intuition and sense. ''First, [Fire].'' A small fire start to flared up at in front of him. ''Second absorb the [Fire] and infused into the sword...'' Suddenly, the small fire was drawn into his blade and began to engulf the whole sword in flames. ''Finally...let them burn it out!!'' Ray let the flame swirl around the sword as he opened his eyes. ''Then compress it...compress it more!!'' Suddenly, the swirl of fire started to take shape... [Notice!] [You acquired a skill!] Finally, the blade of his weapon was transformed into a fire sword. While his MP continue to go down while he maintain the fire. "[Imitation Fire Sword]." ======================================= [Imitation Fire Sword] Active Skill MP Cost: 50 Cooldown: 20 sec. Maintain the skill: -10 MP/1 sec. An Imitation of a skill called [Fire Magic Sword] by enveloping the sword with fire magic and compress it and combine them into one sword. ======================================= Ray succeeded on recreating the skill, ''Yes, this is the skill that I had acquired in the future.'' ''With the current me...this is the shape I can get from.'' Ray thought of it. Upon seeing that, the giant wolf started to release all of its massive dark aura. Then the beast start howling. *GRRRRAAA* Ray focused his attention back to the beast, "Thank you for waiting." "Now...die!" Finally, he rushed in towards the direction of the giant wolf with no fear. *GRRRRR* The giant wolf begin to anticipated him, then spread its shadow, wide enough to created a domain for Ray to enter. "...?!" But Ray didn''t stop and continue to run. *SWOOSH* When Ray finally walked into the domain, numerous spike emerged the shadow and moved towards him. Ray who continue to run began to swing his fire sword towards the spikes that is moving towards him. ''[Horizontal Slash]!'' *BAM* He destroyed one of the shadows. ''[Vertical Slash]!'' *BAM* Then he destroyed another one. ''[Horizontal Slash]!'' *BAM* Another one. ''[Vertical Slash]!'' *BAM* And one after another... ''[Horizontal...! [Vertical...! [Horizontal...! [Vertical...! [Horizontal...! [Vertical...! [Horizontal...! [Vertical...! [Horizontal...! [Vertical...! [Horizontal...! [Vertical...! [Horizontal...! [Vertical...! [Horizontal...! [Vertical...!'' Ray continued to destroy all the spikes that approaching him. ''Do not stop!!....'' As the numbers of shadows continue to rise. Ray continue to move, with his body sustained damage while destroying those shadows. ''Endure it...'' While enduring the pain and not dodging the attack that slip through his sword. ''Push yourself...'' And kept his concentration on what in front of him, pushing himself through the limit and the pain he had experienced so far. ''For the future!!!!'' When Ray continue to run and run when he almost getting near. Feeling cornered, the giant wolf had decided to use its shadows to form a barrier of some kind around itself. But... *CRACK* When the beast thought it was safe from it barrier. *SHATTERS* It barriers had shattered apart, with Ray breaking through using his fire sword. Finally, he is now glaring at the monster while standing directly in front of it... "Farewell...my past....." Ray muttered. "HAAAAAA!!!!!" With all of his might, Ray swiftly swung his flaming sword from his right to aim for its neck... *SLASH* . . . . . . Ray''s eyes grew wide when he realised he had sliced its front legs. ''What...?'' To survived that one attack, the giant wolf gives up its legs. ''Are you.... kidding me...?'' *GRRRRRRRAAA* With its mouth wide open, the giant wolf had prepared to rip Ray''s head off... But... Before its mouth about to reach his head. . . . . . . . A voice came out nowhere... "[Restraint]." The giant wolf movement halted in the midst of it. Ray widened his eyes after he saw the beast suddenly stopped moving. ''Wha¡ªNo! This is a chance!'' With the fire sword in hand continue to blaze, Ray took aim and finally... "HAAAAAAAAA!!!!" *STAB* He stabbed towards the beast''s head through its gaping mouth. . . . . . . After that, he stopped for a moment and... "BURST!!!" He shouted out. *SHING* . . . . . . *BOOM* Ray released the compressed fire from wothin the sword and burst out through the giant wolf head which resulting its head had been completely evaporated. Then...finally.... [You leveled up!] [You leveled up!] [You leveled up!] [You leveled up!] [You leveled up!] The headless giant wolf body, slowly fell down... *TSSSSSSS* As his sword slowly crippled away... "Haaah...haah....." Ray panted heavily and start fell on his knees. As he glanced up at the night sky, the pain began to return after being induced by adrenaline. While his vision started to fade, his body fell to the ground next to the lifeless body of the beast. [Notice!] [Skill [Persona] has ended!] Ray slowly felt sleepy, "Move..... I need to go back home..." "I promised them..." But he continued to resist, attempting to crawl his body on the ground. . . . . . . . Before closing his eyes... *TAP* He caught a glimpse of someone approaching him. A young girl with a coat stood in front of him, but he could see her face because her face by covered due her robe. "You are..." Ray raised his hand to reach her. "I don''t know who you are.....but please protect...." While his consciousness start to fade. "Our....family." He gave his last words before he switched back and finally, fell unconscious... The girl stood there quietly watching him on the ground. "Ojou-sama!!" Her guard and maid shouted while they followed from behind her. "....?!" Then they stopped moving after they saw a giant headless beast was lying on the ground beside an injured child. "What happen here?!" The guard asked while being surprised. "Ojou-sama! It''s dangerous here! We need to¡ª" While her maid insisted her to run away from this location, until she stopped when she saw her mistress. Having an unexpected expression. "No....it can''t be....Rei...kun....?" The young girl muttered as if she recognized his face. "Harson, quickly we need save him!" The young girl ordered her guard. Harson, her guard, was surprised from the sudden order, "H-huh?? Understood Ojou-sama!" He replied and followed her order to carry the child which lying on the ground in front of her. Her guard and maid were both surprised when they saw a small child who appeared to be much younger than them and was covered in wounds. Harson examined him first, ''How in the world? Who is this boy? Is he the one who defeated that giant monster?'' ''That''s impossible.'' He thought of it, while he brought him back to the carriage with the maid and the young girl. ''So light...and his body is so small, how mysterious, I don''t know what happen to him, but...'' ''I need to save this boy.... for Ojou-sama sake.'' Harson thought of it while following his mistress. As they walked away, the soldiers that were waiting for them had been ordered by the young girl to take care the dead monster body and for their destination.... ...they need to go to, Blumund village. ****** Rei found himself alone in the middle of the white space. He was wearing his middle school uniform, and his black hair and red eyes were returned. "Where...is this?" He questioned himself while looking around, but there was nothing around him. Until, he heard a voice...of someone crying from behind. "....?" When he turned around, he saw a small boy who had the same looks just like him. The small boy was on the floor, sitting down there while hugging his knees. Rei felt something familiar towards this child as he approached him slowly. When Rei stood behind him, "Why are you crying...." he asked. But the small boy continue to hide his face on his knees while still crying. Then the child answered, "B-because..." "My father...and mother...they left me." Rei, who heard his words, felt a sting inside his chest. But he smiled as he sat behind the youngster with his back against him. "I see, why do they leave?" Rei asked. "They said because I''m their child...and I shouldn''t be born." "Now...I''m all alone." The child answered him. But Rei didn''t looked at him, "No, you aren''t alone." He replied to his words. "Why not?..." The child asked. Rei smiled, "Because I am here." "But you are also alone." The child replied. "But now I am not, because we now have a family." Rei spoke. The child raised his head, "R-really?" "Yepp, really." Rei answered. "B-but won''t they hate us?" The child asked him. "Why do you think they would hate us?" Rei asked him back. "Because...we are not their son." The child answered him with an obvious answer. Rei shook his head, "They won''t...because I had experienced it." "Despite they know their child have changed, the love they expressed to us...the warmth and the kindness...didn''t change at all." "So, they probably know that I am not their son...but they still love me despite that." Rei explained with his gentle tone. The child began to stop crying while he listened to Rei. "T-then, they won''t mad if I w-wake up late!" The child asked. "They won''t..." Rei answered "T-then c-can I eat a lot of food...?" The child asked again. "Yes you can." Rei answered him again. "Then....can I get a hug from them?" And the child asked again. Rei stood up and walked towards in front of him, then he patted his head... "Of course, they would give you a plenty of hug." Rei answered him once again, with a big smile towards the child. When the child raised his head, he revealed the same red color eyes towards him. *THUD* "...?!" Then the child jumped at him, hugging him hard. Rei slowly responded him and embrace his small body with his arms. "Mhm!" The child responded with a big smile and tears falling from his eyes. And suddenly, the child''s body begins to shine, while his legs fade into a glittering light. "Thank you, for staying with Onii-san...but I have to go now." The child thanked him while still hugging him. "You don''t have to thank me." Rei closed his eyes while his arms still hugging onto him. "Can we meet again...?" The child asked him. Rei who heard his questioned, would smiled and nodded his head once more, "Yeah, we can." "Really?" The child asked once more as half of his body start to fade. "Yes, really." Rei answered him again and slowly felt his arms holding onto nothing. "Then, that''s a promise!" And the child replied to him with a big smile. And disappeared into the light. Rei looked at the light and smiled, "Yeah, it''s a promise." After that, the whole place start to shine and his unconscious slowly fading again. ******* Rei slowly opened his eyes and regained his consciousness back. "Ughhh..." He looked around and saw himself lying on the bed with his entire body covered in bandages. "Where...am I?" Rei asked himself, then he turned his head to his left. And he saw Emily was sleeping on his side while holding his hand. "E....mily...?" Then called her name while reached her head with his hand and gently stroking her hair. Suddenly, Emily responded to it and heard his voice, she immediately wake up and find her brother had awaken. "O...o...." Her face suddenly become mess and she cried, "Onii-chan!!!!" Then she quickly hugging him tight. Rei was surprised when she hugged him this tight, "U-uggh...Emily." He whimpered a bit, when he felt the pain all over his body after she hugged him. But he endure just for her, "I''m back, Emily." Emily cried loudly, "Uwaaahhhhhh!!! Onii-chan...!!! Don''t leave me!!!" Rei smiled at her, then he gently embrace her small body while stroking her hair. "There there..your Oniichan is here now." Rei tried to comfort her, but her hug tightened a bit which made him felt the pain more. "...?!" And she continued to cry in his arms. Then, he noticed someone presence approaching the room *CREAK* When the door was open, Rei smiled after seeing his parents who had this messy looks just like their daughter. Sheila, his mother, covered her mouth with her hand as her tears fell down from her eyes. Adam, his father, start to cry as soon as he saw his son woke up. Rei waved his hand to greet them with smile, "I''m back~ Mom...Dad~" *TAP* *TAP* Then, they both rushed towards him. *THUD* And finally, they hugged him together with Emily. "Welcome back...my son!" Adam spoke while he cried. "Welcome back....Ray!" Sheila spoke the same while she cried as well. Seeing them cried for him, Rei closed his eyes and smiled. Savoring this moment together with them. Although, his body is starting to hurt from their hugs. But that doesn''t matter... ''Because....we are home now.'' To be continued... Chapter 9 : The Girl & The Blacksmith (Part 1) It was peaceful morning in the Blumund village. "YOU STUPID SON!!" And loud voice broke down within the Houston family house, where the source of the voice came from Rei''s room. Rei who just woke up from his injury after preventing the disaster, is now having face to face with his angry mother, Sheila. "Ummm...." Rei sat on the bed with his two knees, while he looking down feeling guilty for making them worried. "You promise me that you won''t go away like that ever again!!" After crying throughout the morning, his mother suddenly began scold him aloud. "U-ummm... H-honey y-you should maybe calm down a bi¡ª" His father, Adam had tried to calm her down. But, "Calm down!! you want me to calm down?! even after seeing our son almost died¡ªTWICE!!" Sheila increased her voice again while directed her anger towards her husband. "U-ummmm..." Adam couldn''t retorted her words and gave up on her. "M-mommy...don''t mad...please...." Emily cried, and pulling on Sheila''s dress as if it were going to stop her. ''What a mess...'' Rei thought while he watched them quietly as he was still sitting there on the bed. ''But, it is entirely my fault to broke their promises.'' Though he felt guilty about it. ''At least they are safe and sound.'' He would smile after knowing they''re fine and have a lot of energy to be acting like this. "Mom...Dad..." Rei then start interrupting their arguments. As he kneeled in front of them, "I''m sorry for making you all worried again." "I promise I won''t do it again." Rei apologize towards them. Sheila who heard his heartfelt apology, gradually calmed down. Then approached him, "Promise...?" She asked him. Rei raised his head, "I promise." And replied to her with smile. *THUD* Suddenly, she hugged him tight. "....?" Rei would smile again and gently wrapped his arms around her to hug her back. "Make sure you hold that promise okay....or I will forbid you from going out, okay?" Sheila gave her words to him, to make sure he hold the promise. Rei looked nervous, "I-i''ll try..." though he unsure that he can hold that promise. When the problem in this morning had finally over. Suddenly, a voice can be heard from inside his head. ''This room felt nostalgic.'' ''And I guess mom sure is still a crybaby.'' Ray was the one who talked through his head. ''This felt weird.'' Rei thought of it while thinking the problem hasn''t over yet. ''For some reason after that battle with that monster, I could hear his voice now.'' ''Was there something that triggered this?'' Rei sighed, ''Let''s think about that later... I''m too tired.'' When he snapped back into reality, he looked at his mother who still had her arms wrapped around him. "Ummm...Mom? can I rest for a while?" Then he asked. Sheila immediately pulled herself away from him. "A-ah! Hehehe, sorry~ forgive mommy okay?" Then she smiled at him while getting her energy back again. "Make sure you rested okay? No moving around!" Sheila told him to behave. "Yes mom, I won''t." Rei replied to her obediently. "Ray, if you need something you can call us okay?" Adam also gave him his words. "Yes dad, I will call for you." Rei nodded with smile. But Emily was still crying for him, "O-onii-chan! Emily will come back for you!! I promise!!" Rei just smiled at her, "Mhm, I will be waiting." When they were about to leave, Adam turned around to looked at him. "But before that... there is someone you need to say thank you." Adam reminded him. Rei tilted his head, curious by what he had said. "Someone that I need to say thank you?" He repeated his words. *CREAK* Suddenly, the door was pushed opened. *BA-THUMP* And his heart start thumping hard. "...?!" When he saw child wearing a hooded robe, with a guard and a maid walking from behind her. *BA-THUMP* Then his heart thumping hard again. ''What is this feeling?'' Rei thought of it when they are now standing in front of his bed. "It seems you have awake." A voice of a little girl could be heard. "...?!" When the child removed her hood, Rei''s eyes widened in surprise. And the one who recognized her first was... ''You are....'' It was Ray. It was ultimately revealed that beneath that hood was a beautiful girl with dark-night silky hair and blue-sky eyes standing directly in front of him. Rei suddenly felt his throat went dry and gulped, seeing such beautiful girl before him like this somewhat awkward. ''Who...is she?'' He asked himself. ''Ukh¡ª?!'' When suddenly his right eye throbbed a bit, as if responding to what he sees. ''She is...'' Ray spoke inside his head. ''Houston? Do you know who she is?'' Rei asked him, but the little girl start to approach him one more time. "...?!" The little girl smiled at him and slowly lift her side skirt a bit while bowing her head slightly. "First and foremost, I want to apologize for bothering Ray-sama and his family time now." The girl spoke politely. Rei felt out of the place here, getting apologize from an unknown girl out of nowhere. "N-no! T-that''s okay hahaha!" Rei responded nervously. ''What with this situation?!'' While being confused of what happen. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. "And, I should be the one who is thanking you...for saving my life." Rei then replied with smile as he bowing his head a bit towards her to politely gave her his heartfelt gesture. The little girl who saw him doing that, she suddenly smiled. "I see...thank you for forgiving me, and it is my pleasure to help someone in need." The little girl replied to his words. Though the tense atmosphere around them still remain. "Now then, since we are about to talk something." The little girl turned around towards his parents and his little sister. "So I excuse myself, Adam-sama, Sheila-sama and Emily-sama, can I have a private talk with Ray-sama here?" The little girl asked for a permission. ''¡ªS-sama??'' Rei felt even weirder for being called like that because he had always been a commoner and had never been called that before. Meanwhile, Adam and Sheila exchanged puzzled glances when she asked them. Sheila looks more puzzled, "Hmmmm, I think it''s fine." And she gave her ok to her, "But don''t be too long okay? Because Ray need to have rest after all." While added her concern of her son. The little gir smiled, "I understand Sheila-sama." Then bowed her head slightly towards her. Adam and Sheiled exchanged glances once more, as they eventually left with Emily, leaving Rei alone with these strangers. ******* Now the situation is as follows, Rei was still on his bed, with the little girl seated on a chair near him, and her guard and maid standing behind her side by side. Rei could feel the stare from the little girl, as he somewhat uncomfortable from it. ''Hey, Houston, do you know who she is?'' Rei finally had the chance to ask him again. But Ray was suddenly quiet and hesitated to answer. ''Houston?'' Rei called him again. Then Ray gave up, ''Yes, I do....'' Rei''s eyes twitch slightly after hearing his reply. ''If you do know, why you don''t tell me.'' Ray sighed, ''Because I was unsure...if it was her.'' ''So? Who is she?'' Rei asked him again. ''....'' But Ray remained quiet and still hesitant to answer him. ''Don''t tell me...she is your past lover or something, because that would be weird in this situation, right?'' Rei spoke. ''....'' But Ray remained quiet. ''Right?????'' Rei asked him again, as he felt something weird. Until, he realized why he was being mute this whole time, ''Wait...is she really?'' Ray finally gave up, ''Yeah, she was once my friend...'' . . . . . ''And....'' . . . . . . ''My lover...'' and gave him his answer. "....?!" That threw him off guard, and he nearly choked on nothing as soon as he heard it. "What?!" Rei accidentally shouted. "...?! Are you okay, Ray-sama?" The little girl was shook when he suddenly shouted like that. Rei quickly closed his mouth as soon as he noticed the suprise that was written all over the girl''s face and the others. "I-it was nothing." Rei replied to assured her from getting worried. ''You surprised me right there!'' Rei yelled at him. ''Hey! It''s not my fault that you start to shout! I did gave you the answer!'' Ray yelled back at him. Rei heaved a sigh trying calmed down from that. ''Well it is pretty shocking, to think that you would have a relationship with this girl.'' Rei commented of his statement. Ray shook his head, ''No, it''s fine, it was my fault for not telling you earlier.'' ''Because I am surprised that she will be here.'' Rei explained. ''Huh?? You are? I mean, isn''t she your lover in the future?'' Rei asked him curiously. ''Yeah, she is...but.'' Ray was still hesitant to answer. ''But what? Don''t you ever met her before when you were a kid??'' Rei asked him again to pry more. Ray shook his head, ''No...as far as I remember.'' ''Today was supposed to be the day of when the disaster start...so, having her here after we stopped the disaster doesn''s make sense.'' Ray explained. ''Why do you think so?'' Rei asked him. ''Because...we both met, during the academy start.'' Ray answered him. ''What?! You mean...you went to academy?'' Rei asked because he is curious on how did he end up getting into academy. ''Yeah, but that is another story for later...right now, the problem is still about her.'' Ray refused to explain to him and focusing on the current matter. ''R-right.'' Rei answered him, but still he is curious about that story. ''So, about the problem is...how did she know about the location of our village.'' Ray spoke. ''Don''t she have a map? I mean, we are a village with name.'' Rei replied, because every village that had a name are need to be registered in the Kingdom they are allied with. So, they can make a request and sell some crop, and even pay the taxes for the Kingdom. ''Yes, but the thing is...our village was known by others, more like our village doesn''t exist in the map in the future due the disaster.'' Ray explained. ''What?! I didn''t know about that!'' Rei replied, because he was somewhat taken back from the fact that he did read most of the books in the house about the history. But not the world. ''Yes, of course you wouldn''t know, because our village is located right next to the border between human world and demon realm.'' ''So it is quite difficult for people to know about this village even exist.'' Ray explained. Rei looked complex after getting this kind new information, ''Uhhhh, I see...then for some reason, this lover of yours from the future, know this place?'' ''Yeah, I told her about this village after we become a lover, so...it is impossible for her to know.'' Ray replied. ''I see...'' Rei answered him. ''But don''t call her my lover yet, because the current me and her...doesn''t know each other.'' Ray suddenly getting irritated. Ray would blink his eyes for a moment, then he smirked, ''Hoho?~ [yet]?~ it seems our regressor here still have feeling for her~" Ray sighed, ''You brat...don''t tease this old man.'' Meanwhile, when Rei was having fun talking with Ray within his mind. The little girl seemed even more puzzled while she watched his expression change from time to time. Even her guard was confused by him too, then he leaned his head down towards her ear. "Ojou-sama, is this kid okay?" Her guard whispered into her ear. Even the little girl here confused by his weird behavior, "I-i guess? I think we need to start talking now, so..." "Ray-sama." The little girl decide to call him. Rei immediately snap back into reality, "H-hmm? a-ahh yes!" He replied to her. ''I totally forgot that these people are still here, I will squeeze every info from him later.'' While thinking that, his attention slowly shifted back to her. "Ummm, so...what are we talking about now?" Rei asked her not knowing what to say. But his action displeased her guard and maid "Boy! You''re being disrespectful to Ojou-sama¡ª?!" her guard spoke in irritated tone and about to unsheated his sword. "That''s right! after Ojou-sama¡ª?!" When her maid released some sort aura around her body. The little girl raised her hand which stopped them from talking, "Stop it you two." "....??" Rei was surprised when they stopped their aggression just from a single gesture of a little girl. Then the little girl smiled at him, "I apologize for their behavior, since they are just doing their job to protect me~" "I-it''s okay, I was being rude, so I apologize as well." Rei replied. The little girl giggled, "Fufufu~ I guess we are even~" Rei sudden felt her smile was bright like a sun, ''Ughh...she is too beautiful.'' He commented within his mind. Then the little girl clapped her both hands, "Right! I forgot to introduce myself~" She fix her posture and looked straight into his eyes, "My name is Iris~ nice to meet you, Ray-sama~" Iris introduced herself while she slightly bow her head towards him. "U-ummm...nice to meet you too, Iris-san." Rei returned the gesture by slightly bowing his head. "And this is my personal guard, Harson." Iris introduced Harson who stood straight beside her. "And she is my personal maid, Silvi." Followed by introducing Silvi who bow her head slightly. Rei slightly bowed his head again, "N-nice meet you too...?" He spoke while he could feel their stare no¡ª ''Is it hostility?'' Rei thought while he felt their feelings towards him. "A-ah! Right, I almost forgot to introduce myself." "I''m sure you already know my name but... let me introduce myself again." "My name is Ray Houston, and once again, thank you for saving my life." Rei slightly bowed his head to her. Then he raised his and gave her the warmest smile he could ever do. Silence filled the room after that. Rei blinked twice when the girl doesn''t seem to respond to him. "...???" She just stood there with a quiet smile on her face. ''Did I mess up...?'' Rei thought of while being nervous from this silence. In that moment, even though her face looks calm but inside her mind was... ''KYAAAAAAA~? IT''S THE REAL RAY-SAMA!!! Is this for real!! I''m right in front of him!!'' She screamed internallly. Then she observed him closely, ''But....I don''t remember he has different color on his eyes.'' But her heart beating fast while she reminded him of someone, ''And his calm attitude and that smile...somehow he reminds me of him.'' Both her maid and guard were perplexed by their young lady''s unusual silence. "Ummm...Ojou-sama?" Silvi called her. "H-huh?? Yes?" Iris finally woke up from daydreaming and noticed that they were staring at her now. "A-ahh sorry! I was just thinking of something~ hahaha~" Iris laughed it off nervously to hide the fact she was really day dreaming. Then she coughed a bit, "A-ahem, let''s go back to our conversation." When Iris said that, the atmosphere turned into seriousy, which made him felt tense. Her guard, Harson suddenly step forward and looking at him. "As you know, when you are unconscious we have gathered some information about you from the people around this village." Harson began to speak. Rei stared at him cautiously this time, ''I see..is there something wrong?" Harson didn''t answered him, "Not too long ago, you got caught into an accident by a wild boar monster." "Fell unconscious for 3 days, after you wake up...your behavior turned weird." Harson continue to reported. Rei became anxious, but he needs to remain calm in front of them. "After that, you asked your father to teach you, how to forge a sword." "And sometimes you ask some weird stuff to others, regarding about...[monster]." Harson continued again. "..?!" Rei gulped, feeling more nervous about where this was leading to. "You also gathered some ingredients that have strong smell." Rei continue to remain calm despite all the information he told him were pretty much correct. "Then some people around the village said, they sometimes saw you went off and disappeared, every single day and came back home late." "Finally, we heard something interesting." Harson looked at him. "...??" Rei tilted his head slightly. "Apparently, the kids told us that you were hiding something inside the forest." Then he took out a familiar pouch from his pocket. "...?!" "And we found this...hanged on the trees around with several cut marks on them." "When we checked the inside, it seems it matches the herbs that you gathered which is similar for the ingredients to created [Monster Repellent]." Harson reported it "From that, we concluded all the things that you did was as if you were preparing for something that approaching, like a [monster attack]." Harson''s eyes sharpened as he delivered these remarks. Rei looked at him and he still remain calm, "So? Is there anything wrong?" He replied to him after that, as if what he did was normal to him. Harson widened his eyes the moment he looked into his eyes. A straight yet honest eyes, that doesn''t tell lies. Then Iris raised her hand to make Harson back away to stand behind her again, "Thank you Harson." Harson bowed his head slightly towards her. "Ray-sama, we are''t trying to suspect you, but we just want to know something from you." "About the appearance of the [Boss Monster] that you fought." Iris explained. Rei remained silent for a few seconds, then he scratched the back of his head. "Well even you ask me, I don''t know how to explain it, even if I do know...what is the benefit that I would get from telling you guys." Rei replied to her. *CLINK* Harson unsheated his sword from his waist and pointed it at Rei''s face. "You, how dare you¡ª?!" Then suddenly, something came out from Iris body. She exuded a pressure that someone who isn''t a child could have, and an odd and unique aura that doesn''t match her appearance. Which even affected Rei who stood there, "...?!" "Harson, could you please stop cutting off our conversation." Iris looks angry. Harson surprised when she suddenly acted like that, "But Ojou-sama!¨C" "Harson!" Iris yelled at him. Harson gritted his teeth and sheated his sword, "My apologies...Ojou-sama." he''s visibly vexed but decided to back away and standing behind Iris again. The atmosphere back to normal again and the pressure was lifted. "I apologize for my guard behavior." Iris apologized towards Rei. "N-no, it''s okay...he is just doing his job as a guard." Rei replied while feeling guilty for putting her in yet another unpleasant situation. Iris smiled as she felt something is odd about this boy, ''Even though he is a child...he''s more mature than I thought.'' While she thought about him like that. Rei was... ''What was that?! It was scary as hell!?'' He screamed internally, terrified by her shift of attitude. "Again, shall we go back to the topic?" Iris spoke. Rei nodded and continue to their conversation. "Since you cannot tell us about it, then let me change the question..." "Are you the one who killed that [Boss Monster]?" Iris decided to ask that question. Rei looked serious when she asked him about that, then he looked straight into her eyes. "If I said that I was the one who killed it...would you believe me?" Rei replied with a smile. Iris looked back straight into his eyes, then she smiled as well. "Well, I supposed it''s hard to believe~" Rei nodded, "Mhm mhm, it will be hard to believe¡ª" "Yes, especially a [Boss Monster] with level 50~" Iris interrupted his words. After that, the whole room gone silent. "Huh??" Rei and Ray were both surprised to learn the monster''s level. Iris smiled at him, "A blacksmith''s son with level 21~ it''s hard to believe for someone to defeat level 50 [Boss Monster]~" As she continued while knowing about his current level and the [Boss Monster] as well. Rei''s eyes widen after hearing that, he couldn''t utter a word about it. Even her both maid and guard was suprised after hearing that too. ''How does she know my level and the boss level...'' Rei thought of it. ''I think she have a skill called [Status Appraisal].'' Ray responded. ''[Status Appraisal]?'' Rei repeated. ''Yes, it''s skill that different than [Appraisal] which allow for someone to check others status.'' Ray explained. ''My status?! Then, our identity? Ray shook his head, ''I don''t know, apparently [Status Appraisal] can only see their job, status, and level, though depending on the level...she can see other things than that.'' As he explained. ''I see.'' Rei replied, while he snapped back to reality. Then he looked straight to Iris once more. After that, he sighed, "So? What are you planning to do, after knowing my level?" Iris'' smile bloomed on her face, seemingly pleased to hear him asked her about that. "Well, you see, I was planning to recruit you as our exclusive Blacksmith~" Iris offered him. "...?!" The people in this room were shocked by it, even her guard and maid were also the same. "O-ojou-sama! We cannot allow a stranger to be our exclusive Blacksmith! especially since he''s still a kid and a commoner!" Harson said with irritated looks. "That''s right Ojou-sama! it will tarnish your family name!" Silvi added hurriedly, equally suprised with her decision like the guard. "I know that, but Harson, you were once a commoner yourself, don''t you think there''s other people out there, have the chance to do the same thing as you do?" Iris retorted to his words. "...?!" Harson couldn''t respond back. "And Silvi, someone astounding as you, do you ever heard someone who are Blacksmith could defeat a [Boss Monster] by himself, especially in his early age?" Iris retorted her words. "N-no..." Silvi couldn''t respond her back either. Both Harson and Silvi couldn''t answer their young lady''s question, because they know that it was nothing but truth. "Now, do you get it?" Iris scoffed off and looked at Rei. "So, what do you say~ Ray-sama?~ don''t you think this is a tempting offer?~" Iris offered hik once more. But Rei raised his hand and smiled, "I refuse...." then answered it flatly. "Huh¡ª?" The room is filled with silence once again as the three of them now share the same puzzled look at his unexpected response. "I said I refuse..." Rei answered it once more as his eyes glanced to his side and saw a glass of water, he grabbed it and start to drink it slowly. After he finish drinking it and putting the glass on the table back again, he look straight to her eyes. "How dare....! Even if it''s not unlikely happen, you can''t just say it like that!" Harson become angry again. "Yeah!" The same for Silvi. Both of them are fuming with anger at his alleged insolence towards their young lady, but Iris remained unfazed. "Do you have a reason to refuse it, Ray-sama." Iris decided to ask. Suddenly Rei put two fingers up in front of them. "There''s only two reason that I need to refuse that request...." "First, I''m still 6 years old and you can tell that my job is [Blacksmith], so I need to broaden my view and gain more experience on this field." Rei gave out the first reason. "I see, that''s a reasonable answer, but by coming with me...you can experience a lot of more in that field." Iris shot back, to his first reason. But Rei curved his lips upwarfs, forming a confident smile. "And that''s where second reason came..." Rei replied to her words. Iris raised her eyebrow, "Then, what is it?" She asked curiously. "The second reason is... . . . . . I plan to become a [Knight]." Rei answered with a big smile. "Huh¡ª??" To be continued... Chapter 10 : The Girl & The Blacksmith (Part 2) "A KNIGHT??!!" A loud voice could be heard from Rei''s room as they were discussing about Rei''s decisions and choice on what he want to do in the future. Iris and both of her maid, Silvi and guard, Harson were suprised after hearing his declaration. "W-wait... but you are a [Blacksmith] right?" Iris asked to confirmed him again, and even using her [Status Appraisal] to checked it again. "Yes." Rei replied calmly. "And you want to be a [Knight]??" Iris asked once more. "And yes." Rei replied again with smile. ''Such a weird answer...'' Iris thought of it ''But a [Knight]? Somehow...why does he sound similar to¡ª" A look of realization dawned on her face but it turned into hesitation in a split second, "¡ªshould I ask him? No...I''m still not sure if he''s [him].'' Iris thought to herself as she stared at him. But Rei stared back towards her eyes, "I can''t tell you the reason why I choose to be a [Knight], but I have my way to accomplish that, so you don''t have to worry." As he sighed while rubbed the back of his neck. Iris looked conflicted after hearing that, "I see...but I am still curious about your reason to be a [Knight]." Rei laughed awkwardly, "Hahaha...I''m sorry Iris-san, but if there there''s another question or request, I am willing to answer you and accepted it." As he answered. Iris sighed, "I see...then since you insisted, I understand but unfortunately, I don''t have anymore question left to ask nor a request." While she gave up and stood up from her seat. "I see, that is unfortunate indeed." Rei replied while smiling. "But...before that..." Iris searched his face before she added, "..is there that anything you want to ask?" When asked a question such as that, Rei fell silent. And he responded, "What led to you to say that?" Iris rubbed her right cheek with her hand, "Hmmm~ I don''t know~ Maybe...ever since we started our discussions?~" "Because to me...you appear to be waiting for an opportunity to say something to me, am I right?~" When she asked that question, Rei''s lips curved up forming a smirk. Rei shrugged, "Well as expected, you are quite sharp Iris-san." He commented. Iris folded both of her arms across her chest, "Right back at you~" She replied. Then she tilted her head to make her look closer to him, "Now then, is there anything you need from me? Ray-sama~" She said, while flashing a cheeky smile. Which made Rei leaned back and made him sweat a little due her being close to him. ''This girl is quite crafty, not only having an abnormal pressure from before, but now she looks like trying to seduce me.'' Rei thought of it. ''You sure have one scary girlfriend there... Houston.'' While he talked with Ray inside his mind. Ray sighed, ''Well, she was a talented child ever since she''s young...you might be suprised.'' ''The fact that she was once referred to as one of the academy''s geniuses in the future.'' He explained. Rei sighed ''Well, I can see that for sure.'' He claimed. ''But...somehow.'' Rei hesitated to continue. ''Somehow...?'' Ray repeated. ''Somehow...when we talk, I felt something familiar from her.'' Rei commented. ''Is it because...your emotion and memories are being influenced by me?'' Ray replied. But Rei shook his head, ''No...I don''t think so.'' Ray is silent for a while, as if he''s considering his words. When they snapped back into reality. Rei decided to finally tell her what he wanted. "Why don''t we make a deal?" He asked. "A deal?" Iris repeated while tilting her head more, "How amusing~" "Yeah, I want you and your people to keep a secret about this." Rei answered. "I mean...all of this, from me planning those all, until killing that [Boss Monster]." Rei explained his favor. Iris'' eyes widened at that, "Why do you want us to kept them as a secret?" "Because...I don''t want others to know, especially to my family." Rei replied. "And why is that?" Iris asked again. "Because...it will kept them from the danger around." Rei answered her. Iris leaned back and looked at him, "If you are talking about a monster, you already killed the source of it." "No...I''m not talking about monster." Rei looked serious, "I''m talking about¡ª" he said something unexpected. Hearing the words that came from a child no less, they were surprised by it. Iris closed her eyes and nodded, "I understand, it does sound dangerous." Then she would smiled at him, "But if you want to make a deal, don''t you need an equivalent exchange for me?" "Since you did rejected us not too long ago¡ª" but before she could continue. "Then, let''s do exchange." Rei interrupted her. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Iris looked at him, "Exchange?? What kind of exchange?~" Rei lifted his hand as if he''s offering it to her. "Like I told you, it is a deal." "In the next 10 years, how about I forge you the strongest weapon that is perfect for you." Then he gave her the answer. Iris widened her eyes once more, "The strongest weapon?~" then she would laugh, "Pfft....Hahahaha~ you sure love to joke Ray-sama~" Rei shook his head, "I''m not joking." Then he would answered her with a confident smile on his face. When Iris saw the confidence coming from him, her lips curled into a smirk. "Fine then!~ in the next 10 years, I will be waiting for that weapon~" Iris accepted that deal. "But! if it''s weaker than any weapons that was forge by the finest blacksmith in the kingdom." "You will be working for me!" Iris didn''t back off with the deal, instead it turned into a gamble. Rei chuckled seeing her being confidence as well, "Heh, deal." Iris started to approached him and took his hand to give him a handshake, ultimately sealing their deal. "Ojou-sama, may I speak?" Harson requested, earning a nod of approval from his mistress. Then he slightly bow, "Thank you." While he approached Rei, "We still need to discuss something, regarding the monster you defeat not too long ago" Harson stepped forward to them as Iris went back to where she sat before. "What you encounter before... [The Dark Wolf Leader] is a [Unique Monster]." Harson mentioned it. "[Unique Monster]...?" Rei repeated it. "Yes...[Unique Monster], is higher version of the original monster that have unique ability and high intelligence...these kind of monster only appear once in this world." Harson explained. "So, does that mean, this is a rare case?" Rei asked. "Yes...and but this is more than rare case." Harson hesitant to answer him. "Because...the one you fought was also a [Boss Monster]." "Which mean, the monster that you defeated, was..." "A [Unique Boss Monster]." Harson mentioned its name. "Wait....so you were saying that thing was a [Unique Boss Monster]?!" Both Ray and Rei are shocked as soon as they heard that while Harson simply nodded. ''[Unique Boss Monster]...is different than [Unique Monster] that was born at first.'' Ray intercepted. ''Why is it different?'' Rei asked. ''Because, it''s a [Boss Monster] that was evolved into [Unique] one.'' Ray explained. ''...?!'' ''Evolution begins with the environment which made them adapted to the place where they born at.'' ''The second part is the intelligence which they gained after defeating a greater size monster, which evolves them into that type of monster.'' Ray explained it again. ''So...I can guess that [Dark Wolf Leader] was a boss monster at start, but evolved due the environment which is near to the border of Demon Realm.'' ''It cause them to evolved into having dark element and corrosion skill.'' Ray concluded. ''No wonder, it was too strong and especially the size of that monster is even bigger than the [Forest Wolf] I fought.'' Rei replied. ''Yeah...but it was my fault for underestimating that monster to be a regular boss.'' ''It''s fine, we don''t have much time to think about it, because we defeated it.'' While Rei is deep on his thoughts, Harson begin to speak again. "But just as you said, I won''t ask you any further regarding your knowledge about the [Boss Monster]''s appearance in the forest." He added. "Ah..yes, thank you for that." Rei nodded. "And for the monster''s corpse, excluding the head parts that has been blown off, from the skin and the rest of its body can be used as material." "This materials are in good condition, so you can either use them or sell it." Harson concluded. Iris decide to join in, "So, what is your choice?" When Iris asked him about that, Rei sighed and looking straight at her. "Then, I''m gonna use it instead." Rei spoke. "Are you sure? those matierals could be sold for at least 50 gold coin, if we auction it, you can get more than that." Iris explained. But Rei shook his head, "...Even if I wanted to be a [Knight], I am still a [Blacksmith]." "Beside, I promised someone to use the corpse as materials, so I cannot hand it over." Rei spoke as if he was addressing someone who wanted it. ''Kiritsuka, you remember?'' Ray felt touched after hearing it, cause he still remember of what Ray cursed towards the beast. Rei would smile after that statement. ''Someone?'' Iris repeated. "Also, don''t I need to continue to improve my skills? Since, I promised our young lady here." Rei said again, moving his gaze towards her. Iris couldn''t come up with an answer. She eventually sighed and gave up with a smile on her face. "You really that confident?" Iris asked. Rei showed his confident smile once more, "Yeah I am that confident, if I miss such opportunity to obtain such rare material." "As a [Blacksmith], it would be a waste, wouldn''t it?" He grinned cheerfully at her. Iris widened her eyes as her cheeks became warm when she saw a glimpse of someone familiar to her coming from him. "I see...you really good at persuading me here." Iris complimented him. "Let''s just say, it is a wisdom for my start to become a [Knight]." Rei replied with smile. "You sound more like a [Merchant] than a [Knight]." Iris replied to his joke. "I''ll take that as a compliment." Rei chuckled hearing it. Iris smiled again, "Then, I will send the materials tomorrow morning before we leave." She said while getting up from her seat. "Thank you, but wait!" Rei stopped her from walking away. "Hm?" Iris turned around to look at him. "There''s one more thing and this will be the last one." Rei spoke while he sounded hesitant. "Y-yes?" Iris was confused by his sudden words. "Iris-san." Then he called her name and his gaze slowly turned to Iris. "Y-yes?!" Iris was surprised from the sudden confrontation, as she stood straight and focused her attention back to him When Rei opened his mouth, "May I know the reason for you to come here?" He asked her that. "Huh? That''s..." Iris slowly calmed down but she didn''t know how to answer this question. "I''m still wondering, why would someone like you to know about this village that was located near to the border." Rei eyed her suspiciously before he continued. "Even though my action have been strange, don''t you think it is more stranger, for you to be interested about this village?" Rei''s eyes begin to look serious as he still looks suspicious of her. ''Oi Kiritsuka! isn''t that too much¡ª!'' Ray shouted at him from his mind. ''¡ªCould you shut up for a moment, Houston...this is important.'' ''Of course, I''m still grateful for her to save us, but...I still can''t let this slide about this, because there''s too many holes about her situation.'' Rei explained. ''Kiritsuka.'' Ray couldn''t utter any words, because it was the fact that she did come to this place was the most suspicious of all. Iris shook a bit after seeing his suspicious gaze. She stayed quiet for a while, beads of sweat slowly formed on her cheek. ''This is hard...I need to come up with a good excuses.'' Iris sighed before she looked up to meet his gaze. "The truth is, I got an information from someone about this village...that...." "There will be a [Stampede] that might shows up here." Iris answered. Both Silvi and Harson widened their eyes in suprise as soon they heard it. "Huh?! W-wait...This is the first time I ever heard this Ojou-sama!" Harson spoke. "Yes, Ojou-sama! Why didn''t you tell us?!" Silvi was the same. Iris made a complicated look towards them. "It was when I was sleeping at night, I suddenly heard a voice in my dream." "In that dream...I saw this village was overrun with monsters and everyone is being devoured one by one...it was scary." When she explained, she looked away as her body began to tremble, as if she was there¨Cexperiencing all of it. Iris wrapped her arms across her chest, hugging herself. Both of her companions exchange worried glances with each other before Silvi stepped forward to approach the young lady and pulled her in warm embrace. It was quite a heart-warming sight and Iris gradually calmed down. "It''s okay...Ojou-sama...Silvi is here..." Then she comforted her. Harson stayed silent while he watched both of them while Rei continue to stare at Iris. ''Say... Houston...does she has a skill that allow her to see future before?'' Rei asked him. Ray shook his head, ''No...so far as I remember, she doesn''t have it....why are you asking that?'' Ray asked. ''Her story sounds fishy...I mean, it''s hard to believe that you got all that in a dream.'' Rei spoke. ''I think so too, but we can''t tell whether she is acting or not...without prove.'' Ray agreed. ''But thinking it back...I mean, isn''t it strange that a six-year-old child could defeat a big monster?'' Rei jokes to him. Ray would laugh, ''Hahaha...that''s true.'' ''Let''s just ask her when the time comes.'' Rei replied. Meanwhile, when Rei was busy discussing with Ray about it in his head. Iris yelled in her mind. ''That was close as hell! Good thing I came up a nice excuse...nice acting me!!'' Even though they were suspicious with each other, they''re still not in the same page at all. After some time, Rei opened his mouth to speak. "I see...I''m sorry for doubting you and once again, thank you for lending your help to this village." Withour hesitation, he suddenly bow his entire body in 90 degrees. "N-no!! y-you don''t have to bow your head! I-I mean you''re the one who defeat the monster! the problem is already solved!" Iris was getting flustered because of his sudden action. When Rei lifted his head a bit and saw her like that, it makes him smile. "Iris-san." Rei called her. "Y-yes??" Iris stuttered. "You really are cute." Rei smiled at her and it made Iris even redder. "R-ray-sama! w-what do you mean by that!" Iris stuttered once more. "Hahaha~ I was telling the truth though." "D-don''t tease me!" Rei laughed out loud while the girl pouted her lips, this time they truly looked like two children playing together. Silvi and Harson were watching the two of them as if the serious conversation they took were long gone. As times had pass by, Iris and her people went back to their camp as Rei seeing them off. "Ray-sama, I will be waiting for you in the next 10 year. So make sure you keep it~" Iris repeated his promise with a smile. "I will, and don''t worry I will keep that promise." Rei replied while smiling back at her. As they left, Rei went back to his house and celebrated his recovery with his family. Despite all of that, his parents didn''t ask anything at all and just went through with it as if they understood Rei''s thoughts and feelings. On that night, Rei stayed awake as he talked with Ray while watching the night sky and the moon that glows bright in the dark. ''Say Kiritsuka...'' Ray spoke. "Yes?" Rei replied. ''We did killed that thing right...?'' Ray asked him to confirmed it again. Rei smiled while still looking up at the moon, "Yeah we did." ''We saved them, right...?'' Ray asked him again. "Yeah we saved them." Rei answered. Suddenly suddenly tears start falling from Rei''s right golden eye. ''They are still alive...right?'' Ray asked him once more. "Yeah." Rei just simply answered him with smile. ''I''m sorry...I was really scared...I''m scared to see that horrible scene again.'' Ray cried after knowing that his family could live for another day. "Yeah, I know." Rei understood his feelings, while tears start falling from his left red eye too. Ray continue to cried out his feelings that he have been holding it up. ''But yeah...I still couldn''t believe it, that we actually did defeat that bastard...it feels like a dream.'' Ray spoke. "It wasn''t a dream at all...Houston." Rei replied. Ray sobbered a bit, then wiped his tears, ''So...what is your plan after this?'' "Hmmm, I''m planning to train myself furthermore." "After that fight, I realised that I was still lacking in both stamina and strength." Rei explained. "So, I''m gonna be stronger than before." Then he stated. Ray looked at him, ''Indeed...we need to become stronger than before.'' "Yeah! So, I''m going to do my best on training and after that, I going to leave the village to gain more experience." Rei replied. "That''s sound fun." Ray replied to his plan. "But, what about you?" Rei asked him, since he doesn''t know what is he planning. ''Well, I am stuck with you, so I don''t have anywhere to go." Ray spoke. Rei laughed, "Hahaha! That''s true, but you still need a plan you know, and I will help!" "Don''t worry, I do have a plan but after, when we get out from the village.'' Ray replied. "Oh! what is it?" Rei asked curiously. ''Of course, that would be secret.'' Ray replied. "Eeehhhhhh, seriously? Come on! Spit it out!" Rei acted like a child in tantrums. Ray shook his head, ''No can do, you need to get stronger first...then I''ll let you know about it.'' "Really?!" Rei replied while sound so excited. "Yes, really." Ray replied to assure him. "Then, I guess I need to double my training for that!" Rei confidently stated. ''Then, I''ll help you with that training.'' Ray said. "Of course! But thank you for that." Rei replied. Rei slowly stretched his arms as he walked to the bed. He laid down on it as he looked up at the ceiling before finally closing his eyes. "Goodnight Houston." "Goodnight Kiritsuka." After that, Rei eventually fell asleep with a satisfied smile on his face. To be continued... Chapter 11 : The Girl & The Blacksmith (Part 3) "WHAAAAAATTTT?!!!!" It was yet another rather loud morning at the Houston''s household. Adam and Sheila were having face to face with two soldiers who were standing in front of the house and their yell was loud enough to wake up the kids. "Ughhhh...what in the world?" Rei grunts and woke up from his bed after hearing the ruckus from outside. ''It seems, Mom and Dad again...didn''t we solve the problem yesterday?'' Ray came out and spoke to him. Rei yawned and got up from his bed, ''I don''t know...maybe Iris and the others came to our house and make a ruckus.'' He guessed it while he went out from his room and downstairs with Emily followed him from behind, who also woke up from the loud voice. "Mommy...Daddy... did something happen?.." Emily asked with yawn. Her voice was soft and she''s rubbing her eyes to chase away the sleepiness. "Yeah, Mom...Dad...what happen?" Rei asked the same and yawning as well. "Hm?" From the corner of his eyes, he noticed the two soldiers who were standing right before his parents. ''See...I expected it.'' Rei thought of it. Ray chuckled, ''Heh, lucky guess.'' Then he approached them. Sheila turned around and surprised to see her two children waking up, "Ah! Ray.. Emily.. i-it''s nothing~" As she walked to them, petting Emily''s head affectionately, "And good morning~ did you both sleep well?~" "Mhm..~" Emily nodded and looked up at her mother. "Yes, mom..." Rei yawned again. Seeing these two being sleepy, made Sheila relaxed and smiled, "Now now~ how about we eat first~ I''ll be making the breakfast~" she said to them as she carefully carried Emily up into her arms. "Ray, make sure to talk about it with your father~" Sheila spoks to him before she bring Emily to the dining room. "Hmm? Okay, mom." Rei gazed at her as she walked by him, then he stood behind his father by the entrance. "So, what just happen, Dad?" Rei asked while looking up to his father. Adam looked nervous when he noticed him, "Ray...uhhh...the truth is...these soldier came to us...to bring a reward for you." He explained while still very much in shock. "What reward?" Rei asked while being clueless himself. Adam looked at him being like this, just made him sighed as if he was worried for nothing. "Of course, the reward for helping them with the subjugation of that [Boss Monster]." He explained it again. Rei looked calm despite after he heard that, "Oh, well...in that case, we just have to accept it." he replied with another yawn. ''I see, so they hide it...by telling my parents that I was the one who helped them fight the [Boss Monster].'' Rei thought of it. ''How clever...by mixed bothe the truth and lie.'' Ray commented. Adam scratched the back of his head, "Well...there is a problem." "Hmm? What kind of problem?" Rei asked while being curious of why his father acting this way. "The problem is...they are giving us 100 gold coins for the reward." Adam continued his words while showing his a big bag filled with gold coins in it. Rei coughed as soon as he heard the amount of gold coins they would receive, "Buhhh!!¨C say what now...?!" He turned his head so fast to look at the two soldier. He felt more awake now getting shocked by the news, "Wait... I only helped them!" Rei shouted out. *TAP* Then one of the soldiers stepped forward and addressed him with a nod and wide smile. "No, Ray-sama...your sacrifice towards others was...brilliant!" The soldier start to act. "Especially, when you let your friend run away and you held back those monsters on your own until we arrived...which is makes our heart move!(lie)" the soldier said with tears on his eyes. Rei were more shock by seeing him acting to lie, ''What is this weird...acting?'' Then another one stepped forward. "Yes just as he said...you even go out of your way to protect our young lady! Ahhh...how amazing! You even sacrifice your life for a stranger without hesitation! I was moved!(lie)" the other one gushed while in tears. Rei seemed further puzzled as he just stared at them, ''Where am I...who am I?'' ''Kiritsuka, wake up!'' Ray seemingly tried to shook his body but fail. The two soldiers then smiled at him, "So our young lady felt so grateful for your bravery and wanted you have these rewards." They said simultaneously. After they finally ended the story. Rei, who was standing there, opened his mouth in shock. ''These guys..... these guys.... these guys just shamelessly lied!! What kind of acting was that?! It''s true, I did fought that monster...'' ''But, I fought that monster¨CALONE!!¡ª'' Rei wanted to shout in his on what in his mind, but he must stay hidden. ''Wait...dad looks weird now.'' Ray spoke while he noticed when their father was suddenly trembling. "Dad...?" Rei called him out but soon he noticed. That his father, Adam was crying after hearing such a tale of bravery coming from his son. "M-my son...how brave you are..." Adam cried and trying to wipe his tears away. Rei looked more shocked to see him being like this, ''Ehhhh...you shouldn''t believe them easily!'' But Adam cried once more. . . . . . . . After a few minutes, Adam stopped crying. "Ahem...you can continue." While he act nothing happen. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Rei sighed, ''Now then...how are we gonna do with the money? I think it''s still too much for us and our family.'' ''That''s true...having too much money can be a hassle, especially in the village.'' Ray spoke. Rei was deep in his thought, ''Hmmm...I have an idea.'' Then finally he gave his words to Ray. ''Hm? That''s not a bad idea.'' Ray answered. And so, Rei step forward and forced up a smile while he stared at the soldiers again. "Say mister, can you tell me how many people you have brought mister?... I couldn''t tell how many that time..." Rei trailed off, looking genuinely innocent in front of them. The two of them exchanged confused glances at his question. "Uhhhh...including us, we have 20 people with us." One of the soldiers spoke. "Hmmm...I see." Rei smiled and turned around to his father while he lifted his both hands, "Dad, could you give me the bag?" Adam blinked, puzzled with his request but he gave the bag to him anyway, "S-sure??" Rei took a bag and smiled towards him again, "Thank you dad! Now, wait for me!" Then, he quickly went back inside the house, leaving the three grown men standing by the door¨Csomewhat perplexed with his behaviour. . . . . . . . After few minutes had pass, Rei walked out from the house with three pouchs in tow. Then he splits the pouchs evenly to the three of them¡ªone for his father, the soldiers and for himself. "...??" They all confused by his sudden action. But when they opened the pouch, "...?!" They looked so shocked. "R-ray-sama?! T-this is¡ª?" Rei smiled, "I divided the reward. 40 for Dad and Mom, 40 for the soldiers and 20 for myself." Then he replied to them. As their eyes opened wide, especially the soldiers. "W-wait¡ªwhy are you giving this to us!?" One of the soldiers asked. Rei looked at him, "Hm? Of course for your reward as well, but don''t forget to divide them evenly by two gold coins for each of you." Then he explained it. "No no no¡ª! I mean, why are you giving this much money to us!?" One of the soldier spoke. "Y-yeah! With that money, you can buy anything that you want!" And the other spoke the same. Rei blinked while looking innocently as he tilted his heads and start to spoke. "Like I said, this is a reward for you all." "A reward...for us?" One the soldier asked. Rei nodded, "Yes, if not for you soldiers came to help, I would be dead by now..so this is a reward for all of you!" "So, 20 gold coins are enough for a kid like me and besides, what could a child possible do with that amount of money?" He explained as if an adult never speaks in such profound terms as he did. This surprised the soldiers and left them speechless. Then he turned his gaze towards his father. "As for the rest 40 gold coins, I want it to give it to my family." "I want to repay them for everything they did for me, since they supported and cared for me, which makes me happy every day." "And! I want Dad, Mom and Emily to be happy and eat a lot good food everyday!" When he told this to his father, he seemed like an innocent child who wanted to make his family happy. And it made his father cry once more. "H-how can he be so kind to us?!" One of the soldier react dramatically to his words and bright smile. "G-guhhh!! what with this light!? S-so bright!" The other soldier reacted the same as he could see the bright light that radiating from behind him. "How can our son...become an angel." Adam spoke while he continue to cry. Meanwhile, Rei just stood there watching them over-reacting from his act. ''Yeah, it seems I overdid it.'' Rei thought of it. ''Yeah, you did.'' Ray replied. ****** After few minutes, the soldiers bowed at Rei. "Thank you very much for your kindness!! Ray-sama!!" The two soldiers shouted, while their tears seemingly fall from their eyes. Rei somehow felt guilty for acting that way while rewarding them. "Hahaha...you don''t have to thank me, since I should be the one who should be thanking you all, for coming all the way here to help our village." Rei replied with a smile. "...." As soon as he said that, their eyes started to get even more wet from the tears. ''W-why are they crying even more?!'' Rei panicked when seeing them cried again ''Even though he is younger than my little sister...'' One of the soldier thought as he cried. ''I will follow you the rest of my life!! Ray-sama!!'' While the other soldier somewhat made a decision on his own. And that made Rei shivered for a moment, ''W-what was that?'' Then the two soldiers stood straight and giving him a salute. "W-we won''t forget this kindness!!" They spoke simultaneously. Rei laughed awkwardly, "Ahaha...you don''t have to." He replied monotonous. Then he reminded of something, "Oh right! Before you both leave, can I meet the young lady?" He requested. The two soldiers exchanged glances as they smile and nodded their heads. "Of course, you can follow us!" They replied as they turned their back to him then led him to where their young lady is currently at. Rei smiled and looked at his father. "Dad, I will be going for a while and you don''t have to worry! I will be back as soon as possible." He shouted to his father to assured him before he left with the soldiers. And his father just smiled back at him and watched him go. "Yeah! Don''t be late!" He replied to him. Sheila came out from behind and wrapped her arms into his as she watched her son walking with them. Adam held her close, "It appears our son is gradually growing up...." as he spoke. Sheila smiled after hearing her husband words, as she held him close. "Yes...yes he is~" ****** Meanwhile, Iris and her peoples were preparing to leave. They were packing their stuff and luggage, then tied them on top of the carriage. But when she was about to enter the carriage. "Iris-san!" She heard someone called her name from a far. "Hmmm?" Iris stopped and turned to see Rei walking from behind the two soldiers which she had previously sent to give him his reward. Her expression brighten up, "Ray-sama! What are you doing here?" She asked him. Rei stood before her, as the two soldiers bowed at them before they went back to their post. "I wanted to see you, before you leave." Rei replied with a smile. Upon hearing his response, made her cheeks slowly reddened. "I-i see..." Iris softly brushed her hair aside, exposing her ear as if she is feeling the heat, "U-ummm...how is your condition?" Then she asked while she stared at him up and down examining his body. Rei grinned, "I''m fine now! After having a good sleep." He proudly replied. "I-i see..." Iris replied as she somehow doesn''t know how reply him anymore. Then silence filled the air between the two of them. ''I-i don''t have any topic to talk!!'' Iris panicked within her mind. "Ummmm, about the boss material...can I know, when can I see them?" Rei spoke while he looked around. Iris surprised when he started a topic, "A-ahh, about that..I was about to go and brought them to you myself after packing my stuff. "So, I never expected that you would come to me first." Iris replied to his question. "I see, then, I should be thanking you for helping me, Iris-san~" Rei spoke with a gentle smile. Which made her flustered, "T-that''s okay! H-how about we check the materials together!" And she kept stuttering her words. ''Ughh...that smile is unfair! It makes it made me hard to forget after what he said yesterday'' Iris was in her thought, remembering him for calling her cute. ''B-but I need to calm down!!'' She tried her best to calm. Then she started to lead the way with Rei following her from behind. After that, they arrived at in front of a huge box that the nearby soldiers brought down. *CREAK* Then they opened it for them. "Ohhhh!" Rei was surprised to see what was in it. The box contains an enormous black fur, numerous fangs, and multiple gigantic dark claws. Then Rei examined them one by one. "[Appraisal]." ======================================= [The Dark Leader Wolf''s Fur] Grade: Rare Type: Material A dark fur from a wild beast that contains mysterious dark energy. ======================================= ======================================= [The Dark Leader Wolf''s Claw] Grade: Epic Type: Material A claw coated with dark energy that can corrode everything it touch. ======================================= ======================================= [Wolf Fang] Grade: Uncommon Type: Material A fang from a ferocious beast that roam at night. ======================================= ''Wow, there are 34 Fangs... from the normal wolves; 1 enormous Fur skin and 12 Claws from the boss.'' Rei counted it. Then he had a deep thought about these materials that he receieved, ''Hmmmm...I guess I just can make this and that....what do you think about it, Ray?'' He asked for his opinion. ''Hmm...that''s not a bad idea, but it need a quite long time to forge it.'' Ray replied to his idea. ''I see, then how about this?...'' Rei continue to his talk with Ray within his mind. Meanwhile, Iris leaned her head to his side and glanced curiously towards him. ''He looks pretty serious...'' as she continue to stared at him. But her cheeks warmed again the longer she stared at him. ''And somehow....he looks quite charming...from this close.'' But when she realize of her own thinking about him. ''No no no!'' She shook her head and turned her back to him while crouched down and holding both of her cheeks to hide her embarrassment. ''W-w-what am I thinking!?!... c-calm down!... he''s still a kid! But I am also a kid! Ughhh...this is frustrating!'' She ruffled her hair, attempting to clear her mind. Then she turned her head a bit and start to take a peek at him who still in his deep thought. ''But...why does he remind me...of someone?'' as her lips slowly curved into a smile, she watched him from the side. Due to this atmosphere, the soldiers who were around them had the same thought together. ''Ahhh... Youth...'' ****** Finally, Rei packed all the materials and brought them to the workshop with the help of few soldiers. Then he went back to Iris who is about to leave. When she was about to go inside the carriage. "Iris-san.'' Rei called her name one more last time. She stopped again and turn around to responded to him. "Yes, Ray-sama?" Iris replied to his call. "Do you like to read a book?" Rei asked her while looking a bit nervous. "Hm? Yeah...I do read them, when I was bored." Iris answered but she was curious of something, "But...why?" When she asked, Rei took something out from behind him with a smile, "Then...here... this is for you." What he gave, was a simple bookmark with beautiful purple flower inside of it. "T-this is...?" Iris was suprised after receiving this gift from him. "I know our meeting was short...but I still want to repay you with something...so I don''t know what to give. "So, I grabbed this flower when I had the chance and made this for you." Rei explained to her. "It also, to make you remember of me..." he continue his words while he smiled at her. Iris went tomato red almost immediately. "U-ummm...a-are you sure...that is okay, for me to keep this?" She asked him once again. "Yeah... I mean I made a lot of this before for my Mom and little sister, using the flowers that I brought from the forest." "And I choose this one specifically for you, who had the same name as this flower." Rei explained while his gaze shifted towards her. "And that is...?" Iris took a glance at him. When their eyes locked, his smile grew. . . . . . . "It''s [Iris]." *BA-THUMP* Suddenly something struck into her heart and her face couldn''t get any more red while a smoke slowly came out from her head. "T-t-then I-i-i shall accept it.... R-r-ray-sama..." Iris stuttered her words. Rei who seen her reaction, start to laugh, "Hehehe~ you are so cute like this, Iris-san~" Iris pouted her cheeks, "D-don''t tease me like this!" Rei looked at her, as suddenly he knelt down with one leg and kept his face fixed to the ground. "Let''s meet once again...in the future, [My lady]." Rei spoke in a warm voice and acted as a knight in front of the princess. Iris softened her expression, "Yes, Let''s meet again...[My future knight]~" "Huh?" "Huh?" The two of them looking at each other after hearing her words [my future knight]. Now it was Rei''s turn to turn as red as her. "N-no! t-that''s n-not what I mean!!" Iris shouted. "I-i-it''s fine!! y-you don''t have t-to worry about that!" Rei replied quickly. As the two of them continued to stare at each other, unaware of being watched by the people around them. When they realized their stares, they flinched and looked away. "A-ah! u-umm... I should be going now..." Iris said shyly and bowed her head a bit before going inside the carriage. "Y-yeah..." Rei just scratched his head. But then when she was about to step in, she looked at him. "I''ll make sure to treasure this..." Iris whispered and finally went inside the carriage then leave the village. Rei heard it and widened his eyes. His heart beats faster and noisily against his chest. ''What....with this feelings...'' This is the first of time of his life, feeling like this. The one who understood those feelings very well, was Ray. He just stayed quiet and let the young boy figure it out himself. ''How youth...'' ****** Meanwhile, when they were on their way back to the kingdom. Iris was having a deep thought about something, while she stared at the flower bookmark that Rei gave it to her. ''Ray-sama.'' ''Do I...really deserve to have this?'' ''Even though I only helped you defeat that monster...it''s frustrating...'' ''That I couldn''t kill it alone...'' Iris remembered of that time when Rei was about to be eaten, she used her skill [Restrain]. ''But it is no use to think it over...'' Iris shook her head while she gazed towards the window beside her. ''Sometimes I wonder, if someoday, when you know that I''m not the Iris that everyone know...'' ''Will you be able to stay with me?'' Inside the reflection of the window glass from the carriage, it shown her eyes color changing from blue-sky color... . . . . . Into... . . . . . . Red-blood color... To be continued... Chapter 12 : The Training & The Death In the night after Iris and her people went back home. Rei who was sleeping, slowly opened his eyes and found himself standing in the white empty space. "Huh? Where am I?" He asked himself and looked around the space. "Oh, you finally awake." A voice could be heard from behind, that made him to turn around and found Ray wearing an old worn armor with a sword on stuck on the ground. "Houston? Wait...didn''t I go to sleep?" Rei turned around to see him in that armor. "Wait...why are we here?" Rei wondered, confused with this situation. "Huh??" But soon he realized that he was wearing his old black school uniform and there''s a sword sheated on his waist. "Why am I...?" He was still confused. "It''s time for you to unsheathe that sword, so we can start training." Ray stated. "Training??" Rei repeated him, he''s even more puzzled than before. "Yeah, training." Rei repeated once more. "....???" The two of them stare at each other and silence filled the space for a while. "Wait, why do I need to train now? didn''t you see how I fought those monster!" Rei exclaimed. "Yeah I do, and watched them several times..." Ray replied while folding his arms and closing his eyes. But once he open his eyes, "And I reach into conclusion that is....you are...incredibly weak." he spoke bluntly. The words deeply stabbed Rei''s chest, "Agh¡ª?!" "But...didn''t I defeat those monsters alone?" Rei trying to retorted back to his comment. "Well you did, but..." "Your swing were clumsy." "You couldn''t calm your emotion." "Not only that...your strength and stamina barely pass." Ray commented without pulling any punches with his comments. Which damaged Rei''s heart, mentally, "T-that''s...true." "Although, it was thanks to the memories I gave to you, you still haven''t fully mastered your skill." Ray explained. "Even you do manage to pull off something like that." "You''re still inexperienced on fighting and you haven''t adapt to your own body and stamina even after several weeks." "What would happens if another enemy with such high intellect appears?" "If you continue to fought by using my memories like this...you will be dead next time." Rei concluded based on the experience and the memories he had. Rei was reminded of the giant wolf that he fought before, ''That''s true...if not for Houston...I will be dead.'' Rei couldn''t utter a single word of rebuttal to that and just nodded, accepting Ray''s words. Ray looked at him and sighed, "It''s not like I am blaming you, you were short of time before." "But now...with a plenty of time, you can learn more and I will teach you." Ray spoke. "What you need is experience from all kinds of things, such as smithing, battling, and meeting people." "After all, our journey still hasn''t over yet." Ray exclaimed it to soften the mood. "Houston..." Rei muttered. Then Ray lifted his sword, "Now, what you need now is...to experience on [how to fight another being beside monsters]." "[Another being]? And which is?" Rei questioned while he curiously stared at Ray. *CLINK* Ray aimed his sword towards him, "[Human]..." then he spoke with serious tone. "...?!" Rei was surprised when his sword suddenly being aimed towards him. "Unlike monsters, that had same old attack pattern. Humans are different." Ray spoke. "They can learn, they can deceive, they can scream or beg, but most of all...they can kill." Ray explained. Rei gulped and looking straight into his eyes, that looks serious. "Us, [Blacksmith], is considered as [Production type] job, with no specialized skill to fight and There are limits to how strong we can get." "If we met someone who have a proper job for combat, we will lose or worst, we could die." Ray explained. "So, before we met one, we need to learn and train even more harder than usual." Ray concluded it. "But....how are we gonna do that?" Rei asked another question. Ray''s lips started to curve, turning into a smirk. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. "Of course, you need to fight another human, which is me." Ray stated. "F-fight you!?" Rei slightly raised his voice in suprise. Ray smiled as he slowly started walking around him. "Yeah, by fighting with me, you will gained an experience on how crafty and intelligence, a human can be." Rei stared at him walking around, "I see...??" He was confused and somewhat curious, "Where did you get all of this knowledge?" Ray stopped walkimg, "Of course, I learned this from my [master]." And that piqued Rei''s interest. "You have a [master]?" Ray looked him, "I do...she was a particularly stubborn old woman, who keeps nagging if I did something wrong." "Although she was strong and she was the only one who willingly taught me how to wield a sword." When he talked about it, Rei could see the change of his tone and expression from him. "I see...she sounds like a great teacher." Rei replied with a smile. Ray just simply closed his eyes and smiled fondly. "Yeah, she was..." After that Ray quickly clapped his hands. "Now then let''s continue where we left off." As Ray went back to his postion. "Like I said, you are going to train by fighting with me to experience on how to fight with human." "Of course, I won''t hold back even though its''s you, since you need to experience it properly." "So...make sure you treat this fight like your life depends on it." When Ray spoke those words. The aura around him started to get cold, his mouth fell into flat lines while he focused his firm gaze on him. "...?!" Needless to say, it gives Rei chills. However Ray decided to loosen the aura that he gave off and spoke once more. "I shall explain this once." "So, before you asked me why I choose this method...my master once told me." [When someone had near-death experience or whenever they felt their life is at stake]. [Our body will start to change, to adapt the situation]. [Your senses will start to honed by itself to their peak. Then your hearing, your eyesight, and smell, even your thoughts will processed much more faster than normal]. "That''s what she said, while she trained me." Ray explained again. "My...sense?" Rei gulped, as he still disbelief by his words. "Yes, after you went through this training, you can mantain those sense much more faster and more efficiently without relying on any skill." Ray added it. "And to top of that, your [Battle Instinct] skill based on this training that I learn." "So, to level it up faster, you need train like this more." Ray spoke while he smiled. "So, do not hold back, and make sure to fight with everything you got, understood?" His smiled looks somewhat twisted. Rei felt chill down to his spine after seeing that smile, "Y-yes sir!" And he found it, scary. "Now then, before we start, is there any more question?" Ray asked him. Rei raised his hand slowly, "U-um...sir, isn''t this training is useless when you are not doing it in real world?" As he asked while being afraid for a moment. "And...who said that it''s useless?" Ray asked him back instead. Rei looks confused by his question, "N-no one sir..." so he answered him that. "Currently, we are within your [Mind Realm]." Ray spoke. "[Mind Realm]?" Rei repeated. "Yes, it is a realm that exists only in your mind, and within here, so everything that you do here will be recorded and stored in your memories." "Right now, your actual body is sleeping, but your mind is awake." "Basically, you are...right now, it is as like you are awake, yet you are also not." Ray explained. "I see....somehow it sound like VR game" Rei muttered it very softly. "VR¡ªwhat?" Ray slightly narrowed his brows in confusion. Rei widened his eyes at that. "W-wait, you could hear that?!" "Of course, I have trained much more longer than you, so everything you said...no matter how soft it is, I could hear it very clearly." "W-woah, that''s amazing!" Rei''s eyes was sparkling as he couldn''t help but opened his jaw in awe. "Well, you can do it after your training is done, so before we start, is there anything else you want to ask again?" Ray asked. "N-nothing sir!" Rei replied. "Alright, now...unsheathe your sword." Ray spoke while aiming his sword at him. Rei nodded. But... After he unsheated his sword. . . . . . *SWOOSH* Suddenly, Ray appeared right before him without a warning. "¡ª?!" Ray was holding his sword on his right hand, then he swung it to his right side. *TING* Rei quickly anticipated his sword by blocking it. ''When did he¡ªUgh?!'' But the impact is enough to make him stepped back, and Rei barely could hold on. ''H-how heavy¡ª?!'' Rei widened his eyes when he saw Ray''s gaze towards him that was full of killing intent. "What''s wrong...is that all you got?" Ray spoke coldly, as the force from his sword is slowly getting stronger. *TSSKKKKKK* "Ugh¡ª?!" It forced Rei to stepped back once more as his cold sharp blade slowly getting close to his neck. ''I...need to get away from him!'' Rei thought while gritted his teeth. *TSSKKKKKK* Then Rei shifted his blade''s path, forcing Ray''s sword to change course. *SWOOSH* After that, he quickly jumped back away from him. "Dammit Houston! what was that all about!" Rei shouted in anger. Ray calmly pulled his sword and stay in his stance, "You fool!" Then he cursed. "Do you think an enemy would let you complain? If you weren''t fast enough, your head would be lying on the ground!" Ray shouted at him. Afterwards... *SWOOSH* Ray quickly ran forward, closing his distances with him. "Never, let your guard down...when there''s an enemy in front of you." Then he swung his sword once more from another side. "...?!" *TING* Rei deflected the strike once again, ''How fast?!'' But Ray didn''t stop and continued to swing his sword relentlessly, to make him put his guard up more. "Whether you got hurt..." *TING* "Or distracted..." *TING* "Or any other things!" *TING* "Your enemies would seize those opportunities to kill you." When their swords clashed once more, their focus were on the weapons they had. *SWOOSH* Ray moved his right leg in a flash. *BAM* Then he kicked on the left side of his abdomen and send him fly away. "Ack¡ª?!" Rei landed on white floor, "Ugh...." Following that, he attempted to get back on his feet while holding the pain in his abdomen. "Don''t just focus on my sword...you need to keep your focus on everything." Ray began to spoke while he watched him attempting to stand. "You need to know, that my sword isn''t the only thing that can hurt you; my legs and hands here can also be used as weapons." "You might think, it is ridiculous. But I saw what you did to that one poor wolf, when you crushed its head using bare hand." "It was impressive, knowing that you did it instinctively using my memories." Ray began to walk slowly towards him. "So, make sure to engrave this in your mind." *TAP* As the sound of footsteps echoed around the space. "In the battle, there''s no right and wrong..." *TAP* "You must consider your body as a weapon..." *TAP* . . . . . . *TAP* "By using your hands, it can be used to punch or grab on your enemies." *TAP* . . . . . . . *TAP* "By using your legs, it can be used to kick or step on your enemies." *TAP* "While by using your head, it can also be used to hit your enemy''s head to make them dizzy." *TAP* As Ray stood in front of him after he explained all of it. "So, make sure to remember..." Ray begin to lift his sword up, "Do not give mercy...to your enemy." *SWOOSH* Then swung his sword from downwards towards Rei who was still holding his pained side. *TING* But luckily, he managed to blocked it by using the back of his sword and holding the other side with his hand. "U-ughhh¡ª!!" *TSSKKKKKK* As the sound of the two swords colliding filled up the entire space. Rei continued to hold on where he stand, but he doesn''t want to give up. "Ughhhh....AAAAAAAA!!!!" Rei was able to push his blade further away while he stand up on his feet, by using all of his strength. "How was...that!" Rei shouted at him, to show him that he can still fight. But... "Hmmm..." Ray looks more calm than he used to, while observing him. "I guess that''s all you can do." He muttered before he pulled his sword away. "Huh?¡ª" In that moment, when Ray spoke those words. *SHATTERS* Ray swung his sword towards his, breaking Rei''s sword in half. "¡ª?!" Rei was unable to respond, after when Ray struck his sword with his cheap sword, his sword started to fall apart. "During a fight, you must to keep track of your weapon''s durability." Without loosing any momentum, Ray shifted his sword upward. "Now then...time to wake up." After that... *STAB* He thrust his sword into Rei''s head. . . . . . . . Then, everything went black after that single stab. ****** "Uwaaah!!!" Rei suddenly opened his eyes and get up from the bed as he breathed heavily and drenched in sweat. It was morning already, while he could feel the sunlight on his body as it filtered through the window next to his room. Ray panted heavily, touched his face to check if there''s a hole or something on him, "Did I just...die?" He muttered. ''That is correct.'' A voice came out from his head, it was Ray who replied to his question. ''Now then, how does it feel to be dying for once?'' Ray asked him jokingly. Rei sighed, "Terrible..." he replied while his hands couldn''t stop trembling while he tried to calm down. ''That''s how it is, and you need to get used to it.'' Ray replied. ''You need to remember this feeling, because in real fight...you might not notice, that your head would be falling off from your body.'' Ray spoke to make him imagine if this were a real fight. ''Since the time in the mind realm is more faster than the reality, this would be your trump card to be able to learn faster and stronger.'' Ray explained. Rei laid his body back on the bed while looking up at the ceiling. "So...I guess I am gonna train like this everyday." ''Hmm? What are you saying?'' Ray asked. "Huh??" ''Huh??'' The two of them were confused and somehow not on the same page. ''Do you think, this is over? We are just getting started.'' Ray spoke. "W-what do you mean by that?" Rei felt something bad going to happen. ''You still need to train your body in reality, do you think the training within your mind realm would be enough?'' Ray explained. "W-wait, I thought that the mind realm would help me to train more?'' Rei spoke. ''Yeah, but that''s only in the mind realm, while you did gain an experience, but there won''t be any changes to your body.'' Ray explained. ''The only thing that changes is the way you''re thinking, not your physical body.'' Ray exclaimed. ''Another reason for your lost, weren''t just the experience, but also your physical strentgh.'' ''That''s why, you need to increased your stamina and strength, since they are below average.'' Ray even commented him harshly despite that. Rei couldn''t argue with anything he just stated, because everything that he said was all the facts he needed to know. ''Now, there''s no time to waste, my dear partner...I''ll help you with your training, so we gonna do it together.'' When Ray said that, somehow, Rei could see his scary face in his mind when he spoke about his training. "I-i''m still r-recovering, you know¡ª" When Rei tried to escape. ''Nope, let''s start the train now'' His body suddenly couldn''t move, as Ray suddenly take over. "W-wait! N-no¨C!!" Rei who shouted began to move his body from the bed. And after that, his hellish training begins. To be continued... Chapter 13 : The Awakening & The New Encounter (Part 1) It was early in the morning when a sound of nature intermingled with something else in the area. *TAK* There''s a boy who''s currently swinging his sword on a tree. He was very calm and quiet as he swung the weapon. *TAK* Moreover, each swing was filled with powerful strength that was loud enough to be heard from all the way to the village. *TAK* The boy was Kiritsuka Rei, it''s been two months ever since he started training with Ray Houston¡ªthe other soul that resided within his body who came from future. "Hmmm!" *TAK* Rei who continue to swing his sword felt something strange happening to his body. ''What is...this feelings?'' His sense started to get sharper, his breathing was steady and calm depsite swinging his sword numerous times. ''Everything moving so slow...'' While his thoughts process are also getting faster. ''What is..happening right now?'' He could see his sword movement getting slower but in reality. *TAK* *TAK* *TAK* His swing was getting faster and faster... ''This is it...'' Rei suddenly felt his body heating up, his wooden sword felt more lighter. And after that... *SWOOSH* When he swung his sword into straight horizontal line. *CREAK* It cut through the tree as it begin to fall down. *BOOM* The loud noise from the falling tree spooked the birds and making them fled from the area. ''Haaa....haaaa....'' Rei panted heavily while he widened his eyes after witnessing of what just happened. ''Finally, you had achieved it.'' Rei just stood there and felt something surrounding his body, he heard someone''s voice. "This is..." When he noticed it as soon as his body was clad by red mist that was crawling around his skin. [Notice!] [You had acquired skill [Aura]!] "A skill...? [Aura]." ======================================= [Aura] Passive Skill An energy that strengthen both individual''s body and mind, by achieving awakening through a hardship and fight between life and death. (It can be activated automatically) ======================================= After he saw the skill, another voice came out again. ''Congratulations, Kiritsuka.'' It was Ray''s voice that came out from inside Rei''s mind. ''You''ve finally achieved [enlightment] and created an [Aura].'' Ray spoke to him. "[Aura]?" Rei repeated his words. ''Yeah, [Aura] is an internal force that run course inside your body, it can passively strengthen your body and senses from inside and burst them all out into powerful force.'' Ray explained. "W-woah..." Rei looked at his hand, that seeping through with his red aura. "But how is this different than a [Mana]?" Rei asked him as he was curious about that part. ''Good question, and of course it is entirely different than [Mana] or [MP] that we had.'' Ray replied. ''[Mana], it''s an external force which is not coming from you but your surroundings and by using it, you can created a phenomenon that you can called [Magic], such as [Fire].'' Ray explained. "I see." Rei replied. ''But of course, to acquired [Aura], you need a rigorous training and meditation.'' Ray explained again. ''Different than [Magic], you need to acquired that was called [Mana Heart].'' Ray added. ''[Mana Heart]?'' Rei repeated. ''Yeah, but only people who have their [Job] as a [Mage] can acquired that.'' Ray replied. "I see." Rei somewhat felt down as he thought he could use magic. "But, is there any differences between acquiring an [Aura] and those who not?" Rei asked. ''Of course, you can tell the differences already, when your [Aura] was released, don''t feel your surroundings are getting slower, am I right?'' Ray replied to his question. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Rei nodded to respond to his question. ''When you are in state of using [Aura], it can also unconsciously strengthen your eyesight and your thoughts to process much faster.'' Ray explained while Rei looked at his hands, but when he observed it closely. "But why does it feel familiar..." Rei muttered, "No, it was the same like [Sharp Edge] skill that I used from my first sword." He spoke. Ray smiled, ''Correct, but there a differences between your [Aura] and the skill from your sword.'' "Differences? Why is that?" Rei looked at his hands again, but he couldn''t get the answer. "Because, the [Aura] that came out was not from you, but...from the sword that you held.'' Ray answered him. "From the sword?" Rei repeated him. ''Yeah, do you remember what you felt when you forge that sword on that day?'' Ray asked him. "Hmmm, I think I felt joy and happiness...as if I was having fun forging it...though I don''t know why it had something to do with it." Rei spoke. Ray laughed, ''Hahaha! Sometimes you are clueless or either smart of yourself!'' "Ughh...don''t tease me, just answer the question." Rei felt irritated when he comment him like that. Ray smiled, ''The answer is, your [Emotion] that caused it to happen.'' "My emotion? But I never learn or know what [Aura] is." Rei replied. ''Yes, even without learning, [Aura] can be triggered by some emotion, such as Happiness, Sadness, Joy or Anger.'' ''So when you forged that sword, you unconsciously released your aura and injecting it into the sword with a small fraction of it.'' Ray explained. ''And that small fraction of [Aura] created a skill called [Sharp Edge].'' Ray concluded it. Rei was amazed by it, "I see...but wait, doesn''t [Aura] and [Mana] is different thing? How can you explain about the skill that needed a [Mana] to activate it?" ''You sure asking a good question after one and another, are you sure you are not a scholar or something?'' Ray commented his behavior to keep asking more and more. "I am not, but for me, informations are crucial to know the unknown things." Rei replied. ''That is true.'' Ray replied. ''Then let me explain it for you to understand.'' ''[Skill], is an ability that required external force like [Mana] to activate them. ''And [Skill] can created the same phenomenon just like [Magic].'' ''But the differences between a [Normal Skill] and [Magic Skill], they both required different things.'' ''For example, there''s a [Skill] that can be activated without [Mana], such as a [Techniques] that comes from a swordsman or martial artist, like your skill [Vertical Slash] and [Horizontal Slash] are one of them.'' ''Both of those skills doesn''t require any mana to begin with, because it just basic technique and pure raw strength to use it and in addition they also can be fused together with [Aura] to increase their strength.'' ''And there''s [Magic Skill], a skill that created a phenomenon such as [Fire] that you always use, people with no [Mana Heart] can still use magic although they can only use low-class one.'' ''But what about the [Skill] that used [Mana]?'' ''Of course, they will be different, because they can created the same phenomenon as [Magic Skill], although the differences between the skills they required a strong and complicated [Techniques] to created something that they envisioned with.'' ''While [Magic Skill] required intelligence and memorization, to created something that they envisioned as well.'' Ray explained it wholeheartedly. ''Now then...do you understand everything?'' And ended it with a question. Rei nodded vigorously, feeling his head about to burst out after receiving that much information. "But...I guess, [Aura] sounds very practical and easy." Rei muttered When Ray heard that, he began to laugh, ''Hahahaha! Yeah, you truly are weird!'' He commented. "What do you mean by that?" Rei asked while feeling insulted. ''Well, knowing you that you have no knowledge of what [Aura] is, a given.'' ''Normally, people would take decades to achieve of what you just did, as for me, it tooks 8 years to finally achieved that.'' Ray explained. Rei felt his jaw dropped and his eyes widened in shock as soon as he heard it. "Wha¡ªWhy did you just tell me just now! after those long explanation!" Rei asked as he found it disturbing, cause from all the explanation he just made, he left the crucial one. ''Hahaha! because I want to see your reaction!'' Ray exclaimed proudly. Rei just sighed, "Seriously...I am still new to this, at least give me a break." He replied while he stared at the cutted tree then to his worn out wooden sword. "[Aura], huh..." Rei muttered. ''Yeah, that is an [Aura], with that, you can strengthen almost everything from cutting or crushing.'' ''So from now on, the training will be much more harder than before. To make sure you can control your [Aura] more efficiently and more powerful. Got it?'' Ray stated. "Yes sir." Rei replied confidently because this is the first step at getting stronger. ''Now, let''s go back, we promised Emily to play with her today.'' Ray reminded him. "And who''s fault is that, for forcing my body to the limit for the past two months." Rei replied to him. ''Well, you need it and someday, you will be grateful to it.'' Ray replied back. After that, he went back home with a smile on his face. ****** In the middle of the day, Rei and Emily went out to play together. While they were playing, some kids approached the two of them. It was James and his gang that also came with few other kids from the village. "Ohh! This is where you are, Ray aniki!" James called him out when the two of them approached them. There was also Bob and Hans standing beside him, while behind them, there''s a timid boy and girl that seems to be siblings because they share similar brown hair. "Hey, James though...didn''t I told you do not call me that?" Rei responded to him nicely since they were in good terms now after that boss monster incident. On the day after Iris went back to the kingdom and Rei started his training, James and his gang came to visit and apologized to him while also expressing their gratitude for saving them and sacrificing himself. Rei couldn''t help but to forgive them because they''re still children. Now their relationships became more friendly. James and his gang looked up to Rei as their older brother and started calling him with [Aniki]. "Aniki! do you have time?!" James asked him excitedly, you could literally see the moment his eyes lit up and sparkled. "Hmm, I don''t know....I''m playing with Emily right now..." Rei glanced at Emily who''s clinging on his arms. "Yeah! Emily is playing with Onii-chan now! Bleehh!" Emily scoffed while sticking out her tongue. "N-no way!..." James looked down as he felt a sense of defeat after being rejected by his older brother. Rei chuckled and smiled at these two. "Emily that''s a bad manner." "B-but Onii-chan!" Emily looked up at him with her puppy eyes. "No buts, that''s a bad manner to stick out your tongue to someone like that." Rei resisted her and gave her a bit of a scolding. "Ummm...okay, I''m sorry." Emily murmured and looking down to her feet. Rei smiled softly and gently stroke her head. "That''s a good girl~" Emily''s cheeks became warm and she''s smiling happily at his praise. "Hehehe~" Rei slowly shifted his eyes to look at James and the gang and he noticed two new presences behind them when he secretly used his aura. A voice came out inside his mind. ''Heh, this kid, he is quick at using his aura.'' Rei just smiled after being praised by Ray, and start to speak. "James, how about we play together? The more the merrier after all." Rei offered while James lit up once again as soon as he heard him. "Really?! Yeah!" James exclaimed while smiling happily. "Good for you boss!" Hans added. "Yeah!" Bob added as well. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot, I want to introduce you guys to someone first." The two of kids who were behind them started walking forward at James'' cue. "They are...?" Rei asked as he looking at them. ''A twin?'' The boy and the girl had the same eyes and hair color, they have light green eyes, brown hair and both of them were standing side by side timidly. ''But...why do they looked scared?'' Rei thought seeing them cower in front of him. "They are kids from the kingdom and a noble, recently they came here not too long ago to have their vacation." James explained. "My parents are friends with their parents so she told me to take their children to get along with others." James explained it again. "I see." Rei replied. ''Your parents are amazing...to have a connection with nobles at outside of this village.'' Rei claimed it in his thought. "Hey, you should introduce yourself." James spoke while giving a push for the timid boy towards him. The boy stood in front of Rei, shielding the girl who followed him from behind. He looked up at him with bravely. "N-nice to meet you, R-Ray-san! M-my name is...[Alex Nox Schafer]! And this is my little sister [Emma Shalifa Schafer]!" The brown haired boy¨CAlex said while trying his best to keep his composure while introducing his little sister Emma. "H-hi..." Emma greeted them while hiding behind his brother. ''Hmmm...to think I would meet a noble, other than Iris, but wait...I don''t remember her family name.'' Rei thought to himself. "Nice to meet both of you, my name is [Ray Houston] and this is my little sister [Emily Houston]." Rei replied them with a smile while Emily hid behind his back, shyly yet curiously taking a peek to the newcomers. The two siblings were surprised with how he responded to their introduction. They thought he was a scary person because James called him like that. ''I thought he would be a scary and tall person but...'' Alex said in his thought while staring at his smile. ''He is way too nice...'' Emma who has the same thoughts was surprised and peeked at him from behind. "Emily, you should said hi to them okay?" Rei gave a push for Emily to introduce herself to them. "H-hi..." Emily who was standing behind Rei''s back, waved her hand as her best effort to greet them. "H-hi..." The two siblings replied at the same time as their cheeks were starting to get slightly red. "Well once again, nice to meet you Alex, Emma. I hope we can be good friends." Rei spoke while offering his hand to Alex. Alex looked at his hand for a few seconds before he slowly reached out, grabbed his hand then shook it a bit. "L-likewise! I hope we can be good friends!" Alex replied eagerly. Rei and the others smiled as they were enjoying this moment together. James walked closer to them and patted Alex''s shoulder. "See? I told you! Aniki is a good person!" James said while looking proud of him. "Y-yeah! I thought he would be a scary person but I was wrong!" Alex spoke bluntly, unaware that his words stabbed Rei''s heart. ''Ummm...do I look that scary?'' Rei just kept smiling quietly while looking at them have their own conversations. "Unlike what the rumor said!" When Alex said that, Rei widened his eyes in surprise. "Wait¡ªwhat rumor?" Rei asked while looking at them. "H-huh?? Ummm...there''s a rumor that have been spread among the noble." Alex replied. "There''s a rumor about that??" Rei asked him. Alex nodded, "Y-yeah, the rumor is about [Iris-sama], being a friend with someone talented here." "...?!" Rei was surprised to hear that. "And that person is you, right?" Alex spoke as he stared at him. "U-uhhh...yeah I am." Rei nodded while still being surprised, ''Did someone leaked an information about me?'' "Woahhh!!" All of them exclaimed in amazement. "T-that''s amazing." Hans said while fixing his round glasses. "Y-yeah!" Bob agreed and nodded vigorously. "You exceeded my expectation Aniki! To think that you''re friends with the [Duke''s Precious Daughter]¡ª!" Upon hearing that, Rei felt something cracking inside his mind. "Huh¡ª?" "W-wait, who''s daughter again?" Rei asked worriedly. "Hmm? Iris-sama of course, she is the [Duke''s Precious Daughter]." James repeated while blinking, not quite understanding his slight freak out. "Huh?" After that silence filled the place. "Also, Alex and Emma is from Duke Schafer family." James added. ''D-d-d-duke''s daughter!!!?? And they are also a Duke''s children?!'' Rei screamed inside his mind while maintaining a poker face. ''Ah, I forgot to mention that.'' Ray''s voice came out. ''Again?! Why you left such crucial information from me?!'' Rei shouted accusingly. ''U-uhh...sorry, this time I totally forgot.'' Ray admitted apologetically Rei sighed a bit, ''I was pretty rude to her...'' ''Sorry, I didn''t know...I was fixated with her first name.'' Ray replied. ''First name?'' Rei asked. ''If I remember correctly, her name is [Iris May Welford].'' When Ray said that, it left a big impact for Rei. ''[Welford]?'' Rei repeated her last name. ''Yeah, I will explain about that later. The kids are still here.'' Ray said. Rei quickly went back to the real world and noticed that James and Alex was staring at him. "A-amazing, he doesn''t seem surprised even after hearing us came from a Duke Schafer family as well." Alex spoke. "Heh, that''s our aniki! He doesn''t get scared over something like that!" James replied proudly of his big brother here. "But, is there something wrong Aniki?" James asked while looking at him with a hint of concern in his tone since he just stared off at the distance for quite a while. "Uhhhh...y-yeah, I am fine sorry about that, let''s talk about this later and go play together okay?" Rei replied with a weak smile, trying to regain his composure in front of the kids. "A-are you sure about that? For us to play together?" Alex asked timidly while his sister nodded along with his question. "Of course, like I said the more merrier." Rei spoke reassuringly. "Now let''s go play." Rei reached his hand to them and pulled them closer to play together with Emily, James, Hans and Bob. They were playing together until it sunset. ****** When the night has come, another life and death fight between Kiritsuka Rei and Ray Houston will took place. This will be their last but not least of their fight, because this will be....the beginning of their journey. To be continue... Chapter 14 : The Awakening & The New Encounter (Part 2) At night, a match of life and death between Kiritsuka Rei and Ray Houston will be start. In the white space, these two individuals continue to staring at each other as the whole place filled with silence. Minutes had pass by, yet they still staring at each other with serious looks on their face. They were battling with themselves in their own minds over and over without moving a single bit. Rei sighed and continue to focusing his gaze towards the person in front of him. ''Damn... this isn''t going anywhere... I try to visualize it many times, but I still don''t know how to defeat this guy...'' Rei thought himself as he took a deep breath and start to move first and begin taking a battle stance. Ray responded with a smile and took his own stance as well. "Kiritsuka, wanna have a bet with me?" Ray offered. "A bet?" Rei responded. "Yeah, if you could injured me in 30 minutes. You can request 1 thing to me." Ray explained as he still focusing his stance. "Hmm....then if I couldn''t injured you in 30 minutes?" Rei asked while also focusing his stance. "Then we will have to train once more." Ray said while smiling as he confidence that he won''t lose. "I see...I understand, I will accept the bet." Rei answered without hesitation and his eyes fill of determination. Ray who saw this widened his eyes and smiled once more. "Good, you sure have grown..." Ray complimented him as he continue to shout. "Then come at me with all you got Kiritsuka!" "Then here I go Houston!" Rei shouted too as their shout was the ring of their fight. The one who made move first was Rei as he suddenly disappeared from Ray''s sight. ''[Shukuchi].'' Then after that Rei appeared right behind him. ''[Horizontal Slash].'' Rei quickly swing his sword horizontally from his right side. *SWOOSH* But... *TING* Ray blocked it easily by directing his sword to his behind and without move a single step. "Ohh, you finally learn how to use [Shukuchi]. I guess those running and step training had pay off." Ray commented to him while he easily holding on his sword. Rei widened his eyes when their sword collided, he could felt how strong his block is. "Dammit¡ª?!" *TING** Ray quickly turn around and flank Rei''s sword aside then quickly raised his sword up above his head. "But...you still have long road to go, it''s still too slow!" Then Ray swung his sword down to strike Rei. *SWOOSH* But Rei immediately jumped back before Ray''s sword hit him and putting a distances away from him. ''I guess normal attack won''t be enough, but I don''t have any choice to [use] it.'' Rei took a deep breath before letting it out slowly as his body letting out a red aura around him. "Oh, I see...using your [Aura]." Ray said while staring at him. "Yeah, I was thinking I should test it first. Since normal attack won''t do anything on you." Rei replied while coming back to his stance. "I see, what a good way of thinking. But can you control it?" Ray said while back to his stance. "How about we found out." Rei replied with a smile in confidence. Ray smirked. "Then, come at me again!" Both of them started running towards one another, then they swung their sword together. *TING* When their swords collided again it let out a large shockwave around them. "....?!" Rei could tell the gap between their strength had been shortened when he activated his aura. ''Right now my strength is somehow equal to him...but this won''t be enough to make him fall.'' Ray thought when he saw Ray reacted to his new obtained strength. Ray was smiling when their swords still clashes, "Don''t think too much, we are in the battle!" As Ray pulled his sword swung it at him again. Then Rei responded the same. *TING* When their sword collided, they couldn''t do any useless move. *TING* They swung their swords at each other throat. *TING* But their blades couldn''t reached to one and another... *TING* If any of them let down their guard, it would be over in an instant. *TING* This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Their sword collided against each other again. As Rei trying his best to focus on the fight, dodging every strike of his sword and counter him with his own. Ray observed him closely, ''Ohhh, to think he is keeping his movement to minimum to reduce his stamina cost and his fatigue point from building up.'' *SWOOSH* When Ray swung his sword again, Rei dodged it again by shifting his body slightly aside. *SWOOSH* Then Rei countered him back by swing his sword towards him. *TING* Ray who managed to block it, he saw a glimpse of something unusual happened and his lips formed into a wide smirk. ''This kid...how much is he going to grow?!'' Rei''s red eyes were glowing, which Ray recognized it. ''To think he would focus his [Aura] on his eyes rather than his body and sword!'' Ray thought of it. *TING* When Ray parried his sword again and going to counter him by swinging it from above. *SWOOSH* Somehow Rei could see his opponent''s movement getting slower which made him easy to dodge by turning his body aside as the sword pass through. ''Normally, people would use their [Aura] to clad on their body and even their weapons to strengthen them.'' ''So they would never consider using such a method to strengthen their eyes...because they found it ineffective.'' ''However, simply strengthening your body and sword will not be enough, because...'' ''It is meaningless if your sword does not reach your opponent.'' ''Until, [a method to increase your eyesight using aura] had come to exist.'' ''Which it had proven effectively by many swordsman, the reason is simple...because you can see your enemies'' movements and even notice any unexpected movements they would make.'' ''But this method...is also difficult to use, even for me who had achieved [Aura] could be able to use it after 2 years.'' ''But this kid...just doing it unconsciously.'' Ray noticed it, because he never once given him any tips. ''I guess...I might need to get serious.'' Ray could tell, if let this goes longer. He would be the one who lose. ''What a weird feeling...'' Rei thought while dodging his sword again while Ray''s movements look slow in front of his eyes. ''Is it me...or his movement getting slower.'' But Rei shook the thought, ''No, I mustn''t think anything else and continue...'' ''To focus.'' Rei''s eyes grow brighter, when he dodged his sword again. "...?!" He noticed a glimpse of opening. *SWOOSH* Then he swiftly moved his sword and swung it from Ray''s left side. But when his sword was about to reach him. *SWOOSH* Ray dodged his strike by crouching down, then countered him by thrusting his sword upward to Rei''s face. *SWOOSH* Rei who noticed that didn''t hesitate or flinched at the sword right in front of his face. Then he tilted his head aside to dodge the sword that passed through him. They hardly said anything during this battle; the only thing they spoke was by using their swords. Rei then quickly jumped away from him to put a distance between them. ''[Shukuchi].'' But Ray disappeared from his sight. *SWOOSH* Then he reappeared from his left side, ''[Horizontal Slash].'' then he swung his sword horizontally. *SWOOSH* Rei quickly turned body and raised his sword, ''[Vertical Slash].'' And swung his sword vertically. *TING* After that, their swords collided once more. ''Ugh¡ª?!'' Ray felt the force of his sword was getting stronger, when he saw Rei coated his sword with his red aura. ''It''s interesting that he only discovered how to use his [Aura] this morning.'' ''But to think he can naturally control it now... during a battle.'' ''Such a terrifying talent...which it coulde make anyone jealous, including myself.'' Ray commented. But when he observed him up closer while their swords were still clashing to one another. ''But...'' He noticed something and that is... "The amount of your aura is still lacking." *TING* After Ray spoke those words, Rei widened his eyes. "...?!" As his sword was flung up to the air when Ray suddenly strengthening his force from his sword. *TING* His sword ended up landing on the ground right behind Ray''s back. "I guess, this is the end." Ray concluded then raised his sword up. "It seems, you need to train more again, Kiritsuka." After Ray spoke, he swiftly swung it down towards Rei. ''[Vertical Slash].'' *SWOOSH* . . . . . . When his sword was about to reach him. . . . . . . Suddenly...something happen. "I''m not done yet!" Rei shouted out as his eyes begin to glow once more. *SWOOSH* He regained his composure and quickly dashed towards the sword. "¡ª?!" Ray was surprised when he ran towards his sword, until... *SWOOSH* Rei shifted his body slightly to the side and narrowly dodged his sword by a strand of hair. ''He dodged it¡ª?!'' Ray was still surprised from his sudden action, and that made him pulled his sword back. Ray put up a wide grin. ''¡ªYou never ceases to amaze me!! Kiritsuka!'' Then Rei ran pass him, and went to his sword. *CLINK* He grabbed it up as he went back to his stance, huffing and panting slightly. ''That was close one!... I guess dying for 71 times had paid off!'' Rei said in his mind as his lips formed a smile, feeling joy started to sprout inside of him. Ray smiled and turned around to face him. "To think you would face the sword that coming towards you without any hesitation." "You''ve grown, Kiritsuka." Ray praised him. Rei smiled, "Heh, I had lost count of the number of times I had confronted that sword." "It made me sick to look at it, so I can''t let myself to be struck by it again." Rei replied mockingly. Ray laughed at him, "Hahaha! That is true, yet you still missed something." Rei looked at him, "And what is that?" He provoked him to answer. Which made Ray smiled, "Just you know...I''m still holding back." "Holding back?" Rei repeated while he was confused what he meant by that as if he had forgotten. "Yes, I haven''t used my Aura yet." As soon as he said that. "¡ª?!" Ray''s body suddenly enveloped with yellow golden aura, the same color as his own eyes. "This is¡ª?!" Rei felt something strange bubbling inside of him as he noticed something. ''Hahaha! this guy, he is getting stronger!'' Rei couldn''t help but smile and amazed at Ray''s golden aura that was standing right before him. "To think, you are this powerful...Houston." Rei praised with genuine honesty. Ray smiled as well. "This is my hard work, that I had piled for many years." "So congratulations, for pushing me getting serious on you, Kiritsuka." He muttered. "Now then, shall we end this! Kiritsuka!" He shouted with his golden aura spiking up. "Then come at me!" Rei shouted back as he let out all of his red aura around him. *CLINK* The two of them raised their sword and aimed at each other. "Kiritsuka Rei, I shall strike you with my strongest attack!" Ray declared. "I accept! And I shall respond with my strongest!" Rei declared as well. Finally, they revealed their final trump card. "[Imitation Fire Sword]!" "[Imitation Fire Sword]!" Both of them shouted at the same time as their swords were enveloped by flame. The two of them stared at each other for a moment. As their flames were soon changed colors as they added their own aura to it. Rei''s fire sword turned into crimson red while Ray''s turned into golden light. *WOOSHH* Ray smiled when he saw the color changed on Rei''s fire. ''I see, so he knows how to apply it, huh. I guess Super Growth is a cheating skill, but let''s see who''s the strongest!?'' Ray spoke in his mind. As the whole space slowly distorted due the heat. *SWOOSH* The two of them started running towards each other. . . . . . . . When they were closing the distance between them. . . . . . . Rei moved his sword to his right side. Then Ray lifted his sword up. . . . . . . . Finally, they swung their swords. "[Horizontal Slash]!" (Rei) "[Vertical Slash]!" (Ray) Both of them shouted. *TINGGGGGG* As their swords collided once again and created a big shockwave around them. *WOSSHHHHH* Both of them glared at each other as their sword clashed to one another. "HAAAAAAA!!!!!" However... Rei slowly stepped back a bit when he felt the force coming from Ray was stronger than he expected. ''Just as I thought...he is still too strong for me! But...'' Rei took one step forward. ''I''m not going to lose!'' "HAAAAA!!!!" Rei shouted and pushed his sword forward. It made Ray widened his eyes, when he felt his sword getting pushed back against him. And the fire on Rei''s sword, was getting bigger. ''He increased his output?!'' Ray quickly noticed that. As he had no choice to take one step back from his spot and felt the fire on his sword burned his cheek a bit. ''Heh, impressive.'' Ray praised him, then he pushed his sword the same, ''but...that''s still not enough!!'' "HAAAAAAAA!!!!" Ray suddenly increased his own aura, to increased his strength and pushed Rei to take a step back once again. But Rei didn''t give up, "HAAAAAAA!!!!" And continued to increase his aura to the limit even his eyes start to glow bright. A lot of shockwave was released around the space from their clash. . . . . . And in that moment. . . . . . . *CRACK* The sound of something cracking could be heard. *CRACK* *CRACK* Their swords started to crack, bit by bit as they continued to increase the heat of their fire and aura on their swords. . . . . . . . Until finally... *CRACK* It reached the limit. *SHATTERS* Their swords broke apart. *BOOMMM* And released a large fire shockwaves that was compressed into the sword, creating a huge explosion. *SWOOSH* That was blowing the two of them away from there. "Agh¡ª?!" Ray could withstood the explosion and landed safely. "Ugh¡ª?!" But Rei who couldn''t protect himself, ran out of aura and landed on the ground with burned scars on both hands. "Haaaa....haaaa...." Ray panted a bit and slowly walked towards Rei who was lying down on the ground. "Ughh...dammit." Rei looked up at Ray while enduring the pain on his hands. "I guess I lost...again." Rei spoke with a dejected sigh as he looked up to the white ceiling before closing his eyes. Ray looked down at him and sighed as he smiled while he shook his head. "No, you won this time." Ray admitted it and sat down beside him. "Huh?¡ª" Rei was confused when he said that. "A bet is a bet, although it''s just a bit, but you did injure me." Ray replied while he touched the small burn cut on his cheek. "So, this time...it''s your win...Kiritsuka." Ray answered him and congratulate his victory. Rei widened his eyes as he heard that and laughed a bit. "Hahaha...to think I won, but well somehow I don''t felt happy." Rei stated it with smile. "I mean, look at my hands! they all messed up, I probably can''t use my hand now." As Rei spoke, he felt a stinging pain on his hands, but then he remembered. "Ahhh...that''s right, this is just a dream." Rei sighed relived to know that, then he looked up towards Ray. "Well, as usual, let''s just end this and kill me, Houston." Rei muttered about their daily routine. Ray looked at him and laughed, "Hahaha, yeah...you are truly the most weird disciple I ever had." He replied while a sword appeared on his hand. "Kiritsuka, let me praised you again." As he pointed the sword to his left chest where his heart was. "You are one hell of a brave warrior." Then Ray praised him with a smile. Rei looked at him and closed his eyes while smiling as well. "Thanks, Houston. I''m glad I can meet your expectations." Rei thanked him. "I''ll meet you at the real world, so go to sleep and rest now... we can talk about your request later." Ray replied. "Yeah, see you again, tomorrow...Houston." When Rei spoke his final words. *STAB* Finally, Ray stabbed his heart with a quick movement giving him painless death. As the whole thing went black, their fight had come to an end...for the new day they will face. To be continued... *Rei Current Status* ======================================= [STATUS] NAME: Kiritsuka Rei JOB : Blacksmith TITLE : [The Reincarnator], [Time Traveler], [Quick Learner], [Beast Slayer] Level: 21 [HP: 2500/2300] [MP: 325/325] [FATIGUE: 0] EXP: 1500/23000 STATUS POINT : 27 __________________ STRENGTH : 60 AGILITY : 40(+5) VITALITY : 45 INTELLIGENCE : 30(+5) SENSE : 35(+5) SKILL Blacksmith Mastery Lv3; Sword Mastery Lv3; Battle Instinct Lv2; Super Growth LvMax; Fire Magic Lv2, Aura Lv1 Fire Lv2 Horizontal Slash Lv6 Vertical Slash Lv4 Persona LvMax [Locked] Imitation Fire Sword Lv1 Shukuchi Lv1 !!NEW!! ======================================= ======================================= [Shukuchi] Active Skill MP: 25 An instant move that requires both speed and silence, allowing the user to move between space and strike their enemy. ======================================= Chapter 15: The Great Five Family & The Villainess (Part 1) ''[The Human Kingdom, Luxion], a kingdom that has existed for 500 years and was led by the greatest monarch who fought alongside his four comrades for prosperity and to lead humanity.'' ''As the Kingdom developed, the King''s companions eventually became the great noble houses in the Kingdom.'' "Is that all you got?!" A boy shouted, tauntingly. *TAK* A sound being hit with wooden sword can be heard. ''One of the great houses, [The Welford family], they were the new noble family that has been a great help for the kingdom from generation to generation.'' ''They were an adventurer who accompanied the old king in the war from a long time ago, and were rewarded with the title of the new Dukedom in the Kingdom.'' ''The Kingdom had four Dukedoms, but due to [the Welford], there were now five, and they were referred to as [The Great Five Family] of [the Human Kingdom, Luxion].'' "Agh¨C!" Someone yelled, followed with another one. ''They were also the biggest noble family in history that produce strong heirs that enough to rivals the other noble families, and they have been supporting [The Royal family] since long ago.'' ''Furthermore, the head of the Welford family and the present King of the new generation were buddies from their young age, so you can only imagine how powerful their connection are.'' ''Not just that! The present head of the Welford family was a commoner like us who rose to the highest position as an adventurer and married the most beautiful and strongest woman in the Welford family.'' ''As a result, their daughter, Iris was well-known as one of the Welford family''s greatest geniuses throughout history.'' "Now, I understand, why her maid and guard were unfriendly to me." The boy finally replied after hearing the stories of one of the great noble families. "And that also explains why the kids were surprised about me being friends with her." ''Yeah and also, that Alex kid that you met few days ago.'' ''He came from one of those nobles family with the name [Schafer].'' ''They were a family who produces people with [Mage] job and become one of the [Great Mage family] from generation to generation.'' "Oh, that explains, why he had low stamina." *TAK* *BUAK* Someone fell down to the ground and by the sound of it, they landed badly. ''Indeed, and are you done?'' "Yeah pretty much." Rei replied after Ray explained about the five great noble families as he was standing there between the other kids who were lying down on the ground with exhausted look. As you can see there is James, Hans, Bob, and even Alex himself. All of them were lying on the ground, whimpering in pain. "Ugghh..." Today Rei trained with the other kids in the village, they asked him to teach him a simple swords technique and how to fight. The reason they asked him was because they wanted to become strong like him after they found out their own jobs. Surprisingly, James'' job is [Warrior], Bob is [Guardian] while Hans and Alex, both of them are [Mage]. And now they''re currently holding their painful arms and legs after they got the lesson literally beaten into their body. Rei was standing between them and rested a wooden sword over his shoulder. "I guess I overdid it..." Rei commented the scenery in front of him. ''You pretty much beating them up into pulp.'' Ray replied to his comment. "It''s not my fault!...your training pretty much the same!" Rei yelled at him and watching the kids trying to get back up with much difficulty. James was first to get up, "Ugh... just as expected aniki...you are so strong!" As he said. Meanwhile, Bob and Hans just nodded their head as they remain on the ground. Alex looked up towards Rei as he still on the ground, "If I may ask..." "What is Ray-san actual job is... four of us couldn''t hit you at all." Alex asked exhaustedly. James was surprised, "Yeah!, aniki... I never ask about it!" He spoke and curious about his big bro [Job]. "Oh, I bet it''s [Swordsman]!" Bob guessed confidently. "Of course not you idiot! He is probably higher than that!" Hans retorted. Rei laughed after hearing their guesses, "Hahaha! it''s actually neither of them." He shook his head amusedly. "Then, what is it aniki?" When James asked him, they were looking at him curiously together. Which put Rei in a bad spot, "Hmmmm, I''m not that proud of it, but my job is [Blacksmith]." Then he answered with a smile. "Huh?? HAAAAAHHH!!?" The four of them went silent with their wide eyes and jaws that almost touched the ground. "B-b-blacksmith!?!" They yelled in unison. "W-wait? y-you were [Blacksmith]?!" Alex stuttered while in shock and even get up from the ground as if his tiredness just went away. Rei shrugged nonchalantly, "Believe me or not, I''m a [Blacksmith]." As if it wasn''t a big deal. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. "And the sword I used to kill those wolves, it was made by me." He even stated that. "T-that sword?!" They were reminded of the sword he used to kill those wolves with so ease. Though Alex didn''t understand, because wasn''t there in the scene, but somehow he felt admiration just from his imagination. Alex then looked at him again, "But, h-how can you move like that? You are on the same level of soldier in my houses!" Alex continued. "By training a lot of course." Rei raised his wooden sword and aimed it at them, "By doing push ups and sit ups to increase my muscle." "By doing running to increased my stamina." "And finally, doing sword training everyday to sharpen my sense." Rei explained. The kids were still in a daze, they seemed to be struggling to process what''s happening and his explanation. But they know, what he did is something that no one would do, especially with production job as him. James raised his hand, "B-but aniki! I have never seen you sword training before!" He spoke. "Of course I did, remember when you first sneaked out from the village through that secret passage?" Rei asked him. "Y-yeah?" James recalled and nodded quickly. "And saw some marks around the trees?" "Y-yeah?" James somewhat getting nervous by his question. "Those marks were made by me, I always went there early in the morning everyday before playing with Emily." "And even now, I still go there, before training you guys." "So, do you need any proof that I need to show it." Rei replied confidently about his daily activities, except the night where he trained with Ray in his [Mind Realm]. James shook his head vigorously, "N-no, aniki." "But just so you know, you guys can do the things I did, as long you guys never give up." "So keep working towards and achieved your ideal strength, and the outcome will be fulfilling." Rei gave them some advice. "Y-yes!" They replied together. Then Hans raised his hand, "Ray aniki! Can we know if there is an easy method to improve ourselves?" He asked. But Rei shook his head, "No, there is no easy method nor any skill that could get you strong faster, because those who took the easiest method to become strong, comes with a risk." He replied. "W-what is the risk?" Hans asked once more. "Hmmm, well...you can get crippled and lose your [Job] skill." Rei replied with a smile. Which made Hans trembled in fear. "But keep in mind, when you become strong, there will always be people who are stronger than you on outside of the world." "Because that''s also apply to me." Rei ended his explanation. "For now, I will be giving you guys a tasks." "First, James, you will be swinging your sword for around 100 times each days to increase your strength as a [Warrior], do not forget running and do some weight lifting as well to increased your stamina and endurance." Rei ordered him. "Yes aniki!" James answered him confidently. "Bob, you will be training on how to block any kind of attack to increase your sense, also join James training of weight lifting as well to increased your endurance as a [Guardian]." Rei pointed out Bob. "Y-yes sir!" Bob answered him. "Meanwhile for Hans and Alex¡­ since you''re a [Mage], I''m sorry that I don''t have any knowledge for being a [Mage]." "But I do know that you both had the same weaknesses." "Which is stamina, so you both will have to run for whole day to increase them, oh and Alex, share some of your knowledge to him." Rei pointed on these two. "Y-yes, Ray-san!" Alex replied while feeling confident. "That''s all I can say, so are we clear?" Rei finished it with smiling. "Y-yes sir!" All of them shouted in sync. "Good." Rei smiled, feeling quite good with himself. Alex looked up at him with nothing but admiration of how strong he is, despite having an inferior job unlike himself. "Now then, how about we call it off for to¡ª" But before Rei could finished his words. "Ummmm¡­Ray-san!" Alex interrupted and approached him. "Yes?" Rei turned his head around to look at Alex. "If we''re done with our training, will you teach me¡ªno, us, how to fight again!" Alex asked him with such determination on his eyes. Rei looked at him as he slowly smiled. "Of course, that was my plan to begin with. But now you all must go back home to rest and also¡­drink this." Rei threw four bottles that was filled with green liquid inside of it. They caught the bottle and wondered what it could be. "Ray-san, this is??" Alex asked, a bit confused. "That''s a healing potion of course." Rei said calmly. "Heal potion?! W-wait where did you get this?!" Alex was surprised once again. "Oh! this is...!" James said when he noticed where the item came from. "Yeah, this is a healing potion made by my mom. Even if she looked like that, she was an [Alchemist] before." Rei explained to them with a grin, but the only one who was still shell-shocked was Alex. "Alchemist?!" Alex freaked out, he should be tired hearing these mind boggling information which invaded his head but he''s really not. "Is [Alchemist] that rare??" Rei asked him while blinking his eyes. "Of course it is! To think someone was able to create a healing potion like this¡ª! You need a [Priest] to heal an injury!" Alex explained. "I see, well¡­Alex-kun. How about we have a talk together? I wanted to know about the outside world." Rei suggested, genuinely curious. "Ohh! I wanna hear it too!" James agreed while the other two nodded quickly. "W-well sure? hehehe~" Alex said while rubbing the back of his head and his cheek began to blush, feeling flustered at the sudden attention. Rei smiled as he wondered a bit in his head while looking up the sky. ''Outside world huh...I wonder how Iris-san is doing.'' And wondering about Iris current situation. ***** Meanwhile in the Human Kingdom Luxion, Iris was found in the terrace of her room and sitting on the chair while holding a book. The weather is clear and nice today, that''s why she chose this particular spot to sit and spend her time. While wondering the same thing as she looked at the book she''s holding. ''I wonder, how is Ray-sama doing?'' Iris thought, deep in her daydream. Until suddenly. "Ojou-sama... ojou-sama!" A voice from her side snapped her back to real world. Iris flinched, "Y-yes?!" Then she turned around to see who was the one that called her. It was Silvi''s voice. Silvi is Iris'' personal maid, she has been working for her ever since she was born. She has a white silver hair and violet eyes and a slim body. She was standing right beside of her all this time while Iris was busy daydreaming. "Mouu~ Ojou-sama, were you daydreaming again? How many times was it?" Silvi nagged while pouring a cup of tea in front of her. "Ehehe~ sorry, I just can''t help it~" Iris chuckled while rubbing the back of her head. She was wearing wearing a white dress and styled her hair into pony tail. "So¡­what is it exactly? May I know what you''ve been thinking about?" Silvi asked politely while tilting her head to the side. "Eh? Ah¡­Ahaha~ it was nothing~" ''I can''t say that i was daydreaming about Ray-sama...'' Iris deflected while trying to hide the truth. The maid sighed and couldn''t help but to smile at her. ''She must be thinking about that boy again.'' Silvi guessed, and when they looked at each other, both of them just laughed it off. The laughter eventually went down and they went back to what they were doing again. As Iris resumed her reading, she began to review about herself once again. ''Let''s start again, [Iris Mei Welford]¡ªthe daughter of the [Welford Family].'' ''Including myself, The Welford have four family members, the head of the family¡ª[Henry Von Welford], his wife¡ª[Eliza Luth Welford], the first son and the heir of the family¡ª[Albert Dragh Welford].'' ''The Welford family is one of the powerhouse in the Human Kingdom, Luxion. They have been supporting the royal family ever since the kingdom was established.'' Iris took a sip of her tea while reading the book, she suddenly sighed. ''And...It''s been three months ever since I woke up into this world.'' ''It is like a dream, but I still feel conflicted since this world was based off of [the Otome game] that I played.'' Iris flipped another page of her books. ''Otome game, was called as [Fantasia Love, Doki-doki ? in Magic Academy].'' ''Despite having such a cringe and weird name, it is still the most popular game in the present for otaku girls like me.'' ''And I have two roles in this world. [The Villainess] A.K.A [Iris Mei Welford] and [The Other Worlder] A.K.A myself [Hanamachii Yomi].'' ''Of all characters, I got stuck into a Villainess'' body who known as the most notorious character in the game.'' ''And somehow...'' Iris could see the reflection of herself on her tea, ''She looked exactly like me in that world.'' ''Is it a coincidence? No, I mean I already had a feeling that she look exactly like me the moment, I seen her in the game.'' ''Moreover, she had so many death flag in the game...so, I need to stay low, so I won''t die in the future.'' ''Though, being a daughter of well-known family, I can somehow relate that she can be too popular.'' Iris sighed once again which makes Silvi worried over her. ''But, the thing that I never expected was...him, [Ray Houston].'' ''I never knew that Ray-sama could be that strong...because I knew him in the game, and he was never that strong." ''And the power he shown that night...it was [irregular].'' ''Especially his eyes, I remember that Ray-sama should have both golden eyes color, but why does his right eye was red...? Is it because of my influence in this world?'' ''And those attitudes and personality...'' "The more I think about it, the more he resembled [him].'' ''Is he...fine in the real world?" When Iris thought about this person, she saddened. "It''s my fault..." Iris murmured softly then sighed once again before she closed her book. She glanced over the flower bookmark that Rei gave to her and it made her smile. "But if he wake up...then he would look like current Ray-sama~ fufu~" Iris giggled, Silvi who was watching by her side just simply smiled seeing her young lady this happy about something. "Now then! Let''s start training~ training~" Iris said after she put the bookmark on her book and closed it. She decided to get back on her feet after that and stretched her body a bit. "Silvi! Prepare my equipment and snacks! I''m going to train again!~" Iris ordered with a smile while Silvi¡ªthe ever faithful servant, bow her head. "Yes! Ojou-sama!" Silvi replied and started preparing the snacks and her equipment. When Silvi finally left her alone in the terrace, Iris spoke quietly. "Status." ======================================= [STATUS] NAME: Iris Mei Welford/ Hanamachii Yomi JOB : Magic Swordsman TITLE : [The Other Worlder], [The Villainess], [Quick Learner], [Magic Master], [Sword Master] [Level: 12] [HP: 2020/2020] [MP: 650/600] [FATIGUE: 0] EXP: 0/9000 STATUS POINT : 0 ______ STRENGTH : 32(+15) AGILITY : 32 VITALITY : 32 INTELLIGENCE : 60(+15) SENSE : 24(+15) SKILL Magic Mastery Lv3; Sword Mastery Lv3; Super Growth LvMax; Darkness Magic Lv3, Light Magic Lv3; Magic Eyes Lv2; The Villainess LvMax; Etiquette Lv4 Status Appraisal Lv2 Foresight Lv2 Restraint Lv3 Shadow Movement Lv2 Shadow Blade Lv2 Heal Lv2 Holy Light Lv1 Sword Dance Lv2 Vital Strike Lv2 Omni-Slash Lv2 ======================================= Iris saw her status and she exhaled once again. "No matter how many times I see this, just as expected [The Villainess]¡­she have an abnormally strong status. Especially her ridiculously high Intelligence because of her titles and mine." "And her current skills are already strong enough...which giving me a headache. But why does she have a [Light Magic]?? If I remember, the only one who have this is [The Heroine] in the game?" "Bug? No...is it because of me being here?" Iris closed her status and walked out from her terraces towards her room. "I shouldn''t think too much about it. Right now, I need to make myself stronger...and I will live...live to go back to his side as soon as possible." ''Because...no matter who it is...if they try to get in my way...I won''t hesitate to kill them...'' While Iris vowed to herself with nothing but determination, her eyes that was blue-sky in color, changed into red-blood for a moment as she waited for Silvi and went to the training place. The path of the young blacksmith have been sown, giving birth to another path for this young villainess to finally step into her next arc. To be continued... Chapter 16: The Great Five Family & The Villainess (Part 2) In the middle of the day, within Welford''s household, inside of a certain room¡­ Three people gathered together around the table. The first will be a huge middle-aged man with black hair and red-blood color eyes who is currently sitting across from his wife. The older male sipped a cup of tea, he procured from the table. "Hmmm, what a pleasant day...a cup of warm tea, a time with my wife and my children." As he spoke. The middle-age old man was known as [The Head of the Welford family, Henry Von Welford]. The second will be his wife, who appeared to be young despite her age being the same as her husband across from her, with her gorgeous blonde hair and light-blue color eyes. The blonde haired lady giggled while watching her husband in front of her. "Fufufu~ dear, you have been busy with paper works lately, so having a day off is good for your body~" She replied to his comment. She is [The Duchess of the Welford family] and the Duke''s wife, [Eliza Luth Welford]. As for the last one will be a young man who sat in between the two of them. The young man had the same blonde hair color and light-blue eyes, just like Eliza. "Mhm, indeed father, you have been working too hard. Mother and Iris are worried of you." The young man joined into the conversation. He is the first son as well [The Heir of Welford family, Albert Dragh Welford]. "Hehehe, of course. As expected my wife and daughter. They both are beautiful and kind!" Henry spoke while smiling proudly. "Ara~ what a wonderful husband I have~" Eliza said while smiling at her husband. "Ohhh?~ But aren''t you the wonderful one, especially...you know..." Henry spoke while taking a glance of his wife. Eliza looked shy, "Dear!~ come on~ don''t say that!~" As the two flirt while their son is sitting between them. ''Seriously, at this early in the morning?'' Albert thought while watching his parents speaking inappropriate way, makes him uncomfortable in between them. "Ahem." Albert coughed to reminded them, that his son was still here. The two stopped and remain dignified once again. Henry put his cup down, "So, where is my daughter now? It is unusual for her to be late in family gathering." He spoke while looking around. Albert does the same, "Yeah, it is unusual, I haven''t seen her ever since this morning." He replied. The two doting father and brother continue to look around. Eliza took a sip of her cup of tea. "Right now, She is training in the training ground with the knights and our soldiers~" she gave them the answer regarding where Iris now. "Ohhh, training? I heard from the report, but I never thought she would train this early." Albert commented. "But, of course, I don''t hate it! I am proud of her! Since she is my daughter after all!" Henry proudly spoke loudly, but at the same time he got curious. "But, I am still curious, of how did she suddenly change? Mostly, girl at her age would do play house and tea party with dolls." Henry speculated as he knows what mostly girl at her age would do. "But instead, she asked me to start her training. Is there a reason for her to do it?" Henry asked, curious of his own daughter''s decision. Albert shook his head, "Unfortunately, I don''t know as well, father." "Even I found it odd about her changes, but..." "I just cannot refuse her when she looked at me like that." He replied while reminded of her face looking cutely towards him. "Me too." Henry reminded the same. But the two snapped from their imagination and proceed to continue their conversation. "However, father, I believe she had been acting a little strangely ever since returning from that village." Albert answered. "That village? You mean the village that was in the report?" Henry asked. "Yes, it was called the [Blumund Village]." Albert replied, "It is a village located near to the [Border], a village that does not exist on our Kingdom map due to its location." As he explained. "I see, I never heard this village before, so I guess it is an isolated village from our Kingdom." Henry tried to recall if he had ever heard of it but to no avail. "But to think the villagers there would dare to live near to the border which filled with dangerous monster around." Henry replied while folding his arms. Albert nodded, "Indeed, but father...apparently, there''s a rumor that have been going around and I heard something interesting happen from that village." Henry piqued interest on this in formation, "Hoo, what is it my son?" Albert smiled, "I heard there''s an outstanding kid who lives there." "An outstanding? Are you sure you aren exaggerating it?" Henry asked as he look disbelief. "Of course not, I overheard it from the soldiers that went along with Iris." Albert answered. "Hmmm, I am listening." Henry waited for him to continue. "Apparently, there''s an appearance of a [Boss Monster] near to that village." Albert continued. Henry widened his eyes, "[Boss Monster]? Then, what is the damage from the village?" Albert shook his head, "No, father, the village was safe and didn''t received any damage from the [Boss Monster]." Henry tilted his head, "That''s so strange, a [Boss Monster] had the strength to destroy one village, but to think it couldn''t damage a single house of the village." "What kind of barrier do they have?" Henry asked. "Sadly father, you are wrong...there''s no single barrier around the village nor fortress around to protect them." Albert gave him the answer. "The...how?" Henry still curious. "However, the [Boss Monster] was halted before it reached the village." Albert answered him. "Halted?" Henry asked. "Yes, by none other a little kid which came from that village." Albert revealed. "¡ª?!" Henry was surprised, even Eliza who sat beside him was the same. "A kid, you say?" Henry asked. "Yes, father, a little kid...prevented the [Boss Monster] alone and defeated it before it could reached the village." "But Despite getting numerous injuries all over his body, he was able to achieve a hard victory in defeating that monster." Albert explained. "No way...a kid prevented it? No matter how weak the [Boss Monster] is, a monster is always a monster!" Henry was still in disbelief at his remarks. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "I know father, and I don''t want to accept it either...but, our soldiers provided their testimony to me, and they did observe the kid fight alone." Albert explained. Henry somewhat cannot comprehend on what happen, "How old is this kid?" When he heard his question, Albert smiled, "He is in the same age as Iris, father." Henry couldn''t be more surprised by this, "What a scary talent, I guess you weren''t exaggerating about this kid being outstanding." "I know, it makes me want to recruit him under our house, but apparently he lives far away from here." Albert replied. "Then, let''s visit the village someday, and we shall recruit him before anyone else." Henry replied. As both of them came to a mutual agreement after knowing Rei''s talent and fighting sense. But... Eliza start to giggled, "Fufufu~ well unfortunately, you both are too late for tha." And she joined into the conversation. Then two of them suddenly turn their head to the woman. "What do you mean by that? My dear?" Henry asked. Eliza smiled, "Because my daughter, Iris had tried to recruit him the moment they met~" "What?!" Henry and Albert shouted in surprise. But they felt proud after hearing it. "As expected my daughter is genius!" Henry commented her deed. "Yes! I am proud to be her older brother!" Albert does the same. "But wait, my dear! how do you know about this?" Henry asked. "R-right mother! Even our soldiers didn''t mentioned it to me." Albert added as well. Eliza giggled once again, "Fufufu~ of course I know, it''s lady''s talk between mother and daughter~" and she replied to these two confused men. "Then...what is his answer?" Henry asked her once more, the gaze of these two are now focused on her. "He rejected her offer." Eliza answered him calmly. "¡ª?!" Henry and Albert were surprised by her answer, but knowing that it angers them instead. "He actually rejected from an angel!! How dare he!!" Henry said with anger. "What an arrogance...I shall lead the army, father." Albert said with full of killing intent. "Thank you my son, we shall purge that pest once and for all." Henry replied as he agreed to his son''s plan. ''Like father~ like son~ fufufu~'' Eliza thought of it while enjoying these two attitude. "Now now, let''s stop with the killing intent~" Eliza smiled, reducing their will to kill this boy. "But dear!" Henry was about to respond, but Eliza smiled at him again, calming his fury. "And try to understand the boy''s reason first~" "Iris told me everything about him, of how brave he is facing the monster that was going to harm his village." "And how he sacrificed himself for that moment, and at such young age." Eliza explained, which made these two slowly felt guilty. "So, why did he reject her offer? If he accepted her offer, our house will provide him with the protection he seeks for himself and the village." Henry questioned. "The reason he turned down her offer, because he still want to stay with his family." Eliza answered. "Wouldn''t it be upsetting for both of you if Iris began to work for someone else?" Eliza even give them the example, if Iris does the same. "His parents would worried of him and missed him, and not only that...he is still a child just like Iris." "Now, do you understand his reason?" Eliza explained it as the two of them couldn''t gave her an answer and nodded their head. "I see, I guess, it was insensitive of me, after knowing his origin, it reminds me before meeting you." Henry spoke towards Eliza. Eliza smiled, "Yeah, you and him have the same background before becoming the Head of the Welford family." Henry smiled the same, accepting her words which reminded him of the past where he and his wife together. "The same as me and Iris, to think that she start to fall with someone with the same origin like you~" But after she spoke those words... *SNAP* Something snap could be heard around them. *BAM* Suddenly, Henry slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "Y-you must be joking my wife...our daughter must misspoke about it." Henry stuttered. "Y-yes! Mother, Iris would never like someone else other than her family right? Hahaha..." Albert chuckled a bit hysterically while standing up as well. But Eliza stayed calm and smiled at them while taking a sip of her tea. "Albert...let''s go to the Blumund village and found this boy!!" Henry shouted like a maniac. "Yes father!! I''ll follow you!!" Albert shouted as well. But then the heated atmosphere, slowly getting cold when Eliza spoke. "Ara~ where do you think you are going to~ dear~" The two of them froze for a moment and turned their head to this smiling women who enjoy her tea calmly, the smile of unlike before. A cold like ice. Henry knew that expression and immediately toned down his voice, "U-ummm...my wife, I-i''m p-planning to go to that village to...give my respect to that kid! Yeah! Hahaha..." "Mhm~ mhm~ and your real plan?~" Eliza asked with a smile. "I wanted to purge this boy..." When Henry spoke those words he looks menacing like there''s dark aura around him. Eliza sighed and smiled again at him. "Could you please stop these act my dear~ didn''t I told you about the boy''s story?" Eliza spoke. "B-but my dear wife!" Henry about to retorted once again. "Or do you want to be hated by Iris?" But Eliza spoke as if there''s a flower popping out around her. "U-ughh... b-but m-my wife¨C" "My dear~" "O-our daughter is¨C" "My dear~" "U-ugghhh..." "My dear hus-band~" "U-ughh... I-i understand..." After her relentlessly attack him with her beautiful and cuteness, Henry quickly sat down and quietly drank his tea as he somehow felt the blizzard from her words despite her looks cheerfully with smile. Albert who saw this quickly sat down as well when his mother glanced over to him. ''As expected mother.'' Eliza huffed exasperatedly and looked at them with a wry smile. "I understand both of you are worried of her, but she respects his answer and beside this boy look like a good kid to me." "And extremely rare one~" Eliza mused, taking another sip of tea from her cup. "Rare? what do you mean by that?" Henry asked cautiously while slowly looking at his wife. "Fufufu~ curious?~" Eliza replied to her husband with a smile. They quickly nodded since they did want to know the answer. But when she''s about to say something... "Well he''s¨C" *BOOM* A loud explosion invaded their ears and the sound was powerful enough to rattle the windows. "What happen?!" Henry shouted with serious looks. "Father! that direction!" Albert said while point his finger towards the smoke. "That is where the training ground place!" Eliza added as she stood up from her seat. "Tsk, my dear, you stay here." Henry spoke towards his wife. "It might be an ambush, so Albert, I want you to protect your mother understood?" Henry said while tapping his son''s shoulder. "Yes father!" Albert nodded his head as his father left the room with few guards following him. "Protect them with all your might! I''m going to save my daughter." Henry ordered to those guards. "Yes sir!" As they quickly answered him. Then they guarded the room while Henry left with a sword on his hand towards to the training ground. ''I hope you are safe...Iris." ****** 25 minutes ago, Iris was having a spar with one of the soldiers there. "Haaa!!!" *TING* Iris shouted while clashing her sword with an old man who stood in front of her. "You have grown stronger from the last time I see you, Ojou-sama." The old man spoke while holding his sword with one hand to block her strike with ease. This old man is Rowan, he has silver white hair and striking blue eyes. He has sharp jawline and there are wrinkles that marred his face due to old age considering he''s almost in his late sixties. But despite that he was quite tall with broad shoulders, straight posture and well-built physique. He is the man who has the title of the strongest swordsman in the kingdom, [The Sword Saint]. He also the one who taught the head of the Welford family of how to wield a sword. But now he was recruited to be Iris''s teacher, to teach her how to wield a sword just like her father. "Well, I need to be thid strong, so I can be recognized as one of the Welford family!" *TING* Iris said while smiling at her opponent, then she swung her sword and clashes with him from one to another. She changed out of her usual clothes and was wearing a breast plate, simple blue clothes and skirt with her hair tied into a ponytail. "I see, then show me how strong you have become!" Rowan shouted and increased his strength. "Don''t worry, it''s my plan to defeat you today Sensei!" Iris shouted as well and lowered her strength. *TSSSKKK* She moved her sword, allowing Rowan''s sword to pass beside her. "¡ª?!" Rowan was shook when she suddenly does that, he then took a step back. Iris took this chance and stepped forward to swing her sword from the right side. But Rowan quickly lifted his sword again and swung it down towards her. *SWOOSH* When the sword was hitting her, it passed through her body like a black mist and disappeared. Rowan widened his eyes in surprise seeing her disappear from his sight. ''What¡ª?'' "¡ª?!" Then he felt a presence from his back as Iris came out from his shadow from behind. ''[Shadow Movement].'' Iris casted her skill as her sword cloaked with black mist that turned into dark blade. ''[Shadow Blade].'' ======================================= [Shadow Movement] Active Skill MP Cost: 25 Maintain the skill: -5 MP/1 sec. A skill that allows individuals to move along in the shadow and slipped inside enemy''s defense to strike. ======================================= ======================================= [Shadow Blade] Active Skill MP Cost: 50 Cooldown: 15 sec. Maintain the skill: -10 MP/1 sec. Casting a shadow on individual''s sword with shadow energy that ignored any kind of defense. ======================================= Rowan who noticed this quickly turned around to anticipate her sword then he lift his sword again to block. *SWOOSH* When his sword about to hit her sword. It slipped through his block. ''It slip through¡ª?!'' Rowan was surprised after seeing that but he slowly smiled. ''Hah, to think she improved this much and learn this kind of trick in such young age.'' ''But even so...'' When her sword was about to reach him. *THUD* Rowan stopped it by holding her hand that was holding her sword. "¡ª?!" Iris widened her eyes seeing her attack was stopped with that kind of manner. *BAM* Rowan kicked her legs to make her fall while he quickly lift his sword and aimed it at her neck. "You''re still inexperienced." Rowan spoke with a smile. "Uggh, fine I lost!" Iris admitted. "Heh." Rowan huffed when finally the fight ended. "Woahhhh!!!!" *CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAP* The two were applauded by the audience which is the soldiers that was hanging around there to watch. Together with her maid Silvi who spectated along between them. Silvi walked towards her while bringing a clean towel on her hands, "That was amazing, Ojou-sama." "Thanks, Silvi~" Iris replied with a smile as she got up with Rowan''s help who was giving her a hand to stand. Iris took the towel and wiped her sweat on her neck line with it. "Phew, now it''s time for magic training!" Iris exclaimed brightly. "Another training? But Ojou-sama, you might ruin your body if you don''t have enough rest." Silvi protested with worry. "It''s fine, it''s fine~" ''Since I can cast [Heal] to myself, so it will heal any damage I received and even my fatigue.'' Then she slipped through from her maid gaze, ''Now then what should I do for magic training~" Iris having such a thought while smiling. Meanwhile, Rowan was staring at her. "Hmmm." Rowan then stood beside Silvi. "Silvi, did something happen to Ojou-sama?" Rowan asked. "You noticed." Silvi replied. "Well, after exchanging sword with her, I can tell that she seems spirited up more than usual on her training." Rowan explained. "That''s really observant, and certainly, something did happen while you weren''t around." Silvi replied. "Ohh? Is that so? Was it that talented boy that our Ojou-sama trying to recruit?" Rowan guessed it. "Yes, but if you know it already, why would you bother to ask?" Silvi asked him without giving a glance towards him. "Don''t look at me like that, I''m just curious about her change." "Since you are someone who stood beside her and watched her over." Rowan said while glancing at her. "Beside...is he that strong?" Rowan asked again. "Indeed, as a person who watched over her, that kid...is pretty strong." Silvi stated. "Stronger than Ojou-sama?" Rowan asked again. Silvi nodded her head, "If you are talking about talent, our Ojou-sama is definitely talented and genius." "But that child was abnormally strong, despite being less talented than her and having a common background." "He still managed to defeat that monster....alone." Silvi explained. "I see, so that''s why she keeps training over and over." Rowan hummed, rubbing his chin as he closed his eyes. "Yes, because of that, I''m worried about her forcing herself¡­" Silvi trailed off, looking at Iris worriedly. Rowan looked at her and patted her head gently. "You don''t have to worry about her, since she is my disciple and she also my Granddaughter''s Young Lady." Silvi widened her eyes when she felt her head being patted by him. She quickly looked away as she spoke with her ears slowly reddened, "Please stop this, we are still working, Ojii-sama." "Hahaha! my Granddaughter is the cutest, but well I hope you take care of her as well." Rowan grinned widely towards her. "Of course I will. Because it''s my job as her maid." Silvi said determinedly. But then after that... *SWOOOSHH* "Hmm?" Suddenly a gust of wind was blowing them from their side making the two of them turned their eyes towards the source it. They could see Iris was standing there with her hand aiming at something in front of her and there''s a large dark and light magical energy formed on her hand. "O-ojou-sama!?!" Silvi shouted, her eyes widened since they could feel the magical energy that was coming from her got even stronger. Even Rowan was surprised after seeing the large magical energy that she let out. "Ojou-sama?! That is..!" "S-sensei... S-silvi... what should I do?..." Iris panicked, getting teary eyed as she thought, ''H-how did this happen...!?'' To be continue... *Iris'' Current Status* ======================================= [STATUS] NAME: Iris Mei Welford/ Hanamachii Yomi JOB : Magic Swordsman TITLE : [The Other Worlder]; [The Villainess]; [Quick Learner]; [Magic Master]; [Sword Master] [Level: 12] [HP: 2020/2020] [MP: 650/600] [FATIGUE: 0] EXP: 0/9000 STATUS POINT : 0 ______ STRENGTH : 32(+15) AGILITY : 32 VITALITY : 32 INTELLIGENCE : 60(+15) SENSE : 24(+15) SKILL Magic Mastery Lv3; Sword Mastery Lv3; Super Growth LvMax; Darkness Magic Lv3, Light Magic Lv3; Magic Eyes Lv2; The Villainess LvMax; Etiquette Lv4 Status Appraisal Lv2 Foresight Lv2 Restraint Lv3 Shadow Movement Lv2 Shadow Blade Lv2 Heal Lv2 Holy Light Lv1 Sword Dance Lv2 Vital Strike Lv2 Omni-Slash Lv2 ======================================= Chapter 17: The Great Five Family & The Villainess (Part 3) Meanwhile when Silvi and Rowan were having their own conversations, Iris was deep in her thoughts and checking on her own status. ''Status.'' ======================================= [STATUS] NAME: Iris Mei Welford/ Hanamachii Yomi JOB : Magic Swordsman TITLE : [The Other Worlder]; [The Villainess]; [Quick Learner]; [Magic Master]; [Sword Master] [Level: 12] [HP: 2020/2020] [MP: 650/650] [FATIGUE: 0] EXP: 0/9000 STATUS POINT : 0 ______ STRENGTH : 32(+15) AGILITY : 32 VITALITY : 32 INTELLIGENCE : 60(+15) SENSE : 24(+15) SKILL Magic Mastery Lv3; Sword Mastery Lv3; Super Growth LvMax; Darkness Magic Lv3, Light Magic Lv3; Magic Eyes Lv2; The Villainess LvMax; Etiquette Lv4 Status Appraisal Lv2 Foresight Lv2 Restraint Lv3 Shadow Movement Lv2 Shadow Blade Lv2 Heal Lv2 Holy Light Lv1 Sword Dance Lv2 Vital Strike Lv2 Omni-Slash Lv2 ======================================= ''I lost again, even though I used [Foresight] secretly.'' ======================================= [Foresight] Active Skill MP Cost: 50 A skill that allows individuals to read the enemy''s next movement and intercept them by looking 5 seconds of the future. (There''s a chance for the skill to activate on its own to see a future ahead) ======================================= Iris sighed as she felt down that she lost to Rowan not too long ago. To cheer herself up, she thought of a new magic on her own right now. ''Hmmm, [Shadow Blade] a magic skill that coats the sword with dark magic which I learned from Ray-sama on that battle between that [Boss Monster].'' ''I guess the [Super Growth] skill allows you to learn more skill by only succeeded it once.'' ''But what I need is a long-range attack to keep my distances from my enemy.'' ''Although I do have [Holy Light] which can be used to blind them, but it can also purifies anything that related to dark element.'' ======================================= [Holy Light] Active Skill MP Cost: 25 Cooldown: 10 Sec. A light that has been blessed with the goddess of Light [Theia], it can purify any evil being and blind the enemy with its bright light. ======================================= ''But, I can''t use this element in front of others.'' ''Because, [Light Magic] is a rare element magic and it is called the power that purify evil.'' ''This element mostly can be used by those who had [Priest] or [Templar] job.'' ''But if a [Mage] or [Swordsman] who had this kind of element, they will be called as the [Saintess] and the [Hero].'' ''I''m not sure why I had this element, but if others found out about this, they might send me to those fanatics, [Temple of Light].'' Iris quickly shook her head and thought about it again. ''Since Iris was born with [Dark Magic], I should focus on levelling up it first.'' ''Though...regarding of magic, I don''t know what magic I should learn.'' ''Welford House doesn''t have any record about [Dark Magic] because it is the rarest element along with the [Light Magic].'' ''But...with [Super Growth], I think I can created a new magic with just my own thought.'' ''So let''s start gathering my mana first.'' When she thought about that, she extended her hand in front of her and when she started to focus while closing her eyes. ''Focus my [Dark Magic] into my palm.'' She began to feel something gathered and came out from her palm. Then when she opened her eyes, she saw a few small lump of darkness floating around on her palm. "This is...'' Iris asked herself as she observed the magic she created herself. She tried to poke on them, ''It''s soft and light...as if it doesn''t have mass on it.'' Then she had an idea, ''How about I gathered them into a single point, just like I did with [Shadow Blade].'' Iris started to focus. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. As those lumps of darkness began to move and gathered into a single point on her palm. The lumps of darkness gradually begin to shape, ''Good, now add more of my mana.'' She then poured her mana into it at the same time. *BZZTT* Finally, they took form into a small dark ball that surrounded with purple lightning. *BZZTT* [Notice!] [You acquired a skill!] ''Finally! Succeed!'' ======================================= [Dark Pulse] Active Skill MP Cost: 150 Increasing the output: -10 MP/1 sec. A dark energy that has been condensed and combined into a single point which could obliterate anything it touches. ======================================= But when she was about to celebrate, she saw the description of the skill she just acquired. ''¡ª?? [Dark Pulse]? Isn''t this one of Iris'' skill that was in the game?!'' ''Did I unconsciously created this? Or the base of this magic required focus and mana gathering?'' She then observed her magic. ''But...if my memory didn''t fail me, doesn''t this look a lot smaller than in the game?'' ''Is it because of the level? Or maybe I need to add more mana?'' As her thought wandered around while she stared at the small dark energy ball on her palm. *BA-THUMP* Something unexpected happened... ''¡ª?!'' Her eyes turned red as she felt a stinging pain from her head. ''Ugh¡ª?!'' She began to see some unfamiliar image flashed across her mind. A record of a man and woman having a conversation together. [*BZZT* I hope¡ª*BZZT* we¡ª *BZZT*¡ªfree from¡ª*BZZT* this... and.... *BZZT* be together¡ª*BZZZTTT*] The static sound interrupted the conversation between them. ''Who...are they? Ugh¡ª?!'' Soon, the image disappeared and her sense was back again as well as her eyes which returned from red to blue. Her head ached, and she was worn out by the unexpected vision she had just experienced. ''W-what was that...did [Foresight] acting up again?" She asked to herself while holding her forehead with her other hand. But then... *BZZT* *BZZT* *SWOOSH* She felt a huge wind current coming from in front of her. ''¡ª?!'' When she turned her head to look at the source of it, she saw a large dark energy ball floating on her hand. She blinked for a moment, "E-eehhh?!!! H-how did this happen?!!" Then she began to panic. She realized that she accidentally pouring too much of her mana into it due the sudden vision. But it also because, ''I forgot to put it out!!'' "W-what should I do?! W-wait how do you cancel the magic?! U-umm!!..." When she felt more panic, she lose her control over the magic and unconsciously poured more mana into the magic. As the dark energy ball that slowly got bigger every second. "Ojou-sama!?!" A shout came out from behind¡ªit was Silvi''s voice. Her eyes widened in surprise along with Rowan who stood next to her. The two of them watched speechlessly upon seeing the amount of magical energy that she released. "Ojou-sama?! That is¡ª!!" Rowan shouted. "S-sensei... S-silvi... what should I do?" Iris asked while turning her head around to look at her teacher and maid with teary eyes. "C-calm down! O-ojou-sama! F-first cancel the magic!" Rowan suggested while he tried to approached her. But Iris shook her head. "B-but....I can''t! I-i don''t know how!" Iris shook her head rapidly, honest to god doesn''t know how to do it. She was still new to learn magic and didn''t think it thoroughly before doing things that could potentially backfire terribly. The people around them getting scared but worried of their young lady so they stayed there instead of running. "You guys! Get away from me!" Iris said while trying to control her magic that slowly going berserk. *BZZT* *BZZTT* *SWOOSH* As it grew larger and released powerful magical energy surrounding it, gusts of wind began to surrounded her. "Ojou-sama?!!" Silvi shouted as she tried to reach her but her magic was quite powerful that enough to push her back. "U-ugggh... AAAGHHHHHH!!!" Iris shouted and trying to control the magic. But...when everything about to end. "Heh, in the end I need to lay my hand down." A woman''s voice cut in. "Huh¡ª??" Iris who heard it, widened her eyes as she saw a silhouette in front of her... ''Who¡ª?!'' But her magic... *BZZTTT* Exploded. *BOOM* It created large shockwave around her. The force was powerful enough to blow Rowan and Silvi away along with other people around them. After that. The dust smoke began to surround them and they couldn''t see their young lady. "Ojou-sama!?!" Silvi who quickly get on her feet after being thrown away by the explosion, ran towards where her young lady was standing before. Rowan also followed suit to help search for her but... They saw a silhouette of a person standing inside of the slowly thinning smoke. *SWOOSH* "So, is this the [Precious Daughter of the Duke Family]? To think you had a large amount of mana in young age." "Your magic wasn''t that bad at all, the output is good and strong enough to deal fairly big [Monster], but..." When the smoke cleared out, they found Iris sitting on the ground with an old lady standing beside her who was wearing a long robe and a witch hat. She has silver-white short hair, slightly droopy crimson eyes and a few wrinkles on her face. Other than that, she''s not that tall and quite petite looking. "....it still couldn''t leave a crack on my [Barrier]." Around them was a barrier that have hexagonal structure on it just like honeycomb. ''I...survived?'' Iris was out of breath and couldn''t believe she survived the explosion, then she turned her heard towards the old lady. ''Who...is she?'' Iris asked herself. When the old lady turned off the barrier. "Ojou-sama!!" Silvi ran towards her young lady and gave her a tight hug. "S-silvi?" Iris was shook by her when she suddenly hugged her tight. "Are you okay?? Are you hurt anywhere?!" Silvi checked every nook and every inches if there''s scar left by her magic. But... Iris began to cry like a child and hugged her back, "I-i''m sorry!! I''m sorry..." "It''s fine now...it''s fine..." Silvi tried to comfort her as Iris cried her hearts out in her arms. Rowan sighed as he watched them from the side, then he began to walk towards the old lady that stood beside them. "It''s been a while." Rowan greeted. The old lady only gave him a glance and went back to watch the two girls comforting each other. "Indeed, it''s been a while Rowan." And just like that, the two of them went silent and filled the whole place with awkwardness. Iris gradually calmed down and turned her head around to look at the old lady. ''Who is she?...'' Iris asked in her thought. "O-obaa-sama...! Y-you are here..!?" Silvi called the old lady in surprise as soon as she noticed her. ''Obaa-sama? Is she Silvi''s grandmother?'' Iris wondered while observing up close. ''But...why does she looks familiar?'' She was in her deep thought. The old lady looked Silvi, then showing a warm smile while spreading her arms wide for her. "It''s been a while Silvi~ come here my dear Granddaughter~" The old lady offered her a hug. Silvi immediately looked at Iris first to ask for her permission. Iris smiled and nodded her head, "It''s okay, just go and greet your grandmother." giving her the green light to go for it. "Thank you, Ojou-sama." Silvi stood up and ran to give a hug towards the old lady who is her grandma. "I missed you...Obaa-sama~" Silvi whispered. "I missed you too...sweetheart~" The old lady replied. Seeing Silvi smiled and got teary eyed because of meeting her grandmother made Iris smiled wider towards them. But when they stop hugging, Silvi went back to her working mode and the old lady begin to approach Iris. "So...this is the rumored young lady I heard from Silvi and that guy?" The old lady spoke while she stared at Iris as if to observe her closely. "Y-yes! My name is Iris May Welford." Iris quickly rose up to her feet and slowly bowed her head a bit while lifting her skirt up a bit, showing her a proper etiquette. The old lady looked amused by her greetings, "Ohhh, such a proper etiquette. I expected that you were some arrogant brat that doesn''t know how to greet someone." Her comment felt like stabbing words to the young girl. "But I guess that girl raised you well." The old lady appeared to be recalling something nostalgic as she talked. Iris was confused by her looks, but she need to be polite as she could, "Why thank you, it is a honor to meet you." "[The Witch, Matilda Threston]-sama." Iris replied while smiling. "Ohh, you know me?" Matilda got more amused. "Of course, I read your book and learn magic myself for that." Iris replied with honesty. "Hoho~ this little girl know how to flatter~ but to think you had created [Mana Heart] and reach [1st Circle] by just reading my book in this age, I am impressed." Matilda assessed. "Thank you, because of your book, I managed to learn [Basic Magic] in my first try." Iris replied. Matilda laughed, "Hahaha~ I see I see~" Iris continue to observe her, ''I just now remember her.'' ''[The Witch, Matilda Threston], she was known as the strongest [Mage] in the Kingdom.'' ''Along her husband who also my teacher [The Sword Saint, Rowan Threston].'' ''The two of them were known as the legend of this kingdom, who fought together with the [Hero] who sacrificed himself fighting against the [Demon Lord].'' Iris sighed, ''I''m not sure if this is a good or bad day for me because I never imagined that two legendary figures would be standing in front of me.'' ''I guess those rumors of me being arrogant were still around.'' Iris thought to herself and slowly looking up at her. When Matilda heard her name being called, she seemed to be quite surprised. "I thought you were a [Mage] but to think you are a [Magic Swordsman]." "Despite a large amount of mana, you also talented in swordsmanship." Matilda''s lips curved into a big smile, "uch an interesting little girl~ it makes me want to have a research on you~" When Matilda spoke, her red eyes slightly glinted. ''Hmm? Did her eyes just... wait...what did she said?'' Iris noticed it. "Hmm? Is there something wrong? Little girl~" "N-nothing! Madam Matilda, Ahaha~" Iris broke a sweat for a bit as she wondered how did she found out about how high her mana is. And know her talent in swordsmanship just by looking at her. "Matilda, why did you come here?" Rowan asked. Matilda only gave him a glance. "Well that stupid disciple of yours asked me to be a teacher of this little girl." ''Stupid disciple? does she mean father? did he asked her to come here...?'' One of Iris'' eyes twitched when she heard it. "At first, I was going to watch over her from a far and reject the invitation. But..." "I changed my mind~" Matilda replied with smile towards Rowan. ''Hmmm...let''s see what level she is?'' When Matilda was not looking, Iris secretly used [Status Appraisal] on her but... [Notice!] [The target rebound your skill back] Iris widened her eyes after seeing the notice. "Ugh¡ª?!" As she felt a tiny stinging pain on her eyes. ''W-what was that¡ª!?'' Iris asked herself. Matilda who noticed her reaction begin to smirk as she walked closer towards her. "Huh¡ª??" When Iris regained her vision after that pain. Matilda leaned her head down to look at her face closely. "¡ª?!" It surprised her when she suddenly this close. "Isn''t it quite rude, to look at someone''s status, little girl?~" Then Matilda revealed of what she just did behind her back. "¡ª?!" Iris widened her eyes once again in surprise. "I-i don''t know, what are you talking about." But Iris remain calm and feigned ignorance. Matilda smiled after seeing her reaction, "That''s good answer but don''t be too cautious, no one can will be able to hear us here~" When Matilda said that, Iris noticed that they were surrounded by a barrier. ''Since when¡ª?!'' Iris was unaware of it when Matilda had formed the barrier around them, ''There was no gestures or chant in her spells.'' ''How did she do it?'' Iris asked herself once again. "[Sound Barrier], it''s a barrier that prevent the passage of sounds from the inside to the outside and likewise. Or in a simpler term, a two-way soundproof barrier." Matilda explained. Iris blinked in surprise, a bit dazed but fascinated at the same time at the neat looking magic. She could see Silvi and Rowan''s bewildered look towards the barrier from the outside. *CLAP* Matilda clapped her hand so suddenly, getting Iris'' full attention. "Now~ little girl~ it seems like you have something that you are hiding from me." Matilda said while tapping her chin with her index finger. Iris was shook by her statement, "W-what do you mean by that? I''m not hiding anything." "Really? Because right now, I''m asking about your title, miss [Villainess]~" Matilda revealed. ''¡ª?! How did she know that?!'' Iris stepped back reflexively, cold sweat broke from her forehead and cheeks. Feeling cornered. Iris didn''t know what to say to that and it made her very nervous. "Well~? Do you have something to say?~" Matilda prompted with a knowing smirk. Iris gulped. ''What should I do?!'' To be continued... Chapter 18 : The Witch & The Villainess "H-how did this happen?!" The head of the Welford''s family, Duke Henry von Welford stood right in front of the training ground with his guards, where the explosion came from. He could see at the center of the training ground was destroyed completely leaving the only center of the part still attached there. "Oh, isn''t it Henry. How have you been in the capital?" A familiar voice slowly closing by the man''s right side, it was [The Sword Saint, Rowan Threston], his former teacher with Iris'' maid [Silvia Threston] who''s also Rowan''s granddaughter. "M-master!? Did something happen?! is Iris fine!? Where is the enemy! I shall cut them with my¡ª" *BAM* "Bughh¡ª!!" Before Henry finished his words, Rowan hit his head using his fist. "Seriously, is working in the capital have made you this dull? You need to calm down first and observe your surrounding closely." Rowan reminded him. Henry blinked for a moment, then he sighed, "I-i understand, I''m sorry Master." Then he apologized to him. Rowan sighed, "Seriously, if you are that worried about her, you need at least to put guard for her." He suggested. "Y-yes, but...she keep rejecting me when I offer her that." Henry sulked a bit. "Then, how about I let [him] work for her? Since he is also my [disciple]." Rowan offered. "[Him]? Is it alright for you to decide it?" Henry asked. "Of course, since he is my [disciple] and he need a new experience after all." Rowan replied. "That''s true." Henry spoke while he look displeased. Rowan looked at him, "So, are you gonna reject your master''s gift??" While he leaking out his aura around him. "N-no! Of course not! I am happy! Hahaha!" Henry replied quickly. "Then that''s good." Rowan huffed and smiled. "But Master,...what did exactly happen here?" Henry asked cautiously, but Rowan and Silvi face stiffened a bit with a rather serious look on their face. ''Does he not know? Or he pretend to ask that?'' Rowan thought while looking at him. But Rowan realised it by glancing at his disciple''s expression, which was the same as his, confused by what had happened. ''Interesting, it seems your daughter hid it pretty well about her magic circle and her talent.'' Henry smirked when he discovered Iris''s talent. But when he looked at Henry again, he clicked his tongue, "Tsk, it seems you have become dull, Henry." Henry could tell that his master looks disappointed at him, "W-what do you mean Master?" "Silvi, you can explain everything to him." Henry then turned around to observe the scenery again. "Understood, Ojii-sama." Silvi respond and approached Henry. Henry was confused at Rowan''s words, then he began to listened intently to Silvi who started to explain what happened. "...?!" From the start of her training and when everything quickly devolved into a disaster when she couldn''t control her magic. But more importantly. "What?! Iris can use high level magic?!" Henry shouted in surprise after hearing the explanation from Silvi. "Yes, it appears that your daughter has always been talented in both magic and swords; I am aware that she is a [Magic Swordsman], but at this age?" "She is a genius among geniuses I ever met, I don''t even know, how did she managed to hide these from you all." Rowan explained while he shook his head in disbelief. He has been teaching her how to wield a sword for as long as he remembered but he never knew she was talented in magic as well. Henry felt confused, "I don''t know either....one day she just change, from being a kid who always throw tantrum and being cute." "Into a calculative girl who know how to be smart and strong." "Now..." Henry looked around to look at the destroyed scenery. "To think she have this talent in early age...I am a failure as a father for not noticing it." Henry commented about himself. Rowan looked at him and sighed, "Being a parents is hard indeed, but there''s one thing that you can learn from." "What is it, master?" Henry replied. "Knowing that your child will grow up to be an amazing person one day." Rowan answered him. Henry widened his eyes and smiled, "That is...indeed true." He replied. Then he soon realized it, and immediately look around again as if he was searching for something. "But, Master...where is Iris now?" He finally asked someone important, the only one who wasn''t here. "...?!" Rowan and Silvi were surprised about that question then they turned their head aside with a small sweat can be seen on their forehead. "Ummmm..." "Ojou-sama is..." The two of them seems nervous to answer Henry''s question, he was even more confused and slightly suspicious. "Did something happen to her??" Rowan stepped forwards with a stern look on his face, while Silvi looked down with complex look. "Uhhh.. Henry, don''t freak out... the truth is..." Then finally, Rowan gave his answer to him. ****** At the same time. ''Father...Mother...Please help me!! [the Witch, Matilda]-sama had kidnapped me!!!'' Iris screamed internally. They currently at [The Magic Tower]. [The Magic Tower], a tall tower that have been standing for 100 years, the tower itself is filled with mystery and magic that was unknown to everyone and also the place where all the top mage resided in. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Now Iris was inside of a certain room, sitting face to face with [The Witch, Matilda Threston] on a couch. Nervous was an understatement, she''s very scared. Iris started to get teary-eyed as she thought how did things end up this way. But Matilda in the other hand, she was making a tea on a teapot that flew around her and heating them up with fire magic while still sitting on her comfy couch as she read a book quietly. *THUD* Suddenly, she closed her book and turned her eyes to look at the little girl that was sitting across her stiffly. "Now then little girl~ shall we get into the main topic." Matilda started, placing the book down on the table. "Y-yes?!" Iris winced as she accidentally yelled. She blamed the tension in the air and her nervousness for that. Matilda giggled and smiled at her amusing reaction. The tea that she made finally finished and she poured it from the teapot into a cup that she held. "So little girl, I can guess that you have numerous questions about today''s event." Matilda spoke to her. "Y-yes." Iris replied. "But with the little amount of time I had, I don''t think we can finished it in one day." "So I would like to suggest a method for that." Matilda suggested. "A [method]?" Iris repeated it. "Yes, how about we exchange questions to one another?" Matilda suggested, sipping her tea. Iris blinked, "Exchanging questions??" "Yes, I will ask you one question and you have to answer them truthfully." "Of course, the same as you, you can ask me any one question and I will answer you truthfully too~ how about that?" Matilda explained. "Hmmm...then...can I have one question before we start?" Iris immediately raised a question before they start. "Why, of course~" Matilda replied with a smile. "But after that, we will start with the real deal." "Okay...so how can I know that all of your answer is the truth, Matilda-sama." Iris asked with a serious face. Matilda widened her eyes a bit and smirked while rubbing her chin. ''Clever girl~'' Matilda suddenly snapped her finger and a magic circle started to show up underneath them. [Notice!] [You are now inside [Truth Shall be Answered and Lies Shall be Punished] domain magic] Iris widened her eyes after seeing the [Notice] board in front of her. ''This is...?'' "This is a magic that I created myself, quite neat, am I right?~" Matilda explain. "A magic? That you create yourself?" Iris replied. "Indeed, this is an interrogation magic that I created for myself." "[Truth Shall be Answered and Lies Shall be Punished], a [Domain Magic] that allow someone to answer everything truthfully." Iris felt complexed after hearing the name, ''The name is too long.'' "But if they broke the rule by answering a question with a lie, they will be punished by this magic~" Matilda teased with her smirk. "¡ª?!" Iris stunned for a moment, as she felt nervous from this. ''Such magic exist?'' "But you don''t have to worry, because I will also answer you truthfully, because within this domain, I wasn''t exempt from the magic." Matilda explained with a smirk. Iris gulped down, feeling a bit more nervous and slowly met her gaze. "So~ do we have a deal?" Matilda asked, raising one of her eyebrows. "Okay...I understand. We have a deal." Iris answered. "Great~ now then let''s start with my question first~" Matilda smiled as she finally start this game. Iris nodded as she regained her composure. "What is your real name, little girl." Matilda asked straightforwardly. At first Iris was about to answer it immediately but she hesitated and thought about it first before she finally came up with an answer. "As you know, I am [Iris May Welford], the daughter of the duke¨C[Henry von Welford]." "But at the same time..." "I''m also [Hanamachi Yomi], the soul of a young girl that resided inside her body." Iris introduced herself truthfully towards her. Matilda didn''t flinch nor responded towards her answer. ''Hmmm, it seems she is telling the truth since the magic that I casted didn''t respond. Very interesting~" Matilda smirked for some reason as she stared at her, making Iris a bit confused with her reaction. "I see, now it is your turn little girl~" Matilda finally replied. "O-oh! O-okay." Iris was flustered that she didn''t even questioned about her not being the real Iris. "Then...Matilda-sama, how did you know that I was hiding something?" Iris asked her the question that she have been meaning to ask. Matilda smiled, "To answer that, I am currently using my unique skill, it''s called [Insight]." She answered. "[Insight]?" Iris repeated. "Which is pretty much similar to your [Foresight] but the difference is that this skill is to [read certain information] rather than [reading the future] and well...you already get the gist of it." Matilda waved nonchalantly. Iris nodded at her explanation. ''So, it is similar to [Status Appraisal]?...now I understand how she managed to know about my swords and magic mastery.'' Iris thought of it. "Now it''s my turn, what is your purpose of coming here, Hanamachi Yomi-san~?" Matilda asked her a question this time. "The purpose?" When being questioned like that, Iris looked down before she answered. "The truth is...I don''t even know what my purpose for coming to this world." "I was sleeping in the hospital after taking care of someone I know who got into accident because of me." "Then, when I wake up I was already inside of this body." Iris explained. "....." Matilda observed her closely, soon she sighed, "I see. It does sounds unbelievable to hear it." "But knowing that my magic didn''t respond again, it seems like you are telling the truth." Matilda couldn''t help but accept the answer that she gave to her. "Okay, your turn now~" Matilda spoke. "...?" Iris was confused again, because she didn''t ask nor surprised by her words. Then, she decide to ask, "Then....Matilda-sama, what do you think about this abnormality such as myself here?" A question about herself to her. Matilda smiled, "Hmmm~ I think it is pretty interesting." "I-interesting?" Iris was surprised by her statement. "Absolutely, knowing that there are many things that I didn''t know is one of the best things in my life." "Knowing the unknown, that''s what my teacher told me." Matilda explained. "I became a [Mage] not because I was forced to, but because I want to know...the truth about everything and hidden from this world." "I know about reincarnation magic from my teacher''s studies a long time ago but even so, I never seen once in my life." Matilda added. "Does that satisfied your answer?" Then she asked back to Iris. "Yes." Iris responded, admiring Matilda''s aptitude to stay organised after hearing her strange story. "What''s more is that, you have two affinity elements inside of you, and the rarest one, but that will be another question." Matilda muttered while smiling. "I-i see" Iris replied as she felt something bad going to happen if this continue. "Well then, can you tell me what kind of world you were living?" Matilda decide to ask. "The world where I used to live before is different, they have advanced technology which doesn''t require magic like the magic tools in this world." Iris answered her truthfully. Matilda was bewildered by her story, "Hoho~ that''s quite interesting. I would love to hear more but we''ll also save that for later~" When Matilda''s eyes sparkle with renewed interest, Iris can only laugh awkwardly after seeing that. "What kind of magic is this that you are using? I mean...I never heard that there''s a magic that doesn''t require elemental in it." Iris asked again on her turn of questioning. ''...I mean just like [Barrier], it''s just a lump of mana that has been structured to protect the user and can be fused with other kind of mana.'' ''But I never saw an option to learn this magic before...'' Iris was amazed by the structure of the magic around them. "Oh~ are you curious about this magic?" Matilda replied. "Y-yes!" Iris answered her. "Then, can you tell me a good reason why you want to know about it?" When Matilda asked, Iris'' expression slowly darkened and looked down. "....The truth is, I want to go back to my old world..." Then she answered. "Mhm, what is the reason?" Matilda asked again. "Because I want to go back to where my loved one lies on the bed." "Because of me, he got injured and went on coma for so long...that''s why I need to search a way to go back my old world." Iris explained. "Hmmm...I see, is he perhaps..." "Your lover?" Matilda got curious of this person. But, when Iris looked up towards her so suddenly. Her cheeks quickly getting warm and red. "N-no! W-we''re not dating...yet." "Well...it''s more like an unrequited love...if anything...I want us to be lover..." Iris answered her while she shyly fiddled her index finger against each other. Matilda would smile, "Ara~ how cute~" "U-umm...Matilda-sama! P-please answer the question..." Iris tried to change the topics. Matilda laughed and smiled warmly towards her, "Hahaha~ my apologies, it just I love to tease the young one''s love~" "But to answer your question, it is quite difficult for your level." Matilda gave her the answer. "W-why is that, Matilda-sama?" Iris asked. "Because, the magic that I''m using now is my own [Original Magic]." Matilda answered. ''[Original Magic]? I never heard of those.'' Iris thought of it. "[Original Magic], is a magic that you created it by yourself, a magic that doesn''t require any logic or anything." "A magic that you forge with wide imagination just like your little magic that you did." Matilda pointed it out. ''[Dark Pulse] is [Original Magic]?'' Iris thought of it. "Although this magic still require elemental affinity." Matilda explained. "As you already know, in this world, we have 7 elements that represent all kind of [Skill] and [Magic]." "[Fire], [Water], [Earth], [Wind], [Lightning], [Darkness] and finally [Light]." Matilda explained. "Most of the people can only have 1 elements ever since they were born, unless you have [Mage] job or something related to magic you can either have 2 or 3 elements that can be learned as long they are compatible with their body." "But in your case, not only you have one rare affinity, but two and both that are contradicted to each other." Matilda explained. "[Light] element have a property of healing and purifying, which is useful against someone with [Darkness] element." "But, at the same time, [Darkness] have property of destroying and deception, which is also useful against someone with [Light] element." Matilda added it again. "I-i see, then how do you know whether you had compatible element or not??" Iris asked her once again. Matilda blinked in surprise for a bit. She felt like this interrogation slowly become like teaching in a class. "We can learn about that later, after we finished our games here, little girl~" But Matilda reminded her that they are not in the right situation. "A-ah...my apologies." Iris backed off a bit, feeling embarrassed that she got excited over this lesson. Matilda laughed, "Hahaha~ it''s fine~ it''s fine~" After those explanations, Iris went deep in her thought as Matilda observed her intently. ''But if I''m a rare case...then what about Ray-sama? Is he a rare case too? Since he have [Blacksmith] job yet he could do what [Magic Swordsman] can do...'' But she shook the thoughts away and focused on what in front of her. "Well let''s continue, about the magic I''m using." "This magic has two important things that it needs to be done." "The first one, it requires someone with [Darkness] element such as you and me here." "And secondly, it needs...a [Rule] and a [Condition]." "A [Rule] and a [Condition]?" Iris repeated. "Yes, as you already know [Darkness] element, is an element with unknown property on how to use it, because this elements doesn''t have a shape unlike other most of elements." "That''s exactly why for those who have this element, capable of creating a new-type of magic." "Such as [Domain Magic] like this one." "But this [Magic] requires one crucial thing which is...a [Rule] and a [Condition]." Matilda explained. Iris gulped when she listened to her explanation carefully. "[Domain Magic], is type of magic or skill that created your own domain." "Which is why it needs a [Rule] that need to be set on and a [Condition] for the user itself to swore to follow it until the end." "And the stricter the [Condition] for the user,...the stronger the magic will be." "And thus [Truth Shall be Answered and Lies Shall be Punished] was created, I set the [Rule] in this magic." "[For those who stood within this domain shall answer every question truthfully or else they will get punished] and the [Condition] is that...including myself." "Now, do you understand?~" Matilda ended her explaination. It amazed Iris who only know magic through books and games, "So, does that mean with this element, I can create my own [Domain Magic]?" "It depends on your hardwork and understanding about magic. After all...you are a [Magic Swordsman] who excels on magic and swords~" "I see..." Iris somehow brightened up after hearing it, and it seems like Matilda was getting even more interested on her. "Now then, is there anything you wanted to ask before I give you one last question?" "Ummmm...what about that [Barrier] that you make?... I couldn''t hear everyone from the outside and it seems they couldn''t hear us either." "Oh that? it had the same base as [Domain Magic] I am using, although it is much simpler." "Since it is just a [Barrier] that I fused with [Wind] element to prevent sound from coming in and of course from the outside as well." "W-woah..." Iris couldn''t help but be amazed about it, she could feel that her curiosity to learn slowly rising up. "Okay, is there anything else? I can see that you are going to ask a lot of magic stuff~ but don''t worry, I shall answer them after this one last question." "O-okay, well what is the question?" "Don''t be too stiff~ it''s something simple..." "...Are you...an enemy or an ally?" The smile and friendly attitude on Matilda fell, replaced by a serious look. The whole room was filled with silence and it made Iris remembered that she was speaking with the legendary [Witch] of this world. But despite that, Iris stayed calm and looked straight into her eyes. "I...don''t know how to answer this, but I can be sure that I''m not going to be an enemy as long you all won''t get into my way...because I promise to myself..." "That if someone get into my way...I won''t hesitate to kill them..." When Iris spoke, her eyes suddenly changed color into blood red like before. Matilda who saw this slowly smirked and suddenly laughed out loud "Hahaha~ very good! I love those determination of yours~ and that''s it! From now on you are [The Witch]''s student, Iris May Welford or should I call you Hanamachii Yomi?" "You can call me Iris, since I still need to hide my real identity from my family." "Very well~ Iris. Now, shall we head back to your manor¨C" Suddenly... *KNOCK* *KNOCK*!! "Who is it?!" Matilda shouted after the door from their room was knocked by someone. A person with a purple robe and hood came in. "Matilda-sama!! it''s emergency!! There''s a raid outside of the tower!!" "Who is the fool who tried to raid my tower!!" "I-it''s...Duke Welford..." When they heard the name, Iris and Matilda widened their eyes. "What?!" To be continued... Chapter 19: The Villainess Secret Plan (Part 1) At the front of [The Magic Tower], there were an army of soldiers standing in line, waiting to raid this tower. Together with the one who lead them. He is none other than [The Duke of Welford, Henry von Welford]. The man was wearing a black armor and a black cape that matched his hair. "Mage from the Magic Tower!! I request you to hand over my daughter!!" "I will give you 1 minutes, or else we will launch a full attack to raid this tower and get my daughter back!" Henry declared with his sword stuck at the ground, with his army followed his order. At the same time, Rowan and Silvi was standing behind the line of the armed and ready-to-battle soldiers. "Ojii-sama..." Silvi called her grandfather, while she was staring at Henry with lifeless eyes. "What is it my granddaughter?" Rowan replied with the same eyes as her. "What should we do to Henry-sama...he doesn''t seem to wanna hear our explanation...or stopping this." Silvi spoke while getting through with this situation. Rowan sighed, "Well if I have to say, you shouldn''t bother him or trying to stop him...despite being like this he''s still the second strongest swordsman before me." "And also....he was known as the most stubborn disciple that I ever had." Rowan stated. "How stubborn is he?" Silvi asked him. "So stubborn, is that makes you give up all your choices to refuse him...I still remember how he begged to be my student for 5 days straight in front of my house without eating or sleeping." Rowan began to reminded of his past when he was young. Silvi looks disturbed when she heard it, "Ughhh ...seriously, 5 days? That''s a high level of stubbornness but...it sound possible considering he is now going to raid the [Magic Tower] just to get Ojou-sama." As she sighed. "I agree, but well it is in the past, his stubborness slowly getting lesser due his wife changing him." Rowan explained. "Then, I have to be thankful to Eliza-sama for stopping his stubborness this whole time." Silvi replied. "But, I guess he isn''t the only one who changed." Rowan spoke while shifting his gaze towards her. Silvi looked at him confused, "Huh? What do you mean by that, Ojii-sama?" Rowan smiled, "It is nothing wrong, it just you change, like, you become softer." Silvi then touched her cheek, trying to check if she had indeed change, "I...do? How did Ojii-sama know it?" Rowan smiled, "I am your grandfather, of course I could see my own granddaughter changing." He replied. Then he fixed his gaze towards the tower, "Is it because of that little girl?" Silvi slowly smiled, "I think so...because to me, she is like my precious little sister who I never had." "And she also saved me, just like how Ojii-sama and Obaa-sama saved me." "Although, it was pretty hard to understand her at first, but slowly...I came to know that Ojou-sama is the kindest child who I ever met and I am glad to work with her." Silvi explained it in full detail, while smiling fondly. Which made Rowan laughed, "Hahaha! Then I am glad to have her as my student!" "Well she''s plenty strong too, it makes me wonder where did she get those power, and why would she hide it from us." Rowan spoke while being curious. But Silvi shook her head, "I know, she is hiding it from me, but even she did, I still trusted her that she won''t use it for evil." She explained. Rowan glance at her, "Hmmmm, you really trust her that much? Even though she''s still 6 years old." While revealing her age. Silvi turned her head to look at Rowan with a warm smile, "Of course~ since she is my lady that I serve~" Rowan smiled at her, as he couldn''t help to be happy for her. "Fine, I shall put my trust on her for you." "Although....there''s something that makes me wonder, Ojii-sama." Silvi raised her hand. "How the hell is she related to that guy." Silvi stated with a blank stare while pointing her finger towards Henry who continued to shout. "Give my daughter back!! You Witch!!" Henry shouted again. Rowan looked at him, as he goes back to be listless towards him, "I guess thanks to Eliza''s genetic." "Agreed." Silvi replied. With the two of them agreed to that statement, they stared blankly at the middle-aged old man who was yelling at the tower loudly. "GAAAHHHHH!!!" ****** Meanwhile, in a certain room where both Iris and Matilda discussed about the matters from before, they are now watching on a hologram screen in front of them. "I said it again!! Give my daughter back you witch!!" It was Henry''s voice that was coming out from the screen. Matilda sighed after she saw who''s exactly the culprit that wanted to raid the Magic tower. While Iris was surprised to see the culprit was her father that making all of this ruckus. "F-father!?" Iris spoke. "This fool...I already told him to make sure to deal with his thick skull and now he made a mess..." Matilda muttered as she could see Rowan was standing on the side and letting it happen. Then she immediately closed the hologram screen and walked towards the door. "Iris, let''s go now. Before that stupid father of yours is really going to act it out." Matilda stated.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. "Y-yes?!" Iris responded ''Ughh...why is it that something bad keep coming to me today...damn it...'' as she thought of that and sighed. Then she got an idea on how to handle this situation, which made her looked at Matilda from behind. "Matilda-sama!" Then she called her name. Matilda stopped for a moment and turned around, "Yes, dear?" "Can you allow me to deal with this problem by myself?" Iris offered her. "Hmm?? What do you mean by that?" Matilda asked quizzically. Iris finally began to act for her plan. ****** "Come out you witch!! let go off my daughter or else¨C?!" "STOP!" Matilda came out from the front door of the tower as she walked towards where Henry stood after she interrupted his speech. "Well well well, what do we have here? Duke Welford, is there something wrong that made you came to this place with an army?" Matilda asked calmly. "You witch! What did you do my daughter?!" "Oh please~ I was only borrowing her for a while. I did not lay a hand on her~" "Heh, do you think I''m a fool to believe that?!" Matilda sighed, rubbing her forehead. Her patience is running thin. "Well if you won''t believe me, why don''t you ask her yourself?~" Matilda smiled and stepped aside as Iris walked out from the tower. "Iris!! You''re sa¨Ceh?" Henry stood still after he saw something...something horrifying...something that couldn''t be explained by words. [Notice!] ["The Villainess" have been activated] A notice screen shows up after the skill activated on its own. "Father..." A voice came out from Iris mouth...it sounded cold like an ice as she emitted a dark aura around her body like a dark cloud that can''t be approached and the pressure that she let out was massive. Matilda who watched her from the side whistled, impressed by her display of anger. "I-i-iris..." "Father...sit." "Y-yes." Henry quickly sat down on the ground after being told. There''s a word that fit her description at this point. [Like mother like daughter] that''s what he thought, the aura she emitted and her cold voice reminded him of his wife. When she finally stood right in front of him, she begin to smile. "U-umm...I-iris l-let me e-explain¨C" "Is there any explanation for this father?~" Iris spoke with a smile but it doesn''t quite reach her eyes. "B-but¨C!" "Hmmm?~" Iris tilted her head while maintaining her smile and the dark aura around her. "I''m sorry." Henry couldn''t help but look down to the ground and at that moment, the army behind him was surprised after seeing their leader single-handedly got defeated by his daughter. Meanwhile Silvi and Rowan watched the show with complex looks on their face. "Ojii-sama...is it just me or did Henry sat down formally in front of Ojou-sama after being told to." Silvi commented. "Well...it seems even for the second best swordsman, he''s still weak to his own daughter." Rowan replied. Iris sighed and slowly looked directly towards her father''s eyes. "Father, can I tell you something..." "Y-yes m-my daughter...what is it?..." Henry replied nervously. "It''s annoying...Father." her voice back to ice cold while smiling. *STAB* "UGH¡ª!?" Just like that, Henry coughed blood as if those words stabbed him like an arrow to his heart. "Do you know how much trouble you''ve caused?" Iris asked, crossing her hands before her chest. Henry averted his eyes away from her. "N-no..." He won''t admit it. Iris sighed again and decided to get this over with. "Hmph! Then if father continue to do this...I will hate you no matter what you said." "W-what?! B-but I-iris?!" Henry was horrified after he heard the word hate slipped through her mouth and was directed to him. "If father don''t want it, then you need to stop this~" Then Iris changed her attitude by showing the warmest and the sweetest smile she ever made. Like an innocent girl who has a pure heart. "Understand father~?" Then stated her words for him. "I-i understand!! I''m sorry!! P-please!! Don''t hate father!!" Henry cried and quickly hugged her tight. Iris slowly patted his back while smiling. "There there~ don''t worry father~ I was just joking, I would never hate you~" Such a warm and weird scene that is currently being watched by the entire army. The duke who known as the second best swordsman title in his name, cried over a little girl in front of them after being lectured. All of them, including Rowan, Silvi and Matilda who stood there, had the same thought... ''What a terrifying girl...'' Matilda continued to smile, she''s still quite impressed at her ability to end this matter quickly. ''Well it seems I was worried for nothing~ but somehow, she looks familiar...'' After that they decided to go home while Iris continue to chew her father''s ears in the carriage on their way back. ****** When Iris finally arrived at the Welford''s Manor, she was suddenly got attacked by her family...with hugs, in front of the door. "Iris...?!" *KYUUUN* Her mother Eliza luth Welford along with Albert dragh Welford, hugged Iris together while crying. "Are you fine?! Are you hurt?!" Eliza cried. "I''m fine mother~" Iris replied with smile. "Are you sure?! We heard a loud explosion coming from the training ground!!" Albert added while crying as well. Iris sighed and couldn''t help but comfort these two while patting their head as she smiled at them. "Don''t worry...Mother, Onii-sama, I am fine now so don''t worry~ I was saved by Matilda-sama." As she tried to assured her. "Is that so...but what''s with the explosion? What caused it?!" Eliza asked. "U-ummm...about that...it was me, actually." The two went silent and suddenly their mouth gaped wide open. "What?!" Both Eliza and Albert turned their heads towards Matilda who stood behind them. She was watching the three of them amusedly up until now. "I-is that true Matilda-sama?" Eliza asked. "Heh, indeed~ that is true~ this child suddenly tried a dangerous magic without knowing the basic and almost killed herself because losing control over it." "Ummmm...sorry about that." Iris giggled nervously while rubbing the back of her head. Eliza and Albert turned their head back to Iris with baffled look on their face. "U-ummm...w-what''s wrong??" Then suddenly they hugged her tight again. "Oh Iris! you are a genius! You''re still 6 years old yet you already knows magic!" When Eliza spoke, Iris was confused since she thought that her mother might be angry at this. "Iris, your big brother is so proud of you!!" Albert praised. "E-ehehe~" Iris giggled once again. "Ahem." Matilda coughed to get their attention back to her, prompting the two of them to let go of Iris and looking back at Matilda. They bow down elegantly like a proper noble. "Once again thank you, Matilda-sama for saving my daughter~" "It''s no big deal~ since you are a former student of mine and besides~ I get to see what she was made of and I decided to recruit her as my student." "Oh! Isn''t that great Iris~ Matilda-sama is going to teach you magic~" "Y-yeah¨C wait...what?! M-mother...what does she mean by former student?" Iris asked curiously. "Oh you didn''t know? Your mother used to study under me when she was young~" Matilda answered with a smile. "I can see why I felt there''s something similar between the two of you~ but never thought that you end up marrying that fool." "Well I did send a wedding invitation and a lot of mail to you Matilda-sama, but you were busy in your research." "Hahaha~ well sorry about that! Being old makes me hard to remember stuff. But now...look at you, you finally grew up and have two children without me knowing it. It feels like it was yesterday when you study under me." Matilda smiled warmly and slowly reached her arms out then spreading it wide. "Come here~ my dear~" Eliza couldn''t hold her tears and quickly hugged her. "Thank you...Master." Eliza called her like how she used to call her before. "As usual, you are such a crybaby...Eliza." A touching moment between a former student and master who were back together again. Henry, Rowan and Silvi who came after them, watched the scene together along with Albert and Iris who stood beside them. All of them were wearing a happy smile on their face, though after that Henry got scolded by Eliza again. At night, in a certain room they all gathered together and now discussing about today''s incident. Henry, Eliza and Albert listened about what they told them from how it begins and how it ends. Her family was surprised that she have a talent like this. They knew she have [Magic Swordsman] as her job but they never knew that she can already learn swordsmanship and magic despite being 6 years old. It surprised them and made them excited through the night so they decided to celebrate it for Iris. Matilda and Rowan was forced to stay for dinner as per Silvi''s request, she said she missed them so much that made them gave up. The party wasn''t very big but there was a lot of food and alcohol being served. The adults are the ones who drink while the children, Albert and Iris eat and talked with each other with a glass of apple juice and water on their respective table. After that, they danced for a bit until it''s almost passed the children''s bedtime. Henry got drunk since he was the most excited then went to bed with Eliza supporting him. Meanwhile, Albert went to his room to continue his homework from the academy. ****** In a certain room, an old man and old lady sitting on the couch together and having a conversation. "Like I thought, I like this girl~ she''s really quick witted on preparing this kind of things~" "Indeed, never knew she would gather us both and behind her family. It seems this girl have something to say to us." "Hahaha~ well let''s just ask her about it~" Matilda spoke cheerfully, "But isn''t this almost passed your bedtime, Iris?~" Iris was sitting on a chair while facing the two legendary people which are Rowan and Matilda. "Don''t worry, I only wanted to have conversation with you two~" Iris replied with smile but the two of them who sat right before her were having an unusually serious face. ''A talk huh, this girl somehow planned this from the beginning...it makes me wonder if she is truly just a 6 years old.'' Rowan thought to himself. ''And she knew that we cannot refuse if Silvi''s request for it. How clever~ and Silvi seems working together with her.'' Matilda added, unconsciously. While the two of them were having a serious thoughts, the only one who was panicking in this room is Iris herself. ''D-did I do something wrong...calm down Yomi, you are Iris mey Welford! You can do this...'' [Notice!] ["The Villainess" have been activated] Iris took a deep breath and slowly let it out as she finally calmed down after the skill activated by itself. "I want to have a deal with the two of you." Iris began to speak. "Ohh~ a deal? This is my first time to be asked for for that by a mere little girl, not even the king and queen of this kingdom would dare to ask for that, no? You think I would accept it before hearing it?~" Matilda mused. But Rowan was still staring at Iris silently. "Well compared to them~ I''m more aware of the potential this mere little girl and trusts that both of you can do this well~" Iris calmly spoke the deal with a smile. "Heh, indeed you are right, it would be very hard to find someone talented such as you are. Very well let me hear the deal is, shall we?~" Matilda asked. "Don''t worry Matilda-sama~ we have long night...await us~" Iris spoke while smirking. And thus...her plan has just begun. To be continued... *Iris'' current status* ======================================= [STATUS] NAME: Iris May Welford/ Hanamachii Yomi JOB : Magic Swordsman TITLE : [The Other Worlder]; [The Villainess]; [Quick Learner]; [Magic Master]; [Sword Master] [Level: 12] [HP: 2020/2020] [MP: 650/650] [FATIGUE: 0] EXP: 0/9000 STATUS POINT : 0 ______ STRENGTH : 32(+15) AGILITY : 32 VITALITY : 32 INTELLIGENCE : 60(+15) SENSE : 24(+15) SKILL Magic Mastery Lv3; Sword Mastery Lv3; Super Growth LvMax; Darkness Magic Lv3, Light Magic Lv3; Magic Eyes Lv2; The Villainess LvMax; Etiquette Lv4 Status Appraisal Lv2 Foresight Lv2 Restraint Lv3 Shadow Movement Lv2 Shadow Blade Lv2 Heal Lv2 Holy Light Lv1 Sword Dance Lv2 Vital Strike Lv2 Omni-Slash Lv2 Dark Pulse Lv1 ======================================= ======================================= [The Villainess] Passive Skill A skill that allow the individual to act like [The Villainess] A.K.A [Iris may Welford]. It can protect the individual from any kind of mental attacks and skill; as well as preventing them from having some kind of emotion such as fear, pain, anxiety and sadness. ======================================= Chapter 20: The Villainess Secret Plan (Part 2) [Fantasia Love, Doki-doki ? in Magic Academy]. It was the most popular otome game that currently had the most rating in a faraway land called Japan. Many players had played this game, regardless of their gender. Why? Because the game consisted with two types of game mechanic, which are a [Dating Sim] and a [RPG] or we called [Role-play Game]. The story start with the main heroine who was a commoner girl and rise up to be a noble because of her rare element of magic, the [Light] element. It was the rarest element of all that can be only used by a certain job which is the [Saintess] and the [Hero] job. In this game, the heroine must capture the heart of 5 male targets, to gain their help and saved the world with them. One of the male leads is someone important, he was known as [the Crown Prince] of the Luxion Kingdom, who also the man Iris adores the most. Because of that, she got herself engaged with him, to fulfill her desire for him. But...the crown prince rejected her multiple times, despite Iris who was called as the most beautiful noble woman within their age and having the most influenced person because of her family status. But the Crown Prince had started to get interested to the heroine, even though he''s already engaged with Iris. Knowing that, Iris began to feel something that she shouldn''t have. Started with... [Sadness]. [Anger]. [Jealousy]. [Desperation]. And finally, [Obsession]. Those emotions began to mixed up from within her, and directed these feelings towards these two people who mocked her existence. The kind little girl that used to have a bright smile and loved by everyone else...slowly turned into a hideous monster who was feared by many people. She used her strength to overpower the weak and reigned over the noble parties and even commoners, because of her jealousy over a simple unrequited love. She became the tyrant...the ruler who controlled all of them, dominating every being. But it was over...on the graduation day. Iris was exiled by the crown prince, her deed became to known by the King himself. From attempted to murder the heroine and using her power to do evil deed to both nobles and commoners. Iris was furious and used her power to kill the heroine, but she was stopped by the Crown prince and the other male leads. They defeated her and left her a big scar on her face, then thrown her out from the Kingdom. Her story ended with a simple words. When Iris thought she finally can be happy with someone who truly loves her the most and understand her. Iris met her miserable death in the war. Now her fate belonged to [Hanamachii Yomi] as [Iris May Welford], where she would face those hardships and sufferings. ****** ''That''s her story after the ending from the game...although I really don''t know much about her.'' ''But now I need to recall everything that I remember about the game, because now I am here as her.'' ''And planned myself to create a deal with these two legendary person in front of me.'' ''The deal that they can''t refuse...'' [The Sword Saint, Rowan Threston]. [The Witch, Matilda Threston]. Together with her maid as well and their granddaughter, [Silvi Threston]. The four of them had gathered in this empty guest room which Iris had prepared earlier and told Silvi to ask her grandparents to stay. ''''Even though they looked calm and composed, the aura they''re giving off are quite something.'' Iris thought while observing them from upclose. ''It felt like they are ferocious beasts that awaits for its prey to shows up.'' Iris described them. Iris gulped and felt her hands trembling, ''I''m scared...but...I can''t back down with my survival on the line.'' ''With this [The Villainess] skill in my hand along with the memories of the story guide and the route all of the characters as well their background story including Iris, even it just a half of it, I will be fine.'' Iris resolved herself and looked straight towards them then began to speak. "What I want from both of you are...your [Power and Influence]." Matilda and Rowan simply observed her before the older lady opened her mouth to speak. "How interesting, what exactly do you mean by that, my dear Iris?~" Matilda asked, regarding about her intentions of her answers. Iris remained calm, "What I want is simple, I just want the two people from the legend, to keep my family safe." Then replied her question. And that piqued Matilda''s interest and curiousity, "Hmmm~...power and influence, I see." "But don''t you have a lot of power and influences already with your family status?" "I still don''t get, why you need them despite having that many." Matilda replied with the facts of her family as the Dukedom. But Iris shook her head, "Indeed, my family status can be regarded as the highest status of all." "As the daughter of Welford''s family, I can govern or exercise my power most of the majority of the Kingdom with ease." Iris then stared at them, with her face looking grim. "But...that is all of it." "What if there were someone out there with more influence and power than our family, someone who could quickly bring us to ruin?" "What can we do?" Iris uttered those words. When she uttered those words and revealing new possibility that could endanger this family might appear. This made the two of them were struck with the same thought. "You don''t mean [The Royal Family]?" Rowan asked, guessing it with the most possible answer. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. But Iris smiled at them, "My apologies, I can''t answer for that question, because it would be interpreted as blasphemy against the Royal Family, which our family has long served for them." "However, we can still consider this as an another possibility that they might be the ones to bring our family to ruin." "Including those who have the same power and equality as our family." Iris added with smile. ''Like the other [Great Family], who intended for this family to be destroyed in the first place.'' ''Since in the future, they will start by gathering the evidence then ganged up on Iris to exiled her from the Kingdom.'' ''Although that will happen in the future, the current [Great Family] doesn''t have any reason to be hostile to each other, because they are still the Household that had been protecting this Kingdom for so long.'' ''But, it will change when I''m inside the academy.'' ''And not yet...I can''t tell them about this.'' Iris had given them the hints of these possibility which Matilda and Rowan could guessed to. But Iris wouldn''t mentioned it, because it could lead to another misunderstanding and made them suspicious of her. Meanwhile, Rowan and Matilda were in their thought too, knowing the meaning of the hints and answer she gave it to them. "Hmmm, I think I can take the guess of it." "But you still haven''t answered the real question here." Rowan asked, as he looked at her. "Yes, unfortunately, you haven''t answered us the question that we have been meaning to ask." Matilda joined in, repeating the same question over and over. The question... [Why would you need this?] Iris smiled when their gaze are fixed towards her, ''It''s time...'' and taking this chance to gave them the [Truth]. "Because I have a vision..." And the [Lie]. "A vision?" Rowan blinked curiously, while repeating her word. "Yes, the truth is I have a multiple skill that came from my [Magic Eyes]." Iris began to explained. "And one of the skill, is a [Unique Skill] and it''s called [Foresight]." Iris revealed it with her eyes turned red for a moment. "This skill allowed me to see 5 seconds ahead into the future." Iris explained. With a big revelation, Rowan stood up from his seat, "Does that mean you have precognition skill!? That''s very rare!" Then he began to laugh. "...Hahaha! No wonder! So that''s how you manage to read my move." Rowan praised her instead. Iris smiled at him, "Yes, Rowan-sama, but even so I still couldn''t land a hit on you. Which mean your skill as [Swordsman] surpassed the speed of my precognition skill." "Just as expected of [The Sword Saint]~" Iris smiled mischievously while giving him the praise. Rowan looked at her and grinned widely, before he sat down again, "Heh, don''t flatter me...but then, does Matilda¡ª" "Yes, Matilda-sama know about it since she used her own [Magic Eyes] skill on me." Iris replied. "I see, so I guess I am the only one who doesn''t know about it." Rowan stated by looking at Matilda who sat next to him. "Indeed, well...I already know the first time I saw her." "But you haven''t answered us...about this [vision] that you mention, my dear?" Matilda responded calmly. "That''s right...you can continue Iris." Rowan spoke and allowing Iris to continue. "Thank you, Rowan-sama, Matilda-sama...but before that, I need your cooperation." Iris reminded them. "What do you mean by that?" Matilda asked. "Because the vision that I''m about to share to you is a secret that no one else can know." "I''m only telling these to you two because you are the people who fought to together with [The Hero] and...Silvi''s grandparents." "Hmmm, I understand...but does that mean Silvi are in this?" Matilda asked. Silvi who stood beside her only smiled at them as Iris giggled. "Fufufu~ she seems fine with it but don''t worry, because Silvi is the person I trusted the most." "Heh, fine I understand~" Matilda replied with smile. Rowan smiled as well and nodded his head in agreement. "Thank you Ojou-sama...this Silvi will always be beside you!" Silvi said with smile. Iris smiled after hearing their response, "Thank you as well Silvi~" "Now...I shall start it..." Iris paused for a moment, organizing her thoughts before she could talk about her vision. The three of them nodded their head. "As you already know, my skill [Foresight] allowed me to see 5 seconds in the future." "However, this skill does not limit my vision to just 5 seconds into the future, but it can also allow me to see something farther into the future." Iris revealed. "...?!" The two were taken aback by such a significant revelation. "And this vision that I had...is connected with the worst future that I had never imagine." Iris spoke. "Although I can only saw a glimpse of it, but it will happen in the future..." "[The revival of The Demon Lord]." Iris revealed. The two of them widened their eyes in shock. "What?!" The two simultaneously reacted but Iris remained calm, Silvi who stood beside her also kept her composure and listened to her patiently. "Yes, just as you know [The Hero] who travelled along with you, had died by sacrificing himself to kill [The Demon Lord]." "Although many books had told that...but in reality...the Hero didn''t kill him, am I right?" "But instead....he sealed [The Demon Lord] underneath the Capital of Luxion Kingdom by using [The Holy Sword]." Iris recounted the story. Rowan and Matilda still felt tremendously shocked with this sudden reveal. "You even knew about that..." Rowan couldn''t hide the fact that he is shocked beyond words that this little girl knew about such a thing, particularly about the sealed demon lord. "Yeah, it had me surprised after seeing to where it located on." Iris replied while smiling. "Hmmm...I''m curious though...how did you know that the Demon Lord was sealed?" Matilda asked as she touched her chin with her finger. "Like I told you, I only saw a glimpse of it...I only saw that the Demon Lord showed up underneath the castle which was also the vault where the kingdom''s treasures were kept." Iris replied. "Indeed, that is true...but the question is, how did the Demon Lord seal end up breaking?" Rowan asked. "That''s....I really don''t know..." Iris answered. "You don''t know?" Matilda asked. "Yes, I actually don''t know...because the vision only limited to see a glimpse of it, so I don''t know how did the seal end up breaking." Iris explained. "But there''s one thing for sure, is that someone is trying to revive the Demon Lord to do something horrible in the future." Iris ended the explanation. Suddenly the atmosphere in the room got intense as soon as she spoke. "Hmmm...something horrible huh, but why do you think there someone out there trying to do something like that?" Rowan asked. "Because I one of the clue just happen recently..." "Recently?" Rowan asked curiously. "Rowan-sama, do you remember about the village that I visited with Silvi and Harson not too long ago?" Rowan knitted his brows a bit as he tried to remember, "Yeah...what about it?" "Before I come to that place...I had a vision..." Iris spoke. "...a stampede shows up and it was led by a [Boss Monster]...the village was roamed with monsters...every people in there was eaten alive and all of them died." As she explained in full detailm Rowan and Matilda went silent after hearing it from Iris. "Is that true...Silvi." Rowan turned to her, asking for a confirmation. "Yes Ojii-sama, that is true. Just as Ojou-sama said the stampede [did] shows up but... it was already by someone." Silvi explained. "Someone?...do you mean that rumored boy?" Rowan concluded. Both Iris and Silvi wear a smile as they answered. "Yes, Rowan-sama." "Yes, Ojii-sama." Matilda looked at them and became a bit irritated as she listened to their seemingly exclusive conversation about a certain topic that she doesn''t know about. "Wait, don''t leave me in the dark like this. Who is this boy that you all talking about." Matilda asked impatiently, feeling left out and also very much curious about it. Rowan sighed as he looked at her, "That''s why I told you to stop doing your research and started caring about the world." Rowan spoke some facts which is also the reason why Matilda doesn''t know about the world. "Hmph, there''s nothing interesting in this world than magic. But that is that...and this is this it''s different! so tell me about him!" Matilda stated. Iris and Silvi chuckled a bit while Rowan sighed again. "Well I don''t know much of the details since I only heard just a bit about him from Harson and Silvi." Rowan spoke. "I see...then the only one left who knows is..." Matilda turned to look at Iris as if she''s pointing her out. Silvi and Rowan followed suit and staring at her as well. "Hmmm~" The three slowly curved their lips into a smirk towards the little maiden. "E-ehh?? D-don''t look at me like that! W-we still have unfinished business here!" Iris stuttered while her cheeks turned red from embarrassment from their stares since her skill [The Villainess] wear off for a moment. "Hahaha~ well sorry~sorry~ I couldn''t help but to be curious of this little boy that you cared about~" Iris slowly calmed down and spoke once again when her skill activated again, "Ahem...leaving that matter aside." "Just as I told you the village that was supposed to be destroyed...it was saved by that boy...and that changed the future I saw." Iris spoke. "So you mean the future changed by itself without you knowing it...because of that boy." Matilda asked. "Yes Matilda-sama, the future changed...I don''t know how did it change...but the boy that I met changed it by defeating...[Unique Monster]." "...." The two of them started to get used to the seemingly unbelievable train of information and decided to just listen to her. "Not only that, it wasn''t an ordinary unique monster...it was..." "[Unique Boss Monster]." Iris continued. "Heavens...I heard from Harson that it was only just a boss monster...but to hear that it was unique one, which was still an impressive feat to defeat it alone." Rowan explained while crossing his hands on his chest. "Uh? Is it really that difficult Rowan-sama?" Iris asked. "It was...even the normal unique monster itself is already strong enough to destroy a whole army...and it need at least 1 S-rank adventurer to defeat it." "I-...I never knew...then the two of you...have you ever fought one before?" Both Matilda and Rowan stared at each other for a moment before they looked at her again. "Yes...we faced them a lot in the past...when we travelled together with [The Hero] and the one who created such beings was...[The Demon Lord] himself." Rowan spoke. "Indeed, those being are the scariest being I ever seen...but tell me Iris, do you know what type of unique monster that he fought?" Matilda urged her to continue. "Ah, If I remember...it was a giant wolf called [Wolf Leader]." Iris claimed. "A [Wolf Leader] huh, I see...that boy was lucky that it was just a D-rank boss monster that turned into a unique monster...but if it was B-rank or higher, probably he won''t survive." Matilda explained. ''Unbelievable...does that mean Ray-sama is at least B-rank or above...in that age? I''m curious of how much stronger he can be in the future.'' Iris thought of him. ''And...that boy managed to defeat it alone...now I''m curious about this one.'' Matilda thought the same. As both of them shared similar thoughts about their curiousity towards Rei while they smirked. "I think so too...but I never thought that there someone out there who would try to revive the Demon Lord once again." Rowan spoke. "Indeed, that thing is a disaster that cannot be prevent unless the Hero and the Saint appeared at this age." Matilda commented. "In the future it will eventually happen, but before that could become true..." Iris stopped for a moment before she spoke once again. "The Welford''s family...will meet their demise first." Iris stated it. "Huh?!¨C" Silvi, who managed to keep her composure all this time, gave in. She looked extremely taken aback, still couldn''t believe of what she just heard. "What do you mean by that?! Iris!" Rowan shouted as he stood up. "Ojou-sama! What do you mean by that?!" Silvi added. "The two of you...please calm down." With those words from Matilda they eventually calmed themselves down and went back to their position. "Iris...I hope this isn''t a joke, because this matter can be serious and I would be very angry if it was." Matilda spoke while intentionally looking irritated by her words. "Of course, Matilda-sama...the words I am telling you is the truth." Iris spoke. Matilda even checked her using her magic, "I see....then tell us now, how did that happen." Matilda said while looking straight towards Iris'' eyes and about to release those purplish aura around her body. Iris slowly took a deep breath and stared at them again. "Yes Matilda-sama...the first cause of this family''s ruin..." "It''s start with...my Mother''s death." Iris spoke grimly, looking down a bit to her hands. "Eliza¡­died!? How?! She''s my one and only student who are the second best of me...it must be a mistake." Matilda shook her head in disbelief. "Indeed Iris, it seems there''s some kind of mistakes...she looks fine to me when we met." Rowan added carefully. "I know, because she hasn''t undergone any of it yet." "Yet...??" "Matilda-sama, do you know about...[Mana Disruption]." "Of course I know, it''s one of the most dangerous illnesses that cause incredible pain all over one''s body as their energy sipping out bit by bit...and slowly...died." Matilda explained seriously. "Most of the people who catch this kind of illness only people with [Mage] type as their jo¨C huh?" Matilda widened her eyes for a moment as she realized something. "Wait...does that mean she caught it!? But from what I know, usually the only one who caught it is people with no sense of mana control or failed on their magic experiment! What''s more, the rarest case is from the moment when their born! Eliza is a strong mage that I recruited myself! She doesn''t have sick body!" "Yes of course Matilda...mother will never be caught by those things since she is a strong mage but..." "She was poisoned...that could lead to permanent mana disruption that cannot be removed by any means, even the best [Healer] couldn''t do it." When she spoke those words it shook the two legendary people in front of her while Silvi who stood beside her was trembling. "A poison?!" Both of them looked taken aback, didn''t quite expected that. "Yes, but...it''s not just your ordinary poison...it''s a poison that was injected with mana." The three of them went silent as they stared at her with grim looks. Iris looked away for a moment before she continued her talk. "Do you remember Matilda-sama? About your original magic, the one that you told me." When she asked that, Matilda finally connected the dots. "Don''t tell me...it have the same concept as my magic?" "Yes...it''s similar but also different. It does required a rule like your magic...and this one is a required time to unleash it truly." "The user first injected mana into a very strong poison and then it went inside her body...since my mother is a strong mage she can easily dispel the poison from her body." "After the poison was being dispelled, the mana inside of it was released then remained inside of her...disrupting her mana...and slowly but surely...made her body becomes weak day by days...and eventually after a year...the magic is done and killed Mother." "I-...I can''t believe it..." Matilda murmured in disbelief. "Yes...but....it was only just the beginning..." "Because after that, the future for Welford''s family will get even worse..." Iris spoke as if she was threatening them. Her eyes flashed red for a moment, while Silvi, Rowan and Matilda stared at her as they soon will learn the truth of the future...they will be facing. To be continued... Chapter 21: The Villainess Secret Plan (Part 3) In a certain room where Iris and the Threston family gathered to discuss about the deal, Iris began to explain the future that she saw. It''s about the Welford''s family ruin after her mother¨C Eliza luth Welford''s death. "After mother''s death...the family slowly came to ruin and the happiness that I thought that would last long." "Had disappear." Iris began to explain the story. "Father slowly changed after mother''s death...he couldn''t accept the death of his wife, which changing him into ruthless and tyrant ruler on his land." "And because of that, he didn''t want to associate with anybody except his daughter and son...." Iris explained it as if she had seen it. "Even Brother change as well....he began to focus on his study and training, showing no interest to anything except me." "But what change him the most, is that...brother had lost his smile." Iris even describing it in detail. A realistic nightmare that could appear anytime. "...." The three of them listened to her carefully as they could tell that she wasn''t lying at all. "For me..." Iris hesitated to continue her words. ''Iris became the tyrant and the villainess of all...ruined countless lives...and controlling everything with her power as Welford''s family and her strong magical power.'' ''...and now her fate became my fate, ever since I step into this world.'' ''I cannot tell them...that the Iris that they once know, had been replaced by me.'' Iris went silent and went to deep in her thought as she looked down. Both Rowan and Matilda stared at her in pity...it makes them think... ''I guess...it must be hard for her after seeing the future of her own family''s ruin after a single person from their family died...'' Matilda thoughts. ''Ojou-sama...'' Silvi stared at her in worry after she went silent when she''s about to continue with her future. "..." Rowan had his eyes glued down to the floor all this time, deep in thought before he finally broke the silence. "Iris..." when Rowan called her name. The little girl turned her head to look up at him. "You don''t have to force yourself...I know, this is hard for you to talk about this." Rowan trying to assured her as if it wasn''t her fault. "B-but..." Iris felt bad because she have to lie about this situation. "We can continue it some other time when you are ready to talk about yourself, the secret that you have been holding." Rowan spoke gently. Iris widened her eyes, tug her skirt as it slowly brightened her mood which made her feel safe. "Now, let''s end this conversation and about the deal that you are talking about." "You don''t even need to ask us anymore." Rowan spoke. "Huh...??" Iris was confused about that last part. "Whether you need both our authority and influence, you already have it, because you have already become Matilda''s and my student." Rowan said with smile. *BA-THUMP* It was as if something hitted her head, and the feelings that clouded her heart, had vanished after he heard that statement. ''Am I...allowed to be this happy?'' Iris asked herself. "Who said she is your student? She is the one and only student of this great me!" Matilda interrupted. "What?! You old hag! She is also my student!" Rowan retaliated. "Hah! You? As her teacher? You brainless fool who only know how to swing a sword! Hah! Do you think you can be a great teacher!" Matilda insulted him. "What?! Unlike you I have two great student! You magic book nerd! The only thing you do is researching and focusing on magic!" But Rowan had his comeback. The two of them suddenly start to argue, setting off the heavy atmosphere around then before. As Silvi started to smile at Iris. "Ojou-sama, don''t worry! Everything is going to be alright! Since Silvi will always be by your side!" Silvi vowed brightly. Iris looked at her at first, ''They all know....that I am hiding something, but they still decided to accept for who I am.'' ''Thank you...for believing me.'' Iris wanted to cry at this moment, but she brushed off those thoughts. then giggled and smiled back at her, "Hehehe~ I know I know~ you already told me not too long ago, remember?~" Iris replied. "Ah! F-forgive me!" Silvi got flustered when she called her out like that. "It''s fine~ it''s fine~ but first...we need to stop them." Iris pointed her fingers towards Rowan and Matilda who took out their weapon as well as releasing their aura.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. "W-wahhh!! Ojii-sama!! Obaa-sama!! STOP!!!" ** After the two of them calmed down, they looked flustered and embarrassed of how lost their composure and act like a child in front of their student. Rowan cleared his head, "A-ahem...sorry about that Iris, I lost control of myself." "Th-that''s right...I apologize for losing myself like that." Matilda looked away, tightening her weapon. "It''s fine~ I understand the two of you got worked up because of me~ but well¡­as a student of [The Sword Saint] and [The Witch] both of you need to keep your image and your personal life remain private~" "Got it?~" "U-understood..." Silvi was quite surprised at what''s happening, her stubborn grandparents finally listened to someone else other than her. ''Ojou-sama...'' Silvi called her name inside of her head while looking so happy for some reason. "Also Matilda-sama and Rowan-sama...before you go, I have something to say." The two of them turned their head towards her, "What is it?" Rowan asked. "It''s regarding about Mother''s death..." Iris spoke. Their expression hardened after hearing that. "The incident will start at..." ****** It was past midnight when Rowan and Matilda went back home. Iris was already inside of her room while wearing her nightgown. Iris stood outside of the balcony, gazing up at the night sky that was filled with beautiful stars with the moonlight brightening up the whole place. Iris sighed, "Today was pretty rough huh...I couldn''t defeat Rowan-sama, I almost blew myself up by my own magic, becoming [The Witch]''s student and ended up making a deal with two legendary people in the kingdom." ''When I think about it...I still haven''t told them the other reason why I need power and influence from them.'' "That was because..." "This family...made me want to work harder everyday even though they aren''t my real family." "A caring mother who was kind and lovely..." "A doting father who sometimes makes a joke to brighten up our family and always being overprotective towards his daughter." "An older brother who both smart and kind...despite being a genius he still cares for his little sister." "Those personalities...their laughter and joy...somehow it gave me the strength to live when I thought I''m alone in this world without anyone to care about." "But...I was wrong, this family cared for me...despite they saw the change of their precious little girl, they still showed kindness towards me..." "I felt like it was just yesterday that I came into this world..." Iris suddenly remembered when she came into this world for the first time and in disarray. ****** Exactly four months ago...Yomi wake up in this world without knowing what just happened. It was midnight when she woke up, feeling somewhat weird and unfamiliar with her own body. "U-uhhh..." She found herself waking up on the bed as she sat up. She looked around at first and soon noticed the unfamiliar room since it somehow looked really fancy and luxurious. "Where...am I? Huh??" Her eyes widened when she looked down and saw an unfamiliar small hand as she tried to move her fingers. "Who''s hand is this?!" Yomi panicked and tried to get up but she ended up falling down to the floor. That''s when she noticed that her legs became short. She crawled her way up to the nearby desk, standing up and started to look towards the mirror. What''s reflected there is not her face. It was a little girl with long and silky black hair...sharp blue eyes that was as beautiful as the sky¡­ But the question is¡­ "Who is this...? Wait...she looks familiar¨CAgh!" When she leaned to have a closer look of her face in front of the mirror, she suddenly felt a stinging pain on her head as she took hold of it in reflex. She saw a glimpse of something...foreign yet familiar memories of a little girl¡­washed over her head. Her eyes changed Blood red instead of sky blue. "What is this..." Yomi whispered. She suddenly remembered something important... "Wait...where is he?!" She looked around but it was still the same luxurious room she woke up from, "I have to go back to him¨C!!" *CREAK* The door opened when Yomi was about to approach it. A silver-white haired young girl showed up in front of her. She was wearing maid outfit and holding a bucket on her hand. "Ojou-sama...?" The girl whispered as soon as their eyes met. ''Who?'' Yomi asked to no one in particular in her head. Suddenly, the girl let go of the bucket from her hands as she ran towards her. *CLANG* Yomi flinched, bracing for impact and quickly shut her eyes without knowing what would happen to her. *THUD* Yomi opened her eyes again, the girl in maid outfit hugged her and embrace her tight in her arms. Yomi widened her eyes as she felt her warmth all over her body. "Ojou-sama!... I''m glad you''re okay!" ''O-ojou-sama??...M-me??'' Iris stayed quiet before she asked again, a bit uncomfortable with a stranger hugging her like this so suddenly. "U-umm...w-who are you." The girl quickly let her go but her hands remained firm on her shoulders. The moonlight showed up and brightened the room. She could see her face, she have this white and fair skin, along with her violet eyes that shone a bit from the moonlight''s reflection. And it hit her...the girl was Silvi Threston, Iris may Welford''s personal maid. ''¡­and I''m the villainess of the otome game that I played once...Iris.'' "O-ojou-sama...w-what do you mean?...oh no! is it because you hit your head?! Your memories!!?" *THUD* *THUD* *THUD* "What''s going on?!" A voice cames out from the door, a tall middle-aged man with black hair, large build and red eyes came into view together with a boy and an older woman that looked pretty young at a glance despite being in the same age with the man beside her. She was average height, has luscious blonde hair that reached her waist and sky blue eyes that were the same color as Iris. The young boy has the same hair color with the woman and he''s standing behind them. Yomi recognized them. The man was Henry von Welford¡ªher father...the woman was Eliza luth Welford¡ªher mother and the boy was Albert dragh Welford¡ªher brother. "Silvi! What happen?! Oh Iris?! You finally woke up..." Eliza asked initially but was surprised seeing her daughter already up and about. "I''m so glad!" Henry, overflowed with joy exclaimed but his expression fell when he saw Silvi. *DRIP* Tears fall off from Silvi''s eyes, "Madam...Sir...Ojou-sama...she...she lost her memories." "Huh?!" ''Huh?!'' All of them looked at her in surprise, including Yomi who stood there while being held by Silvi, feeling their gazes. ''I-i never said that?! W-wait...I accidentally asked her name because I was confused...B-but what should I do now!'' When Yomi was panicking, something happened... PING Suddenly a panel of hologram showed up in front of her face. [Notice!] [Skill [The Villainess] has been activated] ''Huh?'' Yomi widened her eyes as she read the notice when she suddenly calmed down. "W-who are you guys? W-where am I?...W-who am I?" Yomi unconsciously spoke while wearing her terrified look in front of them. "I-iris s-she...doesn''t remember us?" Henry was still shell-shocked after hearing her question while Eliza walked towards her and sit on her knees to level their height. "Iris...t-this is me...your mother..." Eliza spoke calmly as she tried to hold her tears. "M-mother...?" "Yes...I''m your mother..." Eliza hugged her by wrapping her arms around her small body as her tears dripped down her cheeks. "Mother..." Somehow, when she called her that, it made her felt warm despite having the skill calmed her down not too long ago. Henry and Albert watched for a moment before they too, walked towards them then stood behind Eliza. Yomi quickly tightened the hug when she looked at them as if she was scared. "It''s fine now...it''s me...I''m your father..." Henry spoke with a warm smile, reaching his hands out towards her head to stroke her head gently. "Father?..." Yomi felt the same warmth inside her chest like she does to her mother... ''What is this....what''s with this feeling...'' Her brother¨CAlbert suddenly took hold of her right hand, gently rubbing the back of her hand with his warm hands. ''it''s warm¡­'' "Don''t be scared now...your brother is here to protect you." Albert spoke gently, smiling bright. "Brother?..." ''Again...what is this...'' Silvi leaned closer, holding her other hand as she too showed her her best smile. "Ojou-sama....it''s me...your maid...Silvi." Silvi spoke as she tried to hold back hear tears. "Silvi...?" Yomi continued to be showered with their warmth¡­and their soothing words. She knew that those words wasn''t meant for her...not directly, and yet... ''And yet¡­why are this feelings...keep getting stronger...'' Yomi who was really confused about what''s happening and doesn''t know what to do¡­end up crying. "U-uhhhh....uwaaahhhh....!!" ''Ahhh...I see...I''ve become her...Iris may Welford" Yomi cried...she cried like she her life is at stake...bawling her eyes out and wailed. She could feel her body and soul syncing together with Iris...and that day she completely became the Villainess¨CIris may Welford. ****** Iris went back to bed after closing the door to the balcony. She rested her head on a soft and warm pillow, contemplating for a bit. ''Ever since that day, I promised...with this plan, I shall save this family. And go back to earth to meet him ¡­once again...'' Her eyes became heavy and soon after that, she was asleep... ****** Two years had passed ever since his last encounter with Iris. A young boy sat right on top of the gate as he saw the scenery outside of the Blumund village from there with his golden right eye and left red eye. The boy had grown quite a bit, he was now as tall as his father''s chest. His brown hair fluttered gently against the wind. What he saw was a long, lonely road that led to a vast Greenland in the distance. "I guess today is the day..." He murmured. "For me to start my journey." Kiritsuka Rei (Ray Houston), age 8 and finally his journey to become the knight just begun. To be continued... *Rei''s current status* ======================================= [STATUS] NAME: Kiritsuka Rei / Ray Houston JOB : Blacksmith TITLE : [The Reincarnator], [Time Traveler], [Quick Learner], [Beast Slayer], [Die Hard], [Jack of All Trade] Level: 21 >>> 30 [HP: 4000/4000] [MP: 475/475] [FATIGUE: 0] EXP: 500/36500 STATUS POINT : 117 >>> 2 __________________ STRENGTH : 60 >>> 100 AGILITY : 40(+5) >>> 70(+5) VITALITY : 45 >>> 75 INTELLIGENCE : 30(+5) >>> 60(+5) SENSE : 35(+5) >>> 65(+5) SKILL Blacksmith Mastery Lv6; Sword Mastery Lv6; Battle Instinct Lv6; Super Growth LvMax; Fire Magic Lv4; Aura Lv5; Cooking Mastery Lv3 !!NEW!!; Knitting Mastery Lv3 !!NEW!!; Alchemy Mastery Lv2 !!NEW!! Fire LvMax Blacksmith Flame Lv1 !!NEW!! Horizontal Slash LvMax Vertical Slash LvMax Omni Slash Lv3 !!NEW!! Persona LvMax [Locked] Imitation Fire Sword Lv3 Shukuchi Lv5 ======================================= Chapter 22: The Test & The Journey (Part 1) It was in the middle of the day where it took place at Blumund village, in the workshop of the blacksmith family, Houston. "[Fire]..." A fire came out inside of the forge after the young boy used [Fire] magic in it. He had brown hair and different colors on each eyes which is golden on the right and red on the left. The young boy was wearing a tank top that revealed his muscular yet slim arms. He lifted his hammer and slammed it down, creating a loud sound which reverberated through the room. *CLANG* The young boy was Kiritsuka Rei (Ray Houston), age 8. As he kept on hammering the metal while thinking of something in his head. ''It''s been 2 years I have been transferred into this world.'' Rei spoke while lifting his hammer and start slamming it down to forge the heated metal. *CLANG* ''There''s a lot of things that I haven''t discovered about the world itself and what kind of life is outside of this village.'' As he goes on again slamming his hammer to the heated metal. *CLANG* ''But rather than doing nothing, I should be prepared since the job I have is for weapon production and stuffs...it doesn''t have battle skills or anything. But one thing''s for sure is that...'' *CLANG* ''Why is it so hard to level up?! Is it because the monsters around the village are low level? or is this my limit?'' *CLANG* ''Dammit...I can''t be cooped around in this place for too long. I still need to prevent the war that Houston mention.'' *CLANG* Suddenly, a voice came out inside his head. ''Well you shouldn''t be rushing, preparation is essential for us who have this job.'' The voice came from Ray Houston, the soul of this body who came back from the future. *CLANG* ''Houston...'' ''Sure, it''s hard to level up. Ever since the boss that we killed 2 years ago, the monster that shows up are all under levelled. So no matter what we do the EXP they''re given is low.'' ''I know about that.'' *CLANG* ''Well did you prepare everything?'' ''Of course...you told me to do it after all.'' ''So how many spare swords have you forged and also the potion production? Well 2 or 5 is enough though.'' ''....'' Rei went silent after being questioned by him. *CLANG* ''Oi...what''s wrong?'' ''N-nothing...'' ''Then tell me how many of it have you made?'' ''W-well I already forged around 257 sword in the inventory and I already created 98 low-grade potion.'' ''Hm hm, I see two hund¨C...'' Suddenly Ray stopped talking for a moment as he realized something is odd from his answer, ''Wait...how many did you said?'' Ray repeated, asking for clarification. *CLANG* ''I told you it''s 257 spare swords and 98 low-grade potion.'' Rei answered nonchalantly as he hammered the heated metal again. ''...'' ''...'' *CLANG* The two went silent after that, he could tell that Ray was staring at him in shock on the back of his head. ''Haaaaa?!!! Do you even know how to hold back?!!'' Ray burst out in disbelief. ''Aren''t you the one who told me to prepare them!?!" ''But you don''t need that much spare right?!'' ''How am I supposed to know!? I was bored! and need to level up my mastery level!'' Rei continued on hammering the heated metal away with irritated face as he was arguing with Ray inside his mind. And just then, a new voice came out from outside of the workshop. "Onii-chan!!" A little girl shouted and opened the door, allowing sunlight to pour in and brightened up the whole room. The little girl has big jade eyes and long brown hair that was braided down. She was Ray''s little sister¨CEmily Houston, age 6. When she came in, the two had stopped arguing and Rei went back to reality. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "Yes?" Rei replied. "The others are ready you know! Today is the day!" "Oh, yeah I almost forgot." "Muuu, you always forget about this stuff! Let''s go!" "Okay okay, let me get changed first." Rei replied with a smile as he sighed and stopped doing what he does then went out of the workshop together with Emily. "So onii-chan? Are you sure you can win this? I mean...you will be fighting uncle Nel." Emily asked while walking together with him. "You don''t have to worry, I may look like this but I keep training on my own." "B-but! Uncle Nel is the former knight from the capital!" "I know...and that''s why I need to defeat him." Rei answered her calmly as he looked forward instead of looking at his little sister who was worried about him. It reminded him about 3 days ago where he had a talk with his family. ****** It was at dinner time when the Houston''s family gathered to eat on the kitchen table. But before they could start, Rei interrupted them a bit. "Dad...Mom, I have request to make." As soon as he called them that, his parents¡ªAdam and Sheila Houston burst into tears. "E-ehh?! W-what''s wrong??" "N-nothing, We are just happy that you finally called us Dad and Mom without stuttering like before." Adam spoke while wiping his tears. "Eh?" Rei blinked. "Yeah, sometimes you have this embarrassed face when you called us that. Now it felt so distant like it was yesterday." Sheila spoke while wiping her tears as well. ''W-wait! Did I do that?!'' Rei became flustered as his cheeks went red all of sudden. Then his parents starts laughing as they smiled at him. "Hahaha~ sorry, sorry we were joking" Adam waved, trying to lighten the mood. "R-really??" "Fufufu~ half-joking maybe?~" Sheila chuckled. "U-ugh... Mom...Dad...please stop." They laughed for some more, brightening up the mood in the room but Rei has something in mind that might ruin that up. He couldn''t back away this time. "So is there anything you want, my son?" Adam asked with smile. At first, Rei hesitated for a bit but when he''s about to said it, Sheila interrupted. "Oh! Maybe he want a new hammer~ since you know, our son worked hard in the forgery these days~" "Eh? N-no...I¨C" "Mommy! Daddy! I want a ball!" Emily exclaimed cheerfully, joining the conversation. "Hahaha~ of course of course. But let''s hear what your older brother have to say first." Adam laughed as they set their eyes on him again. Rei looked at them as he felt some sort of guilt weighing him down but he shook his head in his head, steeling himself. "Mom...Dad, I wish to go to the outside world." Rei declared while looking straight at them. As the mood went down 180 degree, "What¡­do you mean by that?" Adam repeated to clarify what he just heard. "Y-you must be kidding right? Ray..." Sheila asked as she tried to hold back her tears. "Like I said...I wish to go outside the world behind the gate and start adventuring." Their face become worried after hearing his words again, especially his mother. "Ray...do you know how dangerous that is to go on adventure, especially for us who have a job like this." Adam said while looking back at his son, trying to handle this as smooth as he could. "I know how dangerous it is...but...I have made my decision." Rei replied calmly. "Then...you do know that you almost died...not once but twice! from 2 years ago...don''t tell me you don''t remember that." Sheila spoke as she looked even more worried. Rei buried down his feelings and decided to continue forth with his speech, "Of course I remember...and I''m sorry for that time making you both worried..." "Then?!¨C" When Sheila about to say something, she was interrupted by him on continuing his words. "¨CAnd...that is why I must set out to become stronger...and strong enough to help the village." Rei spoke without breaking eye contact and clenching his fists. Adam sighed and massaged his forehead with his fingers. "Let''s talk about this after dinner..." Rei stared at his distressed father and mother who took care of him for 2 years after he woke up in this world, deep down he felt guilty and terribly sorry about this. But he doesn''t have much time...there will be a war in the future and he needed that strength to protect this village. Not just from monsters, but other humans that have ill intentions towards this village. They spent the dinner in uncomfortable silence. Rei stole glances every now and then but their faces remained tight. As soon as they finished eating, Emily was brought to the bed since they didn''t want her to see something bad between her older brother and parents. Now Rei was sitting on the chair, facing his parents. He''s accompanied by Ray who was still awake inside of his mind in order to assist him and gave him support. "So can you tell us...why you want to go outside? Ray..." Adam asked while looking straight to him. "Like I said...I planned to become stronger and helped the village by making new connections from outside world." Rei repeated his words confidently, causing his parents to exchange glances with each other before looking at him again. "Why did you want to become stronger? We''re already safe enough here with Nel and the other guards protecting us...especially we have more people to help us from that Duke''s family as well." Adam spoke. "Exactly...and you are still 8 years old, you just had your birthday a week ago." Sheila added, keeping her hands tight on her lap. "I know Mom...Dad, but...I only have one chance and this one is very important...and...I can''t tell you about the reason." Rei shook his head as he spoke bitterly. ''We can''t tell...that the war is about to happen in a few years and some villages will be forced to participate into that war...we need strength and strong influence.'' ''It''s true we have the Welfords supporting us after that incident...but it doesn''t guarantee our safety an or our obligation to participate in the war.'' Ray spoke inside of his mind with Rei agreeing with him. Adam and Sheila stayed silent after hearing their son''s answer. "Is this reason some sort of secret that you can''t tell us about?...just like 2 years ago." Adam broke the silence and it made Rei remembered that they never asked about what really happened on that time, just living their daily life like usual. "...." When Rei opened his mouth, he hesitated once again before he murmured, "Yes..." "....I understand." Adam sighed as he nodded while closing his eyes. Rei widened his eyes and his smile bloomed, "Dad..." "Dear!¨C..." Sheila was about to call her husband out, but before she could do that, Adam cut in. "¨CBut! You must pass my test." Adam raised a finger while looking at Rei sternly once again. "A test? and what is it...?" Rei asked while staring back. ''If it''s forgeries...I can still do that with my Lv5 [Blacksmith Mastery].'' Rei thought of it. "I want you to prove that you can protect yourself without relying on other people..." ''What?'' Rei widened his eyes after hearing of what his father said. "And that is by..." "Defeating uncle Nel with sword." Adam spoke, folding his hands to his chest. After hearing those conditions the two of them widened their eyes especially Sheila. "Adam! Isn''t that too much?! He''s still a child!" Sheila protested, glaring towards him with his absurd challenge "Our son is going out to the outside world. He needs to prove that he''s capable to do it first, since he know how to wield a sword then it''s no problem." "But that doesn''t mean!..." The two continue to argue about the condition for Rei to set out free. While they argued, he and Ray were having their own conversation to one another inside of his mind. ''Houston...is uncle Nel that strong?'' Rei asked. ''I don''t know I never saw him having a spar...but one thing for sure is that...'' ''Nel Shubert, he was a former knight of the capital city from a long time ago and it is said that he is strong enough to be the captain of the knights in there...but for some reason he refused and retired then went to this village along with his married childhood friend. Although I don''t know if that is true since I only heard all about it from the rumors.'' Ray explained. ''But...If that''s true then that means we will be up to fight another monster...and come to think of it...it made me curious...why such an important person like him became the guard in this secluded village?'' Rei wondered. ''Like I said...I don''t know...I really don''t know much about him since he died in the past after protecting me until the end on that day.'' Ray spoke bitterly remembering that time. ''I see...'' Rei trailed off for a bit then continued with his words, "Anyway, let''s come up with some kind of plan to defeat him, even though we defeated the [Unique Boss] by ourselves from 2 years ago...in comparison we¨Cno...I am still weak, that''s why we need everything we have...to pass through all kind of trouble.'' ''Heh, you do know your words...it''s good that now you know your own limit rather than overestimating yourself after defeating mere monster. Well I expected that much from my first student.'' ''Well it thanks to you as my master, but I did die multiple times by your hand though...'' Rei spoke while shivering a bit when he remembered it. ''Hahaha, well since we already made up our mind, it''s time to¨C...'' Ray spoke as soon they went back to reality. ''...¨CAccept the challenge.'' "I shall accept the test." Rei accepted with so much confidence and determination coming from his eyes. His parents who were arguing to one another stopped to set their eyes back to their son. "Ray!" Sheila called his name as she looked even more worried than before. Meanwhile, Adam widened his eyes for a moment, staring into his son''s eyes that seemed to remain unchanged. "Did I hear you clearly...accepting this test?" Adam asked to clarify again. "Yes, Dad...I accept the test to have a sword match with uncle Nel." Rei nodded, looking directly to his eyes. "Ray!..." Sheila called him as she''s in the verge of tears. "Mom...I will be fine okay? You don''t have to worry about me. Cause..." "I swear to prove you both that I am strong enough to protect myself by defeating him." Rei spoke confidently. Sheila who saw this knew that her son slowly but surely grew up, she stood up and walked towards him then giving him a warm hug. She embraced him with her arms as Rei responded by hugging her back as well. "U-uhhhh...." Sheila cried silently as she kept hugging her son close to her. Rei only stayed still and held his mother, allowing her to cry. Meanwhile Adam watched them from behind and smiled at Rei. "The match will commences in three days from now...so make sure you prepare as much as you want." "I understand dad...and thanks." "Hah! Thank me after you defeated him first" Adam rose up from his seat as he spoke, "Now that''s settled, let''s go back to sleep okay?" He spoke with cheerful tone even though his face didn''t look that happy. The man walked towards them to tap Sheila shoulder. "Sweetie...let''s go." Sheila nodded and let go of Rei after she kissed his forehead then smiled at him. "Just remember okay?... We will always love you and worried about you, please don''t forget that." Sheila spoke while trying her best to smile. Rei widened his eyes and smiled while looking at both of them. He suddenly pulled the two of them together then hugged them tight. "I love you too...Mom....Dad and always do." Rei smiled innocently towards them as they suddenly blushed for some reason, hugging him tightly to show their affection to their adorable little boy. Afterwards they went to sleep and Rei went back to his training with Ray in his dreams once more. ****** Back to three days later, Rei was now standing on the center of the crowd where he was about to take the test. To defeat the former knight and guard of the Blumund village... Nel Shubert. To be continue... ======================================= [STATUS] NAME: Kiritsuka Rei / Ray Houston JOB : Blacksmith TITLE : [The Reincarnator], [Time Traveler], [Quick Learner], [Beast Slayer], [Die Hard], [Jack of All Trade] Level: 30 [HP: 4000/4000] [MP: 475/475] [FATIGUE: 0] EXP: 500/36500 STATUS POINT : 2 __________________ STRENGTH : 100 AGILITY : 70(+5) VITALITY : 75 INTELLIGENCE : 60(+5) SENSE : 65(+5) SKILL Blacksmith Mastery Lv6; Sword Mastery Lv6; Battle Instinct Lv6; Super Growth LvMax; Fire Magic Lv4; Aura Lv5; Cooking Mastery Lv3; Knitting Mastery Lv3; Alchemy Mastery Lv2 Fire LvMax Blacksmith Flame Lv1 Horizontal Slash LvMax Vertical Slash LvMax Omni Slash Lv3 Persona LvMax [Locked] Imitation Fire Sword Lv3 Shukuchi Lv5 ======================================= Chapter 23: The Test & The Journey (Part 2) Today was the day where Rei''s going to take the test that was given by his father. That is, to defeat the old man who was standing in front of him. The former knight who was also the current guard of the Blumund Village''s gate, Nel Shubert. The blue haired man was physically large and tall while his eyes were red and there''s thin goatee on his chin. Other than that, Nel''s currently wearing an armor that didn''t gleam under the sunlight but was clearly still in good condition and maintained regularly. Rei stood right in the middle of the village as people crowded the area, coming to watch the spectacle fight. Rei was wearing an iron-plate chest and some hand guards while holding a sword for training. He''s currently observing his opponent closely. ''I guess ever since I learned how to use aura I can tell that...this is not gonna be easy.'' Rei thought as he could see a dim bluish aura around Nel''s body. ''Indeed, but just be careful and remember your training...don''t underestimate your opponent and keep your eyes on your surrounding.'' Ray adviced. ''I know...'' Ray replied as Nel walked towards him and as usual, he was very big, like a mountain...no rather than that, the man is the mountain itself. Rei gulped as he thought that he had grown taller, yet he''s still pretty short compared to him. "So is it true that you planned to go out, adventuring?" Nel asked him and have this bitter look on his face. Rei tried to keep his composure in front of the man. "Yes...Uncle, I decided to go out and helped the village, since they have done so much to me." Rei spoke calmly as he stood there staring at the man with such a brave look, as if he already resolved his feelings. Nel was a bit surprised after hearing his answer but then he smiled at him, "I see...you sure grew up to be just like your father." Rei blinked a few times. "Eh?" Nel turned around and went back to his position as he stood across him then stabbed his sword to the ground. "As your father''s request, I shall fight you by only using this sword and make you give me all you got...Ray!" Nel shouted. ''Only using this sword? what does he mean...no, focus.'' Rei shook his head and lifted his sword then pointed it at Nel. "Don''t worry..." When Rei spoke, Nel suddenly widened his eyes a bit then smirked, that''s when he pulled his sword from the ground. "...I don''t plan on losing...Uncle Nel, I shall give you my all." As Rei continued with his words, his atmosphere changed. Everyone who were watching couldn''t tell it apart, but only certain people who were familiar with this kind of feelings. The two of them went into their stance as they stared against each other. The crowd went silent, watching them with bated breath. . . . . . . . . The one who made the first move...was Rei. *WOOSH* Rei dashed forward with such a high speed as he was already right before him. Rei continued by swinging his sword from his left side. ''[Horizontal Slash].'' Nel was taken off guard when Rei suddenly dashed with that speed but only for a moment as he regained his composure before moving his sword to block it. *TING* Their sword clashed but Nel didn''t flinch nor move from his position. He just stood there and blocked the strike with his sword. Rei calmly pulled his sword back and jumped backwards. The crowd gasped upon seeing how fast Rei moved, especially his parents who just knew that Rei have this kind of talent in him. Meanwhile, his sister¨CEmily looked somewhat excited and worried of her older brother, along with the others like John, Bob, and Hans. They couldn''t take off their eyes on them. Rei didn''t give up and went forward again but he took a step on his right side before striking the old man again with his sword. *TING* Their swords clashed again and Rei moved his sword to another direction. *TANG* As he goes on, Rei relentlessly released all of his strikes in all directions with high speed. ''[Horizontal Slash].''Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. *TING* ''[Vertical Slash].'' *TANG* ''[Horizontal Slash].'' *TING* *TANG* *TING* As he continued to strike again and again, Nel only blocked and dodged almost all of them with his sword using minimum movement but...somehow it felt odd for Rei. ''Why can I feel like something is weird...this sensation... every time our sword clashed...he looked as if having a bit of a hard time blocking me.'' ''You can tell, Kiritsuka.'' ''Houston?'' ''You''re right, I can feel it too and somehow he can only block and dodged our attacks, instead of attacking you. As for his movement...it looks sloppy yet refined.'' ''Then what should we do?'' ''Hmmm...change of plans, I want to know what is he hiding.'' ''Understood.'' *TING* Rei quickly jumped back to his position where he stood after their swords clashed for one last time. He sighed in frustration as he kept his eyes on Nel. "Uncle Nel! Are you mocking me!" Rei shouted and pointed th blade of his sword towards him. Nel who was taken by surprise with his words responded, "What do you mean by that?" "You...aren''t you taking easy on me, because I''m still a child?" Rei spoke seriously. Nel didn''t responded. "Tsk...I take that silent as yes then...but this time it will be different...it''s best you shouldn''t take easy on me because..." Rei went back to his stance but this time...the atmosphere around him once again changed. "...it will end badly." As soon as he said that, Rei disappeared from Nel''s sight all of sudden. *WOOSH* Nel who stood still was once again taken off guard since, unlike the last time, he couldn''t see where he went to. ''Where did¡ª'' Without warning, he sensed something coming from behind him. ''¡ªFrom behind?!'' It was Rei and he''s swinging his sword horizontally in perfect line using [Horizontal Slash] towards his right side. Nel reacted as soon he sensed him, he turned around and tried to block the sword but... *TING* The sword was deflected away from that strike. Nel widened his eyes, he didn''t expect that. ''What...just...happened?'' Nep thought he could block it just like before since almost all of his attacks was pretty much the same, but now... ''It''s completely different!'' "Huft!" Rei didn''t stop, he spun himself in the air then swung his sword from above, performing a straight line [Vertical Slash]. *TANG* Their sword clashed again. This time, Nel could barely block the strike as it forced him to take a step backwards. ''How...his strength completely changed over a second.'' *TING* ''And each strikes had become...faster.'' *TANG* ''...stronger.'' *TING* ''And fierce...!!'' As their swords clashed again, a small sweat formed on his forehead as Nel curved his lips to form a smirk. ''I could see his dedication through those powerful strikes from how he trained...and I did hear of what the other children said about it...how he defeated the monsters in the forest alone then fought against a [Boss Monster] together with those people from that Duke.'' *TANG* ''It''s sound unbelievable...but I can''t help to accept it.'' *TING* ''Heh, such amazing feat and...'' When Rei swung his sword again, Nel noticed a glimpse of a slight reddish aura came out from his sword when he''s about to strike him. ''...such a terrifying talent.'' *TANG* After they clashed again, he jumped backwards to keep his distance away from Rei. ''An aura at this age...not only that he controlled it perfectly by using only minimum of aura in short moment...since I''m not using one, it''s still hard to block them...'' ''I guess I am underestimating him too much...and I don''t think that I could win with only a sword.'' Nel remembered the words that Rei spoke to him before. ''Heh...I guess he was right...maybe I did go easy on him because of his father request.'' ''But not anymore...sorry Adam.'' When Rei went back to his stance, Nel threw his sword away to the ground. "Let''s stop this..." *TRANG* Rei looked at the thrown sword in bewilderment then looked back up towards him, with slightly dumbfounded look "Huh?" ''He...'' ''...throw his weapon away?'' Rei and Ray thought at the same time. "Really, I don''t know how you could do that...but I guess I don''t have much a choice huh...you forced me to do this." Nel spoke with smile. "Hey you!" Nel shouted and turned his head around to look at one of the guards who were watching them in the crowd. "Y-yes sir?!" The guard responded. "Give me your spear." Nel ordered. "Understood sir!" The guard walked into the arena and gave Nel the spear that he was holding. ''A spear?'' Rei blinked, a bit confused yet intrigued at the same time When Nel took a hold of that spear, the atmosphere around him changed. The dim bluish aura around his body slowly shined a bit as if it responded to something. ''What?'' "Nel!" A voice came out between the crowd. They looked over at the source, it was Adam''s. "We both agree that you wouldn''t use it!" He shouted angrily. Rei narrowed his brows, ''What does he mean...'' Nel simply chuckled and responded, "Sorry for breaking our deal Adam, but it seems your son won''t be satisfied with me holding back and I cannot refuse such request from this youngster." Nel turned around as his attention went back to Rei as he quickly assumed his battle stance again. "I''m sorry for that Ray and thank you, I never thought there would be a day where I have to fight seriously, even if this is just a test." Nel spoke while smiling at him. "Y-yes? your welcome??" Rei replied as he was still dumbfounded. "But this time...you should focus your eyes on me, or else..." Ray noticed something as he shouted ''Kiritsuka! becareful he''s¨C'' inside his mind. Nel continued with his words, and then... "It will be disastrous..." ...disappeared. *WOOSH* This time Rei was the one who couldn''t see his movement and from that it reminded him of that hellish training when Ray disappeared from his sight from the first time. As his eyes turned around to his back...he was greeted by the tip of a spear that was already right in front of his face. ''What?¨C'' Rei used all his nerves to react to that one, dodging the spear that was about to strike his head by moving his body aside as he found out Nel was standing behind him at that moment, holding the bottom of the pole as he thrusted the spear with so much force yet poised mind. *SWOOOSH* "U-ughh...!" The tip barely grazed his cheeks when Rei was about to counter him... ''What the heck with that spee¨C!'' *BUGH* "G-gahhaa!¨C" Right before he finished his words and countering him, Nel kicked him with enough force to blow him away. Rei coughed and crashed on the ground but he quickly got back up in that momentum. Luckily, he didn''t get serious damage because in the short moment that he saw his foot coming towards him, Rei used his sword to block it, and yet, he''s still got blown away from it. Rei could feel his hands trembling from the shockwave and the pain throughout his body that came from his kick. But instead o getting discouraged, he laughed at it for a bit. ''Hahaha...I guess...I just woke up the lion in the cage.'' ''Kiritsuka, becareful he''s¨C...'' ''I know...and now I get it...from the beginning, those sloppy movements and all of the blocking isn''t because he was bad at using a sword...but it''s because he never used a sword before.'' Rei explained, remembering their fight earlier. ''Yes, he''s not a sword user...but...'' ''A spear user...not only that, he is a high levelled one I think.'' ''They called them the [Spear Master], I heard about them before... instead of using a sword they use spear to reach enlightenment... indestructible force that can destroy and penetrate almost any kind of defense.'' ''So, rather than cutting things like [Sword Master] do...they''re using a spear to thrust and penetrate their enemies huh...'' Rei replied. ''Exactly...but now we are facing one of them...'' Ray spoke. ''A [Spear Master] and also a former knight...I can see why the rumor was exaggerated for him going to be the captain of the knights there.'' Rei retorted. ''Did that scare you?'' Ray asked with a smile. Nel was observing Rei who was being silent for some reason then became somewhat intrigued after he saw his face. ''Scared? Nope, not at all...because...'' Instead of being scared, Rei was smiling which made Nel wondered what is so amusing to him. Since he himself was a knight before and based by his experience the only answer to that is... ''Things has become more interesting.'' The two of them thought about the same thing as they smiled. ''I finally can test how much I''ve improved...maybe I won''t get this chance ever again to fight a former knight like himself...that''s why Houston, I shall be serious now.'' Rei said as he couldn''t help to smile. Ray laughed loudly, ''Hahaha!! You''re a crazy kid! Not that i hate it though'' Rei smirked ''Well? Shall we?~" "Yeah." The two of them agreed as Rei transitioned back to reality to face Nel again. "I guess I didn''t take you really seriously Uncle Nel¡ªno...The former knight, Nel Shubert!" Rei shouted with a confident smile "I shall prove it to you that I can defeat you!" Nel who heard it, start to laugh, "Pfft¨C hahaha!! Then don''t disappoint me kid! I shall let you have a taste just why those people want me to be the captain of the knights." He said as he held the pole with his two hands and lowered his body as he smirked. Rei went into his stance as well, steeling his gaze as he slowly letting out a bit of his aura. "Don''t cry if you lose kid!" Nel provoked good-naturedly. "I should be the one who saying that!" Rei yelled back, slightly heated. As the two of them dashed towards to each other with high speed... *TING* The second round of their fight had begun... To be continue... *Rei''s current status* ======================================= [STATUS] NAME: Kiritsuka Rei / Ray Houston JOB : Blacksmith TITLE : [The Reincarnator], [Time Traveler], [Quick Learner], [Beast Slayer], [Die Hard], [Jack of All Trade] Level: 30 [HP: 3500/4000] [MP: 475/475] [FATIGUE: 600]*orange* EXP: 500/36500 STATUS POINT : 2 __________________ STRENGTH : 100 AGILITY : 70(+5) VITALITY : 75 INTELLIGENCE : 60(+5) SENSE : 65(+5) [SKILL] Blacksmith Mastery Lv6; Sword Mastery Lv6; Battle Instinct Lv6; Super Growth LvMax; Fire Magic Lv4; Aura Lv5; Cooking Mastery Lv3; Knitting Mastery Lv3; Alchemy Mastery Lv2 Fire LvMax Blacksmith Flame Lv1 Horizontal Slash LvMax Vertical Slash LvMax Omni Slash Lv3 Persona LvMax [Locked] Imitation Fire Sword Lv3 Shukuchi Lv5 ======================================= Chapter 24: The Test & The Journey (Part 3) *TING* A sound of two forces clashes... *BOOM* *TANG* *TING* And large explosion could be heard between those clashes... *WOOSH* *TSSSS* *TING* *TANG* The sound came from inside of the Blumund village, where there''s a fight between two person. The tester¨CNel Shubert and the challenger¨CKiritsuka Rei (Ray Houston). The two of them clashed with their respective weapons, spear and sword. *TING* "G-guuh..." Rei deflected the direction of the spear with his sword. "Oraa!!" But Nel pulled his spear and relentlessly struck him with it once again. *TING* *TANG* *TING* Rei jumped backwards to retreat and keeping his distances away from him. *WOOSH* "Heh, you naive kid!" Nel followed him with such a high speed, spinning his spear then swung it to his right. *TANG* Rei quickly reacted to block the incoking attack, deflecting the spear once again. Nel didn''t give him a chance to rest as he delivered another spin of his spear then struck him from the other side. Emily couldn''t help but worry about her brother. Every time the spear was about to reach him, she covered her face with her hand and tried to take a peek when Rei safely dodged them. Meanwhile, others who were watching from the side-lines were silent all the time but kept their eyes open on their fight. They couldn''t keep up with the intensity and the speed of their fight, so they''re holding their breath. Nobody would expect that Rei was able to put up such a fight. Not his parents, or even the kids he trained. His opponent was a former knight so it''s understandable that they were sceptical of him and planned to console him when he lost. That was...until they saw what happeend now. *TANG* When Rei deflected his spear again, Nel jumped backwards to keep a short distance away from him. After that, he stabbed his spear on the ground, using it to jump high before pulling his spear to perform a swing by slamming his spear towards Rei from above. ''[Hammer Fall]!'' Nel yelled. *SWOOOSH* *TAANNGGGG* The sound of their weapon was very loud. When Rei quickly tried to block it, the impact coming from his spear was so strong it was enough to deflect his defense until his spear went through to the ground, creating a crack on it. "Is that all?!" Nel shouted with slightly manic grin. Rei spun his body around then swung his sword to counter. ''[Horizon Slash].'' The older man spun his spear in reaction to that, blocking his sword with the shaft of his spear that was strengthened with aura. *TING* ''Wha¨C?!'' Following that, Nel spun his spear again, along with his body then performing a strong thrust towards Rei''s chest. ''[One Strike]!'' In that moment, Rei quickly shifted his sword to his front and blocked the tip of the spear using the back of his sword that was coated with his aura. *TINGGGG* *TSSSKKK* "G-guuhhh..." Rei could barely hold on after blocking that thrust but... Nel wasn''t finished, "Haa!!" *BOOM* *SWOOSH* "G-gahhaa¨C!!" A shockwave was released from his spear and made Rei flew away once again. However, Rei landed with his feet from that momentum, kneeling with his sword stabbed to the ground, breathing heavily and covered with sweat from head to toe. Nel spun his spear around before resting it on his shoulder, chuckling and smiling. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Rei on the other hand, was trying to keep his breathing steady and took a moment to rest, "Hah....hah..." As he did that, he shifted his eyes a bit to see his status. ======================================= Level: 30 [HP: 2000/4000] [MP: 475/475] [FATIGUE: 1000]*red* EXP: 500/36500 ======================================= ''Dammit...my fatigue point already increased this much...'' He gulped, ''What a monster...even though I already released my aura, I still can''t match up to his speed and strength.'' ''Yeah, but look...I can see that he slowly getting tired from how he is breathing.'' ''That''s tired?! he seems fine to me.'' ''Well, I can tell since I''m more experienced than you.'' Ray retorted. ''I know, I know...but it doesn''t seem like he''s gonna let his guard down soon despite being tired.'' ''He was a former knight after all.'' ''Heh, yeah...but it will be boring if I have to fight a weak opponent right?'' as Rei spoke, his lips slowly formed into a smirk. ''Well...that''s true...'' Ray agreed with smile. ''But still...how can I defeat this monster, should I use [Imitation Fire Sword] to defeat him.'' ''Are you nuts?! Do you want the whole village get burned to the ground??'' ''Then what should we do?! I have limited skill here, you know!'' ''Hmmm...then, how about this...I have a plan to win this match but it''s gonna be risky, wanna hear it?'' Ray offered. ''Heh, do I have any other choice? Just tell me about it.'' Rei huffed. Ray smirked and told him about the plan. After that, Rei grinned to his ears. ''That''s one hell of a plan...but I don''t hate it.'' ''Can you do it?'' ''There''s only have one way to find out.'' While Rei was having his own conversations in his head, Nel who looked calm in the outside was actually getting tired. "Huh...huff..." Nel softly panted to make sure he didn''t look as tired in front of him. ''Such a monstrosity...to be able to match up with my speed and blocking most of my attack...'' ''...although his aura is still undeveloped and weak compared to real warrior and yet...'' ''To think a mere [Blacksmith] could force me to use most of my strength...I guess I''ve become old.'' ''Hahaha, it sure are scary...but thanks to that, I could meet someone like him. I guess I should be thanking this kid too...for freeing me from those boring days.'' ''But surely it seems he still hiding something...'' He thought, ''Well, what kind of surprise that you are going to show me, Ray?'' Nel thought in anticipation, acknowledging the boy despite being a lot younger than him. Soon he noticed that his facial face slowly changed and it seemd like he''s done planning something. Nel smiled, "So? Are you finally giving up? Or you have something up in your sleeve?" "Heh, well yeah sort of...but just as you know I''m not planning to giving up yet." Rei replied. Nel chuckled softly and taking his stance again, "Then show me..." As he spoke, he released his bluish aura which covered his entire body. Rei released his reddish aura again as took his stance as well, and then... ''[Shukuchi]!'' Rei performed his skill and disappeared from his sight. But this time, Nel saw that coming and quickly turned his body around to spin his spear, swinging it to his right side. "Hmm!" Rei appeared right on the direction of the spear as he connected it with [Vertical Slash] by swinging his sword down from above. "Huft!" *TING* On the moment their weapon clashed, Rei used [Shukuchi] again and disappeared. *SWOOSH* When he appeared he used [Shukuchi] again. *SWOOSH* and again... *SWOOSH* and again... *SWOOSH* In that speed, Rei created an afterimage of himself using [Shukuchi] alone and it got even faster each time he casted it. Nel tried to follow his movements with his eyes as he spun his spear. Rei swung his sword from all direction using that speed and Nel met all of them by blocking them with his spear whenever he showed up. *TING* *SWOOSH* *TANG* *SWOOSH* As he continued to do that again and again, Nel tried his best to deal against his torrents of attacks. "G-guuhhh!!" "Haaaaa!!!" *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* The screen of Rei''s status continued to beep down as his MP slowly depleted and his fatigue point gradually building up everytime he used it. His muscles start to scream because of it but he endured it for a bit longer and waited for one chance. When Rei appeared above him, Nel took his chance and used [Spear Art: One Strike] by thrusting his spear towards him. ''Got you!'' When his spear was about to reach him, his body disappeared since it was just an afterimage. ''What?!'' Nel soon noticed that Rei showed up right under him and swung his sword from below to up. But he quickly dodged it by moving his body backward, leaving him exposed. Rei pulled his sword back and focused his aura through his sword. ''No, I got you...[Omni Slash]!'' He swung his sword with such a high speed it created multiple slash towards him. Nel didn''t give up and used his shaft of his spear to block against those slashes. *TING* *TANG* *TING* The sword relentlessly struck him multiple times, and when enhanced with his aura...each strike created strong shockwave throughout his body. "HAAAAA!!!" "Hmmm!!!" But then... *WOOOSH* "Don''t get too cocky!!" Nel shouted and released more of his aura, making Rei stopped performing his skill and flew backward to gain some distance. Nel panted heavily, his face was covered with sweat while Rei also breathing heavily since his MP and Fatigue point already reached its limit. "Hah....hah...Damn! I guess being old is hard..." Nel chuckled while still panting. Rei only listened to what he said and couldn''t utter another word as if he was preserving his energy for something. "But I guess I should wrap this up...no more playing, I shall show you one of my strongest skill." As soon as he said that, all of the aura he released not too long ago was sucked in and focused to the tip of his spear. *WOOSH* After that, the wind around them slowly gathered and swirled around him. Rei gulped as he took his stance, bracing himself for the impact. ''Kiritsuka...the plan.'' Ray spoke. ''I know.'' Rei replied as he broke a cold sweat. Nel took a step forward, "Make sure you dodge this..." And then... *BOOM* *WOOSH* Nel dashed towards him with high speed as the wind was circling around him like tornado before it was focused on the tip of his spear. ''[Spear Art: Gale Thrust]. This is a skill that I created myself...so I hope you can dodg¨Chm?! what?!'' Nel was suddenly taken off guard for some reason, along with the crowd after seeing something. Rei was holding his sword to his front and did a defensive stance by using the back of his sword that was coated with aura then slowly gathered it into a single point, preparing himself to block the incoming attack. ''Is he trying to block it head on?!'' Nel couldn''t help but smile in that moment, ''Heh...what a crazy kid...I hope you don''t die on me!'' "Nel!! Stop!!¨C" Adam shouted but...it was too late. . . . . . . . . *TINGGG* *WOOOOSH* After the two weapon met, large shockwave burst out around them. Rei could barely hold on but remained in his spot while blocking the spear that was condensed with the aura of the wind. ''Hold it! Kiritsuka!'' "G-guuuhh!!!!" *TSSSSKKK* As the two force clashed... The wind scattered around them... And the ground began to crack... The uneasiness filled the crowd as they were watching the spectacle... As a blood came out from the corner of Rei''s lips, Ray spoke. ''Kiritsuka...not yet...not yet.'' *CRACK* Slowly but surely...his sword started cracking bit by bit along with Nel''s spear. And eventually... *CRACK* *BREAK* The sword shattered to pieces...their surrounding was filled with dust that was caused by the wind. But in that moment... . . . . . . . . Ray shouted, ''Now!!'' As his spear was still moving towards his chest, Rei dodged it by twisting his body aside. After that... *CRACK* Nel widened his eyes as he saw Rei dodged in that moment and the shaft of the spear...was broken apart by Rei. He was using his knee and elbow to strike on the shaft by focusing a bit of his aura on his knee and elbow. ''Did he sacrificed his sword just for destroying my weapon in that short moment?!'' Nel didn''t know how did that happen but...he noticed something, Rei slowly falling down towards the ground, ''But, it seems that was his last effort and probably cannot continue any longer...sorry kid...it''s my win¨Chuh?!'' Nel noticed something...the boy who was about to fall down, stomping his feet on the ground and stood back again while pulling out something with his other... ''What?!'' He grasped on something and a sword came out from thin air. ''Where did that sword comes from?! Wait¨C...is it [Spatial magic]?!'' Rei smirked with a bit of blood on his lips as he pulled out another sword from his [Inventory]. Following that, he swiftly swung his sword, stopping right next to Nel''s neck. ''[Fire].'' And continued by using [Fire] on Nel''s surrounding and emptied his MP completely. ======================================= Level: 30 [HP: 500/4000] [MP: 0/475] [FATIGUE: 2000]*red* EXP: 500/36500 ======================================= When the dust cleared around them...the crowd was stunned into silence. Theyd their jaws opened from the unbelievable spectacle right in front of them. Rei stood there holding his sword that was aimed at Nel''s neck while surrounding him with small fire that was flying around them to sealed his movement. Rei was still panting but maintained his smile towards his opponent. "Hah...hah...hah...Uncle... it''s my win." Nel couldn''t help the smile forming on his face as he closed his eyes. "Yes...it''s my loss." Then the crowd was shouting since they couldn''t hold it in any longer, lots. They were clapping and shouting excitedly, absolutely thrilled from the match between them. Rei turned off the [Fire] and pulled his sword down, away from his neck. And then, he heard a voice... "Ray!!!" "Onii-chan!!" He turned around to see the source of that voice...and it came from his family that was rushing towards him now. Rei who looked throughly beaten up, was smiling at them with his eyes closed. "Ahhhh...I''ve won...Dad...Mom...Emily..." *THUD* But when Rei was about to walk towards them, he slowly lost his consciousness, falling down face first to the ground. But before that could happened, Nel caught him with one arm. "Ray!!" "Shhhh..he''s sleeping right now..." Nel shushed as they nodded their heads, trying to hold onto their tears. "Adam...you should be proud...to have an amazing son like him." When Nel spoke, Adam cried silently yet uncontrollably. "Of course...he is...since he is my son after all but Nel...we still have something to talk." Between his tears, Adam tried to look at him seriously. "Yeah...yeah¡­I know." Nel couldn''t help but sighed and back to smiling again, "What a troublesome family..." On that day...Rei finally finished his test by achieved victory against the former knight and now he was resting...with a smile on his face. [Notice!] . . . . . . . . . . [You acquired a skill!] To be continued... Chapter 25: The Test & The Journey (Part 4) Rei slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times to adjust with the lighting of the room. He found himself lying down on the bed, feeling sore all over his body. "Ugghhh...where am I?" Rei looked up at the familiar ceiling above him as he slowly noticed that he was already inside of his room. "Did I?..." ''Oh, you''re finally awake...Kiritsuka.'' Ray''s voice came out inside his head. "Houston?" ''Yeah it''s me...and yes, you fell unconscious after that fight.'' Rei looked up at the ceiling once again, still trying to gather his soul from his previous state of unconsciousness. "Did I...pass the test? Did I won?" ''...Yes...yes you did.'' "I see." ''....'' Ray went silent after hearing his reply. He''s confused and concerned because he saw the frustrated look on his face. ''Are you...not happy with the result?'' "Why are you asking me that?" ''You''ve just defeated a former knight. A little celebration wouldn''t hurt.'' "...." Rei took his time to answer that, "Say, Houston. What do you think about uncle Nel''s strength?" ''Huh? Why?'' "Just answer me." Ray sighed and started to speak again, ''Well I can see he is much stronger than everything we have fought before.'' "Yeah...but do you ever wonder, if he was in his prime...could we even defeated him?" ''....'' Ray seemed to realize something but stayed quiet and continued to listen. "It frustrated me somehow...the fact that I won with these advantages in front of my eyes." "If he weren''t in his old age, I would probably lost...and if you weren''t there to help me, I might...die." "...knowing that I''m still weak...despite being given so many advantages and yet...I still need someone''s help." Tears start streaming down his cheeks through his eyes. ''I see...how could I forget, despite having such a calm attitude towards any kind of difficulty and a strength of warrior...deep inside, he''s still a kid.'' Ray thought. Ray kept on listening and after some time, he began to speak... ''Does it frustrate you that much...after knowing them all?'' "Yes..." ''Does it hurt you...knowing that you still weak after trained so hard these 2 years.'' Rei sniffed, looking away as he hardened his eyes. "Yes" ''Then that''s the proof...that you aware of your own weaknesses...aware that everyone still can defeat you despite having more experiences but lacking in strength...'' ''And it also stops you from underestimating other people.'' ''....'' Rei pursed his lips, listening to him quietly. ''The world is big, if you started your own journey and travelled around the world... it would not only broaden your view but you would also find a lot of people who are stronger than you.'' ''But if you still think that you are weak...'' ''Then stop whining and...i don''t know, get stronger!'' Rei widened his eyes at that, as if he just remembered something very important. ''Stronger than anyone else...so no one can oppress or stop you from achieving your goal.'' Rei felt something thumping inside his chest, it''s warm yet the heat got even stronger. ''And when you think that you already did your best yet you still lost...then get up! Stop making excuses to limit yourself from growing.'' Rei steeled himself. As if moved by Ray''s speech, he forced his body to get up and endured the pain which crawled all over him. ''Kiritsuka...my journey already ended long ago...I met a lot of people that I could call a friend...and a lover...'' ''But that journey already ended...until you came into this world'' ''Now...it''s your turn to continue that journey He wiped the tears from his eyes and opened his [Inventory].Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ''I will continue to watch¡­and help you grow to become the strongest [Knight] that you dreamed for.'' He pulled out a green potion from his [Inventory] and gulped it down to the last drop. As his body shined a bit, the pain was lifted up as well. ''Now...the choice is in your hands.'' ''Are you going to keep yourself down like this...or take that sword of yours to mow down all your enemies?!'' Rei wiped his lips and grinned as his eyes glinted for moment in the dark. "Do you even have to ask?...of course...I will take this sword to eliminate any enemies that will be blocking my path" Rei huffed, "Even if I have to use whatever it takes to do that." Ray chuckled and smiled inside of his mind. ''Good.'' Rei chuckled as well, regaining his energy after being lectured and healing his body with potion. "Thanks...Houston." ''Heh, you''ve already done enough for me, it''s kinda hard for me to repay you more so this is the least I can do.'' "Hahaha, sure sure." Rei stood up from the bed then stretched his arms and legs. "That was a good motivation words" ''Huh?? Which one?'' Ray asked. "The one...[I don''t know, get stronger!], Pfft..Hahaha! That was the most forceful way to motivate someone I ever seen." Rei laughed as he recalled his words again. ''Seriously this kid...'' Ray sighed but at least he''s relieved that Rei gained his confidence back. "Say, where did you learn such things like that?" ''I didn''t really learn it but...I guess it''s from my master''s influence.'' "Your Master? I wonder what kind of person your master is¡­" ''Well he is¨C'' "No like, I know you are going to say how stubborn he is who always nags on you and the only one who willingly taught you how to wield a sword." Rei cut him in the middle. "But what I''m curious is how he teach you stuffs." Rei asked curiously. Ray chuckled and smiled, ''If I were you, I wouldn''t ask something like that.'' Rei blinked, "Why?" ''Heh, well try to imagine your training with me but this time...it''s 10 times much harder when you are with him.'' Ray spoke while smirking. Rei shivered for a moment when he tried to do exactly that, "Umm...I guess I should stop." Rei murmured while chuckling nervously. ''Good answer.'' Ray nodded with a smug smile. "Since it''s still a long night, what should we do?" ''Well first, how about we check our status? After you fell unconscious I heard a [Notice].'' "A [Notice]? from system?" ''Yeah, it said that you acquired a skill.'' "A skill huh? Okay then." As Rei sat down on the bed, he spoke, "Status..." ======================================= [STATUS] NAME: Kiritsuka Rei / Ray Houston JOB : Blacksmith TITLE : [The Reincarnator], [Time Traveler], [Quick Learner], [Beast Slayer], [Die Hard], [Jack of All Trade] Level: 30 [HP: 3500/4000] [MP: 475/475] [FATIGUE: 600]orange EXP: 500/36500 STATUS POINT : 2 __ STRENGTH : 100 AGILITY : 70(+5) VITALITY : 75 INTELLIGENCE : 60(+5) SENSE : 65(+5) [SKILL] Blacksmith Mastery Lv6; Sword Mastery Lv6; Battle Instinct Lv6; Super Growth LvMax; Fire Magic Lv4; Aura Lv5; Cooking Mastery Lv3; Knitting Mastery Lv3; Alchemy Mastery Lv2; Pain Resistance Lv1 Fire LvMax Blacksmith Flame Lv1 Horizontal Slash LvMax Vertical Slash LvMax Omni Slash Lv3 Persona LvMax [Locked] Imitation Fire Sword Lv3 Shukuchi Lv5 Weapon Breaker Lv1 !!NEW!! Intimidate Lv1 !!NEW!! Sprint Lv1 !!NEW!! Focused Block !!NEW!! ======================================= Rei scrolled down his status towards the skill board as he saw three new skills showed up on there. Rei read out the name, "[Weapon Breaker]." ======================================= [Weapon Breaker] Active Skill MP Cost: 100 Cooldown: 60 sec By striking the enemy'' weapon, the user could decrease the durability of a certain weapon to the point where it could break. (Chance of completely breaking the weapon is 10%) ======================================= ''[Intimidate].'' This time Ray spoke. ======================================= [Intimidate] Active Skill MP Cost: 0 By releasing one''s aura, it allows the user to cause paralyze, dizziness, and fear towards anyone with levels lower than the user. ======================================= "[Pain Resistance]" Rei continue. ======================================= [Pain Resistance] Passive Skill The user could resist any kind of pain (low) ======================================= ''[Sprint].'' Ray spoke again. ======================================= [Sprint] Active Skill MP Cost: 50 Duration : 40 Sec Cooldown : 80 Sec A skill that allows the user to temporarily increase their AGILITY by 60. ======================================= "And finally...[Focus Block]" ======================================= [Focus Block] Active Skill MP Cost: 50 Maintain the skill: -5 MP/1 sec. By focusing one''s aura and covering them into a single point, it can create unbreakable (low) block by its user. ======================================= Rei''s lips slowly formed into a grin as he was somewhat happy after seeing those skills. "Woah...Four skill at the same time?! Not only that, two of them are [Debuff Skill] and [Buff Skill]." Rei spoke in delight as he couldn''t stop himself from smiling. ''It seems you are quite lucky...from that fight you fulfilled all the requirements for these skills.'' Ray explained. "The requirements? how come they got fulfilled now?" ''Skills can be learned or acquired randomly based on what you do, so probably they finally got fulfilled after you face a strong foe, remember...there are two kinds of growth from each people.'' ''First, is the one who can grow through training.'' ''And secondly, is the one who can grow through battle.'' ''In your case, you are the second option...so every time you fought with strong enemies...the more you get stronger.'' Ray concluded. "So is that why I couldn''t gain another skill because I trained with you for these... 2 years?" Rei asked. ''That''s the only possibility...but at least in that 2 years your other skills have improved and your sense in battle is now on par with veteran adventurer.'' "I guess so?" ''And also this could be your reason to start your journey now, since you need to fight those strong beings outside of this village in order to become stronger.'' "I see, understood.''" ''We can test out these skills next time...but what do you want to do now? We have plenty of time...since you had enough rest and already drunk the potion, are you going back to sleep again?'' "Nope, I was thinking to meet uncle Nel soon if he is still awake." ''Uh¡­why?'' Rei slowly smiled, "A secret." after he spoke, he heard something from the outside through the slightly opened window. "Hmm? did something happen?" Rei asked. ''Ahhh...I forgot to tell you, tonight is that night huh.'' "What night?" Ray chuckled, ''Come on, go down and see it for yourself.'' Rei decided to go out from his room and went downstairs, the sound got louder the closer he was. When he reached for the door and opened it, he was greeted by a loud laughter and singing. "YAAAY!~" "HAHAHA~" A bright light came from the center of the village, like a beacon. It was a large bon fire and everyone from the village was dancing and singing, some of them talking in festive atmosphere. "Woah..." Rei was taken off guard after seeing this. He was stunned into silence by the party and from the distance, he noticed a little girl running towards him. *TAP* *TAP* *TAP* *THUD* "Onii-chan!!" Emily tackled him , giving him the tightest hug. "Emily!" Rei chuckled as he hugged her back. However, the little girl stayed quiet and didn''t budge when he tried to move her. Rei could tell from what she''s thinking and what her silence meant, "Emily...I''m sorry for making you worry again, I promise I won''t do it again okay?" Emily shook her head and looked up at him as she tried her best to hold back her tears, "Don''t worry... sniff I''m not worried at all!" she said while sniffling her nose. Rei widened his eyes for a moment seeing how hard she tried not to cry in front of him, it made him smile. He gave her a gentle stroke to her head, "I see...you did a great job, Emily." he praised softly. Emily nodded as she quickly wiped the tears on her eyes, "Let''s go Onii-chan! Mommy and Daddy are waiting!" She beamed while holding his hand, pulling him along. Rei could only follow her from behind, letting himself being dragged by the much smaller girl. They soon found their parents who were talking with other villagers. "Ray!" Their mother, Sheila quickly stood up from her seat and ran towards them, hugging Rei in the same manners like Emily. "I''m so worried! Please stop doing this!" Sheila said between her sobs. "I''m sorry Mom...I ended up making you worried again." Rei said with a small smile as he hugged her back. Adam stood up and walked towards them, ruffling his son''s head. "Ray...I won''t ask about what happen today but just you know...we both are really proud of you." Adam nodded. "Thank you...Dad." Rei replied, still smiling. "Oh! You''re finally awake huh, Ray!" A voice came from behind Adam. The voice belonged to a familiar blue haired man as he eventually came into view while holding a giant glass of beer. "Hello, Uncle Nel." "How is your body? Do you feel hurt?" Nel asked while standing beside Adam. "No, I''m fine now so don''t worry" Rei replied reassuringly. "Tsk tsk, don''t say that...of course I would be worried about you, since that move I used was a very dangerous one and you need to avoid it as much as you can." "But instead, you were facing it head on which could jumble up your internal organ. Which is why I was very worried." Nel spoke seriously. "Don''t worry Uncle, my body is fine now." Rei shook his head. Nel sighed, "Fine, but next time, if you meet such a strong attack like that, the best choice is to dodge it instead of blocking it, understood?" Nel said while giving his head a firm ruffle, grinning through his ears. "Yes, I understand Uncle Nel!" Rei responded by grinning as well. "Well now go play with other kids, tonight we celebrate to thank our founder for giving birth to this new young warrior!" Nel shouted as the villagers responded with another shout, getting much louder now. "YEAAAHH!!" Rei chuckled but still wondered about what he meant about the founder. Ray took that as his cue to explain things to him, ''There''s a legend from this village, it is said that a mysterious man showed up out of nowhere here and created this village. They don''t know the origin of the man but what they know is that, the man was strong.'' ''By defeating the monsters that came to disrupt this village by a single sword, he protected us every day and every night until the day of his death.'' ''And tonight is when the founder died.'' Ray explained. ''I see, but¡­why we celebrate it now? I mean, going by the last 2 years, there''s no such things before.'' Rei retorted. ''Well of course, because the reason this was celebrated is¡­you.'' ''Me?'' ''Yea, the celebration is to thank the founder for giving them a blessing for this village, which is you'' ''Blessing?'' Rei got even more confused. ''Well why not? I mean they found a young boy in this village who is less than 10 years old doing the exact same thing as the founder did back then, furthermore, he had proven his ability by defeating the guard who was a former knight.'' ''Uhhh...somehow when you said that, it will create more trouble than the usual.'' ''You already did.'' As they both keep on bickering inside of Rei''s head, he went to Nel first before he looked for the other kids. "Uncle Nel." Rei called. Nel who was drinking, turned his head to look at him, "Hmm? Oh, it''s Ray what''s wrong? Do you need something? I thought you went to your friends?" "No I will look for them later, but before that...can I have a request?" "A request? What kind of request does this young warrior want?" Rei smirked as he stared at him, "Uncle Nel." . . . . . . "Do you have an instruction book about [Spear Arts]?" To be continued... Chapter 26: The Test & The Journey (Part 5) At first, Nel didn''t quite expect that he would come to him and asked such a request. Moreover, why would he only wanted the instructions, instead of asking to be taught directly. He accepted it without question after seeing Rei''s face who seemed to be aware of what he''s doing, so he decided to trust him about it. "Alright...meet me after the party is over okay?" "Thank you, Uncle Nel!" Rei bowed his head towards Nel and left to see the other kids are. ''Book instructions? You only want that?'' Rey questioned, once again left in confusion with Rei''s actions and decision making. ''Yep.'' Rei answered him nonchalantly as he kept walking. ''Shouldn''t you be asking him to teach you how to use a spear?'' ''Of course I would love to, but that means I would be disturbing his job. Remember where we are?'' Ray realized something. ''Inside the forest between the border...'' ''Exactly...that''s why I want him to focus on his job instead of teaching me. Of course I would be asking some advice on how to use the spear efficiently, but I need to learn the basics first.'' ''But you think only instructions is enough?!'' ''Remember one of my title and skill, Houston?'' ''Huh? Y-you don''t mean?'' ''Exactly, rather than using someone to teach me...I will use this skill to the fullest'' He paused, ''Well, as much as my limit would allow it, that is.'' ======================================= [Quick Learner] A tittle given by the [God of Wisdom, Athena] who are interested in this individual. She was impressed by how quick this individual adapted to this new world and learned about their life pretty quickly. So she gave him this title and additional skill called [Super Growth]. ======================================= ======================================= [Super Growth] Passive skill A skill that allows the invidual to get another additional 2.0¡Á EXP on both status and skill. (It also allows the individual to acquire or learn a new skill.) ======================================= As Ray checked on it, his face paled a bit. ''Isn''t this cheating...'' ''Like I said, I don''t have any choice either...but time is ticking and I have to become stronger before the tragedy could happen.'' ''I see...I get it.'' Ray sighed, ''So? After reading the instructions, what are you gonna do next?'' ''Of course...fulfilling all the requirements for the skill, and I will try my best to accustom myself with the spear and start making spares of them.'' Rei spoke with a smirk. Ray was left speechless after hearing that, thoroughly amazed, ''Sometimes I wonder what kind of life you were having before coming here.'' ''Hahaha~ well I''m just your humble highschooler.'' ''High¡ªwhat? What''s that?'' ''Hm well...that''s a secret. Besides you are the one who told me that everything can be a weapon and use everything you have to defeat the enemy. ''If the enemy is hard to be cut, then I only need to stab it with strong thrust like spear right?'' Rei mused, ''That''s just a thought though, I still need to learn more another skill so I won''t just be stuck with a sword. ''Am I right, Sensei~'' Ray sighed and couldn''t help the smile on his face at his Impressive thought process. ''Okay okay, I understand. it seems my teaching was very effective'' ''Heh, you should be proud to have such a student like me.'' Rei boasted. ''Sure, yeah, my student is the greatest.'' Ray praised monotonously. ''Wow...that''s the worst praise I ever heard...'' Rei shook his head, ''And by the way, if I learn the [Spear Arts] does that mean you''ll be able to learn it too? I mean we are linked with each other.'' ''Huh...I never tried it before, I never hold a spear in my entire life.'' ''I see, we can probably test it after I acquire that skill.'' ''Yeah, sounds like a plan.'' Ray agreed and eventually, they finally arrived at their destination. ****** On the other part of the town, Nel was having a talk with Adam right on the corner where no one was around to over hear their conversation. "Adam, I have something to say to you." "What is it?" A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. "Let me get straight into the point...what is wrong with your son, Adam." Nel spoke seriously. Adam narrowed his brows, "What do you mean by that?" "I honestly don''t want to ask any of this...but today''s event is different." Nel hardened his eyes, "Can you answer my question...my dear childhood friend, Adam?" "I don''t know what you mean...my son is fine as he is and I need to go back to my family¨C" As Adam about to leave, his shoulder was grabbed by Nel, stopping him from moving. "Don''t dodge the topic! I know you are hiding something from me, Adam. This is a serious problem." Adam looked at him for a moment then sighed, shrugging his shoulder away from his grasp, "I understand that you want to know...but trust me, I don''t know a single thing about it." "What do you mean you don''t know?! Did you see about his performance today?! His swordsmanship is on par with a veteran and he even awakened his [Aura] in such a young age which usually need several years to develop?!" "Like I said...I don''t know shit about it." Adam glared, growing increasingly tired with his question, "And today was the first time I saw him using [Aura]." "How is that even possible?! He is your son, you should have¡ª!!" "Because I never ask, Nel." Adam raised his voice a bit, and when he realized it, he looked away. "...what?" Nel widened his eyes, taken aback. "You heard me." "But why?! He is your son!¨C" "¨CBecause he is my son, and as his father I need to respect his wishes...to not speak about what he hides from us." Adam explained with somewhat bitter look on his face. Nel finally shut his mouth at that and sighed as he calmed himself down. "But, he told me...he will tell us about it when he is ready...I just need to put all of my trust on him." Nel looked at his friend, then shook his head. "That trust might come back to bite you...you know." "Heh, he is my son... don''t worry about him." "Of course I would be worried you idiot, he might die...out there...as someone who have [Blacksmith] as his job...he''s still lacking combat abilities and not enough aura to survive the outside world." "You haven''t change my friend...a worry wart who can''t keep his nose out of someone''s problem." Adam chuckled light-heartedly. "I know...I am scared as well ever since he was injured 2 years ago....it makes me worried all the time whenever he went out from the house." "Then¨C?!" "But after knowing the power that he possess now...I don''t have to worry about this...because I know... "Someday...he will change the world." Nel sighed once more and rubbed his head, "Such big words coming from your mouth... and fine, I won''t butt in into your family''s problem." Nel looked at him again, smirking, "To tell you the truth, I''m proud that my friend has such an outstanding son, like him." "Heh, tell me about it!" Adam boasted full with pride as they finally left that secluded place and back into the crowd. ****** Meanwhile, Rei who was with the other kids used his aura to enhance his hearing to hear his father and uncle Nel''s conversation. ''Woah...your father sure is a cool person.'' Rei whistled inside his mind. ''Well he is the father I respect.'' Ray replied with a smile. ''Yeah indeed.'' Rei chuckled a bit as he transitioned back to reality. Now, he was sitting between the kids, with Emily on his right side and James on his left side while the others sat across them. They had grown so much in these past 2 years, James looked energetic as usual and his body was a bit taller and build than he used to be. Hans who used to have skinny body and short bob-cut hair, now he had long hair and shaped body after he trained it like he was told by Rei. Meanwhile Bob buffed up a bit, still quite chubby but the aura around him was stronger now. "Aniki! Congratulations on your victory! That was amazing match!" James spoke with excitement. "Yeah, I never knew you can defeat Uncle Nel." Hans spoke with analytical stare as he fixed his glasses while Bob who was sitting next to him only ate his food while looking at Rei silently in admiration. Rei chuckled nervously from all the stares, even his little sister was looking at him with sparkling eyes. "That''s my Onii-chan for you!" Emily said while clinging onto his arms. Rei couldn''t help but sigh, "Okay okay, let''s stop this praises." Rei said while chuckling. "But Aniki! I''ve been wondering...why did you fight with Uncle Nel in the first place?" "....?!" After James asked, Rei twitched a bit as he couldn''t exactly tell him the reason. However, he steeled himself and finally spoke, "Because...I plan...to go out from the village." When he spoke those words, they all went into silence, frozen up for a moment. Emily stayed quiet, still holding her brother''s hand. "W-what do you mean Aniki...you are going to leave? Wait¨C why?!" James asked as he stood up from his seat, looking furious someho. Rei merely looked at him quietly. "Yeah! Why!" Hans and Bob spoke as well because this was quite a shock to them. "What about us?!" "Is it because we are not strong enough...that you decided to leave..." James spoke as he in the verge of crying, while the other two stared at him in the same way. Rei sighed, then smacked their head. *BAK* *BUK* BAK* "OUCH!!" "Calm down! Seriously...did I ever say that you guys aren''t strong enough?" "N-no..." "Then stop assuming things! if you are a warrior then you must stay calm in every kind of situation...isn''t that what I taught you?!" "Y-yes!..." The three of them nodded at the same time. Rei sighed once more, "I don''t want to ruin the mood here, but calm down and listen to what I am about to say." They did as they were told, staying put and listened to him. "Let me tell you okay...the reason why I want to leave the village... "Is to become stronger..." Rei spoke seriously. When James about to say something, Rei continued, "¨Cand if you asked me why do I need to do that, it''s because this place is limiting my growth. I will be stuck like this until I got old...and if I don''t leave, "We don''t know when another [Boss Monster] would appear here, and if that monster is stronger than the last time...when that time comes, I might not be strong enough to fend them off again." "You guys remembered right? From that night." After hearing his words, it made them shiver remembering the incident from 2 years ago. "I almost died...even with my current strength, I still think that I couldn''t defeat that monster on my own..." Then his head turned around to look at some people who seemed to be drinking and laughing as if they had a wonderful time, "And if it weren''t for the duke''s mens help...I would be dead by now." They kept quiet, still listening to him intently. Rei sighed and suddenly... *THUD* Rei smiled and patted James''s head, "You guys are thinking too much, stop making those faces as if it''s the end of the world." James widened his eyes when he felt his hand touching his head. "Don''t you guys have a dream...to become a strong adventurer to help this village." "It''s the same as me, I want to help the village too and so...I will be going first before you guys." Rei said determinedly. "I''ll wait for you guys from up there." Rei smiled brightly at them. James tried to hold his tears back and nodded his head, "Yes, I understand! Aniki...I will catch up to you as soon as possible!" James vowed while sniffling his runny nose. "Yeah I will be looking forward to that." Rei replied with smile, then suddenly Emily hugged his arms. "Hm? Emily?" Emily beamed with sparkling eyes, "Onii-chan...I wait for me too okay! I finally decided that I will become strong enough to catch you up like others!" "Hmmm???? Eh?" Rei blinked his eyes twice. . . . . . . . . "Eeeehhhhhh!?!" Shock was an understatement as soon as he heard Emily uttered such a thing. Never in his life he could imagine hearing that coming from his little sister. "E-emily... y-you must be joking right? I mean you don''t have to worry, Onii-chan is enough to protect Emily!" "Nooo!! Not that! I don''t want to see Onii-chan to get hurt, that''s why wait for Emily! I will become stronger enough to be by your side!" "B-but¨C" "No but! I want to be with Onii-chan!" Emily puffed her cheeks and her eyes started to get somewhat glassy as if she''s about to throw her biggest tantrum at him. ''Ugghh... I know she cared for me but it''s kind of cheating when she''s looking at me like that... '' "Don''t use that kind of face on me! When I said no, it means no! " "I''ll do whatever I want! I''m going to catch up, and nobody can stop me! " The two of them were arguing non-stop as the mood that was tense not too long ago was lifted up by these sibling''s quarrel. James, Hans and Bob finished processing what Rei said to them earlier. And now they''re slowly came into terms with his situation. After few minutes, the siblings finally finished arguing, Rei sighed, finally giving in as he touched his forehead, "Ughh...fine! I allow it." Emily jumped in triumph and excitement, "Yay!! I love you! Onii-chan~" Rei shook his head while the others laughed at them, the mood became much better now that they settled things with each other. Rei smiled, giving a gentle pat to Emily''s head, "But make sure you don''t slack one a bit okay? And another thing, tomorrow we will be getting serious. I will leave next week, so before that I will be teaching you guys something." His face became stern, "That''s why, I won''t be pulling any punches. Got it?!" "Yes sir!" As soon as they answered him, it marked the end of tonight''s party. Everyone helped cleaning up the mess then went back to their respective home to rest after a long night, preparing to return to their routines and their daily lives tomorrow. But before Rei went home, he met Nel who was waiting for him near Rei''s house. "Ray, here''s the instructions." He showed him the thick book, waving it around a bit "I don''t know why you want this but it''s best for me to teach you directly instead you know." Nel spoke while offering him the book. Rei tested its weight then checked its contents by flipping it open. He could see the movement of various skills and stuffs like that written on the old pages. "Yeah I''m sure uncle, thanks for the offer but I have to refuse." "Why is that?" "Because I want to learn this on my own and develop my own skill just like your [Gale Thrust]...but if I hit rock bottom, then I will ask some advice from you." "I see...I wish you best of luck then." He nodded, "About the match today. It was amazing, I will look forward to the future...when you are strong enough, let''s have another match." Rei smiled and nodded his head, "I understand uncle Nel, on that future I shall show you how much stronger I have become." "Good...well then I''ll be going now, see you tomorrow." He waved as he turned his back to him, walking away. "See you tomorrow uncle Nel." Rei replied and went back home, clutching the thick book in his hand as he walked. Inside of his house, his family greeted him with a smile, celebrating his victory a bit more. After a while, they all went to sleep and Rei in particular slept soundly on his comfy bed, recollecting everything that happened tonight before being dragged to dreamland with a smile on his face. ** Three days later... . . . . . . . *CREAK* *BOOM* The booming sound of a falling large tree echoed around the forest. The one standing in the midst of all the other fallen trees was Rei. His body was covered with reddish aura but there wasn''t a single piece of clothing to cover his toned upper body and the sweat making his skin seemed to glisten under the sunlight. On his hands was a worn out spear which definitely had seen much of his training these past few days, seeing all of the atrocities he pulled against the poor forest''s vegetations. The boy eventually took a deep breath to steady himself, calming down his beating heart and the adrenaline pumping in his veins before slowly letting it out through his mouth. And as if on cue, he heard a sound . . [Notice!] [You learned skill "Spear Arts"] . . to be continued... Chapter 27: The Test & The Journey (Part 6) Three days ago... Rei was sitting on the floor inside of his room while looking at the instructions book for [Spear Arts]. Rei focused his mind and aura at the same time, he continued to focus and memorized the technique and everything else that was within the pages but before that... "I need to know the basic of the basic [Spear Arts]..." Rei mumbled and lay his back on the floor, facing the ceiling. ''It seems you are having a hard time understanding it.'' Ray''s voice came out inside of his mind. "Yeah...well I did read the demonstration from the first page to the last one, but in the end I still don''t get it of how to wield a spear." Listening to what he said, Ray chuckled "Hmmm...I see...it seems you need to understand the weapon first before starting it." "Huh? What do you mean by that?" "Let''s start with a question first...how do you defined a sword, Kiritsuka.'' "Huh? What?" ''I said, what do you think swords are." "Hmmm...a sword is a weapon, that was used for cutting or stabbing something." ''Now, what about a spear?'' "A spear...hmmmmmm...a weapon that can only stab or thrust at people?" ''Those answer is true but half way of the true answer, like you said...they are a weapon that are meant to be used like that, but that''s one of the purpose of those weapon you know. ''Let me explain...first, a sword is like having another hand...a dangerous one. It can reach your enemies and cut or slice them open. They can be used to block as well to protect so you won''t get hurt.'' ''However, swords have short range despite being an extension of your hands, and cannot be used to apprehend someone completely without hurting them. ''But what about a spear? It''s just a long pole with a blade sticking on its tip...but that''s exactly its advantage. It can reach the enemy that was far from you, you can use it to keep your distance with it, and you can use the pole to knock them unconscious as well you can block any kind of attacks from any direction using just the pole with minimal movements.'' When Ray explained, Rei remembered about his fight with Nel, "You mean like Uncle Nel did?" ''Yeah, so think about those weapons like your own body, attain those feelings when you trained your sword to the limit...and finally...you will achieve something you so desire.'' "I see...now I get it...but the question how come you know all about this when you never hold a spear before?" Ray smirked in his mind, "I never said, I never hold them...I said I never ''use'' them before." "Huh? What do you mean by¨C?" "You forgot what your job are?" "....!?" Rei widened his eyes as if he realized something then he rose from the floor and took the book with him. Ray could only smile watching this young boy finally noticed something. Rei didn''t say anything as he left to the family workshop. Hee searched a spear''s blue print in the cabinet, learning it in a second. And then... *CLANG* *CLANG* *CLANG* He began his work... ****** After a few hours, Rei was surrounded by trees as he stood inside of the forest. Rei was holding onto something, some kind of lengthy tool wrapped in cloth. He pulled off the fabrics, revealing a nice iron spear that matched his height. For a moment...he stared at the weapon in his hand and began to close his eyes. He released a bit of his aura around his body that was slowly sipping through his hand and towards the spear. *BZZT* A rejection...his aura couldn''t cover the spear but somehow he still felt that he could slip it through. "Why did it reject it?" ''There''s a rejection because you never use a spear before. You need to try and actually use a spear before you could put your aura on it." "I see..." After hearing his explanation, Rei decided to get into his position and hold his spear together while trying to remember the feelings of his fight with Nel, of how he hold that spear and how he focused his mind. Then he start demonstrating the skill [Spear Arts: One Strike] from what he remembered in the book and how Nel did it. He moved his spear slowly to get the feelings right, then thrust his spear towards a tree in front of him with one hand. He tried it again...moving it slowly and steadily, focusing his mind...then... "HUFT!" Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. *SWOOSH* *TAK* He suddenly thrusted it against a tree...but the result was not that satisfying. It didn''t completely penetrate the thick trunk, stopping right on the tip of its blade. Then a surge of pain came over him, "U-ugh..!" His muscle that, most of the time was used to handle a sword mosf of the time, was trying to adapt because the way to use a spear was completely different than that of a sword. [Notice!] ["Pain Resistance" has been activated] As a notice came out, the pain slowly got reduced bit by bit. Rei took a deep breath, holding his spear steadily. After that, he started striking his spear towards the tree once more. *TAK* When his spear touched the tree, he changed to his other hand to perform the strike. *TAK* He changed it again, starting to get the hang of it. *TAK* The pain was gone after a minute...but it came back when he struck the tree with his spear. *TAK* His body began to sweat... *TAK* His red aura automatically activated and covered his whole body... *TAK* Changing hands after another slowly exhausted him...despite having [Pain Resistance]...he could still feel the pain each time he struck his target. *TAK* ''Again...'' *TAK* ''Again...'' *TAK* ''Again...again...again...again...again...again... again...'' *TAK* *TAK* *TAK* *TAK* *TAK* As he continued to strike relentlessly, the color of the blue sky gradually changed into orange. He had been training since morning. *TANG* When he reached one hundred on each hands, he fell down on the ground while letting go of his spear. He couldn''t move his body, it felt very heavy as if the earth''s gravity kept him in place. His fatigue point already hit the limit. He tried to grab on his bag that was nearby to take out a bottle of potion. He took a sip to regain his energy back slowly, then finished it to heal his body completely. "Ughh..." Rei groaned, getting up from the ground and taking the spear again. He looked at the weapon, trying to see if he could use whatever left of his aura and... *BZZT* "Ughh..." There''s still rejection but... "Still rejecting...¨CHuh?" Rei widened his eyes when he sees some of his aura managed to slip through. As Rei about to smile, he shook his head. ''No...it''s not the time to be happy yet, I need to train more to reach that level.'' "Houston, help me with the training." ''Heh, then make sure you don''t die twice in a day.'' He broke a sweat, "Hey¡­take it easy will you." Rei then wrapped his spear with its cloth back then took his bag. After that, he walked back home just to be scolded by his mother. ****** Rei continued his training with Ray at night and he''s currently blocking Ray''s sword with his spear. *TANG* "Uggh..." "What''s wrong!? Is that all you got!" "Haaa!!" *TING* Rei deflected his sword and jumped backwards to keep his distance while spining his spear around. Then he gave him multiple strikes with his weapon, but Rei dodged it with minimal movement by moving his body to side by side a bit while deflecting some of his strikes. *SWOOSH* *SWOOSH* *TING* *SWOOSH* Rei didn''t stop striking with his spear as he tried another direction, spinning his spear around him and swung it towards his right side using the pole. ''Hm?!'' Ray widened his eyes as soon as he noticed it and quickly blocked the incoming attack. *TANG* But... *BAK* Ray kicked Rei''s left side that was left unguarded, making him flew away a bit as he regained his posture back then jumped backwards to create some distance once again. Rei breathed heavily, he''s still releasing his aura when he stared at his opponent. But in a few seconds, his aura ran out as he fell down to the floor. "Haaa....haaa...haaa...Break Time!" Ray sighed and sheathed his sword, taking a seat on the floor next to him. "That was quite an unexpected strike you did there." "What? Really?" "Yeah, you caught off me guard...I was certain that you are going to keep striking me like that since you''re still learning how to use a spear." Rei chuckled and smiled, "Well I remembered how Nel used his spear and how varied his attacks are...so I just tried to imitate it, but never knew you could still block it." "No no, it was good to change your attack variations to catch your opponents off guard. But still, you left your back unguarded and there should be a lot of variation of how you perform it." "Hmmm...I see." "For example...it''s like hmmmm...ah! rock-paper-scissor." "Huh?? Why?" "When you play it, you choose either rock, paper or scissors right?" "Uhhh...yeah?" "So let''s say I use rock on you and what will you do?" "Paper, naturally." "Now then, I''m gonna keep using rock 3 times at least and for the next one, what am I going to choose?" "Hmmmm...maybe between rock or scissors?" "Correct and at the same time it deceives your opponent..." Ray smirked. "Wait, hang on¡ªwhy??" "How about we bet, I''m gonna use rock all the time in the game with this hand" Ray said while lifting his right hand. "And if you can win 4 times against me, you can have break time all you want, but if you lose¡­youre gonna have to keep training with no breaks." "O-okay? But I don''t plan to lose anyway." Rei was confused but he heard a challenge so he won''t back down to that at least. Rei get up from the floor and they started the game, First match Ray used rock and Rei used papers, Ray lose. At the second match, Ray used rock again and Rei used papers and this went on to the third match. Rei had won three times but he felt like something was off. At the final match...Ray used paper and Rei used rock. "Huh?!" Ray won. "See?" "I-i was certain that you''re gonna use¨C..." "Scissor isn''t it?" "But you said you can only use rock all the time! This is¡­this is foul play!" "Oh you sweet summer child¡­" Ray smirked as he shook his head, "I said that I will only use rock all the time with [this hand]" He said while showing his right hand. Rei noticed that the one he used just now was his left hand. "What?!" "There are two things that I erased about what you thought just now." He spoke as he showed him one raised fingers, "First is that I erased the possibility of using paper." "....?!" "And secondly, is that, I erased the possibility of using my other hand." "....?!" Rei felt like his eyes couldn''t get any wider than this. "With only a few words, I made you fixated on those words and made you stop thinking the possibility of using it." "Just like in a fight, it''s a matter of mind game and deceiving your enemy...using a pure habit like that and finally when their guard is off, you take those chances~" As Ray explained, Rei who was left dumbfounded felt like a fool because he fell for his tricks. "Uhhhh...I understand, so basically I need to create a habit for my opponent to see as a feint and change my pattern in the middle of the fight?" "Exactly, that''s my student for you." Rei nodded and Ray suddenly stood up from his seat, "...And that student of mine is going to have no break until he can learn how to use spear." "Huh? W-wait! I-i thought that was a joke!" "You accepted the bet though~ so no more complaining...~" Ray showed him a devilish smile. Rei was in the verge of tears, "N-noo...iyaaahhhhh!!!" After that...that was the last time his voice could be heard. ****** On the second day, Rei continued his training from day to night. He continuously struck his spear to the tree over and over with no rest. Each strikes slowly getting stronger. He didn''t care about how exhausting it was since he could keep his vitality back in action by drinking a potion. His aura also getting even stronger and his spear eventually accepting his aura as it''s already halfway there from engulfing the spear whole. At night, he was training with Ray inside of his mind. He fought as if his life depended on it like usual but still got his ass kicked in a matter of second. The only improvement was that he got a few hit in and lost from exhausting himself. ****** Finally, the third day... . . . . . . . *CREAK* *BOOM* The booming sound of a large tree falling down to the ground echoed around the forest and the one who was standing in the midst of all the other fallen trees was Rei. "Haaa....haaa..." His body was covered with reddish aura but there wasn''t a single piece of clothing to cover his toned upper body and the sweat making his skin seemed to glisten under the sunlight. On his hands was a worn out the steel spear which definitely had seen much of his training these past few days. Rei eventually took a deep breath to steady himself, calming down his beating heart and the adrenaline pumping in his veins before slowly letting it out through his mouth. "Finally..." And as if on cue, he heard a sound . . [Notice!] [You learned skill "Spear Arts"] [You acquired skill "One Strike"] . . "I learned it..." After that, his body gave out as he fell down to the ground with satisfied look on his face. ''Congratulations, Kiritsuka. You did it.'' "Yeah, it was hard...but it was all worth it...fighting with you for the whole night without a break, plus trained myself by constantly using aura and spear at the same time." Ray laughed, ''Hahaha, you did a great job on that one. But you still need to learn other skills than [One Strike] you know.'' "Yeah, I know...I have four days left to teach those kids before leaving." Rei spoke while getting up and drank the potion from his bag. ''Yeah and don''t forget to prepare your equipment.'' "I know, been there done that. I used the material that I got from those monsters two years ago, and now I can finally wear it." ''Well that''s true, but after this. We still have to train again.'' He spoke, "This will be a hellish path for you.'' "Yeah but knowing that...I''m glad I chose this." Rei mused as he began to walk back to home. ''What do you mean by that?'' "Hehe, do you know that in my world there is a story about getting into another world?" ''¡­that''s the first time for me to hear, what about it?'' "In that story, the protagonist always had cheat powers when they arrived at those worlds. They fought and attained happiness using it." ''Uhuh?'' "Exactly before I met you, a god came up to me and he offered me a wish before I was sent to this world." ''Ohhh, that''s the first time you tell me about that.'' "Yeah...I totally forgot about that since we kept training and nothing else for that whole 2 years..." ''Hahaha...sorry about that.'' Ray laughed nervously. "Well it''s fine." ''So what do you wish for?'' "Heh, I wish to become a knight." Rei smiled as the wind gently brushed his hair. ''Huh? A knight?'' Ray widened his eyes seeing his smile. "Yep, a knight...with no cheat power and no shortcut...but with my own strength." Ray chuckled, ''With your own strength huh...that''s crazy.'' "Hahaha, the god said that I was interesting!" ''Well that too, but why would you refuse to get that kind of power? Most people would gladly receive it....even for me.'' Rei slowly looking up to the sky, "There was once saying... [There is no shortcut in this life. Enjoy the meeting of the path that you chose, the one who walk through all of it could see the end of their journey]." "It means that if I rely on those powers as my shortcut, maybe I won''t be meeting these people and knowing how hard it is for others to become stronger. Right?" Rei spoke with smile. Ray sighed and smiled back, ''Yeah, what you told me is true...if you hadn''t choose it, probably we won''t even meet.'' "Hahaha! That''s true!" ''Hmm¡­how about you tell me about your world, I''m quite curious about it.'' "Hehehe, after we finished training first." ''Hmm? Okay then.'' The two of them then proceed to another topic in his mind while Rei went back home with a smile. after this whole training was out of the way, they spent their remaining days with ease. To be continued... Chapter 28: The Test & The Journey (Part 7) In the Welford''s manor, there''s a tea party between nobles kids. It was held inside of a beautiful garden behind the main building. A girl with beautiful blue and white dress sat down between two people who were also attending the party. The two were a boy and a girl who had the same eyes and hair color, light green eyes, and blonde silky hair. The boy was Alex Nox Schafer, who were 8 years old as of now. He was trained by Rei 2 years ago and now was back to his homeland. On the other hand, the girl was his little sister¨CEmma Shalifa Schafer a timid girl who kept clutching onto her dress in the middle of the party. Meanwhile, the girl who sat between them was Iris Mei Welford, 8 years old. Despite still being so young, her figure was quite taller than before, just like a model and her looks got even more beautiful. As she sipped her tea, her maid Silvia stood beside her. Silvia didn''t change at all, just your ordinary silver-white haired girl doing her best as a Young Lady of the Welford family''s maid "How was the tea~ Ojou-sama~" Silvi asked with courteous mile. "It''s good as usual~ Silvi~" Iris spoke as she elegantly put the cup back on the table then looking at the twins who seemed to be uncomfortable with this party. "Why don''t you two enjoy the tea too~ etto... Emma-sama~ Alex-sama~" "Y-yes!" Both of them spoke nervously at the same time. It was clear that they were shy at the presence of the girl who was sitting with them. Her beauty and her elegance were so bright, completely different than the other children who liked to yell and gossiped. Her black silky hair and her dress that match her sky color eyes made it look like as if a goddess have descended to this world. "How was the tea?~" Iris asked while watching them with her charming smile. "I-it was very good Iris-sama!" Alex replied while Emma nodded quickly. "I''m glad the tea was to your liking~ but let''s get into the point." Suddenly, the tension from the air tightened as Iris dropped her smile. "Y-yes! W-what is it?" Alex gulped. "U-ummm..could you tell me about your days with Ray-sam¨C I-i mean Ray-san!" Iris stuttered for some reason and looked embarrassed. The twins stared at each other for a moment before they looked at Iris who was looking away, hoping that they couldn''t see her blush. "Ray-san? You mean...Ray Houston-san right?" Alex asked for confirmation. "Y-yes, Ray Houston...m-mhm..." Iris coughed a bit, clearing her throat and tried to regain her composure. Alex blinked twice then smiled, "Why don''t ask him yourself about that? If I may ask. " "Um...I mean it will be rude for me to disturb his busy time...r-right?" Iris mumbled, fiddling her two index fingers together. "Y-yeah, well...he did nothing but training and forging in the workshop." Alex replied, recalling his days at that village. "S-see?! I mean, I''m quite curious of what he does that''s all...since the two of you also had been there before." "I-i understand, how about I tell you about my days with him" Alex offered. "A-are you sure? About this?" "Y-yeah but I hope it doesn''t bore you." "No no no! it won''t!" Iris reply while looking a bit too excited. ''Yay! at last! It''s been two years!...I only heard about him from the report but it''s way too formal and it''s as if I''m spying on him...'' ''That''s right...I haven''t mailed him once because I was too nervous besides being busy with training and stuff...huhuh.'' ''But not anymore! I finally could hear a second opinion from someone who stayed there with him! Hahaha!'' As her mind was messed up like that, her expression didn''t change at all because her skill [The Villainess] was active. Though in her silence, both Alex and Emma were staring at her try to called her out. "U-umm, Iris-sama? You there?" Alex called her out while waving his hand in front of her face. "Y-yes!? Oh...sorry about that!" Iris quickly snapped and feeling a bit embarrassed for daydreaming about him just now. "Okay??...well how do we start this." Then Alex begin to told her the story about his meeting with Rei from 2 years ago. Alex was just a kid who have talent in magic as a mage and of course he have zero stamina. Rei decided to teach him how to fight and increased his stamina along with Hans who havs the same job as him. Alex told her about how ruthless he is...and how much he forced him to do his best. Iris who listened seems disbelief of what he told her. Since the Ray she know are kind and caring person, well from the game she played. Then he continue about him and the result of his training was...amazing. He told her that ever since his stamina was increased due the training, he felt less tired when using magic especially he tried many things while running and stuffs that he never done, added with magic he couldn''t to be very happy for the result. Alex put a smile on his face, "I could never imagine, I can do all of that...I''m very thankful to him, despite he was very rude and harsh on the training, he never tried to push us around and if we are tired, he let us rest." "I see...but if you all resting, what is he doing after that?" Iris asked. "I don''t...reallg know, since I was very tired and went to rest myself." "Hmmm...it''s okay, I think I had¨C" Emma raised her hand, "I know of what he does after training you guys..." Emma spoke while looking down to her dress as she felt very nervous to said. "Emma? You do?" "Y-yes...actually, I''ve been watching him over." Emma''s cheek slowly become red as Iris noticed of this. ''W-wait...what?'' "After he trained Alex onii-sama and the others, I saw him went to some places..." "So I followed him...and what I found was him trained alone..." Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. This short-blonde hair girl spoke with a low voice as she was very embarrassed of how she told them about her observation of him. "A-and...yeah...I''ve been watching him training until we back home..." "A-amazing...even after he trained us, he still goes on training alone to keep himself stronger." Alex spoke in admiration though meanwhile... ''No no no!! Stop!! You didn''t asked why your little sister watching over his own brother''s friend?! And continue to watching him until they get back!? You don''t think that''s weird?!'' Iris continue to maintain her poker face while herself is in disarray again. "Y-yeah...he was amazing...and cool." Emma making this face of maiden in love. And Iris noticed that, ''U-uwaahhh...that''s the face of maiden in love...as expected my Ray-sama is handsome, but to think it would be this potent towards this young innocent girl. But me too.'' Iris coughed to make their attention went back to her, "Well as expected my friend, he is truly remarkable, I even tried to recruit her as the servant here before." "Huh?! Really?!" Alex looked suprised. "Indeed, but unfortunately he refused because he still have way long path that he need to walk through it." "I-i see." Iris smiled at them as soon a servant came to them, "Iris Ojou-sama, I have a report to make." "Oh, speak of the devil, how about we hear about his recent activity?" Iris spoke. "Y-you mean, Ray-san?" Emma asked while her cheeks was still blushing. "Yes~ now then can you tell us about it~" "I, understood...the report regarding Ray Houston activity, recently 7 days ago...Ray is having a match with the Blumund Village guard." Iris widened her eyes, "A match? Why?" Iris asked. "The reason for the match, it is said that it was a test for him to be able to go outside from the village." "What?! You mean now?!" ''W-wait¨C isn''t he have the same age as me? Why would he do that? I do remember he is saying that he will go on journey but I never knew it would this fast...'' As Iris went into her thoughts again, she spoke again, "Continue..." The servant began to tell her about it, how Ray''s father and how Nel, the village guard as well as former knight from their kingdom decided to have a match with him. This was clearly quite a shocking news to eveyone who heard it. "Then?! How about Ray?! Is he okay?!" "C-calm down, Ojou-sama." Silvi spoke to her. As [The Villainess] skill activated and she regained her calm again. "U-umm...about Ray Houston, he won the match but end up injuring himself from blocking Nel Shubert final attack." The four them went silent, one of them smile in admiration(Alex), one of them fidgeting while couldn''t help to smile(Emma), while the two of them went shocked but couldn''t helpt excited. ''Two years had pass...and he already could defeat a former knight, I don''t even know if I can defeat the current him...but what if he gets even stronger in the future? I can''t stop thinking about it.'' ''And that means...I need to make my move...since...this year¨C'' Iris shook her head and took a sip of her tea. "Thank you, you can get your compensation with Silvi and it seems the party is gonna be over~" Iris slowly stood up. Both Alex and Emma rose up from their seat and thanked her with a smile. "Y-yes, thank you very much for inviting us!" "Thank you!" "No problem, I had my share of fun hearing about my friend from you guys and if you''ll excuse me, I have some business to attend." As Iris nodded a goodbye towards them and started to walk, she looked up at the sky for a moment. ''I will look forward to meet you again, my Ray Houston-sama~'' ======================================= [STATUS] NAME: Iris Mei Welford/ Hanamachii Yomi JOB : Magic Swordsman TITLE : [The Other Worlder]; [The Villainess]; [Quick Learner]; [Magic Master]; [Sword Master] [Level: 12] >>> [Level: 27] [HP: 2020/2020] >>> [HP: 4020/4020] [MP: 650/650] >>> [1200/1200] [FATIGUE: 0] EXP: 0/9000 STATUS POINT : 150 >>> 0 ______ STRENGTH : 47(+15) >>> 77 AGILITY : 47+30 >>> 77 VITALITY : 47+30 >>> 77 INTELLIGENCE : 75(+15) >>> 115(+15) SENSE : 39(+15) >> 59 SKILL Magic Mastery Lv5; Sword Mastery Lv5; Super Growth LvMax; Darkness Magic Lv5, Light Magic Lv4; Magic Eyes Lv4; The Villainess LvMax; Etiquette Lv6; Knitting Lv4 !!NEW!!; Cooking Lv4 !!NEW!! Status Appraisal Lv4 Foresight Lv4 Restraint Lv5 Intimidate Lv4 !!NEW!! Shadow Movement Lv5 Shadow Blade Lv5 Heal Lv5 Holy Light Lv3 Sword Dance Lv5 Vital Strike Lv5 Omni-Slash Lv6 Dark Pulse Lv3 ======================================= ****** Meanwhile, in the Blumund village... Rei suddenly sneezed, "Achoo!" ''Hmm? A cold?'' Ray asked. "I don''t know...I feel like someone is talking about me." ''Maybe it''s just your imagination.'' "I guess¨C..." "Ughh..." "Aghhh...." "¨Cso?" While Rei was talking with Ray, James, Bob and Hans were groaning in pain on the ground. Rei was standing before them, holding his spear as he was just about done training with the other kids. "Now, do you get it? The intensity of the training to get your own aura?" "Y-yes sir..." "The training is going to be much harder, and at the same time, you need to meditate on your own." Rei explained, "For Hans I don''t really know but the best is to learn from an actual Mage about your magic skills, since they usually doesn''t require aura unlike Bob and James." "Y-yes..." "I guess that''s all for today." Rei sighed and put down three bottles of green potion, one for each of them on their side. Then before he left... "A-aniki!" Rei stopped walking as he heard James called him, "Yes?" "A-are you really...going to go out from this village?" James asked while slowly sitting up straight, slightly tilting his head up to look at him. "Yeah...I will be going first than you...so¨C" Rei turned around to look at them with smile, "Make sure to follow me...I will be waiting for you all from above." James, Bob and Hans widened their eyes seeing the one who always helped them and trained them to be strong, showing such a smile and having expectations on them made them feel...needed and to some extent, special. "Yes!!" They answered eagerly at the same time. Rei nodded then soon left them, going back to his house to start preparing his gears and items. He was wearing a brown clothing with a few sets of armor like a breast plate, arm guards, leg guards and finally a helmet with the shape of some sort of beast. ======================================= [Black Helmet of the Unknown Beast] Grade: Rare Type: Helmet VITALITY: +15 Durability: 100% A helmet that was created with unknown material, it is unclear how it end up into this shape but there''s a mysterious power coming out from this helmet. Like a wild beast that are hiding its fangs. Skill: [Beast''s Will] Using the power of the mysterious beast, it allows the individual to temporarily increase STRENGTH, VITALITY, and AGILITY by 15. Duration : 45 sec. Cooldown : 65 sec. ======================================= ======================================= [Black Breastplate] Grade: Rare Type: Breastplate VITALITY: +20 Durability: 100% It was created by unknown material, but it doesn''t give any kind of effect, only the black color. ======================================= ======================================= [Black Arm + Leg Guard] Grade: Uncommon Type: Arm and Leg Guard AGILITY: +10 Durability: 100% It was created by some unknown material, but it doesn''t give any kind of effect only the black color. ======================================= ======================================= [Black Boots of the Unknown Beast] Grade: Rare Type: Booths AGILITY: +25 Durability: 100% A pair of boots filled with dark energy that was created from unknown material. It gives the wielder the ability to move between shadows. Skill: [Shadow Movement] A skill that allows its user to move along in the shadow and slipped inside enemy''s defense to strike. Duration: 35 sec. Cooldown: 40 sec. ======================================= Then he took out a sword that has black colored blade on it. ======================================= [Corrosive Black Sword] Grade: Epic Type: Sword STRENGTH: +50 Durability: 100% A sword that was created using the claws from an unknown beast that roamed the night. The claws contains dark energy which allows its user to apply corrosive effect to anything the sword touches. Skill: [Corrosion] Due from its dark energy, it could apply [Corrosion] status towards everything it touches, including the wielders'' enemies. ======================================= He quickly sheathed this swords, ''Out of all equipments I have created, the helmet, boots and the sword have greater status and skills, while the rest just gained color. It seems that I''m still lacking as a [Blacksmith].'' When he was about to go out, he noticed that there''s a long looking pole wrapped in cloths. "Oh, I almost forgot about this one." He stared at it for a moment, "Hmm...even though it''s quite lacking in power, at least it will be handy in the future, I should put it into my inventory first." He took the clothed pole into his [Inventory] before he heaved a deep sigh, "Now then...shall we head out?" Rei murmurred before he went out to meet his family that was waiting for him near the gate, along with other villagers and his friends. Rei stopped when Adam stood in front of him who gently tapped his shoulder. "I never thought that my son is going out as adventurer sooner than I thought...no matter where you are, always remember that this village is your home." "Dad..." Rei hold on to his tears and smiled at him, "I understand..." His mother, Sheila walked towards him and stood beside her husband, "Don''t forget to eat well or you won''t grow into a strong man like your father~ Ray~" She spoke while holding on her tears as well but she stood up with w smile and supported him fully. "I understand Mom, I will become more bigger than Dad on next year...maybe." "Hahaha! Well that''s my son for you!" Adam laughed and ruffled his hair. Then Emily his little sister walked forward to her brother, "Here!" She gave him a red scarf that have the same color of his left eye. "For me?" Rei asked in suprise. Emily nodded, then Rei took the scarf then wrapped it around his neck. The scarf reached down to his shoulders, the soft fabrics felt nice and warm on him. *THUD* Suddenly Rei hugged his little sister with a warm smile, "Thank you...Emily. I will look forward to meet you in the future." He spoke softly as he gently pat her head. The little girl began to cry over her brother leaving, hugging him back just tightly. Rei couldn''t help but embrace his little sister in his arms to calm her down before letting her go. Then finally, Nel along with James, Bob and Hans came forward. "Aniki...*sniff*" James sniffled while rubbing his eyes. The sight of him covered with snot and tears made him chuckled. Rei reached out to give his little brother a reassuring pat, "I''ll be waiting for you guys and...for my parting gift..." Rei reached out his arms into something as a sword, a shield and a staff came out from thin air, all of them came from his [Inventory]. The others who saw this were suprised, especially Nel who noticed it once before. "As expected, you have a [Space Magic]..." Nel mumbled. After that, Rei gave those things to them, "Here for you." The three of them looked at the items in bewilderment before they eventually took it from him, holding onto their weapon that was created by their leader who was about to leave from the village. "Th-this for real?" James stuttered, still couldn''t believe his own eyes. Bob stared at the shield in awe. "Woah..." While Hans fixed his glasses as he confirmed the item he was holding, "I-i can feel the magic from it." "The sword and the shield was the easiest one but that staff is quite hardest one I ever made" "I use what''s left of the material I have and created those things for you. The sword is the same one I use on that day when I save you, the shield was created by the monsters I hunt so it''s pretty durable and for the staff...I used a precious magic crystal that I have to increase the output of the magic once it''s casted." "So make sure to use it well and don''t forget to take care your weapon properly, got it?" "Understood! Thank you very much Aniki!" The three of them bowed at him in gratitude and respect. Rei smiled then he went to Nel and took out a spear from his [Inventory], it was a silver spear with a green gem on the tip of it. "This is for you, Uncle Nel." Rei spoke with a smile, noticing the surprised look on Nel when he took a hold onto the spear, feeling as if it resonated with him somehow. "Ray...this is?" "I also use this with the remaining material and my money as well, to create this...the [Silver Fang Spear], I use silver on this spear so you can fight well with dark type monsters and about the gem that was embedded on the tip, it can increase the output when you use [Gale Thrust]." Nel couldn''t help but be amazed of this young man who stood in front of him, "I-i don''t know how to thank you for this..." "You can thank me by protecting this village while I''m away, so use it well Uncle Nel" Rei replied with an easy smile. Nel nodded, smiling as well and received the spear with gratitude, "I promise, I will do my best to keep this village safe." "Thank you, I feel more reassured now." Rei closed his eyes and nodded then he started to walk out through the gate but before that, he turned around to look at them who still stood there as he waved his hand, "Thank you very much!! Dad!! Mom!! Emily!! and everyone!!" "I will be back!!!" He shouted Rei soon turned around to wear his helmet...finally letting his tears to stream down through his helmet and started walking forward. ''You did well...Kiritsuka.'' Ray praised in his mind. "Yeah...now it''s only the two of us..." ''Yeah, now then let''s go forward to our journey together!'' "Yeah." . . . . [Notice!] [Chatroom] Ifrit: "Yeah! Don''t forget about me!" . . . . . . . . . "Huh?" In midst of their journey a [Notice] board with [Chatroom] feature came out in front of him and the one who sent it was... None other the god who sent Rei here... [The Fire God] and [The Fire Spirit King], Ifrit. To be continued... Chapter 29: The Quest It was early in the morning when Rei slowly woke up from his bed, blinking his eyes multiple times to adjust with the lighting of the room, gathering his soul for a while before he could get up from the bed. Rei yawned and opened the window a bit to feel the sunlight coming through. "Hmmm~ such beautiful morning." Rei spoke as his eyes scanned the unfamiliar scenery through the window of the village''s inn that he was staying in. ''Indeed.'' "Oh, you''re there Houston?" ''Yeah, I''ve just trained spear skill.'' "Ohhh, so how was it?" ''I guess it''s so-so but I slowly get the hang of it...'' Ray trailed off for a while before he spoke again, ''Hmmm...does that god said anything else to you ever since that day?'' "Nope, he told us that he will be watching and won''t interfere with what we''re doing." ''I see, he''s such a weird god.'' "Tell me about it..." Rei sighed, recalling what happened a few days ago ****** Exactly four days ago, at the day of the departure... [Notice!] [Chatroom] Ifrit: "Yeah! Don''t forget about me!" "Huh?" In the midst of their journey, a [Notice] board with [Chatroom] feature came out before him and the one who sent it was... . . . [The Fire God] and [The Fire Spirit King], Ifrit. "E-eh?! O-old man?!" [Chatroom] Ifrit: "Hahaha! It''s been a while, Kiritsuka Rei. It is I, the God of Fire¨CIfrit is here!" Rei was suprised when the god who sent him into this place decided to finally talked to him after so long. "W-what is this about?! What happen?!" Ifrit: "It seems you are confused, it''s been two years since we can finally talk like this after all! " "W-well of course, but how come you never talked to me ever since that day?" Ifrit: "Ahhhh, I was pretty busy taking care some documents and stuff like that, also creating this chatroom feature for us to talk." "Even gods are taking care of documents..." Rei murmurred, a bit suprised that gods like him were doing paperworks, "...and you made this feature?" Ifrit: "Of course! Even though I was lower-class god, I can still make things like this" "I-i see" Rei nodded, "Wait¡ªyou were lower-rank?" Ifrit: "I was originally a Spirit King which is the highest-rank that could ascend into God hood, hahaha! am I amazing?" "...does that mean there''re other gods who are higher than you?" Ifrit: "Yepp, and that''s why I couldn''t defy them when they wanted to see you. For example... Athena. She loves your wisdom and feat and so she decided to give you title and skill." "I see, then let me get this straight...why did you decided to show up now." When Rei asked, Ifrit was silent for a while before he spoke again. Ifrit: "Well what else? I came to watch my player who have done so much in these past 2 years of course." Behind the screen, Ifrit was smiling. Ifrit: "Besides, I also came to meet this person who have been helping you when I''m not around, am I right? Mr. Ray Houston." Rei widened his eyes then smiled. "You can come out now, Houston." ''Finally, it was suffocating for not talking. It''s a pleasure to meet you, God of Fire¨CIfrit.'' Ifrit: "Hooo~ I see, he does looks the same as you." Ifrit chuckled. "You can tell?" Rei asked since Ray wasn''t that visible and stayed inside his body all the time. Ifrit: "Hahaha! Of course I can, I''m a God you know." "Oh yeah..." Ifrit: "Hey, don''t look at me with that stare will you. And I know you have been cursing at me about not telling you clearly about this world." Rei stiffened when he mentioned it, totally caught off guard. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Ifrit: "Hahaha, it''s fine but now I decided to tell you all about this world, be happy and grateful!" "Okay okay..." Rei sighed a bit and resumed his walk, "But is it okay for Houston to hear about this?" Ifrit: "Well how about you ask him yourself?" "Houston?" ''I don''t mind, I''m actually curious about this world since I was born here.'' "That''s what he said..." Ifrit: "Well don''t be too shocked about it okay? I''m just lower-rank god so I can only tell you some of it, about your fate and the future, I can''t decide them all. Understood?" "Understood." They answered and then Ifrit took that as his cue to start speaking. Ifrit: "Like I said before, This world is called Astria. A fantasy world where magic and swords exist like in medieval era. But one thing''s for sure is that this world is based on a certain otome game." ''Otome game? What is that?'' Ray asked first. "Ummm...it''s a game or somesort of novel-like story where the main character is a girl and she need to have a date with certain person in the game?" Rei explained. ''Uhhh...what?'' Ray blinked in confusion, still not getting it. "Basically it''s a novel story for girls but they can choose their own decisions and words spoken by the main character of that novel." ''I-i understand...so this world is based on that so-called otome game?'' "Like he said, but what''s the name of that game?" Ifrit: "Oh? It''s called [Fantasia Love, Doki-doki ? in Magic Academy]." "Fantasia¨C what now?" Rei was quite suprised hearing that name, becoming even more confused. Ifrit: "[Fantasia Love, Doki-doki ? in Magic Academy]." "Uggh...it suprises me you can said that without twisting your tongue." Rei winces after seeing Ifrit casually repeated the name. Ifrit: "Hahaha, well when I''m bored I play this game sometimes." "You did?" Ifrit: "Yeah it was really popular in God''s Realm and because of that, one of us created this world that was based on that game." ''So does that mean, the future I had was...'' Ifrit: "Just like in the story...the world was in despair but it was soon be saved by [The Saintess] who would appear in this world." "And that [Saintess] is the protagonist of this game?" Ifrit: "Exactly, you sure know this stuff despite not playing this game." "Well I know someone who played it before..." When Rei spoke those words, a sudden image of a black haired girl with long hair appeared for a moment inside his head. Ifrit and Ray didn''t question him on that part as they observed Rei for a moment before they continued with their conversation. "Okay, I understand now...but do we¨C no, I mean does Houston have a role in the game before?" ''What do you mean by that Kiritsuka?'' "In the game, there''re a few roles such as the [Protagonist] and the [Male Target], the rest is the enemy of the protagonist like the [Villainess] and also [Supporter] which has a role to help the [Protagonist] finish the game." ''I see...so knowing about that, we can revise your plan.'' "Old man, do you know about his role?" When Rei repeated his question, Ifrit was silent for a moment, considering it. Ifrit: "Hmmm, that will be a secret. I cannot reveal such things to you yet because that is a very confidential information." "I see..." Ifrit: "Now don''t be like that, I can''t tell you about it but I can tell you what you''re gonna do next." "What is that?" Ifrit smirked and snapped his finger. *SWONG* ======================================= [Notice!] [Quest : "The One Who Forge The Legend"] The God of Fire¨CIfrit, had decided for player "Rei" to forge 7 kind of weapon with *Legendary* Rating on it together with Mastery Skills. [Requirements] Sword [1/0] Sword Mastery [1/1] Spear [1/0] Spear Arts [1/1] Bow [1/0] Archery Mastery [1/0] Katana [1/0] Iai Mastery [1/0] Axe [1/0] Axe Mastery [1/0] Shield [1/0] Shield Arts [1/0] Staff/Orb [1/0] Magic Mastery [1/0] Reward: ¡ñUnique Skill : [?????] ¡ñTitle: [??????] ======================================= "What?¨C..." Rei was taken off guard after a panel suddenly came out, but that''s not all. ======================================= [Notice!] [Quest : "True Flame"] The God of Fire¨CIfrit, giving player "Rei" another quest, to gain [True Flame]. It is said that this flame is the hottest and the purest kind of flame. [Requirements] Skill : Blacksmith Flame LvMax [1/0] Title : Blessing from Fire Spirit King [1/0] Item : The Fire Essence of The Fire Dragon King [1/0] Reward: ¡ñ Unique Skill : [True Flame] ¡ñ Title : [The One Who Become Fire Itself] ======================================= ''This is...'' Ray who shared the same vision with Rei, was left speechless. Ifrit: "I welcome you to the new feature I have been working on these past 2 years. That is, a [Quest] feature!" "Eehhhh..." Rei stared at the chat monitor unimpressedly. Ifrit: "W-what''s with that look!? This great me is helping you with this quest! and to top it off you can get [Unique Skill]!" "[Unique Skill]?" The two of them asked at the same time, "Wait, even Houston doesn''t know it?" ''Well...I never met with someone who have it and don''t know the difference between them.'' Ifrit: "Tsk, Tsk, well then let the great me explain it to you both, [Unique Skill] is a skill that can be acquired through blessing or hard work. And every Unique Skill varies on each individuals, the difference between Normal Skill and Unique skill is greater than you can imagine." Ifrit: "Some of the [Unique Skill] has complex rule on how to activate them, but because of that some of them can hold enormous power that could control or destroy any country or bending the rule of the world." Ifrit: "So which is why, you, who are just a mere [Blacksmith] is now going are given the chances to acquire the strongest fire skill of all...the [True Flame] by my blessing." "[True Flame]..." Rei gulped from hearing that name but... ''[True Flame]?! Isn''t that from that legend?!'' "Houston?" Ifrit: "Ohho, it seems someone knew about it?" ''Of course I know...that skill...no, that fire is the purest fire of all...that could refine any kind of material and it can be used to incinerate any kind of enemy...melting everything it touches.'' Ifrit: "Indeed, it''s true the legend said that but that''s not all...I will tell you later about it." Ray couldn''t help to feel impressed and excited of this chances he was given. Ifrit: "But remember, this skill can be acquired by fulfilling a few requirements which you can read it again from the quest description." Rei went back to see at the description and the requirements for it. "Let''s see...ummm...[Blacksmith Flame LvMax]; [Blessing of the Fire Spirit King]; and [The Fire Essence of the Fire Dragon King]." ''He already received [Blacksmith Flame], but still Lv1.'' ======================================= [Blacksmith Flame] MP cost: 100 Cooldown: 75 sec. Maintain the skill: -10 MP/1 sec. A flame that has been bestowed by the God of Blacksmithing¨CHephaestus. A flame that can only be obtained by the most hardworking blacksmiths. This flame can create heat that almost reached 3000¡ãC, which is perfect to forge a weapon and item. ======================================= ''In my past life, I never got this skill before...maybe because Rei is the one who do it now.'' Ifrit: "Hahahaha! I choose him after all so don''t underestimate him! But seriously, it''s impressive for you to get this skill in only 2 years because it''s quite difficult for most people to obtain it." ''I guess we are lucky to get this one first, then what''s left are those item.'' Ifrit: "Well don''t be so at ease, the rest item is gonna be hard to earn especially for [The Fire Essence of The Fire Dragon King] since you need to find a very rare creature, a [Dragon]." ''Indeed...[Dragon] is already considered to be one of the most Legendary Monster that has both high intelligence and unparalleled strength. It''s understandable if they are hard to find.'' Ifrit: "That''s right, but for [The Blessing of The Fire Spirit King], you don''t have to worry about it because you can obtain this blessing from this great me! But in order to get it, you need to go to one certain place." "And where is that??" Ifrit: "I will tell you later when the time comes. I mean you both have places to go right?" "Yeah...I guess you are right, but...what''s with the other quest?" Rei asked while pointing at it. ''Hmmm? Let''s see...this quest called [I Am The Weapon Master], the requirements are...hmmmm...HMMMM?!'' Ray was shell shocked upon seeing the requirement, while Rei went slack jawed. "What''s with this quest?!" Ifrit: "Fufufu~ amazing right?" ''How is that amazing?! These requirements is insane!'' Ifrit: "Well, it''s the first and exclusive quest only for you!" ''Exclusive my ass!'' Ray yelled in anger. Ifrit: "Now, now, calm down first~ as you can see, the requirements are insane indeed but how about we look at the bright side." ''Huh?'' Ifrit: "You can see one of the rewards have this [?] mark on them right? and you must be curious why it''s like that, right?" Both of them actually thought about it and then finally nodded. Ifrit: "To tell you the truth...I...don''t know what that is (?¨R?¨Q) TEE-HEE!" "Oi!?" Ifrit: "Ahem, the thing is...I collaborated with the God who created this world. We both agreed to create this feature to help people who transferred here..." Rei raised one of his eyebrows, "O...kay?" Ifrit: "But then that guy found out about you. And with my help, he created this exclusive quest for you. Ifrit: "This [Unique Skill] will reveal itself when you meet all of the requirements and it will help you greatly with your journey." Ifrit finished explaining and Rei couldn''t help but be suprised that the other God would go as far as doing all this for him. ''Hmmm...but why did this God closed the information of this skill?'' Ifrit: "¡¥\_(¥Ä)_/¡¥" That definitely get on Ray''s nerve while Rei chuckled. ''Oi?!'' Ifrit: "Well after he created this [Quest] I also asked the same thing...and you know what he said to me?" Without waiting for their response, Ifrit continued to talk Ifrit: "He said [Cause it won''t be fun at all, since a game needs a bit of spice to make it fun. Let them expect things and work hard for it, rather than just taking a shortcut like that, they won''t enjoy...what it means to be truly alive.]" Rei was silent after seeing the text that Ifrit sent to him, quoting what seemed to be the exact words from the God who created this world. ''Somehow, those words are similar...to Houston.'' Rei murmurred in his thought. "I see...so I need to work hard even more to see what it is? Heh, this world never went easy on me...but I''ll took that challenge." Rei spoke determinedly Ifrit: "Hoho~ well then I''ll look forward to it!" "Yeah!" Rei replied with wide grin from behind that helmet while Ray just shrugged his shoulder with a smile on his face, feeling budding admiration and pride towards this young man who just took on the most difficult challenge he would ever face. When they finally closed their conversation, on their way...a voice came out of nowhere. . . . . . . . "PLEASE HELP ME!!" A shout came not too far away from where Rei stood. He felt like something bad is going to happen but he decided to move towards the source of that voice. To be continued... Chapter 30: Stained Hands (Part 1) A voice came out from the direction where Rei was headed. "PLEASE HELP ME!!" Rei who heard it, quickly closed the chat monitor. "Sorry! Old man!" He yelled as he ran towards the source of the voice. Ray who also heard it, felt something weird. As if he somehow knew what pattern is this. ''Kiritsuka...'' "What?!" Rei shouted while still running. At first Ray hesitated to say the words but... ''...No, nevermind.'' "Huh?" Rei narrowed his brows in confusion but didn''t slow down his steps. ''Kiritsuka...from now on, no matter what you do...never hesitate.'' "What do you¨C" ''Focus to what I said! The moment you hesitate...is the moment where you will regret it.'' ''No matter whether they are a monster...or a human....understood?'' "U-understood..." Rei couldn''t help but feel like something seriously bad is coming now that he started tallking like that. ****** Soon he saw it, a carriage with a lady covering someone behind her. A little girl with blonde hair. In front of them was a man who tried his best protecting these two from... Bandits. *SLASHED* "AGH!" The man screamed as he got his shoulder slashed by one of the bandits'' sword. "Daddy!!" The little girl cried, trying to run towards her father but her mother stopped her from getting near "Gehehehe you shouldn''t have resisted, punk! Just give us the girl now~ we will fetch her a good price~" One of the bandits sneered creepily. The man refused to give up and stood there to protect his wife and daughter. "I''m not going to let my daughter taken away from me again...never!!" "Heh, in that case...this is your end!!" "No!!! Daddy!!!!!" The little girl cried louder, trying to reach out in futile. When one of the bandits raised his sword and swung it towards him...something unexpected happen. *SWOOSH* *SHATTER* His sword broke without him noticing. "Huh?¨C" *TAP* The bandits look on in suprise seeing the broken sword and they soon noticed something else flew right through that sword. They looked on to their right side and found a sword stabbed on the ground. The direction was a perfect match to where one of the bandits sword was broken. The bandit who was about to kill the man was slack jawed after realizing that his sword was broken to pieces. He quickly turned his face around to the other direction... "W-wha¨Cbuuggh!!" And was met with a fist flying towards his face. *BAAK* The bandit flew away from that single punch, one of his tooth flew out from his mouth. All of them froze...the bandits and the couple, even the little girl who was hiding behind her mother. A red scarf fluttered around and a young man stood there in front of them. It was Rei, he was wearing his black helmet to cover his face and showed them the might of this future knight. "You okay?" he asked as he turned his head to check on them. "Who the fuck are you?!" The other bandits took out their swords, preparing to attack. ''1...3...so there''s 5 of them huh.'' Rei observed the enemy in front of him. "W-who are you?" The man asked, still in a dazeThis book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. "Just go to safety and protect your family¨C" Rei noticed that when he was still talking, one of the bandits jumped towards him and swung his sword down. "DIE!!" *TING* Rei blocked it by taking out another sword from his [Inventory]. "W-where did he¨Cbuugghh!!¨C" He didn''t give him enough time to be surprised cause Rei quickly swung his legs and kicked his face off, sending him flying towards the other guy who laid down on the ground, unconscious from his fist. "Now then...2 down and 3 left." Rei observed calmly, pointing his sword towards the other bandits. "D-dammit!! Get him!!! He doesn''t have his sword!!" The three of them ran towards Rei at the same time to strike him with consecutive attack. *SWOOSH* But... *SWOOSH* Rei dodged all of those strikes easily, *SWOOSH* By using minimal movement, he moved side by side from each strikes and then countered it.. ''I guess this is the first time I use it, [Weapon Break].'' His sword slowly covered with his red aura and then, he swung his sword swiftly. At first the movement was slow, but because of his AGILITY and STRENGTH...in a blink of eyes... *CRACK* *SHATTER* *BAK* *SHATTER* *BUK* *SHATTER* *BAK* Their swords broke one by one and in that short period of time, then they also felt a heavy punch landing on their cheek and chin. "AGH!¨C" "UGH!¨C" "GUH!¨CW-what just...h-happen..." All of them fall down like flies. Rei suddenly showed up from behind them with his left hand curled into a fist and his sword emitting a dangerous red aura. "I guess that''s all of them¨C" "NOO!!" But before he could relax, he heard a scream from behind and saw that little girl was caught by the first bandit that he punched. "N-NO! My daughter!!" The lady cried out seeing her daughter was taken. "M-mommy! Daddy!!" the little girl struggled but then she cried louder when the bandit taken out a knife and pointed it at her neck. ''What?...did my punch wasn''t enough to make him unconscious?'' Rei thought since he was sure to increase the output of his strength using his aura. "D-don''t move!! Damn you...that hurt you piece of shit! If you move an inch, I will cut this girl to death!" The bandit yelled in anger, that stopped Rei from moving and stood still instead. He''s angry since this bandit used a cheap tactic to turn a little girl like her as his hostage. "Tsk..." Rei clicked his tongue. ''Kiritsuka...'' Ray''s voice came out. ''What is it Houston...'' ''Right now, I''m gonna tell you how to save that girl...but this time you need to resolve yourself first.'' ''What do you mean...?'' ''I want you...to kill that man, before he kills that girl.'' ''Wait¨C what?! kill?! isn''t that too much?!...'' ''Kiritsuka...I know you have been holding up on not using your sword and intentionally destroy their weapon and rendered them unconscious with your fist...'' Rei twitched a bit since he caught him doing that. ''But they are people Houston! I can''t kill them for no reason.'' ''But¡ª!'' ''No buts Houston! Killing people isn''t the thing that I aimed to become a knight in the future. Cause I will protect everyone with my own ways!'' Rei stubbornly spoke with determination, but that doesn''t change the fact that this path wasn''t gonna end well for him. ''Kiritsuka...'' Ray who knew about this side of him, couldn''t help but feel guilty because starting from now, things were going to be much crueler and worse than anything he ever think of. Even after all of his death on that training, he still have those feelings. Ray knew that this is going to be Rei''s weaknesses. He has soft heart, which not gonna end well when he faced with people who did bad things to others on daily basis. It also made him ignorant in case he ever let them free...of what would happen to others who were innocent. But Ray swallowed down those thoughts and shook it away, ''Fine...then I''ll give you a plan but you must not hesitate...to use your sword.'' ''I¨C...understand'' Rei couldn''t help but accept it since he still need to save that girl. Soon after they had their plan, Rei went back to reality. Rei sighed and calmed his mind for a moment while his red eyes hidden behind his helmet started to glow. "Little girl...close your eyes." Rei spoke in cold tone. The little girl who heard it quickly closed her eyes. "Oi!! you don''t hear of what I¨C G-guuh??!" Suddenly the bandit body became paralyzed as he couldn''t move even one of his fingers or utter any words from his mouth. ''W-what the fuck is this!'' The bandit thought. ''[Intimidate].'' Rei activated his skill [Intimidate], by releasing his reddish aura around his body he created a strong pressure toward whoever in it and he focused them on his eyes. So when his eyes met with him, [Intimidate] had started using its effect. ''W-what the fuck is wrong with this guy...'' The bandits murmurred as his body started shivering. *TAP* ''H-hii!'' The bandits jolted when Rei took one step forward. *TAP* *TAP* *TAP* Then he continue take another step again...and again as if he start casually walked towards the man who cowered from his skill. ''N-no...'' he swallowed, ''D-don''t..¨C'' *TAP* When Rei finally getting closer and closer... "Don''t come at me!!! you monster!!!" Then all of sudden, the bandit lost his calm and threw the little girl towards Rei. "...?!" Rei immediately lost focus on his skill when he caught the little girl with his free hand and that made the skill wore off and straight into cooldown. The bandit regained his freedom. The moment he noticed Rei let down his guard, he prepared to strike. ''Kiritsuka!!'' Ray shouted to remind him to focus on the bandit who is now running towards them, aiming his knife towards the little girl and him. ''Does he plan to kill us both?!'' Rei ground his teeth when he realized where the knife was aimed to. Rei gripped his sword while his other hand was too occupied on securing the little girl, ''With this angle where should I aim...!?!'' As time was running out, he didn''t have much choice. "DIE YOU MONSTER!!!" The bandit shout with smile. ''Dammit... dammit!!!!'' When the knife almost reached her back... *SLASH* *SPURTS* "Huh???" The bandit who was about to celebrate his victory, felt something weird happen. *THUD* Then something fell off on the ground right beside him, "What was that?¨C Huh?!!!¨C" When he turned his head around to see what it was, his face paled. He looked forward and saw something that made him paler... His hand that fell off and now he saw he is handless, seeing his white bone surrounded with cleanly cut flesh with his blood spurting out from it. "AAAGHHH!!!?!!! FUCK!!!" The bandit screamed at the delayed pain that came surging through his body. In a flash, Rei cutted the bandit''s hand that was holding the knife with a single swipe of his sword. The blood sprayed out, staining his helmet with red. Rei''s eyes grew wide as soon as he realized he''s the one who did that to the man in front of him. His breath became short, the hand that was holding his sword trembled, and when he turned his eyes towards his sword. It was stained by someone''s blood...not a monster nor any kind of being. It''s a human, the same as him.. ''Kiritsuka!'' Ray shouted his name, snapping him out of his daze. Rei tried to calm himself down when he noticed the trembling little girl in his hand. He covered her head to avoid looking at the screaming man in front of them. He then took a step forward, landing a kick towards his head to render the bandit unconscious. Rei panted heavily, looking down and saw the blood pooling on the ground. The much older man and the lady who stood there watching the whole scene unfolded were shell shocked. When they noticed the fight was over, the lady quickly ran towards her daughter. "Mommy!!" The little girl shouted, hugging her mother tight. Rei approached the man and asked with somewhat cold tone, "You okay?" "Ah! Y-yes! thank you very much young man..." The older man thanked him with a bow of his head while holding on his injured shoulder. Rei suddenly opened his [Inventory], taking out a green potion, then handed it over to him. "Huh??" The old man looked between the potion and back to his face. A bit unsure of what to do since he just offered it without saying a word. "Drink." Rei spoke. "A-ah! Y-yes!" The man nodded, hastily took the potion and drank it. Shortly, his body enveloped with green light that slowly healed his shoulder. The old man was slack jawed upon seeing his injury disappeared. "Oh?! H-how can I repay you!" "In that case..." "Y-yes?" "How about you help me stop his bleeding and tied them all up first?" Rei turned around and walked passed the mother and daughter who were watching him helping their father. The man complied and moved to help him. The two tied the bandits with a rope and with his help, Rei finally apprehended all of them in no time. "I guess that''s all of them now." Rei sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. "E-excuse me..." Rei turned around to see who called him, it was the family of three that he saved before. "Once again...we thank you for saving us Mr.Warrior." The man bowed his head as his wife followed him, even the little girl. Rei blinked for a moment and became somewhat flustered "O-oh! I-it''s okay! I''m glad that no one is hurt." Rei smiled behind his helmet but they couldn''t see it. The tense atmosphere slowly softened when Rei acted like his usual self, it made them let out a quiet relieved sigh. "So what should we do to them?" Rei asked, glancing at the bandits who were still unconscious. The man smiled, "We will bring them and handed them over to the guards." "Guards?" "Yes, we''re going to pass the border and went back to our village." "Ahh, I see. Hmmm...how about I come with you guys?" Rei offered with a friendly smile. "Huh? Is that okay for you, mr. Warrior?" The man was suprised that he offered to came along with them. "I don''t mind really, and I still need to check on them right?" "Y-yeah, I understand." He nodded, "Thank you." "No problem." Rei replied then started loading those bandits into the carriage with himself to keep a close eye on them. After some time, the catriage started moving again towards the border like the man told him. On their way, Rei was deep in thought. ''Today...was the first time I used my sword against human huh.'' ''Kiritsuka.'' ''Houston?'' ''...Make sure to keep it in mind, that soon you will be facing more humans in the future...so don''t let this something that chained you down and never hesitate.'' ''I...understand.'' Rei replied while looking down to his hands, but deep down he still have hesitation on those parts. And so the first fight after his departure finally come to an end. But this is not the real ending cause...sooner or later the gears of fate would start moving again. And when that day comes, Kiritsuka Rei would face the horrible truth of this world. To be continued... Chapter 31: Stained Hands (Part 2) A scream rang out loudly throughout the dark place. "AAAGHHHHHH!!!" Rei woke up in the middle of nowhere after he heard that loud noise. "Huh? Where...am I?" Rei asked to himself as he looked around, but finding nothing...only a dark space that stretched out far and wide, who knows where it could end. Rei began to walk and wandered around the place cautiously while calling someone. "Houston!!" His voice didn''t echo and no one''s answering...however, another voice came out instead. "D-don''t come near me!! You Monster!!" When Rei turned around, he saw a person standing behind him. His face deathly pale and his eyes were filled with fear. "You are..." He recognized that face. It was the bandit that he fought not too long ago. The man looked frail with one his hand chopped off and his blood fall down to the floor like waterfall, forming a blood pool that quickly spread throughout the floor. "I''m gonna kill you...you bastard!! You''re...gonna...PAY!!" Rei took a step back, horrified, "N-no..." When he looked down, he noticed that he was holding a sword on his hand and wearing his helmet, just like back then. "I-i didn''t mean to¨C" "You took my hand! And now you''re gonna take our lives with that sword of yours!" "No, wait¨C" "How does it feel to hurt someone now? Does it feel good~? It''s good isn''t it? ''Cause eventually..." When Rei looked up to see the bandit again, his body started to rot...his skin began to melt as he walked towards him, like a walking dead. Rei was frozen in fear, feeling suffocated and helpless. He couldn''t think of anything but the horrid view that was slowly approaching. When that bandit eventually stood in front of him. His face melted down, leaving nothing but his skeleton.... "Sooner or later, you''re gonna have to spill more blood...for the sake of others." "Haaa...haa...haaa..!!!" He dropped to the floor, shutting his eyes tight as he clutched against his head, screaming. "AAAAGGHHHH!" Rei sat up straight from his bed in the middle of night, eyes blown wide as he panted heavily and his whole body was drenched in cold-sweat. "Haa....haaa..." He slowly took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. ''Kiritsuka.'' "Houston?..." ''Yeah, it''s me...is it a nightmare again?'' Rei nodded as he laid his back down on the bed again. The words spoken by the man in his nightmare echoed inside his head. He could feel his hands still trembling ever so slightly. The feeling of cutting someone''s hand...no, just the thought of hurting others struck fear deep in his conscience. ''Kiritsuka, I know you don''t want to hurt anybody...but you need to know that for the sake of others, you need protect them with all your might. ''Half-assed effort is not going to protect them and slight hesitation could get you and others killed.'' "I know that." Rei answered flatly. Ray sighed, he had been like this ever since coming to this village four days ago. ''Okay, how about we do some training to clear out your mind.'' "Mhm." Rei nodded and closed his eyes once again. ****** In the morning, Rei went out from a small house he was staying. Right now, he''s in the village called Rubal. It''s where the family he saved before lived in. "It''s been 4 days, yet I still feel unfamiliar with this place." Rei spoke while walking with his equipment on and wearing his helmet to hide his face. ''Heh of course, since I''m the one who know this place better.'' Ray replied smugly. "It''s so peaceful, unlike our village. They''re not surrounded with monster infested forest." ''Our village is near the border between the demon world and human world, so there''s more monsters living there.'' "Yeah, they doesn''t seems to be having any trouble at all." Rei spoke as he looked around. He could see many kids were playing with each other and the adults were doing their job, like farming, gardening and handling their cattle. ''You are looking from the outside...but from the inside...''If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "From the inside? What do you mea¨C Hm?" When Rei was about to ask about it, he halted when he noticed several kids were standing right in front of him. "Woah!" They looked at him in awe, well...mostly towards his equipment. Despite still being 8 years old, his body was a lot taller than the other kids, making him look more like an adult. "Mr. Warrior! Where did you come from?" One of the kids asked. "Hmm? I came from somewhere far away~" Rei said in a sing a song tone, somewhat amused at their excitement. "I heard from Litia! That you saved her!" ''Litia? Ahhh, that little girl that I saved.'' Rei nodded his head with a smile from behind his helmet. "Woahh! that''s so cool!" One of the kids exclaimed, their eyes seemed to sparkle. Rei couldn''t help but smile warmly at their compliments but then... "Then does that mean, you''re gonna save Litia''s older sister?" "Huh? What do you mean by that?" Those words broke the nice fluffy and warm atmosphere around him, making him looked more serious. The kids were looking at each for a moment but then they nodded, as if coming to an agreement. "The truth is...Litia''s older sister was kidnapped." "What?!¨C" Rei quickly shut his mouth before he could make more noise, disturbing the adults who were still working. "Can you tell me the details?" As soon he asked that question, the kids start explaining the situation. ****** Back into his small house, Rei was deep in his thoughts after he hearing the kids'' explanation. "About a week ago...3 days right before we left our village huh, Litia''s family was on their journey back home, but in the middle of the road they were caught by the bandits'' eyes and among the family... ...Litia''s older sister was kidnapped." ''Not only that...Litia''s family was running away from them without resting and the bandits eventually caught on to them.'' Ray reviewed "And that''s why that old man said...[I''m not going to let my daughter taken away again] huh." Ray blinked his eyes for a moment after hearing of what Rei said just now, ''Oh? You heard of what he said?'' "Well...I did use my aura to hear their conversation first." ''Haha, you are getting good at it.'' "I can''t slack off with my training right?" ''Yeah.'' Rei stared against the ceiling above him as he sighed. Ray stared at him in his head, ''So what are you gonna do now?'' At first, Rei was silent for a while and closed his eyes...recalling the words coming from his previous dream. "[Sooner or later you''re gonna have to spill more blood...for the sake of others.]" ''Huh?'' "That''s the exact words that I heard in my dream last night...and I know from the bottom of my heart that I need to do it. Since this world is..." ''Kill or be killed.'' Ray continued his words. "...that''s why, Houston...will you teach me¨C" "...How to kill someone." When Rei asked such a favor, Ray was silent for a while. Ray remembered that he told Rei to kill that bandit, but he couldn''t do it. Eventually, he gave up on making him do that ever again, cause he knew Rei is soft-hearted, he couldn''t even control his emotion, his guilt, for hurting someone. However, ever since that day...when Rei chopped that bandit''s hand, made him realize how cruel he was for forcing this kid who haven''t seen the real world to kill someone in his stead. Which why... ''No.'' Ray refused. Rei widened his eyes and get up from his seat, "What?! Why?!" ''Because you''re not ready yet. I had my conclusion from the past few days.'' "B-but¨C" ''No buts Kiritsuka...I don''t want to see you stained your hands more than that.'' Rei gritted his teeth, knowing full well that he was right all along. He couldn''t even handle his own nightmare these past few days. "I-...I understand" Rei looked down, clenching his hand to a fist. Ray who heard his answer, sighed. ''Don''t feel down...you already did your best on trying to save that girl.'' "Mhm." Rei nodded his head. Ray sighed again and rubbed the back of his head, ''Fine...I won''t teach you how to kill but... I will teach you [How to protect others by using your sword].'' "Huh?" Slowly, Rei''s expression brightened up a bit, "What do you mean?" ''Like I said, I will teach you how to protect others from getting hurt...but you might have to hurt others for it, but it''s better than killing them right?'' "Y-you sure about that Houston?!" ''Yeah, I am sure. But you need to resolve yourself, cause in this training, you must not hesitate to hurt me.'' "Y-yes! Understood." Ray smiled seeing Rei finally got his spirit back. "What should we do now?" ''Hmmm, first we need to get more information about these bandits and their hideout.'' "Who do you think we should ask about that?" ''Hmmmm...I guess we don''t have any choice but ask the parents first.'' "You mean¨C" When they came into an unspoken understanding, Rei went out from the small house and walked outside towards the house of the family of three he saved not too long ago. ****** When Rei arrived at their front porch, he knocked at the door. The door clicked open and he was greeted by a little girl, Litia. "Mr. Warrior! Good Afternoon!" Litia greeted with a smile, she seemed to be happy to see him. Rei smiled behind his helmet as he nodded his head, "Good Afternoon, Litia. Are your parents home?" "Yes! Mommy! Daddy! Mr. Warrior is here!" Litia shouted with glee. Soon, a man came out from the door and greeted him happily. "Oh! Mr. Warrior, thank you for coming all the way out here to our house." "It''s fine, and I should be the one who should apologize for disturbing your time." "No no no, you didn''t disturb us at all. So how was your stay?" The man asked with kind smile. "It was great, the atmosphere around here is refreshing and is hard to believe it''s so peaceful." "Well yes, it''s peaceful but...this village have something else to worry about..." "Is it about the bandits around this village?" "H-how did you¨C" "I have good ears." Rei tapped the side of his helmet, on his way to here he didn''t stop using his aura to enhance his hearing. He heard almost everything about it from the villagers'' conversation with one another. "I-i see...Litia, can you help your mom with dinner? I have something important to talk with Mr. Warrior." "Eeehhhh, but I want to be with him! " Litia pouted "Litia, i will be here until dinner okay? So go help your mother." Rei spoke in his stead as Litia''s face lit up. "Okay! Wait for me! Mr. Warrior!" Litia said AS she went back inside. Rei and the man walked to the backyard where no one''s around to hear them. "Okay, you can tell me now." Rei spoke to him. The man sighed, "I understand, the truth is...this village had a connection with those bandits." "A connection?" "Yeah...a connection of...human trafficking." "....!?!" Rei went rigid as soon as he heard it, including Ray who was listening quietly in his mind. ''Human trafficking?!'' Ray shouted in anger. But Rei kept his calm, trying not to make a fuss about it, "How come the guards doesn''t know about this." "....." The man looked away nervously, avoiding his eyes as cold sweat trailer down his back, after a while, he spoke again, "We were...threatened by [him]." "Who?" The man clenched his jaws, "His name was...[Banzana]." ''....?!'' Rei didn''t react towards that name, but on the other hand Ray seems shocked after hearing that name. ''[Banzana]?!'' Ray shout in surprise ''Houston? Do you know this guy?'' Rei asked. ''Of course...I know him. He is the most wretched and the worst scum of all...[Banzana, The King of Bandits]'' ''He was a legend for being infamous in my previous life...terrorizing almost the whole kingdom. From kidnapping, raiding, killing, stealing and even human trafficking...he is the worst of the worst.'' Ray explained through gritted teeth. ''How come such guy like that haven''t been caught yet?'' ''He will became a legend after another few years, not only that...he is also stronger...strong enough to be par with a [Knight].'' ''He''s that strong?!'' Ray silently nodded then spoke grimly, ''Yeah...that''s why they couldn''t caught him...but this is just my speculation.'' ''He is probably even stronger than the [Unique Boss] we fought and Uncle Nel as well.'' "....?!" ''Heh, seriously...we just got out from the village and now we are going to face such a being as our first mid boss.'' ''Well the world has never been fair for us after all.'' Ray replied. ''So? What are we gonna do now?'' Rei asked. ''I''ll leave the choice to you.'' ''Is that so? Then...don''t mind if I do.'' Rei said while smirking. "I see...so can you explain how Banzana know about this village? How exactly did he threatened you all?" Rei asked while folding his both arms together. "Mr. Warrior...are you planning to help us?" The man asked him instead of answering his questions. "I owe this village for giving me a place to stay for a few days, and so I want to repay it as soon as possible...just so you know, I don''t like owing something to someone." Rei replied proudly. "I-i see! Thank you very much, Mr. Warrior!" "Don''t thank me yet...cause we don''t know where they are and how many forces this Banzana has" "Yes...but what I know is that...his lackeys will come to this village to take our money for the compensation and...they want us to give them our children for them to sold." "I see...I think understand...thank you for answering and so...can you entrust your daughter to me?" "W-what do you mean by that Mr. Warrior?" "I have a plan to save the village but it all depends on your daughter." When Rei spoke those words, the wind started picking up a bit, enhancing the tense atmosphere around them. ****** Afterwards, in the middle of night. The people were standing in the middle of the village with their kids behind them. Soon, a loud horse steps approaching from the front of the village, getting louder and louder the closer it got. *DREP* *DREP* They could make out the figures of a few man riding on it while carrying a torch on their hands. When they finally came to a stop, one man came down and walked towards them. "We''re here." An frail old man stepped forwards with a pouched with to the brim with something. The old man was the chief of the village. "The money now." The man said with a wolfish grin and when the chief was about to hand it over, the man took it by force and then pushed him down. "Dear!" His wife ran towards the chief as she held onto him tightly "Hmmm, good~ you guys earn well...and now for the kids. Since you gave us enough money, I would have you all gave us your [most beautiful one]~ that should be enough for us to keep you all alive for few months." When the man spoke, the villagers shifted in fear but...a little girl with beautiful blonde hair stood in front of them and walked towards the man. It was Litia. The man looked down towards this little girl as he observed her for a moment. "Hmmm, good good~ you came without resisting at all...hmmm~ you will get us a good price~" The man grin creepily but Litia didn''t flinch, she remained unfazed and just blinked at him quietly. The man''s grin went stiff, feeling disappointed at her lack of reaction. "Whatever, c''mere." Litia followed the man, riding the horse with him. She looked back towards the crowd of the villagers gathered in front of the bandits. She could see her parents crying helplessly, unable to stop her. But they believed...they believed someone will save them all. Yes... A man stood above a tall tree with his red scarf in the dark, fluttering around due to the chilly night breeze blowing around the village, his black armor and a helmet that looked like a beast in the night preparing to prey its victim gleamed dangerously under the moonlight. The casted shadow from his surroundings made his red and yellow eyes that were slightly visible on each slit of his helmet looked as if they''re shining brightly. ''Finally...it''s time.'' Ray spoke. "Yeah." Rei replied Then afterwards...Rei leapt down from the tree he was standing on and dived into the darkness of the forest using his equipment skill. Finally...Kiritsuka Rei, commencing his plan to save this village. To be continued... Chapter 32 : Stained Hands (Part 3) *DREP* *DREP* *DREP* The bandits who took Litia from the village was on their way towards their hideout, with their horses'' hooves making rythmical noise against the forest''s ground. "We will arrive soon, so make sure you behave yourself, kid." One of the bandit said to her who''s riding the horse with him. Litia only looked away and nodded her head silently. "Tsk...hya!" The bandit clicked his tongue and sped up his pace. Litia looked up on the night sky as she could see a bright moon in the middle of it. Then she widened her eyes after seeing a shadow jumped up from the forest. The shadow slowly getting closer as it jumped again and again. Litia eyes brightened up when she remembered his words before she came with them. ''[Close your eyes...when you see me].'' She closed her eyes, shivering at the chilly night air that caressed her cheeks. ****** Meanwhile Rei who''s on his way towards them are talking with Ray. "What? You want me to train by fighting them?" ''That''s the fastest and possible way.'' "But isn''t that dangerous?" ''Dangerous or not...I believe you can do it.'' "Mhm...I''ll do my best." ''Do you remember what I said? Kiritsuka.'' "Yeah, I remember... [Don''t kill, but hurt them to the point they want to die]." ''Heh, good.'' After Rei spoke those words, he dashed forward. ****** *DREP* *DREP* *DREP* "Captain!" "What is it!?" The captain looked over to one of his teammates. "Something''s approaching!" They stopped their horses in the middle of forest, looking around but couldn''t see anything. ''Hmmm...8 people this time huh, it''s gonna be hard...'' Rei observed inside of his head while hiding in between the darkness. He kept his observation for a while and recalling Ray''s words. ****** 5 minutes before, while Rei was jumping to trees by trees. ''Kiritsuka.'' Ray called him. ''Yes?'' Rei replied while focusing his steps on each branch. ''I shall ask you a question.'' "Uhhh?? Okay?" ''Okay then, so do you know a basic rule for a proper party?'' "I...don''t know." Rei responded unsurely. ''A party consists of 4 types of people, [The Vanguard], [The Attacker], [The Defender], and finally...[The Support]. Now then...the question is, which one is the most important that hold the pillar for the team?'' "Hmmmm...[The Vanguard]?" ''Bububu! Wrong!'' "Eh?! Isn''t [The Vanguard] the leader?" ''Of course, [The Vanguard] is important...but it doesn''t mean [The Vanguard] is the only one who can pull the party together to reach their goal. If the [Vanguard] is the one who pull the party, now who''s the one who pushed the team if the [Vanguard] couldn''t pull it off?'' "...?!" Rei widened his eyes for a moment when he realized something. ''Yes...When you''re facing a party...you shouldn''t aim the [Vanguard] first...but... ''the [Support].'' ****** ''Is that the [Support] that you mentioned?'' Rei asked as he observed the bandits who were in group together, pointing towards the one with a hood over his face. ''You are right, [Support] job consists of something that will help a team to move forward, like that guy. I can guess his job is [Scout] or [Ranger] who have skill that could locate nearby enemies.'' Ray explained. ''I see.'' Rei replied as he was still in the darkness using his equipment skill [Shadow Movement]. ''Now then, let the hunt begin.'' After Rei spoke those words, he disappeared in the shadow of the night. ****** "Hey! You said there was something!" The captain of the bandits shouted at the hooded man. "I did hear a movement Captain!" The hooded man replied. "Tsk...then go and check it! Everyone else, get ready." The captain spoke as he pulled out his sword from his waist. The hooded man slowly get down from his horse as he began to walk around using his skill to locate the enemy. "Did you get something?!" The captain shouted. "No, I didn''t see¨Cbugh!" *BAK*If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. When the hooded man about to finish his words, he was punched on his chin and dropped down to the ground. The captain noticed a shadow moving around after knocking their [Scout] down. "What the¨C?! Regroup!" With the captain''s order, his team began to close up, creating a circle. ''Ohh, despite being a bandit they are pretty good.'' ''Indeed, but...without their [Support] I hope they cann''t last long.'' As Rei spoke, he moved inside the shadow. The bandits team broke cold sweat, feeling the wariness and tense atmosphere that surround them. Fortunately, they still could see their surrounding thanks to the moonlight that brightened the forest. Howevee, when the clouds slowly covered the moonlight, the whole forest was engulfed in darkness. And finally it started... "Ack¨C!!" Following the sound, they saw a shadow dragging one of them into the dark forest. "Becareful! There''s something around here!" The captain tried to calm his party down. But... . . . "Hmp¨C?!" . . . Slowly... . . . "Gah¨C?!" . . . One by one... . . . "Ack¨C?!" . . . It didn''t last long until his party was reduced to no one but himself. The captain was starting to panic, his breathing laboured and came in short gasps...his fear and anxiety quickly build up, swallowing him down and that caused him to make a desperate move. The captain of the bandits dragged Litia into his arms and aimed his sword towards her neck. "Don''t come near! or I will cut this girl''s head off!!" The captain shout out of desperation. When the moon showed up again, it revealed a bloody scene. The party of the bandits was wiped off, his men were laying on the ground groaning in pain and most of them were unconscious with a few cuts on their body. And then he showed up... A man in a black armor with his beast looking helmet. He looked like a hungry beast that has preyed on its enemy, but despite that...his red scarf was the one thing that stood out the most. The captain was suprised seeing this man appeared in front of him, with his both hand occupied on something. His right hand was holding a black sword that was covered with blood and his left hand was holding onto one of his party and it seemed like he was dragging him just now. *DROP* Rei dropped one of the bandits on the ground as he walked towards him. "W-who the fuck are you?! Do you know who you are messing with¨C Bugh?!" The captain continue to yell in fright as he tried to keep this man out of his sight but when he''s about to finish his words... Rei grabbed his face with his left hand and lifted him up, causing him to let go off Litia from him and loosen his grip on his sword. "Seriously...are you trying to make me recall that one hellish day?" Rei spoke coldly as he mentioned the day when Litia was turned into hostage. "But this time...not anymore." Rei quickly threw him away, making him crashed towards a tree. "Ack!?" The captain screamed in pain as his back crashed against it Rei looked at him for a moment before he went to check on Litia who still had her eyes closed. "Litia, you can open your eyes now." Rei spoke. When Litia opened her eyes, she could see many of the bandits were on the ground and the one who stood in front of her was Rei. "Mr. Warrior!" Litia cried and ran towards him then hugged his waist. Rei patted her head and smiled from behind his helmet, "I''m sorry for having you go through scary times." Litia nodded and kept quiet as she still clinging onto him tightly. "Now then..." Rei turned his head around to look at the captain who tried to stood up. "U-ughh..huh¨C??" As soon the captain looked up his body suddenly froze and paralyzed. [Intimidate] has been activated as he gave off his red aura to pressure the captain. The captain trembled in fear as he couldn''t move his body. He could only stand there, looking towards Rei who slowly approached him. "Now then...shall we begin with a few question?" When he spoke, his red and yellow eyes glinted in the dark through each slits of his helmet. Afterwards...a scream rang out throughout the forest. ****** After few minutes, horse steps could be heard running through the forest and the one who rode it was a single man. He arrived shortly in front of a large cave that was located near a mountain. There''re two person guarding the cave entrance as they walked towards the man. "Who are you?!" They used their torch to see who it was... And found out that he''s the captain of the bandits from before. "Oh! it''s you." one of the guard said. "Well, get in." But the captain didn''t answer nor respond to him in any way. "Oi! Are you deaf? And where are the others?" They approached closer to him but when they tried to shake him off a bit...the captain fell down to the ground. "What''s wron¨Chuh?!" When they took a closer look they could see he was unconscious with his eyes rolled back and somehow shaking in pain. "Don''t bother." A voice came out and they noticed a person standing right behind them. "W-who the fuck are you¨Chuft!?" Before they could shouted, Rei immediately used his [Intimidate] to paralyze them first then with a swift movement, he gave a punch on each of their faces with blinding speed that was enough to knock them down out cold. "How rude...do you not know that there''s someone sleeping." Rei spoke and soon after, he tied the three of them on a tree with their mouth gagged with rope so they won''t be calling for help. "Now then, is this their hideout?" Rei asked while looking at the entrance of the cave. ''I could feel a small trace of magic...hm? Now I get it.'' Ray spoke. "Get what?" ''They use a [Magic Item].'' "[Magic Item]?" ''[Magic Item] is an item that was casted with rune of magic inside of them and most importantly, everyone can use this item to cast [Magic] just like a [Mage].'' Ray explained. "So you mean, if I put a rune magic for [Fireball] then you can cast [Fireball] without having a [Mage] job?" ''Yepp, and they casted this large barrier to cover the whole place...no wonder the knights never notice this.'' "So...what should we do now?" ''Hmmm, let''s focus on saving the children first. cause if we focus on them they will try to take one of the children into hostage.'' "Yeah okay." Rei nodded his head and walked inside the cave. By using his aura, he focused them on his eyes that allowed him to see in the darkness. As he walked in, he could see the cave stretched out deeper than he had thought. He kept going until there''s two branching path. "According to that captain guy...the children was on the left path." Rei mumbled while turning to take the left pathways. ''Yeah, and the right path...I sense a strong pressure coming from it.'' When Rei turned his eyes to look at the right path, he could feel shivers crawling down his spine. "Indeed...let''s go now." When he went inside of the left path, he could see a bit of light that came from a torch. ''Kiritsuka.'' "I know." Rei noticed there were two guys standing in front of some kind of steel door. Rei quickly hid in the darkness and observed them at first before he swept them away in a flash. *BAK* *BUK* "Ack?!¨C" As they fell down to the ground, Rei stared at the steel door in front of him. "This is..." Rei took one of the keys from the guards and used it to unlock the door. *CLICK* *CREAK* When he open it, he could see cells lined up on each side. He widened his eyes when he walked in and saw many children was being kept inside of these dark cells. "What the hell." Rei fisted his palms tightly as he walked inside, looking around the room. The children looked at him with eyes that looked like a dead fish. As if they lost their hope to be rescued. "Houston, what the hell is this..." When Rei asked those question, Ray couldn''t help but be silent. "Answer me!!" ''...Kiritsuka, this is the reality of the dark side of this world.'' Rei gritted his teeth, "But that doesn''t mean they could do this?!" Rei couldn''t contain his anger any longer as for these children being kept like this...and for the first time in his life seeing these things. Ray couldn''t comment to that because that is the reality of it. But soon...he saw another steel door in front of him. "Huh?" Rei slowly approached it... . . . . *TAP* . . . . *TAP* . . . . *TAP* As he stood right in front of it...and when he was about to reach his hand towards the knob... "Kiritsuka! No! That room!" Ray yelled in that moment, as he noticed something was wrong coming from that room but... it was too late. *CREAK* When the door creaked open, he quickly looked around. The room was rather small, a bit dark and poorly ventilated. There''s nothing worth noticing except for the tang scent of blood that invaded his nose. He scrunched his nose in disgust and saw the floor was stained with old and fresh blood. Rei looked up and noticed a plump man standing in front of something while holding some kind of whip and when he directed his eyes down... . . . . . *THUMP* . . . . . *THUMP* . . . . . *THUMP* . . . . . There''s a little girl with blonde hair laid out motionlessly on the ground...and her body was covered with fresh scars. The whip broke through her skin, drawing out blood that started to darken and some of it landed to the floor. *THUMP* Rei widened his eyes when he saw it... And on that moment...something awaken inside of him. ''Kiritsuka calm¨C'' Ray who noticed the situation was halfway through his speech when Rei already walked closer towards the man. *TAP* *TAP* The plump man turned around after he heard someone coming his way, "Huh?! Who the fuck are you?! Wait...where are the guards?!" Rei ignored his words and continued walking towards the girl, kneeling down when he''s within reach and looked at her. ''Kiritsuka!!'' Ray shout at him, trying to catch his attention but he''s not responding to him. "Oi!! I said who the fuck are you?! Don''t ignore me!! You pieces of sh¨C!!" *CLINK* *SLASH* . . . . . . *THUD* "Huh?" Ray widened his eyes as he saw something that shouldn''t have happened... . . . . . The man that was standing behind him... *SPURT* Blood sprayed up and his head fell down to the ground... As for Rei...he was holding his sword on his hand that was stained with the man''s blood... "Shut up..." . . . . . And that very moment was the first time in his life... . . . . . He murdered someone . . . . . [You leveled up!] To be continued... *Rei''s current status* ======================================= [STATUS] NAME: Kiritsuka Rei / Ray Houston JOB : Blacksmith TITLE : [The Reincarnator], [Time Traveler], [Quick Learner], [Beast Slayer], [Die Hard], [Jack of All Trade] Level: 30 >>> 31 [HP: 4050/4050] [MP: 485/485] [FATIGUE: 0] EXP: 100/38500 STATUS POINT : 12 __ STRENGTH : 101 AGILITY : 71(+5) VITALITY : 76 INTELLIGENCE : 61(+5) SENSE : 66(+5) [SKILL] Blacksmith Mastery Lv6; Sword Mastery Lv6; Battle Instinct Lv6; Super Growth LvMax; Fire Magic Lv4; Aura Lv5; Cooking Mastery Lv3; Knitting Mastery Lv3; Alchemy Mastery Lv2; Pain Resistance Lv1; Speart Arts Lv1!!NEW!! Fire LvMax Blacksmith Flame Lv1 Horizontal Slash LvMax Vertical Slash LvMax Omni Slash Lv3 Persona LvMax [Locked] Imitation Fire Sword Lv3 Shukuchi Lv5 Weapon Breaker Lv1 Intimidate Lv1 Sprint Lv1 Focused Block Lv1 Speart Arts: One Strike Lv1 !!NEW!! ======================================= ======================================= [Black Helmet of the Unknown Beast] Grade: Rare Type: Helmet VITALITY: +15 Durability: 100% A helmet that was created with unknown material, it is unclear how it end up into this shape but there''s a mysterious power coming out from this helmet. Like a wild beast that are hiding its fangs. Skill: [Beast''s Will] Using the power of the mysterious beast, it allows the individual to temporarily increase STRENGTH, VITALITY, and AGILITY by 15. Duration : 45 sec. Cooldown : 65 sec. ======================================= ======================================= [Black Breastplate] Grade: Rare Type: Breastplate VITALITY: +20 Durability: 100% It was created by unknown material, but it doesn''t give any kind of effect, only the black color. ======================================= ======================================= [Black Arm + Leg Guard] Grade: Uncommon Type: Arm and Leg Guard AGILITY: +10 Durability: 100% It was created by some unknown material, but it doesn''t give any kind of effect only the black color. ======================================= ======================================= [Black Boots of the Unknown Beast] Grade: Rare Type: Booths AGILITY: +25 Durability: 100% A pair of boots filled with dark energy that was created from unknown material. It gives the wielder the ability to move between shadows. Skill: [Shadow Movement] A skill that allows its user to move along in the shadow and slipped inside enemy''s defense to strike. Duration: 35 sec. Cooldown: 40 sec. ======================================= ======================================= [Corrosive Black Sword] Grade: Epic Type: Sword STRENGTH: +50 Durability: 100% A sword that was created using the claws from an unknown beast that roamed the night. The claws contains dark energy which allows its user to apply corrosive effect to anything the sword touches. Skill: [Corrosion] Due from its dark energy, it could apply [Corrosion] status towards everything it touches, including the wielders'' enemies. ======================================= Chapter 33: Stained Hands (Part 4) In the dark room, a dark skinned man with dark chocolate dreadlocks was resting on a chair as if it was his throne. "Zzzzz..." He was sleeping on where he was sitting. Even from this position, his body was a lot bigger than the men around him who were resting as well. *SNIFF* But, he suddenly woke up from his slumber as soon as he smelled something...something that piqued his interest for some reason and made him open his eyes. "This smell...blood?" The man spoke as he sniffed the air once more. "Hmmm...that''s strange, if it''s from those kids...their smell wouldn''t wake me up like this...unless...this one...is a new blood!" The man grinned creepily. He turned to see his men who were sleeping soundly in the room. "Oi! Get your lazy asses up!!" The man yelled as his men jolted awake and scrambled up to stand at his order. "Wh...what is it boss?!" One of his men spoke. "I smell an intruder..." The man spoke while covering his face with one hand. "An intruder? At our base??" All of them exchanged confused glances. How did the intruder came into this place and knew about its location? The place was barred with a barrier that could intercept people''s vision, that''s why they could still operate up until now. "Do I need to say it again?" When the man spoke, the whole room was surrounded by a dark aura...a murderous and intense aura that could kill a person at any moment and it was coming out from the large man in a typical pirate outfit. "N-no boss! We will search the intruder!! H-hey come on!" His henchmen ran out from the room in haste, trying to escape their boss'' wrath. The man who''s still in his seat sighed but then the creepy grin came back. "Hmmm~ Man~ Oh Man~ never thought I would find something interesting to happen tonight. But...I wonder just who it is that dare coming to this place. If it''s those pesky knights, they wouldn''t know this place unless it''s someone else... Heheh~ kukuku...Hahahaha!!! Make sure you you entertain me, mr. Intruder~ since this is where a great me, [Banzana, The Bandit King] lives!! KuHAHAHAHA!!" Banzana laughed loudly in his room, excited at this new development happening in his lair. ****** *CLINK* *SLASH* . . . . . . *THUD* "Huh?" Ray widened his eyes as he saw Rei unsheathed his sword then swung it in straight horizontal line without hesitation. *SPURT* Blood sprayed up from the man and his head fell down to the ground. Rei didn''t hesitate this time. First time in his life, he finally murdered someone without remembering the words that he always tried to keep. "Shut up..." Rei spoke coldly as he turned his head around to see the headless plump man while he held the blonde haired little girl in his arms. ''Kiri..tsuka?'' Ray couldn''t believe his eyes, the innocent kid who were enjoying his time training and trying to protect everyone he cared, now stained his hands just to save one injured little girl. But... Rei suddenly put the little girl down for a moment before he quickly went to a corner of the room to open his helmet and vomitted everything he ate before. "Bleeghh.." ''Kiritsuka!'' "Haaa...haaaa...haaa...it''s fine." Rei panted heavily and wiped off his mouth with a tear on his eyes as he soon put his helmet back. "Houston...I decided...I won''t hesitate any longer...these guys aren''t human at all." ''...'' Suddenly, Rei chuckled deliriously, shaking his head as his shoulders shook along with his chuckle. After a while, he took a breath, let it out and then smiled pleasantly behind his helmet, "I''ve just murdered someone for my own satisfaction...for the first time in my life." He blinked, still smiling, "Not too long ago...I was really scared, and afraid. But now... "...I wonder why I feel like this?" ''I...don''t know what to say to that, Kiritsuka.'' Ray answered rather uncertainly. Rei sighed quietly, "I really am weird...I''m sorry...I lost my cool just now." ''No...it''s fine...but remember...you did what you you must do and what you think is right in that situation.'' "I know...and thanks, Houston." Rei nodded before he went back to the little girl and held her in his arms again while looking at her, "I bet...she was crying the whole time while asking for help." He glanced at the scars around her arms and legs that looked severe. "Can a potion heal these scars away?" ''Why do you ask.'' "I heard from mom, that...a woman mustn''t have a scar on her body or else she can''t get a man." ''Well...that''s true...'' Ray trailed off, somehow reminded of someone. He was silent for a while.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. "Houston?" Rei called him out, snapping Ray out of his daydream. ''Huh?! Oh...well...how about you try it first since the wound is still fresh. It probably won''t leave any scar.'' "Okay." Rei nodded and sheathed his sword back. He took out a single green potion from his [Inventory] then pulled off the lid. "Hey...can you please open your mouth." Rei spoke softly. The little girl opened her eyes a bit to see who saved her. Her eyes was violet-blue, it was somehow looks beautiful like a gem. Even though it''s blurry, she decided to open her mouth a bit for him. When Rei poured the potion into her mouth, she slowly drank it. *GULP* *GULP* After that a surge of warmness coursed through her entire body as a green light surrounded her. The scars and fresh wound scattered all over her arms and legs slowly recovered as if nothing ever happened to her. Rei who saw it couldn''t help but be amazed again at his own skill for crafting this kind of potion. Well he did give this potion to that old man who got injured on his shoulder before and he got healed in no time. Since he always used this potion to heal his exhaustion, he never know the effectiveness of this potion towards injuries. Rei sighed in relief seeing the little girl finally recovered and now resting peacefully in his arms. "I guess it is quite effective." ''Indeed.'' Rei stood up while carrying the little girl out of the room. The kids who were sitting inside the line of cells around him, stood up in shock because the man who wore an armor and helmet, came out from that room alive and they saw just who it was that he held in his arms. "Alicia!" One of the kids called her name. "It''s Alicia!" "No way..." "She''s safe?" "I''m so glad...Alicia..." The kids were in disbelief seeing the little girl was resting safe and soundly. ''Alicia...I see...so that''s her name.'' ''What do you mean by that Houston?'' Rei asked while staring at the little girl. ''I never thought I would be seeing her again...'' ''Huh?? You know her?'' ''Of course I know her...she is the flower of the academy. She''s the smartest and most beautiful, second only to Iris and also a [Saintess] in the future...[Alicia Eckhart].'' ''F-future [Saintess]?! Her?! But how come she''s in this place?! Ehh??! and seriously, the Academy?! Huh?! I don''t...i don''t get it...'' ''I know you have a lot of question...but...'' *TAP* *TAP* *TAP* ''It seems we have company.'' Ray spoke as the thundering footsteps quickly approaching from the other side of that steel door. Rei put Alicia down on the ground while unlocking the cage for the children as they came out, looking a bit confused about what''s going on now. "You kids stay here okay? And protect Alicia for me." Rei spoke while standing right in front of the steel door. "A-are you gonna save us all!?" a young boy stood up in front of them. "Of course." "I-it''s impossible! With you alone...you can just save Alicia and leave us out!" Rei turned his head around to look at the boy who was in the verge of crying. Rei smiled behind his helmet, "Don''t worry...this Mr. Knight is going to save you all, no matter what." The children could tell he was smiling despite not seeing it and those words somehow... Felt "Warm" and "kind" Their tears began streaming out as they saw their last hope for freedom. "Promise us you will come back for us!" "Yeah...I promise." *CREAK* Rei opened the door...he spoke, "So wait for me." *TUNK* *CLICK* He closed the steel door behind him and locked it before he faced approximately 50 bandits who were standing in front of him. "...." Rei stared at them calmly as he put the keys into his [Inventory]. "Huh? Only one person? Is that the intruder?" One of them spitted to the ground and approached him. This one was bigger than the others. "Puh! He looked like a twig, I could snap him in half with ease! The big man grinned while putting his sword over his shoulder. The others burst out laughing at him and seemed to be agreeing with the Big Man but out of them all, only one man who stayed cautious. "Oi! Don''t be too hasty!" ''This is weird...why this man looks so calm...'' the man thought as he observed him. Rei looked up at the man before him then smiled behind that helmet, before he laughed, "Heh, Hahaha!" The big man raised his eyebrows, "Well...would you look at that. This guy went crazy all of a sudden." "I never thought...there''s so many [trash] coming to me." "What????" As soon as Rei spoke, the whole cave was plunged into silence. All of them looked very irritated now. "Tsk...what a big mouth you have there! I won''t give you painless death! I''ll start by cutting one of your arms!" The big man lifted his sword angrily. "Ahhh...I see, it was never my intention to give you guys a painless death anyway." "Huh? What are you¨C" In a blink of an eye, without letting him finish his words...Rei pulled out his black sword from his [Inventory] and... *SLASH* Swiftly swung the sword down then upwards, cutting the big man''s unguarded arm that was raising his sword. *SPURT* *THUD* As his big arm fell off to the ground and blood started spraying on the wall...he screamed. "AGHHHH!!! What the fuck!!" He cried and knelt down on the ground while trying to stop the blood from coming out from his cut off arm. But that''s not all... *TSSSS* Suddenly, he could see the wound on his shoulder getting worse and somehow looked burnt, causing the blood to stop leaking. By using the [Corrosion] that came from his black sword, it caused that phenomenon before his eyes. But the pain... "ACKKK!! MAKE IT STOP!! IT HURTS!! AAAGGHH!!" He couldn''t stop screaming and that surprised everyone else who were watching. "...." They couldn''t even utter a single word after seeing what happened before them.... They could only watch as their comrade was screaming and writhed in pain. "AGHHH!!! N-NOO!!!!" The shrill tone of his scream was filled with agony, causing them to freeze in place from shock and fear that took over their body. Meanwhile Rei just silently watched the big man while still raising his sword above him. "Hmmmm...do you want me to make it stop?" Rei asked while staring down at the man who was still crying from pain. "Yes?! Yes!! Help me!" The big man begged. "Sure, I''ll help you end the pain." *CLINK* Rei adjusted the blade of his sword as he''s ready to swing it again. "N-no...NOO!! Don''t kill me!!¨C" Without hesitation, he swing his black sword down and... *SLASH* It went from his head to his neck as blood sprayed more around him. *SPURT* The others who saw it, had their jaws wide opened in shock seeing the big man fell down to the floor, killed in a matter of second. "W-what...what are you guys doing?! Kill him!!" One of them shouted as they began to prepare their weapon. ''Kiritsuka.'' "I know...[Shadow Movement]." When Rei used his skill, for a moment, between the slit on his helmet, his eyes glinted before he dived into the ground, disappearing from their sight. "What?! Where the fuck did he go?!" They looked around using their torch to light up the whole place but couldn''t see where did he just went to. Meanwhile Rei stayed hidden for a moment. ''Hmmm, there''s a whole lot of them...and it seems likes there''s no [Mage] among them.'' ''Houston, give me directions.'' Rei asked immediately. ''Be patience about this...'' Ray sighed, ''Well, it''s almost the same like before. search their support first but this time...also aim for the [Weakest] one.'' ''Weakest one?'' ''Yeah, you need to diminish their group one by one, starting from the weakest.'' ''I see, but how can you know the difference?'' ''Remember [Appraisal].'' Rei blinked for a moment before he start using [Appraisal] to them one by one. "Ohhh..." He suddenly could see all of their names and all of them have different colors. ''Orange, Orange, green and white...I see, there''s so many with higher level than mine.'' ''Yepp, now then let''s start with white first.'' ''But can I have a question?'' Rei asked. ''What is it?'' Ray replied. ''Why do you need to take out the weakest first?'' Ray smirked, ''Heh well...see it for yourself.'' Rei nodded his head before he started his first move... As they all looked around and stayed on high alert, he began picking them off from the weakest. "Where the fuck did he go!! Come on you pieces of shi¨Cack?!" *SLASH* Without finishing his words, his throat suddenly got sliced as his blood sprayed down and he fell down. The whole group who saw this was startled. ''The reason why...you aim for the weakest of their group...is to cause panic.'' "Huh?¨Cack!" Another man who stood beside him was stabbed through his chest by a black sword from behind. His blood sprayed out around them as Rei disappeared into the darkness again... ''And when they do...they will lose their reasoning and focus on their own survival.'' Ray explained. This continued for a while... . . . . . . *SLASH* "Ack!!" Rei cut off their arms and legs... "A-GHHH!! IT HURTS!!" The corrosive power from the sword started taking its effect, corroding their body bit by bit... *STAB* "Aghh!!" Rei stabbed their heart without giving any chance for them to breathe... "N-no¨C?!" As he used his [Intimidate] to paralyze them one by one...making them know the fear of being hunted by a mysterious being. He didn''t stop nor care about their scream... *SLASH* "Ackkk!!!" *SLASH* "P-please sav¨C?! Ackk!!" *STAB* "Ughhh!!?" . . . . . . . . . . . He continued to lurk in the darkness and killed them all until the last one watched everything unfolded with fear-stricken face. *THUD* One of them dropped down in front of the man who was the last one standing among his comrades'' dead body, legs shaking and his face was white as sheet... He couldn''t understand what just happened before him. The torches that were lighting the whole place was gradually reduced into just one that was on the ground right beside him... "W-what the fuck....j-j-just happen...E-everyone i-i-is¨C" "Dead." As he was about to finish his words...Rei suddenly appeared right in front of him...with his whole body drenched in those bandits'' blood. He stood there with his red and yellow eyes shining in the dark and holding his black sword that emitted this dark aura. "Now then...you are the only one left." Rei spoke with cold tone and using his [Intimidate] to paralyze his whole body. "W-why are you doing this...w-we didn''t do anything to you!!!" The man shouted in anger while still very much terrified in front of such being like him. But Rei just laughed it all off like a madman. "Haah...how funny, you asked that kind of question despite not knowing what you guys do?" Rei walked towards him and leaned his face closer to his. "Are you serious?..." Suddenly the pressure from [Intimidate] getting even stronger and just from his tone he sounded so angry. With his eyes shining in the dark due to the skill, and the aura he emitted was so strong as if it was about to swallow this man whole. The man couldn''t even reply to his question because he was paralyzed from his skill. Then Rei stood back, raising his sword. "Let me tell you before I transport you to that world...the reason for your annihilation... ...was because you met me." The man widened his eyes and making this face that read ''...is that''s the only reason...for us to die.'' "So DIE." *SLASH* Rei swung his sword, cutting his head off without hesitation as his blood sprayed on his helmet and clothes. *THUD* The headless body of the last bandit fell down lifelessly to the ground. Rei took a deep breath before letting it out as he stared at the ceiling, feeling remorseful but also relieved at the same time. [Notice!] [You leveled up!] He closed his eyes for a moment after hearing the notice then he turned around to walk towards the steel door quietly. . . . . . *TAP* . . . . Not long ago...they were discussing about how their journey would begin. . . . . *TAP* . . . . The quest they would take, the adventures to find new things that were waiting ahead of them. . . . . *TAP* . . . . But it was turned into a disaster...when a young man had his [first murder] and saw the [dark truth] behind the fantasy world that he used to yearn before. . . . . *CLICK* *CREAK* . . . . Would these journey of them change how he looked at the world? . . . . . Nobody knows... ****** *TAP* . . . . *TAP* . . . . *TAP* . . . . A man was walking to the direction where Rei was located. His heavy footsteps rang out throughout the cave. . . . . *TAP* Then...the man''s mouth stretched into a wide creepy grin, showing his set of teeth, "Gihiii...~" . . . . . A new storm is approaching...and soon will block his way once again. To be continued... Chapter 34 : Crimson (Part 1) In the midst of darkness, Alicia had a dream. It''s about when she was kidnapped by those bandits. She didn''t know how she ended up like that, but the only thing she knew is that she is weak... Very weak...that she couldn''t fight those bandits back. Of course she''s still a little girl who doesn''t know how to protect herself so¡­there''s nothing she could do about it. Her family couldn''t save her, because she knew that they are powerless to them. She looked around inside her cell, so many children like her was inside while wearing dirty ragged clothes. However, she had a friend who was in the same age as her so she didn''t feel lonely at all being put in such a place like this. Her name was...Elle. Her friend was a brunette girl and shared similar eye color like her, violet. Despite being here, she always put a bright smile on her face to cheer up her friend¨CAlicia when she felt down and missing her family. They shared laughs and the other children couldn''t help but wanting to join the two of them, sharing what little fun they created to distract themselves from the grim reality they were in. One night on the hard cold floor where they were resting, they were discussing about something... "Ne...Alicia." "Yes? What is it Elle?" "What do you want to do¡­when we finally get out from here?" Elle turned her head around to look at her. "Hmmm...I think I want to go back to my family!" Alicia reply with smile. Elle smiled back and nodded, "I see...that''s nice¡­" Alicia noticed her rather melancholic tone and expression. "Elle? What''s wrong?" Elle sighed, "The truth is...I¡­I don''t have a family anymore." Alicia who heard that was shocked as she averted her gaze down a bit, "I-I''m sorry..." "It''s fine" Elle replied with a smile. She waited for a bit before she softly asked again, "Ummm...what happen to them? If you don''t mind me asking" Elle was quiet for a while before she eventually answered Alica with her story, "They...were killed by those bandits. Our village was raided by them and before they caught me...they killed mommy...and daddy..." Elle looked away and up at the ceiling, her hand was clenching on her clothes tightly and she noticed that they were shaking. Alicia listened to her words carefully, reaching out to clasp at her trembling hand and gave her a reassuring squeeze to which Elle returned with a shaky sigh and squeezing hers back using her other hand. Alica closed her eyes as she somehow able to understand her pain. Her family was still alive, but she and everyone else here were caught by those bandits and couldn''t escape from their grasp, basically sharing some sort of camaraderie with each other. Alicia leaned closer towards her friend and suddenly...embracing her in her arms. Elle blinked twice as she looked over at her in mild surprise, "A-alicia?" "Then how about you come with me?" "W-what do you mean?" "It means we can be family! My parents are kind, so they probably would let you in with me!" "Uhhhh...the [probably] part doesn''t sound right." Alicia became a bit flustered at that, "Eh? Uh¡­I-i just¡ªI don''t know, okay!" But then, Elle begin to giggle a bit as Alicia couldn''t help but followed her along and then they ended up laughing again. Elle sighed pleasantly after their laughter gradually died down, "Alicia..." "Yes?" "Thank you for being with me, I''m glad I met you." "Of course! That''s what friends are for." Alicia beamed with a smile before they fell asleep together with a smile on their face. Unfortunately, that happiness didn''t last long because on the next day... Elle was brought into a room with an ugly plump man. Alicia was shouting desperately, "Elle!! No!!" She cried as she couldn''t reach her because she was still inside of the cell. The last thing she saw of her dear friend was her bright smile, as if trying to show her everything''s going to be alright before the door was closed and Elle disappeared from her sight. Three days have passed and she didn''t hear anything about Elle. Even though Alicia barely spent a week in that place, they already formed a deep bond and connection to one another. She meant it when she asked her to be part of her family since she already saw themselves as sisters. She didn''t know why Elle hasn''t gone back. When she asked the others they always averted their gazes and not telling her anything. Then the next day, it was Alicia''s turn... to be brought to that room. She didn''t know what''s going to happen to her nor she care much about it. She only wanted to know what happen to Elle. When she arrived at that room... It was hell... For the first time in her life she received such pain all over her body. The plump man who brought her inside, kept swinging his whip on her. She was tortured many times, even though she begged him to stop but her pleas fell on deaf ears. If anything, that seemed to excite the man more, as sick as that sounded. . . . . . *SLAP* . . . *SLAP* .The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. . . . The man continued to torture her with out a care in the world. There''s a sick glee on his face, as if he was very much enjoying his time. As her whole body slowly filled with so many fresh scars, Blood dripped down from her skin... The little girl couldn''t scream anymore due the pain was too overwhelming for her. And before she let her remaining consciousness go, "Where...is...Elle..." she asked, despite suffering from such agony...she still wanted to know where did Elle go. The man showed her a grin, "Oh? Her? Ahhhh....She''s dead~" *THUMP* *THUMP* Alicia widened her eyes as tears slowly well out from her eyes as soon as she heard that her only friend in this place, the one she shared stories and laughs¡­ Has long gone... She began to cry on her own, her hatred towards the man in front of her quickly building up along with her anger. Her body couldn''t move at all...and she could only look at that man who grinned even wider seeing her hateful gaze. "Aahhh~ yes!! That face~ very beautiful~!!" The man laughed as he raised his whip and grinned. "Show me¡­show me more!!" The whip landed and she abruptly closed her eyes at the stinging pain. She couldn''t move but at that moment, all she could do is¡­ . . . . . ''God...or anyone...please...save me...'' . . . . . Hoping that someone could save her... *CREAK* As if hearing her pleas, the door behind the plump man opened... A man with black armor a red scarf that seems looks shine in the dark came into view...it was somewhat beautiful. Although her gaze was blurred, she knew that deep in her mind...that the man would no doubt save her from this nightmare. Knowing that, she closed her eyes *SLASH* ** In the middle of her unconsciousness, Alicia opened her eyes a bit when she felt someone carried her small body. She couldn''t see clearly because of how blurry her vision was and trying to keep herself awake. "I heard from mom, that...a woman mustn''t have a scar on her body or else she can''t get a man." The man in front of her heard him talking to himself. "Mhm, okay." He sheathed his sword back and suddenly took out a bottle with green liquid inside. "Hey...can you please open your mouth." he asked. Alicia didn''t know him...but she knew that she could trust this man. She opened her mouth a bit. After that, he poured the green liquid inside of her mouth gently and make sure she drank it bit by bit. *GULP* *GULP* Suddenly, she felt a surge of warmth coursing through her entire body as a green light surrounded her. Alicia relaxed after the pain slowly faded along with her injuries. Before she went unconscious again, she spoke... ''Thank you.'' ****** After a while, the dream came to an end and she began to open her eyes after her injuries were healed. "Alicia!" "She''s awake!" She could hear many voices around her and she realized they were from the kids who were kept in cells, like her. "Uh...huh? You...where are we...?" Alicia sat up and looked around her as she tried to orient herself. She was surprised because they were out of their cells. "W-wha¨C what happen?? How did you guys get out?! Why am I here??" The other kids slowly looked at each other for a moment before they looked at her once again. "Ummm...the truth is¨C" The other kids began to explain what happened from start. They told her that someone saved her from that room and even healed her injuries afterwards. Right now, that man was out there locking the door and fighting those bandits alone. Alicia who listened to their explanation began to feel worried and scared at the same time. "T-then we need to help him!!" Alicia tried to stand up but they stopped her from going anywhere near the door. "You can''t Alicia!" "Yeah! mr. Knight told us that he''s gonna be back." "H-how can you trust him that much!" "Because!...because he promised us to came back and saved us all." They all looked down and knew that this was their last hope, and if that man didn''t come back, they would be locked up again. Alicia couldn''t help but be wary of this man after what she experienced from that room. She knew she couldn''t trust anyone that much, especially adults. However... *CLICK* *CREAK* The steel door in front of them creaked open and the one who came from behind it was... Rei who was wearing the black armor, helmet and his red scarf. He looked at those children who immediately cowered from his sight that was covered with blood. "I''m back." He spoke as made his way towards them. But when he approached them, they stepped back a bit. "Hm??" Rei was confused of their behavior but then he realized his armor and clothes were covered with blood. Rei shook his head and turned around so that his back was facing them, "You''re free now, let''s go back to the village." Rei didn''t mind being seen as scary by these kids. He just murdered a bunch of bandits in cold blood after all...it''s not exactly easy keeping yourself clean in the heat of the moment. The kids were looking at each other since they didn''t know what to do what to now. ''Did he say...free?'' That''s the question they had in mind, well...mostly Alicia who looked at the man in front of them. He looked hurt, somewhat, of course not physically but...more like his mind and feelings. She didn''t know why she felt this way but eventually she gathered her courage to speak to him "U-um...Mr. Knight!" Rei didn''t turn around but he answered her call, "Yes? What is it?" "A-are we really free?" Alicia asked while looking at the back of his helmet, making sure his words was true or not. "Yeah, all of you are free." Rei spoke curtly but even with just that simple reply, she could tell...this man was telling the truth. "T-thank you very much! mr. Knight!" Alicia bowed deeply as her eyes began to tear up. The other children followed her and began bowing bowed their heads in gratitude. Rei still didn''t look back, he didn''t feel like what he had just done was worthy of such a heartfelt thanks. "It''s fine, you can thank me after we came out from this cave." Rei began to walk out from that room with the kids following him from behind. "Don''t look around and focus on me, got it?" Rei spoke, getting one of the lit up torch on the ground as he continued to walk. The kids listened and focus their eyes on him, following the man obediently. ''Houston.'' Rei called him out inside of his mind as he led the children to freedom. ''What is it?'' Ray replied. ''I want to ask.'' ''Okay? ask away.'' ''I was planning to ignore this...but when we kill those bandits, I heard a level up notice. If monsters gave you exp point does that mean humans too?'' Rei asked. ''....'' Ray was silent for a while hearing the question and then he sighed. ''Seriously...I really don''t want to talk about it but...yeah, you''re right.'' Ray answered. ''Like monsters, humans also have magical power hidden inside of them. The stronger they are...they would release even stronger magical power or in this case, exp points.'' Ray explained. ''....you knew?'' ''Of course I knew, I live longer than you and back then...at those wars...this kind of thing was like bread and butter to me.'' ''War huh...'' Rei was fixated about that word after he heard it. Ray sighed and tried to cheer him up, ''You don''t have to think about it, just focus on getting stronger. Don''t worry, I will be by your side no matter what, Kiritsuka.'' That made him laugh a bit, ''Thanks.'' ''Hmmm, we have saved around...60 children that were kept in that cell but...I have a strange feeling.'' ''What strange?'' Rei asked. ''I''m thinking about the boss of those guys.'' ''You mean Banzana?? Heh, maybe he left because he chickened out.'' ''Well one cannot be sure, so keep your guards up...cause I heard a very bad rumor about him.'' ''What is it?'' ''It''s just a rumor but...he was called as someone who is brutal and ruthless...and at the same time he is also... A battle junkie, someone who enjoys battling the most.'' After those words...when they''re about to come out from the first entrance... A silhouette of a large man came out so suddenly from the other entrance as he swinging a giant saber sword. "Oraa!!!" "...!?!" Rei was alarmed after he noticed his presence and quickly pulled out his black sword. *THUNG* Their swords clashed to one another, the children were taken aback after seeing Rei let go of the torch and quickly blocked the sword that was about to hit him. "Mr. Knight!!" Alicia called out in fright. *TSSKKK* As their swords continued to clash, Rei couldn''t help but broke a bit of sweat upon feeling the difference of power between them. ''W-what the heck...with this strength.'' ''Kiritsuka!! retreat first!! you can''t fight him head on!!'' ''That''s quite easy for you...'' *TSKKK TANG* ''...to say!!'' Rei quickly changed the direction of his sword to make the man''s blade slide past him as Rei quickly jumped back and stood right in front of the children. ''Heh, dammit...speak of the devil, the person you just talked about finally showed his face.'' Rei quickly get on his stance and stayed on guard, making sure the children were safe behind him. Afterwards, the light of the forgotten torch on the ground illuminated the man''s large figure from the darkness. He had dark skin with dark chocolate dreadlocks and a body that was two times bigger than the man Rei faced from before, while the large saber sword was held tightly on his left hand. ''That is...[The Bandit''s King, Banzana].'' Ray spoke. "Ohh~ you''re quite strong despite being a lot smaller than me." Banzana spoke. *CLINK* Rei didn''t answer, focused on his stance while staring at him silently. "...." "I see, so you''re the little shit who killed all of my subordinates. Hmmmm...quite a decent aura and equipment you got there, no wonder they lost to you, Hahahaha!" Bazana laughed like a madman and then he grinned creepily. "Well it wouldn''t be fun if you''re weak, but then again...it might be worth it. Say! How about I offer you something?" "An offer?" Rei replied. "Yeah~ I challenge you to a duel." "A duel? Are you joking? A bandit like you challenging me on duel?" "Hey hey~ even if I am a bandit, I was once a warrior. If you accept it, I will let those brats go." "...." Rei was silent when he heard of his offer. ''Houston, what should I do.'' ''I guess...you don''t have any choice but accept it...even I don''t want to face him right now...but the kids are number one priority...we can''t let them getting caught into a fight.'' "Tsk...Fine! I agree!" Rei accepted. "Mr. Knight!" The kids shouted in fright. "But let them go first, then you''ll have the fight that you want." "Heh, Hahahaha!!! Fine~ I can let the brats go first~ I promise you that." Surprisingly Banzana stepped aside, giving them the path to freedom. Rei couldn''t help but be wary about his intention, he prepared his sword just in case if he tried to back-stab him. He signaled the kids to follow him to the path while Banzana himself followed later. When they''re finally out from the cave, Rei talked with the kids and gave them a small pouch each. "These are [Monster Repellents]. Just walk straight from this place and you will meet someone who''s gonna lead you to the village." Alicia held one of the pouch and looked up at him, "Mr. Knight! What about you?!" "I will be following you guys after I defeat this guy okay?" The kids nodded their heads and couldn''t help but feel guilty for leaving this person who went out of his way to save them alone with that monster. "P-promise me you will come back!" Alicia said while holding back her tears. Rei widened his eyes a bit and smiled as he nodded, "I promise, I will be back to you and your little sister Litia." Alicia was taken aback when she heard her sister''s name from him but before she could say anything, Alicia was dragged by the other kids who started to run away from there. Rei turned around his back to them and now...facing the monster before him. "Are you done?" Banzana asked with a yawn. "Yeah, I''m done so...give me the rules." "Heh, quite hasty aren''t you? But don''t worry, even I couldn''t hold myself back any longer~" He chuckled, "The rule is simple, whoever die first...lose but since I''m already giving you so much rewards, how about this?~" "If you die...I will go to that village and kill them all...one~ by~ one~ I''ll make sure no one escape from me~ isn''t that great!~ so it will be fair for both of us isn''t it?!~" Banzana spoke as he raised one of his eyes and grinned excitedly, giving off these sinister aura around him. Of course Rei noticed it, his aura was no joke. He could feel the chill running down his spine at how strong this guy felt like. But despite that, Rei remained strong and steady in his spot and instead of feeling scared... He got more...angry. "You scum." Rei glared through the slits on his helmet and his eyes shined a bit as his red aura spiked out while gripping his black sword tightly. Banzana laughed and the creepy grin on his face became wider as he could tell from his voice that he is getting angry, "Hah! That''s more like it! Be angry...be more angry for me!! make me enjoy this battle!! Mr. Knight!!" A cold breeze brushed past them and the moonlight brightened the spot where they stood as if they were given the blessing on this fight for the night. Soon, the fight between the future knight and the bandit king would begin... It became a legendary tale that was passed down to future generations. To be continued... Chapter 35 : Crimson (Part 2) "Hah! hah! hah!" *TAP* *TAP* Under the sea of stars, Alicia and the other kids ran through the dark forest in a straight line, as they were told and they kept running, not turning their head to look back. Alicia continued to run while feeling extremely worried and guilty for leaving Rei to fight Banzana alone. They don''t know how far they had been running but they eventually saw a person standing in the middle of the forest wearing a cloak and a hood. They stopped running, some were catching their breath before they could start looking at the person before them. From their appearance, the person seemed to be at the same height as them. That person pulled back their hood, revealing a blonde haired little girl underneath it. Alicia widened her eyes after seeing her. She ran towards her and then pulled her into a tight embrace. . . . . . *THUD* "Litia!!" "Onee-chan!!" It was Litia who was waiting for them and now she broke down crying in her sister''s arms. "I''m glad you are okay..." Litia sobbed and continued to hug her older sister. "I''m back now...I''m back..." Alicia soothed, trying to assure her that she''s back safe and sound. Litia pulled slightly apart, looking around as she wiped her tears, she frowned a bit when she''s not finding Rei with them, "Where...where is Mr. Warrior?..." "Mr. Warrior? You mean...Mr. Knight?" Alicia asked to make sure that he was the same person. "Y-yes! A man with black armor and a red scarf! Where is he!? Didn''t he save you and the others!?" Alicia wasn''t sure how to tell her so she stayed quiet for a while and not really looking at her. The other kids also looked away after she asked something like that. "W-What''s wrong...Onee-chan...is he okay?!" Litia asked, looking fearful to what she''s about to say next. "Litia...hear me, Mr. Knight...right now he is¨C..." . . . . . . . "Fighting with a [Monster]. . . . . . Alone." ****** Rei was standing in the middle of the forest. In front of him is [Banzana, The Bandit''s King] who are known for being infamous with his...well, job. Bazana was grinning from ear to ear in excitement while he stared at his opponent. "Now then...how about we start the fight now?~" "....." Rei didn''t give him an answer and quickly used skill for the first time instead. ''[Beast Will].'' ======================================= [Beast''s Will] Using the power of the mysterious beast, it allows the individual to temporarily increase STRENGTH, VITALITY, and AGILITY by 15. Duration : 45 sec. Cooldown : 65 sec. ======================================= Suddenly, Rei''s red aura was mixed together with some kind of bluish aura. Banzana saw it and if he wasn''t excited already, he is now definitely. "Ohhh?~ a Buff Skill huh?~ such a rare equipment you got there~ where did you get those anyway?" "If I told you, are you gonna shut up or what?" Rei replied coldly, ''But then again...his name is still red, do I need to build up all my point? it will take a long time to think about it.'' "Heh, such a cocky lil'' brat...makes me wanna know¨C" *SHUUSTH* Banzana disappeared in an instant when he''s about to finish his words. Rei was taken aback, and when he felt some presence behind him... He turned his head around. There was no one behind him and that presence disappeared. ''What?!¨C'' However, another presence quickly approaching behind him and a voice came out. "¨CHow long are you going to stay alive~" Banzana appeared right in before his eyes all the while swinging his sword down to him. Rei quickly responded to his strike by lifting his sword to block it. But... *TANG* Rei was sent flying from that single strike, he didn''t know it was that powerful. ''Again...what''s with this strength?!'' Rei landed on his feet on the ground and quickly tried to retrain his focus on his opponent. "Hoo?~ quite sturdy aren''t you? If a normal soldier meet that attack, they will bleehh~ split apart!" Banzana cackled. "Heh...well too bad I''m not those kind of soldiers." "Indeed...it won''t be fun if you die this quick!!" This time, Banzana ran towards him with full force then lifted his sword up and swung it down towards him. Rei quickly jumped back. *CRACK* The ground was destroyed when his sword hits and it was quite deeply embedded in the ground. ''Kiritsuka! Watch out!'' While in midair, Ray warned him as he could see that Banzana was about to do something. "[Ground Splash]!" He shouted his skill as he forcefully pulled his sword out from the ground, creating a wave of dirt and rocks moving towards Rei who was still hanging in midair. ''Tsk! [Shadow Movement]!'' Rei quickly activated his skill, engulfing his body with dark mist as those wave of rocks and dirt passed through his body. *SWOOSH* When Rei looked at his front, Banzana disappeared from his sight again. "Where is he¨C" He cut himself off as soon as he noticed Banzana appeared right behind him. The man grabbed his head with his giant hand that seemed to be bigger than his own head. ''When did he¨C'' *SWOOSH* . . . . . .Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. . . *BOOM* *CREAK* He threw Rei against a tree and the impact was enough to break the tree apart. "Ack!" He coughed as he could tell his [HP] went down by 25%. That''s quite a lot. Rei quickly stood on his feet but then again... Banzana once again, appeared right in front of him. "What¨C?!" The man grinned and swung his sword down towards him. *BOOM* It created a large explosion, sending a lot of dust and dirt around. When the dust disappeared, Banzana noticed that Rei was nowhere to be found, only the broken tree and destroyed ground where he was standing before. ''Hmm, I feel the impact from my sword...but it seems he used [Shadow Movement] before he got fatally injured.'' Banzana looked around as he still couldn''t find him, ''[Shadow Movement] not only hides the user''s presence...it also hides their mana and aura at the same time.'' His grin grew wide again "Heh~ what an interesting guy, using such a rare item like that." "Huehehehehe....HAHAHAHAHA!!!" Banzana laughed madly. "Yes~ just like that!! Show me more!! More!!" As the laughter continue... . . . . . . . *SWOOSH* Meanwhile Rei came out from the shadows under the trees. He was a bit far away from him now. Rei panted exhaustedly. His right shoulder got injured because of that last strike from before while his body was clad in darkness using [Shadow Movement] once again to hide his presence. ''Madman...no wonder he was able to fight toe on toe with the Knights...he''s fucking strong!'' Rei takes out a green potion from his [Inventory] then pour them on his right shoulder to heal his injury. ''Houston...is there any plan to defeat this guy.'' ''If I had one, I would have been telling you by now...'' Ray sighed, ''right now we need to know how to survive from his attacks.'' Ray replied, not being confident about how are they gonna win this. ''Dammit...why the heck every gigantic guy I fought has that kind of speed!!'' Rei cursed in anger, ''And not only that, I couldn''t even see his movement at all.'' Ray widened his eyes a bit as he noticed something strange, ''Hmmm...Rei, did you focus your eyes with aura constantly?'' ''Well yeah...since I learned how to do that when I fought with uncle Nel right? I mean, he was fast.'' ''Hmmm...I see, it seems our enemy used some sort of trick.'' ''What kind of trick?'' ''Do you remember about the [Magic Item] we were talking about a while ago?'' ''Wait¨C you mean he was using some sort of [Magic Item] to have that kind of speed!'' ''It''s not speed actually...it''s more like a movement spell.'' ''A movement spell?'' ''Yeah so¡­.you already know [Shukuchi] right?'' ''Yeah? What about it?'' ''It''s a skill that shortened the range between you and the enemy...like, you moved fast so your opponent couldn''t read you. With [Aura] you can either focus on your sense to react to that.'' ''So what you''re saying is??'' ''It means, Banzana used a spell that comes from [Magic Item]...the spell that he''s using is called [Teleportation]. It''s a spell that allows you more than just moving with speed since you can also move around place to place without even moving your body....for example, when he disappeared and reappeared at the same time.'' ''I-i see...dammit, such a neat skill he has...to teleport anytime at will.'' ''Anytime isn''t the right word...every magic item has their own limit, if you used it too much it will overheat and break on itself.'' ''So it has a limit huh?'' ''I don''t know yet, the possibility isn''t that high but...'' Ray trailed off, still unsure about it. ''Then we just need to breakthrough that possibility first.'' Rei spoke with confidence. ''Heh, you always put your trust on me too much.'' ''Well we are partners anyway.'' Rei said with smile. Ray flashed him a faint smile. ''Yeah.'' However, his smile fell when Ray noticed something odd. ''Hmm? Why it''s so quiet now¡­'' ''Huh?'' Rei noticed it as well, since he was using his aura to enhance his hearing, he should be able to hear Banzana voice from afar. ''You''re right, this is weird.'' ****** Meanwhile when Rei was having discussing with Ray. Banzana suddenly got quiet. The man who was standing in the middle of forest was focusing on something. . . . . . The ground began to shook... . . . . . The trees rustle violently as powerful gust of wind blew the forest. . . . . . As Banzana''s body began to be engulfed by an orange aura, he lifted his saber sword. . . . . . Rei who noticed the change of the situation around him, quickly stood up from where he''s resting before. ''Kiritsuka! Run! That guy¨C'' Ray quickly warned him. When Rei''s about to jump away¡­. . . . . . It was too late Banzana grinned and then shouted his skill, "[Mother Earth]!!!" He slammed his sword down to the ground, creating such a devastating explosion. *BOOM* *CRACK* *CRACK* The ground was destroyed completely and from it a wave of earthquake washed through the surrounding area. *SWOOSH* *CREAK* *CREAK* *BOOM* The trees fell down one by one from the impact, many animals fled from there but...as for Rei... . . . . . . . . He was caught by that explosion. ****** *SWOOSH* As the dust cleared, the whole place was totally destroyed. Banzana reduced his surroundings that used to be filled with trees and rocks to nothing but a field of sands. The man was still grinning as he turned around to see behind him. "Finally~ you showed up~" Banzana spoke as if there was someone there. But he was right... Rei was standing behind him while still being clad in darkness but eventually... [Notice!] [Skill "Shadow Movement" cannot be used due to no shadow casted in the area] That, and the fact that the moon was shining brightly above them rendered his equipment skill to be...unavailable. Banzana laughed, "Hah, it''s quite amazing for you to be able to dodge that skill~!" Rei remained silent, ''Dammit...what the hell was that.'' ''Tsk... an Earth Element Warrior''s strongest skill...[Mother Earth], it''s a skill that can even cleared out an army with a single strike.'' Rei was taken aback at his explanation, ''The strongest skill?!'' ''Just like uncle Nel''s [Gale Thrust], it was acquired when a Warrior type job reached their peak.'' ''Ughh...no wonder he was mad at me for facing that skill head on.'' ''Well you were lucky because you have your own aura and high status despite your low level.'' ''How come you never told me all this?'' ''. . . . .'' ''Because you didn''t ask.'' Ray said while turning his head around. ''Oi'' Rei got irritated at that, only briefly though since he heaved a sigh then and focus his attention to his opponent right before him. ''Do you have any suggestion?'' Ray shook his head, ''The only thing we can do now is focus on knowing his [Teleportation] item limit and destroying his weapon.'' Rei nodded a bit, "Okay, then how about this..." Rei suggested one of his idea alone with Ray. Banzana who was still standing there was looking increasingly impatient. "Heh, have you done combining your plan? Cause right now....I''m so fucking bored." "Yeah, I''m done." Rei replied while getting into his stances. Banzana gripped his sword and grinned widely once again, "Then don''t die on me~" *SHUUSTH* "¨CBecause I''m enjoying myself right now!!~ Oraaa!!!~" Banzana suddenly appeared right beside him and swung his sword once again. Since Rei started to get used to his [Teleportation], he moved his sword to block the attack. ''[Focus Block].'' ======================================= [Focus Block] Active Skill MP Cost: 50 Maintain the skill: -5 MP/1 sec. By focusing one''s aura and covering them into a single point, it can create unbreakable (low) block by its user. ======================================= *TING* This time, the strikes moved Rei''s body back a bit due to the man''s strength. By using his skill, he focused his aura on his sword to withstand his strikes. Then again, he could tell that the durability of his black sword went down a lot. "Ughh...Huh?!¨C" *SHUUSTH* But Banzana didn''t stop at that and used his Teleportation again to appear from behind him. Rei who noticed his presence much earlier, used [Fire] right in front of Banzana''s face. Banzana looked at the small fire in front of his face and backed a bit but¡­ BUGH His face was welcomed by Rei''s kick after the fire disappeared. However, the kick wasn''t effective at all. Rei''s feet stayed still on his face as his mouth stretched into an amused grin. "Heh!" Rei twisted his body around then jumped away by kicking off his face as his foot hold. *THUD* *TAP* Rei kept his distance but Banzana reappeared right in front of him while lifting his sword up to swing it down at him. "Oraa!!" ''[Sprint].'' Rei used his skill to increase his speed and quickly moved his body aside to dodge his sword. "I''m not falling with the same trick." *BOOM* Since he jumped back before, Rei just slightly moved his body to the side to dodge his sword. The powerful impact didn''t crack the ground this time though. *TAP* Rei used his foot to step on Banzana''s hand that was holding the sword. ''Heh, this kid...is pretty observent...he waited for this moment. Who knew there''s a time lag of how he used [Teleportation] and the limit of how he can use it before cooldown.'' Ray commented with smirk. ''I caught you, [Beast Will].'' Rei buffed himself within that short amount of time as he lifted his sword and swung it down using his [Vertical Slash]. *SLASH* His sword hit him on the shoulder, creating a large wound and sprayed out blood all over them. Rei who saw him managed to injure the man that was supposed to be a legend...thought that he could win. . . . . But in the end... . . . . Rei widened his eyes in surprise after seeing the expression of his enemy. . . . . Rather than a pained discomfort, it was pure joy and excitement... . . . . . He was grinning from ear to ear with eyes blown wide and then he licked his lips as if he was presented with something delicious. When Rei about to jump back, Banzana let go off his sword and swung his arms with such speed towards Rei''s face. "Hmmm!!!" ''Kiritsuka!! dodge!!'' Ray warned him but... . . . . It was too late... *CRACK* *SHATTERS* When Rei used his black sword to block his fist, it shattered into pieces... ''What¨C?!'' Even though he also tried to use [Focus Block], his sword couldn''t withstand the power coming from that fist. "Heh! Another one!" Banzana swung another punch on him. Since Rei''s still in midair, he could only block it with his crossed arms and focused his aura to them. He believed he could block it this time but... The punch stopped and he changed his fist''s course from downwards. ''A feint?! from there?!'' Rei noticed the fist went through his block and got himself uppercutted from below. *BUGH* *CRACK* As his helmet cracked a bit, his body flew from the ground and up to the sky. *SWOOSH* When Rei was half unconscious in mid-air, he looked down at Banzana as he rapidly falling off from the sky. ''Kiritsuka!! Wake up!'' Rei could hear his shout, giving him an idea of his situation. Banzana whistled in joy after sending his enemy flying upwards like that. But then¡­he noticed it. Rei never thought he would think of this kind of idea... By opening his [Inventory] he sent out something that whizzed past the man, grazing his cheek and drawing a bit of blood. *SLASH* Banzana widened his eyes when he turned his eyes around to see what it was. ''Huh?? A sword?'' After that, he realized something. . . . . *SHUUSTH* . . . . *SHUUSTH* *SHUUSTH* *SHUUSTH* Rei discarded all 256 Swords from his inventory, creating a rain of swords from it while still flying mid-air. Banzana who saw that was about to use his Teleportation, but in the end... ''Just as expected...it was short-range Teleportation item!! He cannot teleport far away! It''s my win... Banzana!!'' Rei smirked as he fell with a rain of swords rapidly approaching the man. Banzana couldn''t help but grin seeing himself pushed to a corner like this. "Heh! HAHAHAHAAAA!! This is the best!!!¨C" Banzana laughed like a madman as he couldn''t contain his excitement any longer. *STAB* . . . . *STAB* . . . . *STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB STAB* As the swords continued to fall, they buried Banzana''s body along with them. After the swords stopped raining down on him, Rei steady his body to land on the ground using his aura to act as cushion. *THUD* "Hah....finally...it''s over." Rei sighed while turning his head around to look at the mountain of swords that was formed at where Banzana used to stand. ''You did your best.'' Ray spoke. Then Rei walked towards that mountain as he stood right before it. ''Kiritsuka, don''t let your guard down.'' "I know." Rei replied calmly. ''Hmmm...do you think he would still be alive?'' Ray commented while also staring at it too. "Hey! Don''t jinx it!" As Rei shouted, he suddenly heard something. . . . . . *CRACK* "Huh?" Rei looked at the mountain again with wide eyes. *CRACK* *CRACK* The ground suddenly start to shake again and the mountain continued to let out more cracking sound. "Oi oi...you gotta be kidding me!!¨C" Rei shouted and soon saw his thoughts came true. *SHATTERS* The mountain of swords before him shattered into pieces. *SWOOSH* And... a massive fist came out from it and aimed at Rei''s head. ''What¨C'' . . . . *BOOM* *SWOOSH* *BOOM* *BOOM* Rei who couldn''t reacted to that punch...was sent flying and crashed against the remaining trees around the sand field. *CREAK* *BOOM* As the trees falling down from where he crashed...Rei was sitting down with his beack leaning on a broken tree. Rei coughed blood out through his helmet, "W-what...just...happen." He coughed again as his eyes were a bit blurry, trying to see what''s in front of him. Through the fog clouding his vision...he could see Banzana''s body was clad in some sort of dark metalic skin. "How..." Banzana approached him with uninterested look on his face, "[Iron Body]...it''s a skill that I got after I was born in this world." "[Iron Body]?..." Rei asked while trying to keep his breathing steady. "A skill that allows you to create unbreakable shield with your own body, this is my one and only last trump card~" He chuckled, "I applause you to be [The second] person who made me use this skill." "Second?..." "Yepp~ I still remember up until this day...[that knight with a spear]." ''Spear?...'' Rei tried to save his energy for the last bit. "Heh, well I guess you don''t know his name since he retired before he got known in the kingdom. "Ahhh~ If I remember, his name was...[Nel Shubert]." Rei widened his eyes after hearing that name slipped out from his mouth. "Heh, he was strong...his strongest skill was able to pierce through that skill of mine. He was the best~ but unfortunately, he retired." Banzana was lost in his own little world when he remembered his past. But then he noticed that Rei didn''t answer him any longer and that made him uninterested to talk again. "Well...I have to go to that village to massacre them all~ you lost your bet~ so...no hard feeling bud~" Banzana turned around and whistled while pulling out his saber sword from the ground. "Heh, so boring¨C" . . . . . But before he leaves... *SHATTERS* A sound of a bottle shattered on the ground stopped him. Banzana turned around, and his eyes were blown wide after seeing something unbelievable. "Hah! No way!!~" He couldn''t stop grinning when he saw it Rei was standing on his feet again. "Hmmm?~ oh a potion huh~ I see what were you thinking...you were saving your strength when we were talking and when I let my guard down, you drink up that potion!" He cooed, "Such a sneaky little bastard you are!~" Rei could only be silent at that moment...but behind that helmet he was smirking and then chuckled. "Heh." "Hmm? What so funny?" "No, I just found out how funny this coincidence is...really." "Hah?" Banzana raised one of his eyebrows. "It just that¡­I''m really thankful to someone I know from my village, that before I met you...I managed to defeat that person." Banzana become more confused, "Defeat that person? What kind of joke is thi¨C" "Nel Shubert." Rei cut his speech by speaking that name and Banzana froze a bit, "Yeah...I don''t think there''s someone out there who has the same name and the same skills with spear like him." Rei suddenly reached his hand towards something then... *SHUUSTH* *BZZZTT* He pulled out something from his [Inventory]... somesort of staff covered with cloth. Banzana couldn''t help but be fixated to his words and noticed of him pulling that out. As he held that thing on his hand, he took the cloth off of it. . . . . As the moon shined down before him... . . . . He revealed it... . . . . A beautiful spear with dark blue blade that was shining like a crystal from the moonlight above them. Banzana who stood there was mesmerized after seeing such weapon like that for the first time. "Hahahaha!!!~ that''s more like it!!~ you bastard!~" He grinned widely in joy and aimed his sword towards. *SWOOSH* Rei spun his spear and went into his battle stance. His eyes shined through the slit of his helmet and his red scarf fluttered around due the wind as he shouted, *CLINK* "Now then...shall we start the next round for I...[Kiritsuka Rei] will be the first one who defeat you!! Banzana!" . . . . . The fight continued on to the second round... To be continued... Chapter 36 : Crimson (Part 3) *SWOOSH* As the cold wind softly blows around them, Rei and Banzana had to face each other again for the second round. The bright moonlight washed over the two of them, making the thing that Rei held in his hands to be visible. It''s a beautiful spear with dark blue blade that gleamed like a crystal under the moonlight. ''[The Night Fang]'' ======================================= [The Night Fang] Grade: Epic Type: Spear STRENGTH: +70 Durability: 100% A spear that was created using the core and remaining materials from an unknown beast that roamed the night. Under the moonlight, it will let out a mysterious power no one can imagine. Skill: [Night of Rampage] A skill that allows its user to let out the hidden power of the unknown beast, the user will gain +100% overall status, but it can only be used once and after it was used, the durability will go down to 0 and breaks. [Used skill: 1] Duration : 30 min. ======================================= ''This spear is a bit if a failure because of that skill...I don''t have any plan to use this since it''s one time thing but....I guess I don''t have any other choice now.'' ''Kiritsuka.'' Ray called him. ''What is it?'' ''Are you sure about this?'' Ray asked to confirm his decision. ''I am 100% sure...you can do it now.'' ''Then...this is gonna hurt as hell.'' As Ray warned hin, he touched Rei''s head from behind. ''[Transfer].'' *BZZZTT* "U-ughh..." With that one word, suddenly a surge of golden aura suddenly ran through his body as it mixed together with his own red aura. "Huh?" Banzana noticed the change of his opponent who stood there silently for some reason without making any noises. Inside of Rei''s mind, the memories, the image of Ray''s training and the fight from before went through into his head. Through those memories, he could feel the pain started to wash over his body. . . . . . [Notice!] [Skill [Pain Resistance] activated, reducing the pain] . . . . . After a while, Rei opened his eyes and stared at Banzana as he began to prepare his stance... . . . . . In that moment an image of someone relapse on how he do the stance. Just like [Nel Shubert]''s movement. Banzana who saw this, grinned manically. "Hah, I never thought I would meet his technique again!! Hahaha!!! So your name is Kiritsuka Rei? Such a weird name, but I shall remember it!" The man swung his sword and aimed it at Rei. "Before we start, I shall recognized you as a fellow warrior and let''s do this properly now shall we~?" Banzana offered as Rei only gave him a nod as an answer. Then they went into their own stance while Rei hkept himself focused and steady. "I, [Banzana] shall challenge you to a duel... warrior. Tell me your name again." . . . . . . "[Kiritsuka Rei]." Rei replied. "Will you accept this challenge?" Banzana asked and on that moment... . . . . "I shall accept!¨C" Without missing a beat, Rei dashed forwards to Banzana in such a high speed. "Then shall the fight begin!!!~ Come at me!!!" Banzana shouted as he welcomed Rei who dashed in front of him with a swing of his sword from above. Rei quickly stopped one step before him as his sword pass through, hitting the ground. *THUNG* Rei dodged it perfectly and swiftly hold on the shaft of his spear before thrusting it towards his head. *SWOOSH* It passed through as Banzana dodged it in the nick of time, but it did scratches his cheek a bit. As they exchange blows, they deftly stepped back to keep their distance. *SWOOSH* . . . . . *TAP* Rei spun his spear around and gave a swing from his right side. *TING* Banzana blocked the strike with his sword, but the impact was surprisingly strong despite it was just a simple swing of his spear. Rei didn''t stop and spun his spear around again then gave another swing from the other side. "Huft!" *SWOOSH* *TING* "Heh!" Banzana quickly caught up with it, blocking it once again and made him stepped back a bit. "Hah!" With a shout, Banzana directed his sword up, lifting his spear along with him. *TSSSKKK* *TING* Rei deftly pulled his spear, spinning it around again while Banzana swung his sword down from above. *SWOOOSH* *TSSSK* *BOOM* Rei directed his sword line with his spear''s shaft, making it slip and crashed to the ground smoothly as if he was used to it, somewhat. ''It''s rough...yet steady, as if I''m fighting with a seasoned [Spear Master], how come a Sword user like him can handle a spear this good.'' That''s what Banzana thought in the middle of fight. Inside Rei''s mind, Ray chuckled, ''Heh, of course he is...I did train with him using a spear while he used a sword. We also changes weapon sometimes.'' Ray commented. ''Added with our memories that can be shared through [Transfer] we can easily filled in the gaps, but of course [Transfer] required you to withstand those pain in order to change your muscle memory.'' Ray explained as he observed the way Rei fought Banzana. ''Right now...Banzana, in front of you...you are not fighting him alone, but you also fighting two on one with me as well.'' Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. As Ray spoke, their weapons clashed some more. *TING* *SWOOSH* *TAP* And then both of them jumped back to keep their distances once again. "Heh! Here I thought you were a Swordsman...it seems I was wrong the whole time. You...you are a spear type user aren''t you!" Banzana exclaimed while pointing his finger on him. "....?!" Rei widened his eyes a bit. "From that reaction...I guess I was right all along! You trickster!!" As Banzana claimed that was the truth, Rei was silent for a moment... . . . . . In his head, he thought, ''Uhhhh...no...I''m a [Blacksmith].'' Rei''s face behind that helmet was a mixture of surprise and bewilderment. He couldn''t comprehend how this man got to that kind of conclusion...though he could only keep those words inside his head and stayed quiet. "...." "Heh, I''ll take that silent as yes~ since I know your secret now, it''s time for me to use all of my power...so make sure you''re ready!! Or you will be crushed!!!" ''Kiritsuka, Becareful!'' All of a sudden... *SHUUSTH* Banzana disappeared from his sight... Rei who already prepared, spun his spear around swiftly, and then... . . . . *SHUUSTH* When Banzana teleported to his back and swung his sword down... "Haha!!¨CHuh?!" Banzana widened his eyes when he saw something . . . . . Rei was surrounded with a mysterious dark blue aura around his body... ''[The Night of Rampage].'' [Notice!] [You activated skill "The Night of Rampage", you will receive +100% on your overall status. After the skill over "The Night Black Fang" item durability will go down to 0] [Countdown : 29:59] . . . . . *THUNG* In that moment...he moved his spear and deflected Banzana''s sword away that was coming from behind using his spear''s shaft that he spun around. Rei only gave him this calm glance after deflecting his sword, "Hm." ''Heh, this bastard!~'' Banzana grinned widely after he saw his eyes. . . . . *SWOOSH* Rei spun his spear again and then turned around to perform his skill. ''[Spear Arts: One Strike].'' Rei held the spear with one hand, steadying his position and then aimed...he thrusted his spear towards his chest. *SWOOSH* When his spear was about to hit him... . . . . *SHUUSTH* . . . . Banzana disappeared again, as his spear passed through nothing. ''Caught you~'' Banzana rejoiced in his mind after he teleported behind Rei. The man swung his sword from above again but...after Rei activated a skill, he didn''t see it coming... . . . . . *SWOOOSH* The tip of sword passed through when Rei moved his body aside and then... . . . . . *BUGH* . . . . A flying kick came towards Banzana''s unguarded stomach, sending him flying away from him. "Ack!" *SWOOSH* *TAP* Banzana quickly on the ground and still grinned widely while he hold onto his stomach. "Hahaha! How did this happen?!~ After that short of time, you are getting improved and stronger~ Is it due to that spear?~" "...." When Banzana asked, Rei didn''t answer to his question again. ''Heh, Ignored again huh...but that was a pretty hard kick. it seems that spear gave him some sort of buff.'' Banzana licked his own lips and raised one of his eyesbrows while grinning widely once more. ''Aahhh~ this is soo much fun!~'' In that moment...he moved his spear and deflected Banzana''s sword that was coming from behind using his spear''s shaft that he spun around. Rei only gave him this calm glance after successfully deflecting his sword, "Hm." ''Heh, this bastard!~'' Banzana grinned widely after he saw his eyes. . . . . *SWOOSH* Rei spun his spear again and then turned around to perform his skill. ''[Spear Arts: One Strike].'' Rei held the spear with one hand, steadying his position and then taking aim before he thrusted his spear towards his chest. *SWOOSH* When it was about to hit him... . . . . *SHUUSTH* . . . . Banzana disappeared again, as his spear passed through nothing. ''Caught you~'' Banzana rejoiced in his mind after he teleported behind Rei. The man swung his sword from above again but...after Rei activated a skill, he didn''t see it coming... . . . . . *SWOOOSH* The tip of his sword passed through when Rei moved his body aside and then... . . . . . *BUGH* . . . . A flying kick came towards Banzana''s unguarded stomach, sending him flying away from him. "Ack!" *SWOOSH* *TAP* The man landed on the ground and let out a slightly broken chuckle as he held his hand on his stomach. "Hahaha! How did this happen?!~ After that short amount of time, you improved and got even stronger...is it because of that spear?~" Once again, Rei didn''t answer to him. ''Heh, Ignored again huh...but that was a pretty hard kick. Seems like that spear gave him some sort of buff.'' Banzana licked his lips as he raised one of his eyesbrows. ''Aahhh~ this is going to be sooo much fun!~'' In that moment, he let out his orange aura around him. The aura slowly getting darker, giving off this creepy yet disgusting feelings. *SWOOOSH* Rei could feel it from where he was standing, it was that strong. ''What is this...'' Rei knitted his brows, BREAKING a bit of sweat. ''This is...[Bloodlust].'' ''[Bloodlust]?'' ''It''s quite different from your [Intimidate] skill. [Intimidate] makes people feel like you''re above them...but this one is more like someone''s nature who...was [prepared to kill]. They will shout out those thoughts towards their opponents by saying... . . . . . [I''m gonna kill you]'' Ray explained. Rei gulped as his lips curved a bit, forming a smirk behind that helmet and then... *SWOOSH* Rei let out his own aura, causing both auras to clash against one another. *BZZZTT* *BZZZTT* ''Heh...if he wants to kill me...then I will kill him first!'' Rei thought as he couldn''t help the eager smile forming on his face. . . . . . . ''[Shukuchi].'' ''[Teleportation]~'' *SHUUSTH* They disappeared from where they stood after using their skill, and then... . . . . *TING* They clashed to one another, creating large waves of impact. *TING* *TANG* *TING* As they exchanged blows after blows, none of them let their guard down. When Rei thrusted his spear, Banzana dodged by moving his body aside before swinging his sword to counter it. *TING* *TSKKKK* *TANG* On reflex, Rei blocked his strike then deflected it while spinning his spear. *SWOOSH* After that, he thrusted his spear with such a high speed that the image of Nel relapsed together with his movement. Banzana who noticed that, smirked and blocked those relentless thrusts with his blade then swung his sword Horizontally. *SWOOSH* Rei stabbed his spear to the ground, using it to jump over Banzana''s body to dodge his strike. And when Banzana turned his head around. . . . . . *SWOOSH* The tip of his spear was about to hit Banzana''s left eye. *SLASH* The man could barely dodge the strike by moving his head aside a bit but the tip of his spear scratched the skin right below his left eye. Rei pulled his spear back and quickly spun it then aimed it right towards his stomach. *TUNG* A flying kick came towards it by Banzana who wanted to keep his distances away from him. Rei was sent flying but quickly landed on his feet, spinning his spear again and get into his stance while taking a deep breath. "Hah...." Banzana looked a bit tired now after exchanging those blows with him. He was trying so hard to dodge his deadly unpredictable movements. Just like how Nel used to do it back then. ''like you said...if you predict all of his movements just like rock, paper and scissors. you can easily dodge and block them.'' Rei spoke with a smile to Ray inside his mind. ''Yes...for example, his swing from above become a rock while his kick and punch are paper...while the swing from the sides are scissors.'' Ray explained. *SWOOSH* *CLINK* ''...but it seems now we are out option...'' ''Yeah...he is... . . . . . *SHAKES* *SHAKES* . . . . . getting serious..'' As the ground began to shake, Banzana created a large aura around him as if he was preparing his next attack. "I guess...normal skill won''t be able to defeat you. So I will be showing you my real Warrior skill!!~" Banzana shouted as his aura spiked up even more. ''Oi oi...does he mean...after all of that, he''s still not serious?'' Rei looked at him with big blown eyes as he prepared his spear. "Shall we start it again?~" Banzana spoke, lifting his sword up, and then... . . . . *CRACK* He smashed his sword to the ground and made it stuck in there for a moment. Rei who noticed it spun his spear a bit in anticipation, ''Come now...'' . . . . . An uncomfortable silence settled down among them, but not for long... . . . . . Banzana grinned widely and suddenly pulled out his sword with so much force, "[Ground Splash]!" From it, a wave of dirt and rocks were thrown at him. Since Rei knew about this skill, he quickly moved out of the way by focusing his aura on his eyes to enhance his visuals, making it possible for him to dodge the incoming dirt and rocks that passed through him with ease. But...he missed something. ''Huh?!¨C He''s gone...[Teleportation] again huh.'' Rei who noticed his presence appeared from behind him, quickly spun his spear around to be ready to block his strike. As Banzana swung his sword down...Ray noticed something weird... . . . . . A maniacal grin appeared on his face as if he was looking at something that brought him absolute joy. ''Kiritsuka!! Dodge!!¨C'' . . . . . "[Ground Smasher]!!" . . . . . *BOOM* Banzana shouted, creating a large explosion of dirt and rock when his sword came in contact with the ground and he noticed that Rei was standing right beside him. ''Caught you now.'' Rei who already aimed his spear, started to thrust it towards his head. ''[Spear Arts: One Strike]!¨C'' SWOOSH ''¨C....?!'' Rei widened his eyes as his spear passed through. The man dodged the tip of his spear in the nick of time. Banzana grinned and pulled his sword that was stuck on the ground then swung it with such speed and precision towards his stomach. ''Dammit!¨C'' Rei who reacted slower than him, pulled his spear and ready to block that strike with the shaft that was added with, ''[Focus Block]!'' to gather his aura on that single point. ''Still...do you think that''s enough! [Rock Splitter]!'' Banzana shouted as his saber sword was clad in dark orange aura. TING BZZZTT Their weapon clashed to one another, creating a strong shockwave of energy around them. But... Since the two of them have different experiences, they already knew who would lose this battle of endurance. BZZT SWOOSH Rei was sent flying after his aura got overpowewed by Banzana''s. Rei quickly adjusted himself, landing safely on his feet then stabbed his spear on the ground. But suddenly... *COUGH* Rei coughed out blood, ''U-ughh..! Dammit...even after blocking it...I''m still getting damage¡­'' he panted as he could feel his fatigue point already reached its limit and his HP also getting lower and lower. Fortunately, it seemed like, he wasn''t the only one who gets tired... Banzana was breathing heavily, eventually exhausted himself from using those powerful skills in a row. "Heh...dammit, I never thought I would use all my strength and power just to defeat you. I shall praise you." Banzana spoke with a chuckle. "....." Rei ignored him again like he always were from the start of this fight, moving to assume his battle stance again. After that, Banzana gripping his sword with his two hand this time and leting out his aura around him. "But...this one...shall be the last!!" His aura spiked up as he lifted his sword as if he was ready to perform his skill. Rei knew this would be Banzana''s last resort and knowing that he doesn''t have much choice to use a skill that he just managed to think of how exactly to use it earlier in their fight. ''Houston.'' Rei called. And he responded to that, ''I know.'' . . . . At that moment, Rei let out his red aura as his red left eye shined. . . . . *SHINGGGG* . . . . [Notice!] [Skill "Persona" has been unlocked!] . . . . "[Persona]." ======================================= [Persona] A skill that allow the user to switch their soul with another soul that live within the user body. Increasing +50% overall status. Duration: 10 Min. Penalty: Decrease -20% overall status for 1 hour ======================================= *SWOOSH* Suddenly his yellow right eye shined as well, and his body let out a golden aura that was starting to mix with him. "Amazing!! A dual aura?!! Hahahaha!!! You are amazing Kiritsuka Rei!!! I''m glad to meet you in this old life of mine!!!" Banzana shouted in glee. . . . . . *SWOOSH* As two of them created large wind current around them...silence settled in between them before it was broken by Rei. "[Fire]." ''[Fire].'' As soon as he said that, the tip of Rei''s spear starting burn as he created [Fire] on it. ''This time...let''s do it together, Kiritsuka.'' Ray spoke. ''I understand, I leave all the instructions to you.'' Rei nodded. ''This will be hard...but fine...first, pour all your mana into [Fire].'' Then that small fire slowly got bigger as Rei poured down his mana into it and they began the process. ''Secondly, compress the fire....I will do it from the outside while you compress it on the inside...'' The two force of [Fire] split into two as one of them was sucked into the tip of his spear while the other one rotated around the spear, creating a swirl of flame. *SWOOSH* . . . . ''Then lastly just like that skill¨C...'' . . . . . "¨CBurn it out!" *SWOOSH* As Rei shouted, the flame began to spread out and getting even bigger, creating an intense heat around him. A notice popped out after the swirl of flame was finally created on the tip of his spear. [Notice!] [You acquired a skill!] Banzana who saw this...grinned widely as he could see an image of Nel Shubert relapsed around Rei again. But then... "Huh??!¨C" Banzana was taken aback seeing how Rei''s stance had changed. Rei was holding onto the shaft of his spear and lifted the spear above him, preparing to throw his spear. "Hehehe...HAHAHAHAA!!! Let''s settle this...KIRITSUKA REI!!!" Banzana yelled as he was overcame with excitement after seeing his new development and then the man raised his sword above his head. "I will come at you...BANZANA!!" Rei shouted as his aura spiked up and using the last bit of his strength. ''I shall put 50 point at my [Strength]!!'' ======================================= Level: 36 [HP: 400/4300] [MP: 286/510] [FATIGUE: 1000] red color EXP: 100/38500 STATUS POINT : 62 >>> 12 __ STRENGTH : 106 >>> 156(+156)(+78) = 390 ======================================= As the two forces clashed to one another...waiting¡­ . . . . . *BZZZTT* *BZZZTT* . . . . . They finally released their skill at the same time. . . . . . "[Mother Earth]!!!" Banzana swung his sword down on the ground just like before...but this time, he created a shockwave that he could focus exclusively to the ground...and was directed towards Rei. *BOOM* *SWOOSHHH* A wave of dirt and rocks came towards him like a storm... But it didn''t cause Rei to waver when faced with such things... . . . . "Uncle Nel...Thank you..." *SWOOSH* The flame spun faster around the tip of his spear and then... . . . . "This is my and Houston''s creation... . . . . *TWINGGGG* . . . . . *SWOOOSH* [Spear Arts : Gungnir]!!" Rei threw his flaming spear towards the incoming wave of dirt and rocks. . . . . *SWOOSH* Banzana widened his eyes.... *TWINGGGG* The spear passed through, creating a giant hole from the wave that was big enough to swipe up everything in its wake And now it''s coming towards Banzana... *SWOOSH* . . . . . In front of a spinning flame spear, Banzana stayed still from where he was currently standing, and clad himself with [Iron Body]. . . . . *BOOM* *TSSSKKK* As his spear hit his chest, it continued to clash against his iron skin. "U-ughhhhh!!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!! You think this would be enough to defeat¨C!!" . . . . *CRACK* "Huh¨C?!" Banzana looked at his chest and found something that made his eyes go wide with surprise. . . . . *CRACK* *CRACK* His iron skin began to crack as he could feel the heat from his spear. "U-ughhh....hehehe...HAHAHAHA!!! AMAZING!!! KIRITSUKA REI!!" Banzana shouted at the top of his lungs as he looked at Rei who lifted his right arm, keeping himself focused in order to control the flame. "HAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" Pain surged though his body, spreading fast through his nervous systems. His blood came out from his eyes and mouth for exhausting his mana to zero while his HP started to deplete bit by bit. But Rei didn''t give up.... His spear spun faster and faster and the heat got much stronger that it created a large spiral of flame on the tip. *TWINGGGG* *SWOOOSH* . . . . . . . In that moment, Banzana could see something in front of him... The sight of a man in his black armor... with his red scarf that fluttered around just like a blazing crimson flame. The sight alone carved itself deep into his memory. . . . . . ''Ahhhh...This is the best¨C'' . . . . . *CRACK* *CRACK* *SHATTERS* *SWOOSH* His spear went through, leaving a large hole on Banzana''s left chest after it successfully broke through his [Iron Body]. The spear whizzed past to the forest and destroyed almost everything in its path. *CRASH* . . . . *CRASH* . . . . And when it crashed...It created a large explosion... *BOOOOOM* *WOOSH* . . . . As the dust slowly cleared up by the wind current, sun rose at the horizon¡­a sign of dawn. After the battle, In the midst of the destroyed forest... ¡­a lone man stood there while looking up at the sky. His red scarf fluttered at the morning breeze. His previously gleaming black armor was now battered, and when he took off his helmet, it revealed a young boy with brown hair underneath. The boy''s eyes that was yellow and red, glinted slightly He heaved a deep sigh and his mouth parted as he muttered something, "Now... . . . . . . "...I''m starving..." Kiritsuka Rei...won the battle. To be continued... Chapter 37 : Crimson (Part 4) *TAP* . . . . . *TAP* . . . . . *TAP* Rei quietly approached Banzana who was still clinging on what''s left of his life and consciousness. There''s a large gaping hole on his left chest and he''s now sitting on his knees without any strength left to move his body. *COUGH* Banzana coughed out blood as Rei stopped right in front of him, holding the last sword that he had in his inventory. Banzana looked up with unfocused eyes, "Heh...never thought someone like you would defeat me, despite the gap in our levels and..." *SWOOSH* As the wind brushed past both of them, the sunlight casted an ethereal glow on Rei. "...for me to be defeated by a brat like you." Rei''s a young boy with brown and different colored eyes who''s not even close to an adult yet...no...more like a literal child. Just like the ones he caught for money. Banzana grinned for a moment and looked up, "I guess this is my retribution for all of my bad deeds towards those brats...now...end me Kiritsuka Rei." Banzana spoke with a smile while closing his eyes. "....." Rei stayed quiet for a moment and slowly opened his mouth, "Tell me... do you not feel anything towards those people you hurt and kill?" "...." Silence settled in between them for a while before Banzana smirked and looked at him again, "Heh...do you really want me to answer that?" "...." "Then go to hell...you bastard." Banzana spat out blood to the ground, still grinning like a madman. "I see...I''m really glad...you''re someone who won''t change even when dying." *CLINK* Rei lifted his sword and looked at him, "Thank you...Banzana." "Heh...fuck you brat!¨C" *SLASH* . . . . . . *THUD* ***** [You leveled up!] [You leveled up!] [You leveled up!] [You leveled up!] [You leveled up!] [You leveled up!] [You leveled up!] [You leveled up!]... . . . . *SIGH* Rei sighed as the notice continued to rang in his head. After he ended Banzana''s life, he took a seat on a broken tree, stabbing his sword to the ground beside him and then hanging his helmet on its hilt. "Damn...how strong was Banzana...it won''t stop." ''Well he was the Bandit''s king after all, so he was like a pack of EXP that have been stored up for so long.'' Ray commented. "Uhhh...never thought there would be a day for you to say that..." Rei shook his head after hearing the unbelievable statement coming from him. ''Well...he was a madman who was smiling as he battled...and we barely have HP left after defeating that guy.'' "True." [You leveled up!] As he talked, the notice finally stopped ringing. "Phew...that was relief...I thought it went error. " He spoke, "[Status]." ======================================= [STATUS] NAME: Kiritsuka Rei / Ray Houston JOB : Blacksmith TITLE : [The Reincarnator], [Time Traveler], [Quick Learner], [Beast Slayer], [Die Hard], [Jack of All Trade] Level: 36 >>> 59 [HP: 5450/5450] [MP: 625/625] [FATIGUE: 1600] EXP: 300/60500 STATUS POINT : 12 >>> 242 __ STRENGTH : 152 >>> 175 AGILITY : 76(+5) >>> 99(+5) VITALITY : 81 >>> 104 INTELLIGENCE : 66(+5) >>> 89(+) SENSE : 71(+5) >>> 94(+5) [SKILL] Blacksmith Mastery Lv6; Sword Mastery Lv6; Battle Instinct Lv6; Super Growth LvMax; Fire Magic Lv4; Aura Lv5; Cooking Mastery Lv3; Knitting Mastery Lv3; Alchemy Mastery Lv2; Pain Resistance Lv1; Speart Arts Lv2 Fire LvMax Blacksmith Flame Lv1 Horizontal Slash LvMax Vertical Slash LvMax Omni Slash Lv3 Persona LvMax [Locked] This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Imitation Fire Sword Lv3 Shukuchi Lv5 Weapon Breaker Lv2 Intimidate Lv3 Sprint Lv2 Focused Block Lv2 Spear Arts: One Strike Lv2 Spear Arts: Gungnir Lv1 !!NEW!! ======================================= "I jumped level to 59 now." ''Woah...23 level at once? That''s crazy...I guess he is a pack of EXP after all.'' Ray said it nonchalantly. "And I never expected I¨Cno...we could pull it off using that skill." ''Well I should be saying, it''s thanks to Uncle Nel''s demonstration. If we didn''t see his last strongest skill, we might be dead now.'' ''That''s true...'' ======================================= [Spear Arts: Gungnir] Active Skill MP Cost: 200 Cooldown: 60 sec. Maintain the skill: -20 MP/1 sec. A skill that matched its name. [Gungnir], the spear of Odin. It is said that this spear can destroy and strike any target no matter the skill or strength of the wielder. ======================================= As they looked at the skill''s description, Ray asked. ''One question, why [Gungnir]?? if it were me, I would choose [Imitation Flaming Spiral Spear]'' "Uhhhh...no that''s lame." Rei shook his head, "You really don''t have a good naming sense huh." ''Just answer the question'' he could feel Ray rolling his eyes to that, making him chuckle a bit. "[Gungnir] or [The swaying one] it is said it''s the strongest spear of the god named [Odin] from Norse mythology. He''s the [God of War], and it is said he''s the father of the gods as well." As Rei explained it, Ray still couldn''t comprehend the conversation. "I-i see...so basically you took that name from the famous spear in your world?" "Well...I guess so? I mean, his spear was the strongest of all the things I read." Rei smiled, and as soon as he said that, he received a notice. [Notice!] [You earned a title!] "E-eh??" Confused, Rei quickly checked his status as soon as possible. ======================================= [STATUS] NAME: Kiritsuka Rei / Ray Houston JOB : Blacksmith TITLE : [The Reincarnator], [Time Traveler], [Quick Learner], [Beast Slayer], [Die Hard], [Jack of All Trades], [The Warrior Might] !!NEW!! ======================================= Then he clicked on the description of that new tittle of his. ======================================= [The Warrior Might] A tittle given by the [God of War, Odin] who heard his conversation. He''s interested about how he described his weapon as the strongest and fascinated with the way he fought against someone who''s stronger than him. So he gave him this title and an additional skill called [War Cry]. ======================================= ''Kiritsuka...'' "Yes." ''Isn''t that¨C'' "Don''t ask." Rei sighed, looking at his other title that he got from two years of training. ======================================= [Die Hard] Due to this individual''s achievement for achieving more than 100 death, they got +5% additional EXP on every skill they trained. ======================================= ======================================= [Jack of All Trades] Due to this individual''s achievement for achieving every production skills (Cooking Mastery, Knitting Mastery, Alchemy Mastery). They will receive 20% effectiveness on the product they made. ======================================= "I guess i know why my potion got even more effective despite being lower-rank now..." ''Yeah...how about checking this [War Cry]?'' "Okay." As he clicked the skill, it showed the description in front of him. ======================================= [War Cry] Active Skill MP Cost: 100 Cooldown: 45 sec. Duration: 10 min. A skill that allows its user to apply [Paralyze] towards the enemy with a thunder like roar and gains 20% additional buff for Strength, Agility and Vitality. ======================================= "Woah...so basically, it''s a debuff and buff skill at the same time?!" ''Damn...I guess the Gods who watched you were happy with the fight.'' "Well this is the toughest fight I ever had after that monster." ''Agreed.'' Rei stood up as he took his helmet and put them on back again. "Well then...shall we go back now?" ''Not yet...we haven''t looted their base first.'' "Isn''t that basically robbing?" ''I know you would have said that, since you have some sort of sense of justice, I will tell you this...it''s fine to take their things, after all there''s no ownership of the item they have, at least the things they rob wouldn''t be left in vain and as for the money, we can share them to the village so they can hire some guards and adventurer.'' Ray explained. "Hmmmm...I can see your point...since your reasons are always good, I will agree." ''Heh, you should always listen to me now.'' "Tsk...let''s just go back to their base." He turned around and started walking towards the direction of that cave again. "Wait¨C!!" Rei stopped and quickly turned around to see who just called him. "Who!?¨Chuh??" When Rei was about to take his sword again, he stopped when he recognized the person. It was Alicia who called him out, her face was flushed red for some reason and she was wearing a cloak with her hood on. "Huh? Alicia? Why are you here?" Rei asked. "U-ummm...I was worried about you and when I heard the explosion...I rushed here to see if you are doing alright." Alicia replied softly as she fiddled with her fingers. "I see...but I am fine now, I defeated that guy already." He shook his head, "That aside...did you meet your sister?" "Y-yes! I met her....I''m so happy to see her...thank you very much mr. Knight!" Alicia bowed her head as she sincerely thanked him again. Rei looked at her and sighed a bit while rubbing the back of his helmet, "Well it''s fine...I''m just doing what anyone else would do...anyway, I had to go for a moment, you should go back with¨C" "E-excuse me! C-can I accompany you there?!" Alicia shouted a bit and looked down as her cheeks got even redder. Rei blinked for a few times, "Pardon?" "I-i mean, let me accompany you! I....I need to meet someone there before I leave." Alicia looked up and this time her expression was more controlled and serious, Rei could tell from her voice and looks that she had to do this or else she would regret it. ''Houston.'' Kiritsuka called him, a bit unsure. ''Let her be...I''m guessing it had to do with someone she''s close with in that place before.'' ''Then is that person¨C'' ''You already knew...what kind of place is that right?'' Rei sighed after a while and turned his body around, "Let''s go...we won''t be long." Alicia''s face lit up before she tried to catch up with him, and then walking right beside him with a small smile. Rei only spared her a glace for a moment as they continued to walk together towards the cave again. He could see that Alicia''s smile never left her face. ''Why is she so happy?'' Rei wondered. ''Beats me...maybe because her savior allowed her to come with him.'' ''Ohh, that make sense!'' Rei who was quite oblivious about this situation, just accepting that fact without questions asked again. But there was something that bothered his mind... ''But...how come I couldn''t sense her at all earlier?'' Rei glanced at her again. . . . . Meanwhile in Alicia''s head... She remembered about what she saw before they met up... ****** Actually, when she ran towards his location before and after the battle ended, she hid herself behind a tree... Then she took a peek to see her savior''s condition... She widened her eyes the moment he took off his helmet. He turned out to be a young boy who looked roughly the same age as her. He had brown hair and beautiful different colored eyes...and his calmness after the intense fight with Banzana... *BA-THUMP* *BA-THUMP* ...Made her little young maiden''s heart raced faster..she held her breath and covered her mouth with her two hands. All the while turning red faced just like a ripe tomato. That was when.... The future [Saint], Alicia''s first love began to bloom... ****** Back to the present, Rei and Alicia finally arrived at that cave once again. But before they went inside, Rei walked towards something. There were three bandits left alive, they were the cave entrance guards and the leader of the group of bandits who came to Rubal village to take Leticia. *SPLASH* "Huh?!¨C" The bandits jolted awake after Rei splashed a potion on them. "Wake up." Rei spoke coldly as Alicia hid behind him. "Y-you are¨C" *CLINK* Rei pointed his sword without hesitation to the leader''s neck. "I want an answer from you three, where did you guys keep your treasure." Rei asked calmly. One of the bandits sneered, "Heh, like hell we will tell you!" "Yeah! Tell him Howard!" "O-oi you guys!¨C" *CLINK* Rei pushed his sword closer to his neck, drawing a bit of blood "H-hii!¨C" "I see...so your name is Howard huh...then you already know what will I do to you...if you won''t answer me right?" When Rei asked that question, Howard, the Bandit''s leader from before, remembered just what happened last night. "N-no!!¨CP-please no!! I-I-I will tell you!" Howard begged as he cried like a child It shocked the others especially Alicia who was peeking on them from behind him. "O-Our boss won''t let you off!! We are [Banzana''s crew]! Mess with us means you are messing with him!" One of them shouted in desperation. Rei suddenly pulled out of something from his inventory and when they saw it, their eyes grew wide. *THUNG* A saber sword that was very large was held on his hand. With just a glance, they recognized that sword. "N-no way...it can''t be..." "B-b-boss is..!!" "He''s dead now." Rei finished it for him, "Now then...will you listen to me, or you wanna die the same way as him and the others." Rei glared at them as they turned white as sheet. "Y-yes!! We will tell you!!" . . . . . ****** *TAP* . . . . . *TAP* . . . . . *TAP* Rei and Alicia walked into the cave besides each other. He glanced at her for a moment as he could tell that the little girl beside him was shivering in fear. Knowing that... *THUD* Rei reached his hand and gave her a gentle pat, "I am here...so don''t worry okay?" he spoke gently, as if talking to a wounded animal. Alicia nodded a bit, feeling her cheeks warmed at his touch. Shortly, they arrived inside that room once again. *CREAK* The room where Alicia got tortured before... Rei cleaned the body of the man he killed then put them aside while Alicia knelt on her knees, staring at the floor. "Elle...I''m back for you..." She spoke "I''m sorry...that I couldn''t save you....that I''m weak....I''m sorry...Elle..." Her tears started to pool on her eyes, dripping down her cheeks as the little girl cried out for her friend. Rei could only stood there watching. He felt bad towards her friend...it made him thought that...If he got here much earlier, will things change? The thought gnawed him for a while but he tried to brush it off as he walked towards the girl. "Alicia...let''s go." Rei couldn''t bear to see her cry and would very much like to get both of them out of here as fast as possible, "I know you are sad for your friends...but...always remember." Alicia who heard his voice, turned her head around but her tears continued to fall. Rei''s right golden eyes glinted a bit, "You need to keep on living and smiling for her sake, that way, you can repay her kindness and for her to rest in peace." His voice sounded a bit different, like she was hearing another man speaking through him. Alicia widened her red puffy eyes before pulling him close into a hug. Rei couldn''t help but returned the hug, and gently comforted the little girl who cried her eyes out until she''s satisfied. After a few minutes of crying...Rei and Alicia started to walk out from the door but when they were about to close the door...Alicia heard something. ''Thank you for coming to see me.'' Alicia widened her eyes a bit and smiled, "Goodbye...Elle." *CREAK* *THUNG* ****** *TAP* . . . . *TAP* . . . . *TAP* After seeing her friend for one last time, Rei and Alicia went to the other path of this cave where the bandits stayed in. *CREAK* When Rei opened the door, he was met with a vast storage room. It was filled with some sort of barrells and boxes inside. They decided to split up to look around the place. There were a lot of things stored in this particular room, like booze, weapons, armors and even...gold. There''s also a box that was filled with so many money from all of the villages they raided. Rei decided to put all those things into his [Inventory]. Alicia who saw him putting the loot into some sort of invisible pocket made her curious and continued to stare at him. "Hm? What''s wrong Alicia?" "A-ah! N-no...I''m just...curious about mr. Knight...how come you are so good at fighting and also using [Space Magic], a-are you a [Magic Swordsman] mr. Knight??" Alicia beamed, excited to hear his answer. "Well...I can''t say I''m like those jobs, but mine is different than you think and can I ask?" Alicia tilted her head, "Hmm? Sure." "How come you know [Space Magic]?" Rei asked. "Ummm...I read about books for magic, apparently I don''t know what my job is..." "Huh? How come?" "Actually...I had my job being appraised...but they don''t know my actual job is...and since I told them I can sense mana, they determined my job is either a [Mage] or a [Cleric]." "I see..." ''Well as expected, a low level appraisal won''t know her actual job...since it is more [Legendary] than one could imagine.'' Ray commented. "I see, so you are interested on [Space Magic]?" "Y-yes! I-if you could tell me how to do it, I will appreciate it!" "Ummmm..." ''What should I do...Houston.'' ''Don''t ask me! I''m a [Blacksmith] remember! Even I don''t know how this [Inventory] and [Space Magic] works.'' "I don''t think...I can teach you about it." "I-i see...I''m sorry." Alicia frowned while looking down a bit, disappointed. ''Houston!!'' ''What?! Don''t blame me!!'' As they argued inside his head, his hand stumbled on something. *THUD* "Huh?" There were two books, one of them have a bow mark on its cover and the other was... . . . . . . Banzana''s journal... To be continued... Chapter 38 : Crimson (Part 5) After collecting all the treasure that was kept by the bandits, Rei and Alicia continued their journey back home. On their way out of the bandit''s cave, Rei brought along the rest of the three bandits that were tied on a tree. . . . . . The moment they arrived at the Rubal village, they were met with the sight of the villagers waiting for their return at the front gate. Alicia dashed towards her family, they cried as they pulled her into a warm group hug, smiling in utter joy and relief. Rei just watched them from the sidelines, smiling at their touching reunion. "Thank you so much...Mr. Knight, for saving our daughters..." Her father spoke while his tears kept falling down. "And our village too." The chief separated himself from the crowd to speak. "We couldn''t thank you enough for saving our village and the kids...but please allow me to express my thanks from the bottom of my heart to you once again." The chief bowed his head, followed by the other villagers and the children. Rei blinked a few times, taken aback at their show of gratitude and then rubbed the back of his helmet nervously, "N-no...it''s fine okay? I''m just doing what anyone would do." "Hohoho~ you are such a kind-hearted young man, but no one would be able to face such danger like you." The chief spoke, smiling kindly. "After this, does mr. Knight have some time to spare?" "Hmmm, I guess so...I kinda need a place to stay for a while." "Oh? Does that mean you''ll be going soon?" The chief asked. Alicia and Leticia who heard it look surprised, "Huh??" "Yes...I still need to continue my journey." "I see...I see...well how about you stay for a night? We''re going to celebrate this night with a party." "Huh?? Are you sure? You are fine with it?" "Hohoho~ why wouldn''t we? I mean...you are our saviour and we wanted to reward you." The chief spoke, but then a man came to him. "Chief are you sure? We don''t have anything to reward him." He spoke in concern "Hmmm...indeed, this is troubling..." As if he just remembered, Rei spoke, "Ahh, I almost forgot." *SHUUSTH* Rei pushed his hand into some sort of invisible pocket *SHUUSTH* *THUMP* "EEEHHH??!!" The chief and the man popped their eyes out when they saw Rei pulled out a massive bag that looked absolutely heavy and filled to the brim. *SHIINGGG* When the bag was opened, it was filled with gold and silver coin. "M-mr. Knight, where did you¨C" "I found it in their treasury, since I know they took your money away, so I''m taking them back." "H-how can we repay you!!?!" The chief couldn''t expect things to turned out like this, very much in a loss of words. "Well...." *GROWWLLL* . . . That was his stomach that was making such a noise and it brought a hint of pink on his cheeks, "...H-how about we eat first?" ****** After he returned to his own place in the village, he was met with so many delicious food prepared at the dining table. Rei wasted no time to eat his fill. With his MP drained and his body was in serious need for nutrition after loosing so many blood, he didn''t stop devouring his meal. *MUNCH* *MUNCH* ''Slow down, slow down, the food won''t go anywhere.'' Ray sighed a bit seeing how fast Rei ate all the food in front of him. Roasted meat, cream soup, plus a few veggies that was prepared by the villagers, quickly vanished into his stomach. *GULP* "Phew~ just let me celebrate for a moment okay? We defeated Banzana, it was the most intense fight I had ever since my training." Rei spoke with his mouth full. *MUNCH* ''Yeah...hmmmmmm.'' After Ray replied, he was lost in his thought for a moment. *GULP* After swallowing the food in his mouth, he spoke again, more clearly this time "Are you still concerned about that journal we picked up before?" ''Yeah well...I never thought that guy was the type to write a journal.'' "Me too. I mean...it was hard to see such lunatic doing something like that..." Ray sighed in agreement, ''We will read it after you finished eating.'' Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Sure, but how about we focus on that [book]?" ''Oh, yeah! I almost forgot about it!'' "How come you forget stuff that was necessary for our Quest." ''Hahaha~ sorry sorry~'' Rei put his plate down to the table before taking out the book with a bow mark on it from his [Inventory]. As Rei read the title of the cover, he knotted his brows in confusion, "Huh??" "Houston." He called ''Yes?'' "Is it me...or this seems like something entirely different?" ''I get you, but then again...I think this is a rare technique that might be useful for you.'' "Well if it''s [Archery Mastery] book, it would make me happy...but I don''t know if I should be happy with [Archer Artillery Mastery]." ======================================= [Archer Artillery Mastery Book] Grade: Epic Type: Book An ancient book containing the most renowned Archery skill that has been long gone. It is said, the book contained an Archery skill that could even destroy a castle wall. ======================================= ''Hmmmm...I think they''re still the same.'' "They are?" Rei looked at him sceptically. ''Well I never use a bow before, but I know how to make them before. What I know is that this skill might be useful for us and what''s more, it''s an [Epic] item!'' "Hmmmm...fine, I will read it after we know the basics first." ''That''s right, a warrior need to know about that first before they started learning how to use their sword.'' "That''s why I will read this until I learned it but...where do we find one anyway?" ''Hmmm...how about we asked the people in the village?'' "Okay, let''s go ask them now." Rei stood up from his seat after he finished all his meal and conversation with Ray, wearing wore his helmet back on and made his way way towards the door. *CREAK* "Hmm??" On his way out, he was stopped by someone who stood in front of his door. A little girl with blond hair and purple eyes, in such a bright day, her hair shined beautifully under the sunlight while her purple eyes gleamed like a gem. "Alicia?" Rei spoke out her name, catching her off guard and made her blush. "O-oh! Mr. Knight! S-sorry...for coming to your place without telling you." Alicia stuttered, fiddling with the fringes of her blond hair, looking away a bit to avoid his eyes. "It''s fine...but why are you here?" "I-i just came to check on you, t-that''s all! N-nothing more!" She accidentally raised her voice a bit. Oh boy...wasn''t she a flustered mess. "I see...how is your body doing now? Do you feel any pain or anything else? Did you get enough rest?" Rei asked her with one questions to another. "N-no! I''m feeling totally fine now! I rested enough...and it thanks to you that I was able to rest well." "I see...I''m glad to hear it" Rei spoke gently with a hint of smile on his tone. Alicia smiled widely after hearing it and then giggled l, "Hehehe~" "Anyway...what a great timing, I was about to go to the village to ask for something." "What is it about?" Alicia tilted her head a bit, looking at him curiously. "Do you know the best [Hunter] in your village Alicia?" Rei asked with a smile, having some sort of ulterior motive behind it that went unnoticed by the other girl. ****** At the Rubal village, Rei and Alicia went to a small house that wasn''t too far away from Rei''s place. From where he stood, he could see a man in his mid thirties coming out from the house while holding onto something. "Uncle Rodger!!" Alicia called, catching his attention before making his way towards them. "Oh! If it isn''t Alicia!" "Hello~ Uncle Rodger~ and...mr. Knight! This is Uncle Rodger! He is the best hunter from our village." "Hahaha! You exaggerated me! And it''s nice to finally meet you mr. Knight." Rodger smiled gently and bowed his head towards him, "Once again I thank you for saving our children and the village." Rei reached a hand out to stop him from bowing, "You don''t have to bow at me...I''m only doing what anyone must do at that kind of situation." Rodger nodded, "I understand...such a kind young man you are, well now I am hoping that you could court Alicia as your bride in the future~" Rodger smirked as he noticed the little girl kept stealing glances towards Rei. "F-fueeh?~ U-uncle!! don''t tease me!!" Alicia shouted, covering her red face. Rei just rubbed the back of his helmet, unsure of what to do and wondered why would he say such a thing. "Hahahaha!!! Well we don''t know about the future right~?" Rodger laughed while raising one of his eyesbrows. "U-uncle!!!" "Fine fine~ I''ll stop~" He sighed, "Anyway, do you both need anything from me?" "Oh! Right! Mr. Knight!" "Hmm? Ahh, yes! I almost forgot, Rodger-san...do you know how to do [Archery]?" Rodger blinked for a moment, "Well...I know the basics of it since I am the one who hunt for our food, why do you ask?" "Could you...teach me how to do it?" The two of them looked at him in confusion. "Huh??" "It doesn''t matter if it''s just an instruction book for Archery, I need them in haste." "Wait! Mr. Knight! Aren''t you a [Magic Swordsman]??" "Indeed...why would you need an Archery when you can use magic?" "Umm...actually, I''m not a [Magic Swordsman]." "Huh?! T-then what kind of job??" Rei stared at them for a moment, thinking of what to say, "It''s a secret, I''m sorry...I cannot tell you not because I don''t want to...because I have my reason to not reveal everything to any people I just met." "...." Rodger and Alicia looked at each other for a moment, then nodded. "I understand, I respect your wishes so I won''t ask more than what you''re comfortable to share." Rodger smiled Alicia nodded her head, "That''s right! I won''t make you do things you don''t want. So please don''t worry." Rei smiled from behind his helmet and nodded at their understanding, "Thank you." "Well then how about you watch me hunt and I''ll give you the instructions book for Archery afterwards." "Sure, I''m quite curious at how you do your work" "Hahaha! I''m not strong as you are mr. Knight!" Rei turned to looked at Alicia for a moment then reached his hand towards her. *TAP* "Thank you, for guiding me...Alicia." Rei thanked her such a gentle tone, causing smoke to came out from her head. *PSSSHHH* She managed to stutter out a response through her burning red face, "Y-y-you''re welcome!!" Rei nodded as he followed Rodger closely behind, making their way to the forest to start hunting. As the wind blows, Alicia made a rather sad face, watching their back as if they were going to a far away land and never coming back again. ****** In the middle of the forest, Rei and Rodger were hiding behind the bushes, observing something in front of them. A large deer poking out among the bushes and trees. "So...what should we do now...Rodger-sa¨C" When Rei about to finish his words, he suddenly felt a chill running down his spine at what''s happening right next to him. *SIGH* Rodger took a deep breath and slowly let it out...his presence slowly disappeared as he hold out his bow and his arrow, pulling the string while steadily aiming it at that deer. Rei could feel his concentration getting stronger from the looks of his eyes, and that made him swallow his suddenly dry throat. A . . . In that moment.... . . . Everything stilled as if it was frozen in time... . . . And then... *TUNG* *SWOOSH* . . . . . . . . *STAB* *WHIMPER* *THUD* Rei widened his eyes when Rodger let go off the string and shoot his arrow swiftly yet smoothly, hitting that deer right in its neck, making it fell down. *SIGH* Rodger stopped his focus as he lowered his bow after he knew he hit the bullseye on the target. ''W-woah...did you see that Houston?'' Rei asked him inside his mind ''Of course...I never thought I''m gonna say this...is he...really just a [Hunter]?'' Ray was even more suprised after seeing Rodger in action. The older man stood up and walked towards the deer while Rei followed him from behind. "Say...Rodger-san, are you really just a [Hunter]?" Rodger turned his head and chuckled, "Oh me? Yeah I do." "But the way you shoot...was¨C" "Mr. Knight." Rodger cut in, looking at him gently and patiently. "I will tell you this, since you have a secret that need to be protected...so do I." "I-i understand." "Thank you, but don''t worry. I will keep my promise to give you the basics and of course...a [Skill]." "[Skill]?" "Did you not see how I shoot this deer?" Rodger asked as he crouched down to tie its legs on a rope and a long stick. "Yeah...I do." "What do you think of it?" "I think...that shot was beautiful and at the same time...it was calm and smooth...yet deadly." "Indeed, that''s the very basics when hunting...you need to know how to breath in rhythm and blend yourself with nature." "Focus your mind at one spot...aim, and then...shoot." "So that''s why...you can erase your presence like that." "Well just as you thought...now do you understand? What you need to train is your mind to keep focused and then you can start training your archery skills bit by bit." "I understand!" "By the way..." "Yes?" "Could you help me carry this thing? It''s quite heavy..." When Rodger said that he was carrying the big dear on his own but his legs was trembling as if he''s having a hard time hauling it with its weight. "A-aahh!! S-sorry!" ****** Afterwards, Rei and Rodger went back to the village together with the big deer in tow. When the night comes, it was a party. Laughter can be heard around the village as others drink and eat their fill, meanwhile the kids are playing with each other, running around and laughing in glee. Rei sat down on one of the bench alone while watching the view. Alicia and Leticia walked over to him, "Mr. Knight!" They greeted him eagerly. "Oh, Alicia...Leticia, do you need something?" As if on cue, several kids came out from behind them, looking curious about something. "Hmmm??" "Ummm...sorry, the others wanted to ask you a few questions...is that alright?" Alicia asked carefully. Rei chuckled, "It''s fine...ask away." Then a little boy raised his hand from behind Alicia, "Yes! Mr. Knight! I have a question" "What is it?" "Did Mr. Knight defeat the bad guy boss alon" "Okay then, let me ask you...why do you ask?" "Because...my dad said it''s impossible to defeat him...he said he was one of the strongest of the six." "Six?" "Yeah! But I don''t know what the Six means...but dad said, they are very bad!!" "I see...thank you for telling me and for the answer, yes I did defeat him." When Rei answered the question, the children made a fuss as if they were amazed, but there''s only one kid who seems to be looking down on him. "Heh, how great of defeating mere bandit." "Ohh, you think it was easy to defeat him, huh?" "Well of course! Since he is just a bandit!" "Well then...if I show you this, are you gonna take your words back?" Rei suddenly pulled out something from his [Inventory]. *SHUUSTH* *THUNG* "Huh?!" The children and even Leticia looked at the big saber sword he was holding with surprise. Except Alicia though, since she knew about it already. "W-woah...i-is that??" "Yepp, this is the sword that guy used...and when we fight, he used this sword to crush everything on his way...the trees, the rocks, and the ground turned into nothing but a mess by him with a single strike." "T-then how did you manage to defeat him!?" "Of course...it wasn''t easy, in a fight between monsters like that, you need luck and tenacity to survive...and let me tell you all about this." "When a fight start...and you cannot defeat your opponents, running away is fine." "But...Mister! Isn''t that a shame for a Warrior!" "Good question...but of course it is a shame for a Warrior to admit his defeat...but he have a second chance to change from that defeat." "So in other words is that...running away are also a method to win a fight, understand?" "Yes!" The children shouted, making him smiled, "Well then anything else?" All of them raised their hand together, including Alicia and Leticia, "Then mister! Tell us your name!" "My name?" Rei blinked, giving some thought about it. He was silent for a while bit the children waited patiently. Rei glanced at something behind them. A bon fire. The bon fire crackled, its flame burning brightly. The sight of flames eating at the piece of wood was beautiful but fierce...and dangerous. After that, Rei looked down at his scarf that was crimson red in color. "My name is.... . . . . . Crimson." To be continued... Chapter 39 : The Villainess Showdown (Part 1) In the early morning of Rubal Village, the villagers gathered around in front of the entrance, standing around a single young man who wore a black armor and red scarf on his neck and down to his shoulder. Today was the day for Kiritsuka Rei to continue his journey. Rei decided to tag along with the carriage that filled with the bandits, just in case they''re going to attack when the driver let their guard down. After the remaining bandits got inside while their body was tied firmly with chains, Rei looked over his shoulder at Alicia and Leticia who was about to cry, knowing Rei would leave them for his journey. "Crimson-san!" Alicia called, stepping forwards a bit. Rei turned around to respond to her call. "In the future...if I get much stronger...will you allow me to accompany you on your journey?" Alicia spoke, her violet eyes were glazed but there''s a burning determination in them. Rei sighed a bit then smiled behind his helmet, "Alicia...the path that I''m walking in is much dangerous than you think...and along the way...my hand might get dirty once more." "Can you take someone''s life...for your own survival in the future?" Rei spoke from, obviously having experienced it once, to the little girl in front of him. Alicia was silent for a while but the grip on her hand tightened, "I cannot say that...I can take people''s life so easily...but...I shall brace myself to do it...and if I can...I want to save people more than taking them!" Alicia shouted with so much conviction as she stared at him. Rei widened his eyes and smiled, "Heh...just as I thought...you are the future [Saint]." Rei mumbled so softly that he was inaudible to the people around him. Alicia blinked, tilting her head a bit. "Did you say something?" "No, nothing...in that case, I shall reserve that seat for you but...that is if you can catch up with me." Alicia beamed and smiling brightly after hearing his answer. "Y-yes!" "Right, well¡­I shall get going now." Rei turned around as he walked towards the carriage, taking his seat next to one of the villagers who was assigned to deliver him and the bandits to the nearest city. "Uncle, let''s get going." "Aiyo! Ha!" The man shouted as the horse in front of them started pulling the carriage. When they are out from the gate they heard a voice. "Crimson-san!! Thank youu!!! And Farewell!!!" Alicia shouted as she was in the verge of tears. Rei smiled, raising his hand to respond to her voice. After that...his journey continued once again. ****** On their way, Rei sighed when he looked at the inside of the carriage. The bandits looked like they''re not gonna cause trouble anytime soon but¡­more than that, they looked like they''ve just lost their reason to live after knowing their boss died by his hand. Rei turned around to look at the road again, "Uncle, I''m gonna rest for a moment. if something happened, you can just wake me up." "I understand, Crimson-san." The man smiled and allowed him to lean his back for a moment and closed his eyes. In that moment, Rei went deep into his mind and met Ray who''s already waiting for him. Upon his arrival, he could see Ray was holding onto something and aiming it at the target in front of him. *TUNG* *SWOOSH* . . . *THUD* When Ray hit the target with his arrow, he sighed quietly before he looked at Rei who approached him. "Oh hey, Kiritsuka." "How did it go?" "It was surprisingly easy, since I already know how to make a bow, I just need to get used to using it." "Yeah, well¡­we are [Blacksmith] after all¡­" Rei responded with a smile before he took one of the spare bows that have been prepared on the training range and taking an experimental hold on it. "How is it?" Ray asked. "It feels weird since this isn''t the real world, but I guess I can feel the weight only just a bit." "Of course since that''s more like things produced by your thoughts and mine." "I see...but why does it feel so light?" "The difference of the bow with any other kind of weapon is that they are light and pretty hard to master. Even I just got the hang of it now." He supplied, and then pointed at the target in front of him. "How about you look at the target?" His arrow missed the middle spot and end up hitting the sides of it. "Well...at least you did manage to do it." Rei took an arrow and positioned himself, taking a deep breath and started to pull the string. *TRRUTTTT* "Hmf!" Then he released the string... *TUNG*This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. *SWOOSH* . . . *THUD* Rei sighed when he saw his arrow missed the bullseye, landing so far away from it and much farther than Ray''s arrow. "Dammit...I guess I have a long way to go to get used to this." "Don''t rush it, we have time to train" He cheered him up and then changed the topic, " By the way isn''t today¡­y''know, the day¡­?" "Huh?? Oh yeah¡­I wonder if the things I made arrived safely at her place in time¡­" "Who knows, but I bet she and her brother will be overjoyed." "Haha, well...we did use our entire ingredients to make them." "Yeah, if we didn''t use them all we would have the complete parts for that spear." "But I still owe her an apology for missing out on her birthday." "Heh, we were so focused on training so it can''t be helped." "I guess so..." He hummed, "...I wonder how is she doing...my dear friend...Iris-san." Rei thought of her for a moment before he decided to continue his training with Ray. ****** At the same day when Rei departed for his journey after saving Rubal village, there was a glamorous party held inside the Welford''s Manor. People wearing their fancy clothes and blinding jewelries, talking with themselves and enjoying their drinks. It was the display of such a grand party inside of a gorgeous hall with so many delicious food buffet prepared at the sidelines, waiting to be eaten. Today was the 12th birthday of the eldest son of the Welford''s family and their heir¨CAlbert dragh Welford. Among the crowd...there was a single girl who caught the eyes of the guys who attended the party. She was wearing a beautiful dress with golden lining, her silky black hair that looked like a night sky fluttered as she walked while her eyes gleamed like that of a sapphire gem. The girl was [Iris may Welford], the daughter of the Welford family and Albert''s little sister who are now 8 years old. Iris was standing between her friends, the twins from Schafer''s family of the Five Great Family of the kingdom, Alex Nox Schafer and Emma Shalifa Schafer who were at the same age as Iris. "It''s been a while Iris-sama" Alex greeted her with a smile. "Indeed, it''s been a week Alex-kun." Iris replied with a smile as well. Emma like usual was hiding behind Alex, "H-hi, Iris-sama." She greeted her while peeking at her. "Hi, Emma-chan. It''s been a while for you too~" "Y-yes! It was." Emma replied shyly. Iris smiled at her, "Did you enjoy the party?" Alex nodded, "Yeah, thanks for inviting us Iris-sama." "Your welcome, we are friends after all~" Alex smiled, along with Emma. "Iris-sama do you have any news about Ray-san''s whereabouts?" Alex asked and looked at her curiously. "I don''t know...ever since he departed a week ago, I haven''t heard anything about him coming to some city." Iris replied while folding her arms together. "I see...I hope he is fine." Alex said while looking down a bit, feeling worried of his friend and the atmosphere around them slowly getting grim. "O-onii-sama! You must believe him! Ray-sama is strong after all!" Emma said out loud to cheer her brother up. "You are right Emma-chan~he is our friend so we must believe him that he''s gonna be alright." "Y-yeah...that''s right! I should believe him! He is the one who defeated a boss monster after all!" Alex exclaimed and that made the others smiled seeing the good atmosphere was back. But suddenly another voice cameout and someone joined into the conversation. "Hah! What do you mean by defeating a boss monster! He still need some help from the soldier to defeat it, he''s just only a mere commoner who doesn''t have power or whatsoever." A young boy came into their group with his lackeys following him from behind. He had brown hair and quite of a handsome features on his face. "Watch what you are saying! Bartho!" Alex shouted in anger after his friend was being belittled by someone like him. "Pleasure to meet you, Iris May Welford." Bartho spoke, ignoring Alex on purpose. Iris ignored him in return but Bartho smirked, as if he had some ulterior motive towards her from the looks of it. ''Bartho...from Bentone Count family, from the information I had...he was the type who change partners all the time and yet the girls around him seems okay with it.'' Iris thought while glancing at him for a moment. Alex got even angrier after he ignored his warning. "Bartho! Take your words back!" "My apologies~ but I''m just stating the truth~ how could a mere commoner like him can defeat a boss monster on himself~ he doesn''t even have a noble blood like ours!" "But don''t worry Iris-sama, since I have a noble blood like you, we can be friends~" Bartho spoke boldly while his lackeys started snickering behind him, they seemed to be looking as scummy as he was. Both Iris and even Emma found it disgusting seeing these boys behaving like a pervert so Iris decided to step in... *TAP* "Ara~ so you want to be friends with me?~" "Yes! If you allow me¨C" "With such a snotty ignorant brat like you who are too stupid to understand how the world works?" Her tone was ice cold and the aura of her change from the approachable flower into the one that was surrounded with unapproachable blizzard in the snowing mountain... Bartho''s face quickly turned red after being insulted, "H-haah! How dare you to call me that! You are just a weak little girl!" "Am I?~ Hmmm...ignorance sure is bliss~" Iris swayed her hair and turned around for a moment to pick on a silver spoon on the table. "Let me ask you this~ do you know what my nickname is?~" Iris asked with a sweet smile towards them. "Huh? What does that have to do with this?" "Hm." Iris curved her lips widely, showing off her devilish smirk. In that moment her skill activated. [Notice!] [Skill "The Villainess" have been activated] Calmness washed over her when she faced the boy in front of him and when she walked towards him closely... *TAP* She released her bluish aura around her and her eyes gleamed a bit, sending such an overwhelming pressure towards Bartho and his lackeys, making them hard to breathe and paralyzed them from a powerful unknown force. [Notice!] [Skill "Intimidate" have been activated] *SWOOSH* ''W-what...??? M-my voice...I can''t speak...'' Bartho thought. Iris slowly walked forwards, getting closer and closer to him then tilted his chin with one hand. "Let me tell you this...while you were having fun befriending those girls...I, Iris May Welford...have been training my powers...and just so you know...the one who mess with me will end up..." *KREAK* *TWUNGG* *TANG* "Like this~" Iris smiled. Their eyes widened seeing the silver spoon on her hand was twisted with her barehand until its shape cannot be recognized. "H-hiii!!" "W-woahh!" From Bartho''s sides, they trembled in fear after seeing such display of power while Alex and Emma were astonished seeing Iris did something unimaginable before their very eyes. "You are way weaker than he is...if the boss monster was right in front of you...maybe your head will be gone before you even realize what happened~" Iris spoke with such an innocent smile despite saying something rather disturbing to them. After that, she snapped her fingers and immediately, he pressure that was put on them was released, causing them to fall on the floor, shaking in fear. "A-aaghh...haaa...haaa..." Bartho could only looked up at her from where he was sitting on the floor, meeting her devilish smile on her beutiful young face. Yes...it was the face of the future [Villainess]. "It''s your lucky day~ Bartho Bentone. If it wasn''t my Onii-sama''s birthday, you wouldn''t be standing here~" Iris cooed as she turned away and walked back to her group but before that, she spared him a look. "It''s also a good thing that my Father and Mother weren''t here...if they were...your family...won''t even stand a chance with us Welford, so I bid you farewell~" Iris spoke and continued to walk with Alex and Emma, away from them. Bartho widened his eyes as he could tell that wasn''t a simple threat...it was something real...and it might happen in the future. The thought alone made him so scared to the point of pissing himself. From then on, they learned that [the Villainess, Iris May Welford] must not be provoked in any means. Although in reality... After her skill [The Villainess] stopped, despite having calm conversations that she had just now... she went panick inside of her head after causing such a scene like that. ''Aaaghhh!! So embarrassing!!'' Instead of her cheeks, her ears turned bright red after realizing her action. "I don''t think...I''m fit to be Villainess." People never know...Iris May Welford...was just a girl who always got embarrassed after using her own skill to pass through the problem. ***** Afterward Iris, Alex and Emma went to another spot as they continue their discussions once again. On that moment, a voice echoed through the whole room. "Attention! Ladies and Gentlemen." All of the people in the room, including Iris, Alex and Emma put their attention to the source of the voice. It was a young man with blonde hair and red eyes who stood on the second floor right on top of the stairs. Albert Dragh Welford, Iris'' older brother. He was wearing a white tuxedo with golden lining that matched the color of his hair and there''s a red gem brooch attached on his left chest. "I thank you all for coming to my 12th birthday party. It is my pleasure to have you here, my honorable guests and I hope you all enjoy the party." "We shall continue the party after praising our kingdom''s long history of protecting the human race!" Albert shouted, raising a champagne glass on his hand and smiled. "Long live to our Kingdom! Cheers!" "LONG LIVE!" As Albert cheered, the others follow alongside him and just like that, the party continued. As Albert went down the stairs, a servant stopped him as he knelt right in front of him, which caught the attention of the party goers, including Iris, looking curiously at them. "Hmm? What is it?" "My apologies...Sir...this is for you." The servant spoke politely while holding onto a small pillow with a letter that was addressed for him and some sort of an item wrapped with a cloth. "Huh??" Albert knotted his browsing in confusion but he took the letter first and opened it. "Happy Birthday, this is my gift for you...sign from [R]. Who is that?" Albert asked . Unlike him, Iris could tell the familiarity coming from it as she uttered his name. "Ray-sama..." Albert took the item that was covered with cloth and he carefully opened it. *SHUUSTH* . . . . . *THUD* *TWINGG* In that moment, their eyes were drawn to the shiny item that Albert held in his hand. It was a black sheathed sword that have red gem embedded on the hilt and covered with its sheath. When Albert pulled out the sword, it showed a pure black blade that somehow looked even more beautiful than the sheath itself. Albert widened his eyes seeing such a thing in front of him and when he touch the gem...it reacted. *TWINGGGG* The gem shined and showed him an image of someone... *TANG* . . *TANG* . . *TANG* A young boy who looked much younger than him, forging something in the dark room. In that moment, Albert froze as the sword began to be surrounded with two different kinds of power that resonated with his affinity elements which was fire. "Is this...for real." The boy snapped himself back to reality to look at the sword in his hand. Iris who were far away from where he stood, saw the sword and quickly used her [Magic Eyes] to Appraise the item. She smiled widely at what she found, "Ray-sama...to not have you work with me...what a shame..." "You really exceed my expectations." Iris wondered how could such a young boy who are pretty much the same age as her... Could create such a magnificent [Epic] rank sword in that age... A black sword with a red gem embedded on it which held two differrent kinds of power from a wolf monster and the boy himself. Mixed into one sword and it is name... [The Crimson Moon Sword]. To be continued... *Iris'' current status* ======================================= [STATUS] NAME: Iris Mei Welford/ Hanamachii Yomi JOB : Magic Swordsman TITLE : [The Other Worlder]; [The Villainess]; [Quick Learner]; [Magic Master]; [Sword Master] [Level: 27] [HP: 4020/4020] [MP: 1200/1200] [FATIGUE: 0] EXP: 0/9000 STATUS POINT : 0 ______ STRENGTH : 77 AGILITY : 77 VITALITY : 77 INTELLIGENCE : 115(+15) SENSE : 59 SKILL Magic Mastery Lv5; Sword Mastery Lv5; Super Growth LvMax; Darkness Magic Lv5, Light Magic Lv4; Magic Eyes Lv4; The Villainess LvMax; Etiquette Lv6; Knitting Lv4; Cooking Lv4 Status Appraisal Lv4 Foresight Lv4 Restraint Lv5 Intimidate Lv4 Shadow Movement Lv5 Shadow Blade Lv5 Heal Lv5 Holy Light Lv3 Sword Dance Lv5 Vital Strike Lv5 Omni-Slash Lv6 Dark Pulse Lv3 ======================================= Chapter 40 : The Villainess Showdown (Part 2) At the same day, Rei continuously practicing his archery skill along with Ray inside his mind. Rei took a new arrow and positioned himself, taking a deep breath while closing his eyes and started pulling the string... "Hmmmm...." *TRRUTTTT* He opened his eyes, focusing on the target in front of him. "Hmf!" Then he released the string... *TUNG* *SWOOSH* His arrow flew swiftly in the air towards the target in front of him and eventually the arrow landed. *THUD* Rei sighed softly at that, taking a moment to appreciate his work and then bumping his fist, "Yosh! I did!" But Ray suddenly hit his head from behind. *BAK* "You didn''t do it at all!" Rei groaned, rubbing his head, "Ugh...Hey! I finally managed to comprehend his skill alright!" "Yeah! By missing the bullseye!" Ray casually pointed out his mistakes and it was clear that his arrow hit the target a bit too far away from the red dot in the middle. Rei laughed awkwardly, looking at anything but him. "Hehehe..." Ray sighed, "Let''s take a break first." Rei sighed as well and sat down, "We sure practiced a lot..." "Yeah...I guess we did." Ray nodded, looking at the many targets with multiples arrow stuck on them. "How long have we trained?" Rei asked while looking at him. "Hmmm...maybe around 1 hour." Ray estimated, not entirely sure himself. "I see..." Rei paused a moment, collecting his thought, "...say, do you think Iris-san''s brother would like the sword we made?" "Well I hope so." "Your method of creating it was interesting, maybe I should try it on my weapon next time." "Really? It wasn''t that interesting though, but...I guess you could say I mastered it alone." "Alone!?" "Of course, do you remember what I taught you about the aura that can be mixed into a weapon?" "What about it?" "What you were doing is based on your unconscious. You cannot control which skill you''re going to get from it." "Then what about it?! I still don''t understand! Did I do wrong?!" "No, you didn''t but since that time I was merely instructing you and not teach you about it...I shall give you a chance to learn about it." "O-okay??" "If there''s something that cannot be controlled...you can do it as long you know how to learn it." "For example...the time when you separated the core into few pieces, do you think about the shape of the weapon and the item you want it to be?" "Hmmm...yeah, I guess so." "Tell me in details." "Hmmm...from the sword...I used the claw and the core...I guess I was thinking about that time that monster used his corrosive claw on me." Rei mused, "While the helmet and leg guards...i remembered its strength and its movements? I guess..." "I see...that means...the weapon that you forged was based on what you imagined them to be...the sword that holds the power of corrosive...the helmet and the leg guards that holds the power of its raw strength and movements." Ray concluded, "The stronger the experience impacted you, the stronger the image...and that''s why you were able to create such things." "Hmmm...then does that include the spear we made for Uncle Nel?" "Yeah, but the difference is that...you''re using a different kind of core. The core of the weapon for Uncle Nel was from other monster that we bought...but with the same affinity elements with him." "Since you experienced Nel''s power instead of the monster...the image was overlapping, but a new ability was created to increase the power of the wielder." "Ohhh...now I understand! But...what about the sword that we made for Iris-san''s brother?" "Well that one is of a different method. But since you have the talent of wide imagination...it succeeded, and so a weapon that could contain two different affinities existed." "My talent??" "Yep, you have a talent which making you easy to create an image of what weapon you want it to be...Remember the time when i told you to imagine the shape of fire?" "Yeah?" "What do you think about the fire itself?" "Ummmm...it''s warm, fierce, strong but at the same time dangerous." "Then from that image and focusing on forging that sword...you unconsciously controlled your aura and mixed it together with the core of that monster." "With the addition of using [Blacksmith Flame] skill...the image and your will...will be even stronger." "And finally...you created a new type of weapon that holds both [Corrosion] skill from the monster and [Fire] skill from the creator of that weapon...from then on, a new skill that no one has ever heard of its existence...would show up." Ray explained.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ****** ======================================= [The Crimson Moon Sword] Grade: Epic Type: Sword STRENGTH: +75 Durability: 100% A sword that was created using the claws from an unknown beast that roamed the night. But because of the will of the creator was strong, it stayed and created a new force¡ªa fire spirit that was formed by the creator. The sword ultimately became a vessel for two different kind of force, namely fire and darkness Skill: [Corrosive] Due to its dark energy, it could apply [Corrosion] status towards everything it touches, including the wielders'' enemies. [The Blacksmith Will] Duration : 2 min. Cooldown : 60 sec. The creator imprinted his will into this sword, giving the wielder a strength to pave their way through hurdles and challenges. Overall status increased by 20% [Zwart Ignis] MP Cost : 400 Cooldown : 2 min. Maintain the skill: -20 MP/1 sec. With the power from both the momster and man mixed together, it created a dark flame which covered the whole blade, destroying everything it touches. ======================================= Meanwhile, back in the middle of Albert''s Birthday Party. The people who attended it, fixated their eyes towards the sword on Albert''s hands. Iris couldn''t help but stare at that sword also and by using her [Magic Eyes], she appraised the sword before her. "Ray-sama...to not have you work with me...what a shame..." "You really exceed my expectations." Iris felt proud of her friend''s achievement and be amazed at his ability to create such an item. ''[The Crimson Moon Sword].'' A black sword with a red gem embedded on it which held two differrent kinds of power from a wolf monster and the blacksmith who forged the sword. ''An [Epic] class sword...with three skills on it, I never thought he would forge such a thing within a span of 2 years.'' Iris smiled and giggled a bit, "I guess...I might lose my bet with him in the next few years." Meanwhile, beside her was Alex and Emma who were fascinated with the sword that Albert hold. "U-umm...I-iris-sama, that sword...is it from¨C" "Yepp~ it''s from our dearest friend, Ray Houston~" Iris interrupeted when Alex was about to finish his words. "Woah...I can''t believe it...to think that Ray-san could forge that kind of weapon..." Alex praised as his eyes sparkled. "Indeed...but now, we should keep it hush-hushed." Alex blinked, turning to her, "Huh? Why?" "Because it will lead to a new problem and there will be a possibility that someone with bad intention...is targeting the village." Iris spoke grimly. "I-i see...that''s true." "So I hope you both keep it a secret that mr. R was Ray-sama, okay?" Iris spoke to them, holding out her pinky fingers. "Pinky promise" Alex nodded, Intertwining his own finger to hers, followed by Emma, "I promise." Iris smiled. "Let''s enjoy the party now." Albert was still staring at the sword and only snapped out of it when the servant coughed, "Ahem...sir." "Huh??" Albert woke up from his day dreaming and looked at the servant, "Ah...yes! forgive me, I never thought I would get such a wonderful gift like this, but now let''s continue our party. Let us all dance!" Albert put the sword back to the sheath when a gentle song broke the silence in the room, signalling the start of the dance session. The girls and the guys were paired with one another as they dance around with practiced elegance. Iris who stood right on the sideline was approached by Albert. "Hey, Iris." Albert greeted. "Happy Birthday...Onii-sama~" Iris replied with a sweet smile. "Thank you." Albert smiled and stood right beside her, "Please pass my thanks to your friend for bringing me such a gift. It was most wonderful." "Well I did told you...he have potential~" "But I still don''t like him for getting close to you!" Albert pouted. Iris giggled, "But now you should at least approve him as my friend right?" "Ummmm...Nope, I won''t approve of him yet!" "Hmmm but you do know that sword had three skills on it, don''t you~?" "Three?! E-ehem...that doesn''t change anything! I-i do feel grateful for him to giving me such gift...but that''s a different issue!" Albert countinued to be in denial and he was still suprised after knowing the sword was coming with 3 skills. Iris giggled once again, obviously having so much fun seeing her brother''s reaction. ''Well...a weapon that has three skills on it is considered rare.'' Iris thought and smiled, ''But I''m glad he''s happy about it~'' Albert sighed and smiled as well then he looked forward to watch the people dance. "I heard that [he] had departed from his village, don''t you feel worried about him?" "Hmmm...of course, but after knowing he could defeat a boss monster alone...I''m not that worried anymore~" Iris smiled fondlt "I see..." Albert couldn''t help but smile as well, "But I still hope he can survive at the outside world though...you know how it is, evil creatures and all that." "...Indeed." Iris made such a complex looks on her face, looking somewhat distant. Albert who noticed it quickly held her hand and pulled her over to the dance floor. "Enough about that. ..we should dance before the party is over." Albert spoke to break themselves out of the sudden grim atmosphere around them. Iris blinked twice and smiled at his attempt to cheer her up, "Fine~ you can have this one dance, Onii-sama~" The two of them started to dance together, gathering many eyes from the spectators towards them, watching over their dance moves. The two danced elegantly and beautifully and at the same time created such a happy atmosphere around the ballroom, affecting the party in a positive vibe and caused them to enjoy the dance even more after they too joined in to the dance floor. ****** Soon the party finally came to an end after they finished the dance. The people around them gave their applause to the two siblings who danced magnificently. The siblings accepted their applause by bowing their head a bit before walking back to the crowd to take a break and when they walked together, Iris and Albert were greeted by Alex and Emma. "That was amazing Iris-sama and Albert-sama." Alex complimented them. "Y-yes! I-it was beautiful! E-especially Iris-sama! With that dress, you look like an ice fairy dancing in that hall!" Emma added as well, with her eyes pretty much sparkled as she remembered how she danced earlier. "Ice fairy? Fufufu~ thank you for the compliments Emma-chan~ and Alex-kun as well~" Iris responded in kind. As for Albert, he patted his little sister head with his hand. "Well then, thank you for the dance Iris. You can go and rest while I deal with the end of the party." "Thank you, Onii-sama." She nodded and turned to the twins "Emma-chan, Alex-kun. I''ll excuse myself first~ have fun with the party~" "Yes, thank you for your time as well Iris-sama. Have a good rest." Alex bowed at her. Seeing her brother bowed to her, Emma followed suit also, "Y-yes! Have a good rest Iris-sama!" Iris bowed back before she left the room on her own. ****** *TAP* *TAP* *TAP* On her way to her room, she saw a girl in a maid outfit with her beautiful silver hair and purple eyes already waiting right beside the door. "Welcome back Iris Ojou-sama." Silvi greeted her with a respectful bow. Iris smiled at her presence, "Yeah, I am back." *CREAK* Silvi opened the door for her and Iris took that chance to speak as she walked to the room, followed by Silvi, "Is there anything to report?" Silvi nodded, "Yes, Ojou-sama." "What is it?" Iris asked while she took a seat on her bed, allowing Silvi to help her took her stocking off. "It seems one of the [Underworld Six Kings], [Banzana, The Bandit''s King] was dead before we arrived at the destination." Silvi spoke while slowly taking the jewelry that Iris wore and put them into the box. "Huh?? What?!" Iris balked her eyes after hearing it as she didn''t expect that one of the kings died. But then she collected herself and cleared her throat, controlling her emotion "A-ahem...then can you tell me how he died?" "It seems Banzana and his crew was defeated by some unknown irregularities, when our soldiers arrived...it was total disaster." "They found what''s left of a large battle in there, the trees and the ground around the forest was completely destroyed and in the middle of it...we found a headless body sitting there." As Silvi explained, she was helping her to change into her white dress pajamas. "...Banzana" Iris guessed. "Yes, Ojou-sama...the body belonged to Banzana...his body was partially damaged beyond saving around his left chest to his left arm...it was completely destroyed by something unidentified." "I see...it seems it was a long battle, when did this happen?" "I got an information from the nearby village...according to the information...it seems Banzana was killed yesterday night." Iris widened his eyes, ''Yesterday night? If I remember correctly...I send my army to there 3 days ago. To have killed one of the Six...in a single night was pretty unimaginable.'' Iris thought and then looked at Silvi. "Then...do you find the girl?" "Yes...Ojou-sama. We found her...the girl named Alicia..was found uninjured." "I see...I''m glad to hear it." Iris sighed in relief as Silvi slowly brushed her hair from behind. "By the way, do you know about the one who killed Banzana?" Iris asked while turning her head a bit to look curiously at Silvi. "Hmmm...according to the information, it was a young man wearing a black armor, a helmet that looked like a beast and the most conspicuous part of this man is that... He was wearing a red scarf." "A red scarf??" "Yes...[The young man who rushed to save us...he was like a beast at night who hunts evil...but despite that, he was kind and generous to us who had lost everything because of those evil. When he left, we saw his scarf fluttered around his neck... it was like a crimson flame that was fierce yet warm.]" "I see...a crimson flame huh." Iris spoke, suddenly remembering about something. "Ojou-sama?...is there something wrong?" Silvi asked as she finished brushing her hair. "It kinda remind me of him." Iris mumbled as she smiled faintly. "Him??" "Nothing" Iris shook her head, "Well then, is that all?? Does he have a name?" "According to the villagers...he revealed his name to be [Crimson]." "[Crimson]??" "Yes...Ojou-sama." "Hmmmm...I wonder what he looks like..." "I apologize Ojou-sama...it also seems that this man always used his helmet to hide his identity." ''A helmet huh...Ray-sama did leave the village a week ago but I haven''t heard anything about him afterwards though.'' ''Then this Crimson guy appeared out of nowhere...is it a coincidence when Ray-sama left...and he appeared?'' ''Furthermore...I never heard about him in the game and I don''t know where this is leading to since the timeline of the story is getting messed up...'' ''But...I guess I shouldn''t be worrying as long he isn''t my enemy.'' Iris thought, nodding to herself. "Well it is fine~ we will deal with this matter another time." She smiled, "How does the preparation going? Is everything alright?" Silvi knelt before her, "Yes...Ojou-sama, the preparation is almost complete." Iris nodded approvingly, "Well then~ I shall take a rest for today. Tomorrow we will focus on this plan for sure." "Before that...Ojou-sama, I have something to give to you." "Hmmm?? What is it?" When Iris about to rest her body on the bed, Silvi brought out something from behind her. It was an item wrapped in cloth and a letter beside it. "What is this?" Iris blinked twice as she took the letter first. Silvi didn''t answer her since she just bowed her head to present the item in front of her. Iris examined the letter first but couldn''t find a name on it and so she opened it. Iris slowly read it out loud, "Dear Iris-san...I hope you forgive me, for not saying anything on your birthday but I hope you will accept this gift." Iris widened her eyes as she quickly grabbed the item. And then... *SHUUSTH* She took off the cloths from it and she felt her eyes grew wide at the sight. "T-this is..." It''s a long sheathed rapier. It has a blue gem embedded on the hilt, the same color as her eyes. *CLINK* When iris slowly pulled out the rapier, it shone brightly under the light of the moon that came in from the window of her room. It didn''t take long for her to reveal the dark blue blade underneath the sheathe that gleamed like a beautiful crystal. It''s also the same shade of blue as her hair. When she looked at the last part of the letter, it is said... . . . . . "Happy Belated Birthday... . . . . . from your dearest friend, Ray Houston." To be continued... *Iris'' current status* ======================================= [STATUS] NAME: Iris Mei Welford/ Hanamachii Yomi JOB : Magic Swordsman TITLE : [The Other Worlder]; [The Villainess]; [Quick Learner]; [Magic Master]; [Sword Master] [Level: 27] [HP: 4020/4020] [MP: 1200/1200] [FATIGUE: 0] EXP: 0/9000 STATUS POINT : 0 ______ STRENGTH : 77(+15) AGILITY : 77 VITALITY : 77 INTELLIGENCE : 115(+15) SENSE : 59(+15) SKILL Magic Mastery Lv5; Sword Mastery Lv5; Super Growth LvMax; Darkness Magic Lv5, Light Magic Lv4; Magic Eyes Lv4; The Villainess LvMax; Etiquette Lv6; Knitting Lv4; Cooking Lv4 Status Appraisal Lv4 Foresight Lv4 Restraint Lv5 Intimidate Lv4 Shadow Movement Lv5 Shadow Blade Lv5 Heal Lv5 Holy Light Lv3 Sword Dance Lv5 Vital Strike Lv5 Omni-Slash Lv6 Dark Pulse Lv3 ======================================= Chapter 41 : The Villainess Showdown (Part 3) The next day after Albert''s birthday party, Iris continued with her plan to discuss and study with her teacher [The Witch]¨CMatilda who are one of the members of [Hero''s Party] who were once subjugated the [Demon Lord] who''s about to destroy this world. Right now the both of them are inside of the [Magic Tower 50th Floor : Training Ground], an explosion occurred. *BOOM* Iris who tied her hair up in a ponytail and was wearing her training clothes which consisted of a few light armor on her body and a training rapier on her waist, panted in front of the smoke after she directed her magic skill towards it. *BZZZTT* *BZZZTT* *SWOOSH* As the smoke cleared, Matilda was in the middle of it and was currently surrounded with a barrier in front of her. "Hooo~ it seems you have improved my dear~" Matilda praised as she saw a small crack on the barrier she created. "Haaa....haaa...no...It''s still not enough." Iris replied to her compliment as she tried to steady her breathing. "Hmmm~ true, you aren''t strong enough to destroy a mid-level barrier like this, but you did manage to destroy the lower one~" Matilda smiled. "Well then, we should take a break first~" Matilda spoke as she turned off her barrier. Iris nodded and took a seat on the nearby chair that has been prepared by Silvi who accompanied her with her training. *TRUUUUU* Silvi poured two cups of tea on the table right besides her chair. "Thank you Silvi." "Your welcome, Ojou-sama~" Silvi replied to her as Matilda walked towards them then sat down on the other seat. "Here you go, Oba-sama~" Silvi slide the cup right besides her grandma. "Thank you, Silvi~" Matilda thanked her as the two of them took a sip. "Hmmm~ I never thought I could finally drink one of my granddaughter''s tea after so long~" Matilda commented. Iris raised both of her eyebrows in surprise, "Hmmm?? You haven''t?? I thought you might had one since she''s pretty good at this." "Well you see, this girl used to be pretty rough and wild~" Matilda smirked as Silvi cheeks started to go red. "O-obaa-sama! You shouldn''t talk about that!" Silvi shouted out in embarrassment. ''Ohhh~ that''s new~'' Iris couldn''t help but smirked and at the same time felt curious about it, ''I never thought Silvi could make such a cute face~ fufufu~'' Iris giggled. Matilda giggled as well under the cover of her hand, "Fine~ I will say no more~ and besides, it seems like my disciple is pretty motivated today. Did something happen?" She quickly changed the topic and stared at Iris with her mischievous smile. "Fueh?~" Iris stopped sipping her tea and looked at her, "Am I?" "Mhm~ it''s almost as if you are chasing on something~" Matilda spoke while resting her head on her hand. Iris averted her eyes from her stare and started to stutter, "I-it''s nothing weird! I don''t know what you are talking about!" Matilda smirked wider, "Hooo~" Silvi who finally calmed down, noticed the chance and smiled. "It seems she received something nice yesterday." "S-silvi!" Iris called her out with an embarrassed glare but it does nothing but fuel Matilda and Silvi on their teasing. "Hmmmm~ something nice huh~ is it from someone you like?" *COUGH* Iris suddenly coughed after Matilda pointed it out, completely catching her off guard. "Ohh~ did I get it right?~" Matilda teased. "N-no you didn''t!" Iris stuttered as her cheeks grew even redder. Silvi and Matilda giggled at her reaction as they both shared similar thoughts, ''Ohhh, youngsters~'' "S-stop teasing me!" Iris pouted and finished her tea first. "Okay okay~ but i''m still curious of how did this boy end up making her like this~" Matilda smiled as she sipped her tea again. Iris felt like she''s quickly going crazy at their continuous teasing, "H-he didn''t do anything okay!" Silvi stepped forwards a bit to explain it to Matilda, "Well...he gave her handmade flower bookmark on the day she left that village and a gift of his apology for being late on wishing her birthday." "Ohh~ that''s so sweet~" Matilda cooed. "Silvi! Not again!" Silvi giggled, "Fufufu~ sorry Ojou-sama~ it''s just quite fun teasing you like this~" Iris sighed and pouted, "I hate both of you" They continued to giggle for a while until it died down to a comfortable silence as Matilda drank her tea. Iris on the other hand, was physically and mentally drained, ''Sometimes...why [The Villainess] skill won''t come out at this kind of situation.'' Iris thought as she sighed tiredly. Matilda smiled, "Well? Let me see what the boy gifted you, I''m quite curious about his skill." Iris blinked twice and slowly opened her [Inventory], "Sure." After that, she pulled out a rapier through thin air. Matilda didn''t seem to be suprised about it since she knew about her [Space Magic], or rather the [Inventory] and [System] she had long ago. But now her eyes were fixated towards the thin rapier with a crystal embedded on the hilt, "Hmmm...it looks quite normal to me but it seems to have some sort of power that came from the monster he forged into." Matilda commented but Iris shook her head, as if saying that she''s not done yet. And then... *CLICK* *SHINGGGG* . . . *CLINK* Matilda widened her eyes when Iris pulled out the rapier from its sheathe. When she drew out the blade, she revealed the dark blue blade underneath the sheathe that seemed to gleam like a beautiful crystal. She was captivated by the beauty and couldn''t help but use her appraisal skill. "[Appraise]." ======================================= [The Moonlight Rapier] Grade: Epic Type: Rapier STRENGTH: +80 Durability: 100% A rapier that was created using the core from an unknown beast that roamed the night. Under the moonlight, it will let out a mysterious power no one can ever imagine and due to the creator''s strong will and vision, it created a new form of power that could control and stabilize the dark energy using the power of the moonlight. Skill: [Dance of the Moonlight] Duration : 30 min. Cooldown : 1 hour. A skill that allows its user to let out the hidden power of the unknown beast that could be controlled and stabilized, the user will gain +50% overall status and additionally, it granted the user the [Purify] power.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. [Purify] Due to the moonlight energy coursing through the blade, it could neutralize any kind of negative status effect towards everything it touches and it add extra damage against [Dark Energy] type of being. [The Blacksmith Will] Duration : 2 min. Cooldown : 60 sec. The creator imprinted his will into this rapier, giving the wielder a strength to pave their way through hurdles and challenges. Overall status increased by 20%. ======================================= Matilda looked at the rapier and was impressed by the status and skill that it has. "Amazing..." She muttered. ''Three skills at [Epic] grade weapon...not only that, it was created by a child who was roughly the same age as her. Is it possible?'' Matilda thought curiously. "Iris-kun...is this for real¨C" "Yes." Iris nodded as she answered her straightforwardly. Matilda widened her eyes and began to laugh, "Pft¨CHahaha! Such an ammusing boy! I see, so he is a [Blacksmith]! But still, I can''t believe he could forge such a thing." Iris smiled as she stared at the rapier on her hand. "Indeed...for some reason I can feel the way and how he felt as he forged this." "Hmmmm, I heard the best blacksmith know how to put their feelings into the weapon they forge...putting their will, their vision and their feelings. I can tell that your friend here have the potential to be the best [Blacksmith] around." Matilda explained with a rather fond smile. "Of course...he is my friend after all." Iris couldn''t help but smile wider. Silvi stood between them and coughed, "Ahem...Obaa-sama, I feel like I should tell you this, despite having the potential to be the best [Blacksmith]...this boy decided to not walk through those path." "Hmmm? What do you mean by that Silvi?" Matilda asked as Silvi''s words confused her. "The first time we met him...Ojou-sama tried to invite him as her personal Blacksmith." "Ohhh, this is the first for me to hear." Matilda smirked, "So? Why isn''t he here??" "That boy he...he refused Ojou-sama invitation." Matilda widened her eyes and laughed once again, "Seriously, what''s wrong with his head! The more I know him, the more I''m interested on him!" Iris pouted a bit at that and when Matilda noticed the change of her expression, she smirked. "Hmmm~ don''t worry my dear, I know that boy is your target~" "W-wha¨C?! N-no! You got it all wrong! It...it''s just a...misunderstanding." Iris intertwined her index finger together, looking away as she blushed. Matilda giggled, "Okay~ I shall stop for real now~ but i do wonder why would he refuse such invitation? I mean you are the Duke''s daughter." "Ojou-sama did propose that he would get a decent payment and assurance for his family''s safety but...he still refused." "Hmmmm...could you tell me the reason, Iris?" Matilda directed her words towards Iris who immediately looked at her calmly. "He told me to put this as a secret and I hope you do the same...Master." Matilda was silent for a moment and then sighed, "Sure...since you are my disciple, I shall respect your wishes." "Thank you, Master...just like Silvi said, he refused to be my personal Blacksmith. He found out offer to be appealing, but that''s still not enough to keep him away from his dream." "His dream??" Iris nodded, "Yes...he is currently on his journey to become strong. "Not as [Blacksmith] but...as a [Knight] that he aspire to be." Matilda widened her eyes, "A knight? Are you serious??" "I''m not joking Master...Silvi was there and heard it too." "Is that true...Silvi." Matilda asked and turned her head to the silver haired maid. "Yes, Obaa-sama...what Ojou-sama said was true...he refused and choose to become strong enough to get a title of [Knight]." Matilda nodded and looked to be deep in thought for a moment but then she closed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief, "I want to laugh about it, but hearing how serious he was...i couldn''t help but admire his determination since the path he chose is not going to be easy." Matilda spoke it with a surprisingly gentle smile. Iris smiled as well after knowing her Master''s positive reply. "Thank you, Master." "By the way...how did he managed to defeat a [Unique Boss Monster], despite being a [Blacksmith]? I know he defeated that monster, but I never heard the full story." Silvi and Iris exchanged unsure glances at her question. "I''m sorry...Obaa-sama, I really don''t know about it, but the one who saw him in his last moments on defeating that monster...was Ojou-sama." Matilda looked at Iris, as if asking her for an answer. "....I...really don''t know about it...since I just saw a glipmse of how he defeat that monster." Matilda nodded, "Mhm. Go on." Iris fiddled with her fingers first before continuing, "He was using one of the most difficult skill of... [Magic Swordsman]." Both of Matildas eyebrows nearly reached her hairlines as she widened her eyes, "Huh?! What do you mean by that?!" "I don''t really know...but he was holding a sword covered in fire...then use it to cut the monster like a butter knife." "A [Magic Sword] skill?? Is that even possible for someone who''s never been thought about magic and sword skill??" Matilda murmurred to herself about it, then shaking her head in disbelief. Iris nodded in agreement as she spoke out what she thought about it, ''Yes...it was strange... [Magic Sword] skill...by applying magic towards an object which requiers amount of control to keep our mana from running out and the magic from going haywire. It is a difficult feat for even us [Magic Swordsman]. ''Even I still haven''t quite manage to control that skill because it''s quite difficult.'' She thought "And then? How did he managed to defeat it?" Matilda continued her question. "When he finally stood right in front of the monster...he stabbed his sword through its head, but knowing the monster was tenacious...before it could attack him...his sword explode and destroyed its head along with it." Iris explained. Matilda listened to her carefully as she rubbed her chin, "I see...I believe it was just an Imitation of that skill...with a different modification." Iris blinked for a moment, "What do you mean by that Master?" "It means...that your friend just created a new skill for himself with an additional consequence when using their inner skill." "Every [Blacksmith] job have a magic skill [Fire] for them to work and since they learnt it...they also learn how to apply the heat and control the fire at will." "But the fire they can use are limited to their work. It is not that suitable for a fight." Matilda explained as Iris and Silvi listened to her carefully. "By applying those facts...I believed that your friend here controlled those fire on his sword, by condensed the heat into a single point and slowly released it. And finally, an Imitation of [Magic Sword] skill was achieved by that method." Matilda guessed. ''The way he thought about it, and then applying it to the sword was quite interesting...'' Matilda thought and then heaved an exasperated sigh "A monster has just been born, not only that...there''s two of them." Matilda glanced at Iris who seemed to be deep in her thought. Matilda''s explanation made her realize just how strange yet crazy this is. "So he condensed it...and then released it." Iris muttered as she finally got the answer she has been waiting for. Matilda smiled and patted her head, "Okay, I guess I had enough of this." "Eh?!" Iris quickly snapped back to her senses. "A-ah¨Cyes! I understood!" "Today you are invited to a tea party right? You should get going now and take a bath." "But what about the¨C" "I already understand the plan, so you don''t have to worry...who do you think I am?" Iris giggled, "Then I shall get going." "I shall prepare myself to, make sure you prepared a good bait." "Of course~" Iris stood up from her seat and walked towards the door. "After all, I am Iris May Welford...the daughter''s of Duke Welford." ''...and [The Villainess] of this world.'' She thought as her eyes turned cold, ''I shall show them." *TAP* . . . *TAP* . . . *TAP* *CREAK* ''Who they are trying to mess with...'' As Iris walked out from the room with Silvi, her eyes turned red in a spur of a moment. ****** The tea party was held in [The Schafer''s Family Manor]. It was attended by the noble women of various noble families, including The Welfords The one who hosted it was none other than the madam of the Schafer family¨CMadam Helen Liv Schafer. A beautiful middle aged woman with beautiful blond hair and green eyes like emerald. She was wearing her beautiful moss green dress and a scarf made out of soft fur around her neck. Helen sat on her seat right in the middle between the other noble women as they were discussing about domething amongst themselves. Emma sat on the different group reserved for the kids. She was holding her cup and listened to the others talking. However, they were slightly interrupted by the sound of the door opening. *CLICK* *CREAKKK* The servant who work there held it open as two new people stepped inside. Helen noticed it and smiled as she stood up from her seat and then moved to approach them. "I never thought you would come here, Madam Welford~" Helen greeted her with a small nod The rest of the noble ladies who were presented in the room fixated their eyes towards the door, more specifically towards the two figures greeted by Madam Helen. It''s the young lady and the madam of the Welfords family¨CIris May Welford and Eliza Luth Welford. Both of them wore a matching magnificent blue dress. "Indeed, but since my daughter is friends with your children...I''m afraid I must attend it to meet you once again, Madam Schafer~" The blond haired lady with similar sky blue eyes like Iris spoke. Helen giggled, "Fufufu~ just call me Helen like you what you used to call me~" "Then call me Eliza like you used to as well, Helen." Eliza replied and nodded her head slightly to her. Iris who stood there behind her finally revealed herself. She looked like a beautiful porcelain doll with her black hair, dress and her calm expression. Iris glanced at the two ladies before her, observing the two of them, ''It seems Helen-sama and Mother are friends from long ago. I never thought we have that kind of relationship with Schafer family, I thought I was the only one who have such connection with their their children.'' "Oh yeah, this is your first time meeting her. This is my precious daughter, Darling? Introduce yourself please." Iris smiled and bowed at her in curtsy to give out the best etiquette towards her and the other ladies, "My name is Iris May Welford. It''s my pleasure to meet you, Helen-sama. " Helen widened her eyes in surprise a bit seeing her elegant etiquette and such a nice act made her smile. "Nice meeting you as well, Iris-kun~ I heard a lot about you from my daughter and as her mother, I thank you for helping her out with her shyness towards others." Helen thanked her as she nodded her head a bit. Iris calmly smiled and shook her head, "It''s okay, Helen-sama...I''m her friend after all and so I feel obligated to help her~" She smiled fondly, "Well then, I''m sorry for holding up your time, shall we take you to your seat?~ Duchess Welford and Lady Iris?~" "Thank you, Helen." Eliza spoke and smiled as they walked to the seat that has been prepared for them. Iris was escorted to the kids section where she sat right next to Emma. "Hi~ Emma-chan, we met again~" "I-iris-sama! T-thank you for coming." "Thank you as well for inviting me~ I never thought I would come to your place." "Y-yes!" Iris smiled seeing how cute Emma was in front of her but then... "E-hem." The two were suddenly being interrupted by a young lady who cleared her throat to catch their attention. The girl who was sitting right across her has pink colored hair that was tied in a twin tail. She''s wearing a matching pink dress and there are many jewelries on her neck and fingers. "Good afternoon, Emma-sama~ Iris-sama~" The girl greeted her while folding her both of hands and smirked in front of them. Iris who noticed the way she greet them, couldn''t help but feel something bad was going to happen. "G-good afternoon." Emma greeted back nervously. "Good afternoon indeed...may I help you?" Iris asked after returning her greetings. "I''m sorry, I just want to thank Emma-sama for inviting this cute me to this tea party~" The girl smiled confidently while looking at Emma. Iris knitted her brows at that, feeling icky at the way she addressed herself, ''Cute me? Aaahh...I see...so she is one of that kind.'' Iris thought. "Ahh that''s right~ I should be introducing myself~ my name is Bridget Allura~ nice meeting you Iris-sama~" Bridget introduced herself with curtsy, at least she knew some etiquette. "Nice meeting you, Bridget~" Iris spoke softly and smiled. "Iris-sama~ can I ask you a question?" Bridget asked with a hint of smugness to her tone. "What is it?" Bridget smirked, "I heard a rumor that you befriend a commoner...long long ago~ is it true?~" Iris kept her calm and responded in kind, "Yes, it is true." *WHISPER* *WHISPER* The other young ladies started to talk among themselves after hearing her answer. However, their whispers and stares didn''t faze Iris at all, "But I''m suprised you know such an old news like that." "Of course I know~ your commoner friend is so popular these days, I hope his common blood won''t affect you that much~" Iris expression darkened a bit "What do you mean by that." "What I mean is...I am afraid that your family is going to get ruined because of that commoner~ you should cut him off before he sucks all of your money~ and instead choose a better friend~" "Uhuh...and? What make you said that?" As Iris kept exchanging words with her, her expression remained calm albeit gradually turning darker and colder by the second Emma found it amazing how she controlled her emotion since she personally felt angry from such an insulting words towards Rei even though Bridget never met him in person. Bridget sweat a bit but stood her ground, smirking, "You don''t know? Papa told me~ that commoners are parasites who suck off our money...bit by bit~" "....." Iris merely looked at her in silence "Ohh! I didn''t mean that in a bad way~ I''m sorry to ruin the mood, i just want to warn Iris-sama to be careful when befriending others~" Bridget smiled as if she has no idea that every words she spewed out were unbelievably rude. The others just simply observed them quietly but secretly they share the same belief like Bridget since most of them were displeased at the thought of nobles befriending a commoner and for the rest, they looked to be satisfied with every single words Bridget delivered to Iris. Bridget smirked, ''Haaaa~ how miserable, I know you don''t have a social skill, Iris-sama~ unlike you who trained with your sword just like those dirty boys...I~ have been studying how to socialize from the moment I was born a noble and put many people down with my words~ I don''t care that you are the Duke''s daughter, but the moment you came into my territory....it will be your own downfall.'' ''Now then!~ show me your reaction! Iris May Welford!!!!~'' Bridget who were busy celebrating inside her head, stared at Iris who remained silent. But suddenly... "Hmph." A smirk broke across her face, catching Bridget off guard a bit. ''Huh?? She''s....smiling??'' [Notice!] [Skill "The Villainess" have been activated] "Ahhh~ I see...such kind words you have there for me, how can I express my thanks for the warning?" "Ahhh!~ it''s fine, you don''t have to thank me¨C" "Oh no! I must insist, I was told by mother to thank someone who are kind to me~" Her strange act confused Bridget for a moment, "H-huh?? I-i see??" "But I still don''t get it...if he were someone who suck off our money, why would he gave me a gift~" "A gift?" *TAP* *TAP* Iris suddenly rose up from her seat and smiled at them. "Look~" In that moment...they fixated their eyes towards her. *SHINGG* And suddenly, a sheathed rapier came out from thin air on her hand. ''What is that?'' Bridget asked, not knowing a single thing about the weapon on her hand. "So? What is it that you wanna¨C" Iris smiled and... *CLICK* *SHINGGGG* *CLINK* Once again, she drew out the blade, revealing the dark blue blade underneath the sheathe that seemed to gleam like a beautiful crystal. The ladies who saw it, couldn''t help but admire just how beautiful it was. The color and the shade of the rapier looked almost like an expensive jewelry in their eyes and it''s nothing that can be compared to the jewelries that Bridget were wearing right now. *SWOOSH* As if in a flash, Iris took one step ahead and thrust her rapier towards Bridget who were still dazzled by her rapier. Her blade didn''t hit her and pass through her head, cutting off a few strands of hair and thru fell down to the table. The ladies and even Emma were unable to react at her speed. Bridget who just now noticed the blade of her rapier right beside her head, quickly turned pale. Iris on the other hand, looked very calm and composed as if she didn''t just trying to hurt her. A rather sinister smile bloomed across her face as she pulled her rapier back, "Ahhh~ I''m sorry Bridget-san~ it seems you almost got caught by this~" Iris simply showed her a bee stuck on the tip of her rapier. "Phew~ I''m glad you are okay~ ohh! what were you saying before?" She tilted her head innocently as she asked her to repeat her words. The young ladies and Emma couldn''t shake off the weird feeling inside of them. Their heart was beating so fast after seeing her move so fast and thrust her rapier towards Bridget, or rather, towards the small bug who happened to be around and Iris killed it with terrifying accuracy and precision. From then, an image of her was implanted to their mind. "Hmph." Iris smirked and swung her rapier to swat the bug away before sheathing her blade back. . . . . *CLINK* "Now then, can you repeat it again~ Bridget-san~" To be continued... Chapter 42 : The Villainess Showdown (Part 4) A bit earlier on the other group... Among the other ladies of each noble families who gathered around to have fun and chat, there was a middle aged woman who resembled Bridget with pink hair and wearing many jewelries on her body and an expensinve looking dress. She was Bridget Allura''s mother and was the center of their clique talk. Without a care in the world, she was creating a weird rumor around the Welford''s family, saying they were going to fall apart because of making a connection with some commoner. Eliza sat beside Helen, simply ignored those rumors to save her face since she''s the Duchess of the Welford family. If she behave recklessly, the others will whispers among themselves and causing the rumor to get even worse. They continued to talk to one another and spread the words again and again. Helen stood up from her seat as she couldn''t ignore it any longer. "Stop it! This is my tea party and I won''t allow such behavior like this to the Duchess!" "Ohhh please~ I''m just talking about the rumors that is going on~ nothing bad about it, but...is it true? Hmmm~ Duchess Eliza?~" "I don''t understand what you are trying to say Baroness Allura." From that words, her aura changed to be much colder than before. "H-huh? What do you mean you don''t understand? Your daughter is having a commoner friend¨C?!" *SRUTTT* Suddenly, Eliza spread her fan that she was holding and looked at her icily. "What I am saying is...why do you care so much about our family''s matters?" Her face reddened in embarassment, "But!¨C" "But what exactly? It''s our family and our matters...I couldn''t even care less about it, my daughter is just trying to create a new connection that is beneficial for us." "W-wha¨Cyou don''t know who he is?! He might be dangerous!" "Ohh~ then that''s so kind of you~ for warning me about that boy being dangerous~" "Y-yes of course, since we are nobles...we ought to help and look at each other''s back." Eliza smiled and raised a questioning brow, "Really? After spouting nonsense about our family going to be ruined because of a single commoner boy?" "I-it just a rumor." "Of course it is~ I understand that~ but allow me to tell you a bit about our family~" Eliza brought the fan over her mouth as she looked at her like a predator who had her eyes set on a prey, "We are the Welfords....the great family that came from our ancestor who protected this kingdom for so long. If our family is going to be ruined by a single boy from an unknown origin...then we wouldn''t be here." "Am I right?~ Baroness?~" The lady pursed her lips tight in a straight line after hearing from Eliza. "But your daughter!¨C" "What about my daughter?~" She was about to speak when something in the corner of her eyes caught her attention, *CLICK* *SHINGGGG* The tense atmosphere surrounding their table was single handedly destroyed by Iris She was dazzling like a beautiful moon under the day light, drawing out her rapier from its sheathe and moved in a flash, stabbing a small bug that was about to go near the pink haired girl who stood in a daze, momentarily captivated by her blade. Helen who noticed her had her eyes wide in surprise as she stifled a gasp behind the covers of her hand over her mouth. Meanwhile, Eliza smiled and closed her fan, "Baroness...if you are going to say that my daughter is in danger because of that, it means you had underestimated us for so long." After that, Eliza sipped her tea calmly and looked at the lady. "Now then...let me ask you again~ what about my daughter~ Baroness?~" "N-nothing." The lady sat back down to her seat as she looked down, gritting her teeth. The other ladies looked on in awe at how Eliza and her daughter handled the entire thing, not to mention standing up for themselves against the rumours. Afterwards...the tea party ended without anymore problem. ***** Before Iris and Eliza went home, they were talking with Emma and her mother Helen. "I''m sorry, Helen for me and my daughter''s behavior~" Eliza apologized while bowing her head a bit. Iris followed her as well, "I apologize for the trouble I made." "No no no~ it''s fine~ I should be the one who apologized for Baroness Allura and her daughter." Helen sighed as she rubbed her temple when she remembered what happened at the tea party. "You don''t have to apologize either, it was entirely her and her daughter''s fault for picking a fight on me and my daughter~ we just showed them what we are capable of~" Eliza spoke with a charming smile.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Helen giggled as she smiled at the both of them and nodded her head, "Your daughter look just like you when you are in her age, Eliza-sama ." Iris looked up at her and blinked for a moment, "Like mother?" "Indeed! Eliza-sama used to be quite rough~" "R-rough??" "Yes~ if you want to hear it~ I can share it with you, but only if you want to play at our place~" Helen quickly leaned closer to Iris and whispered it to her ear with her somewhat suspicious look. But then... "He¨Clen~" Eliza suddenly pulled at her ear, as if Helen was a naughty child asking to be punished "O-ouch! I-it hurts Eliza-sama! I-i''m just joking!" Helen pleaded for her to stop to which she complied by releasing her fingers from her ear. "Isn''t that quite rude to say something about that." "Hehehe~ I apologize, I just can''t help it~" Both Eliza and Helen lost in their own world as Iris and Emma watched from the sidelines then they both exchanged giggles to each other. "I never thought I could see my Mother be like this~" Iris spoke, her sky blue eyes were alight with amusement. "Me too~" Emma nodded in agreement and looked at Iris. "Iris-sama, thank you again for coming here and I apologize about Bridget''s unpleasant behavior." "It''s fine, at least you know now someone like that exists." "But still! you were amazing Iris-sama!" "Am I?" "Mhm!" Emma nodded. Iris laughed a bit and smiled, "I don''t think that was amazing~ compared to that, how about Ray-sama when he trained the boys?" "Ray-sama is pretty amazing himself! but I guess that was 2 years ago...I think he might be on par with you now!" Iris widened her eyes at that, ''Indeed...he might be on par or much stronger than I am...after getting the report from a week ago.'' "I see, then I shall do my best to become stronger than him~" Iris spoke while grinning. "Yes! I shall support you! I-i know my magic is still weak compared to Onii-sama...but I shall do my best!" "Then how about you study with me under Matilda-sama''s teaching?" "Fueh?~ is that okay?!" "Mhm~ but I need a permission for that first though..." "T-t-than-...." "Huh??" "Thank you Iris-sama!!" Suddenly Emma pulled Iris into a tight hug while her tears ran down her cheeks like broken dam. "C-calm down, Emma-chan!" Iris tried to let her go but she couldn''t since she hugged her so tight and so Iris just standing there, surrender herself to Emma''s hug. Eliza and Helen ended up giggling in amusement to themselves as they watched their daughters. ****** After bidding their goodbyes, Eliza and Iris went inside their carriage then rode their way back home. On their way, Eliza spoke. "Iris, it seems you have something to explain before we arrived." Iris fidgeted with herself a bit and slowly looked up to meet her mother''s gaze, "Whatever do you mean, mother?" She smiled and blinked innocently Eliza sighed and smiled, "I wonder who do you take me for..." reached her hand out to pat her head. Iris giggled, "Well Aunty Helen did say that I resemble you~" Eliza pinched her cheek then, "Who resemble who?~" "F-fueeehhh~ I-i''m sorry Mother!~ let me go!~" As Iris pleaded for mercy, her mother let go of her cheeks and smiled fondly at her. "By the way, where did you get that sword?" "Hmmm? You mean this?" Iris who was rubbing her cheeks, suddenly pulled out a rapier out from her [Inventory]. *CLICK* *SHINGGGG* When Iris pulled the rapier out from its sheathe, it revealed a dark blue blade underneath it that seemed to gleam like a beautiful crystal. "How beautiful! An [Epic] grade rapier with three skills...how rare." Iris blinked her eyes twice after hearing her appraised her weapon with no motion at all. "But...I don''t remember ever bought you this kind of weapon, neither your Father, so where did you get this?" Iris looked away and started to fidget again. Eliza crossed her hands as she noticed Iris was hiding something from her. "Iris." "Umm..." "You can tell me, I''m your mother." With a sigh, Iris caved in and answered "I-it''s from Ray-sama..." Eliza blinked her eyes for a moment, "Eh? EEHHHH??! You mean that boy?! Are you serious?!" Iris nodded. Eliza sighed as she shook her head, "When did this happen?" "Ummm...it was yesterday night after Onii-sama''s party...the servant brought this to my room, along with a letter." "Hmmmm...what did he say?" "He...apologized for missing my last birthday and gave me this as a present." Iris cheeks reddened a bit as a faint smile bloomed on her face. Eliza widened her eyes and smiled warmly at her, "I''m glad to hear that~" "Mhm~" Iris nodded. "Yes, i see, so that''s how it is." Eliza hummed, closing her eyes, "Well then, if that''s the case..." "...Mother?" Eliza opened her eyes and there''s a dangerous glint in her eyes as a suspiciously sweet smile broke across her face, "If he makes you cry...I will make sure he won''t see the sun ever again~" "M-mother?!" "Fufufu~ I''m just half-joking~" ''It''s still...half...'' Iris sighed and put her rapier back to her inventory then looked outside of the window then up at the starry night sky above them. As she watched it, her lips slowly curved into smile. ''Tonight..is beautiful.'' After that, they finally arrived at home safe and sound. ****** In the middle of night, where everyone has already fell asleep... Two people were waiting right in front of the back gate of Welford''s Manor, and their face was completely hidden under the cloak they were wearing *CLICK* *CREAK* They looked over to the gate and noticed a little girl wearing similar cloak approaching them quietly. When she took off her hood, it turned out to be Iris. "We have been waiting for you...Iris Ojou-sama." The two of them greeted as they bowed their head at the same time after pulling back the hood off of their face. One of them is Silvi with her silver hair and purple eyes and the other is a tall man with short brown hair, green eyes¨CHarson "Thank you for the wait, Silvi...Harson...shall we go now?~" Iris asked and put her hood back on. Silvi and Harson put their hood back as well, "Yes, Ojou-sama." And with that, they went to the town together... ****** The town seemed to be as alive as it was when the sun was up. It was bustling with people walking around on the street, selling street food, couples dating, and friends gathering, and not to mention the lights from the buildings and the ones that lined the street which made the place looked even more lively. Among the many people that went out to town at night, Iris and her attendants walked down some sort the back side of the street. Shortly, they found a small pub when they walked a bit deeper into the back alley. "Let''s go." Iris led them in. "Excuse me...Ojou-sama." Harson interrupted before they went in. "What is it?" "Are you sure this is the right place?" Harson asked as he could see that the place was creepy and dangerous. Iris sighed, "Harson...I know you are worried, but this is where we could get some info about our enemies and besides, I have you two~but let''s just keep it low." "I see, I apologize Ojou-sama." "Good." Iris replied and proceeded to enter the pub. *CLINK* *CLINK* The sound of bell announced their arrival when Iris opened the door. The pub was pretty clean and tidy, the people around there were drinking and eating their food, mostly talking with amongst themselves and minding their business. A bit further into the room, there was a man with a bartender outfit, the man has green hair and red slitted eyes. The man was elegantly shaking a bottle to make a cocktail to the customer before him. ''That''s him.'' Iris thought and approached the said man. The customers around them noticed their presence, some of them glanced at them curiously, noting their weird cloaked figures and hidden faces. Their curiosity was especially directed towards the small figure leading the two behind her. Silvi and Harson stayed cautious, while Iris approached the man confidently. *SHAKES* *SHAKES* "Ahhh~ Welcome to my small pub, how may I help you dear little customer~" The man greeted them politely while still shaking the bottle. "I need a drink." Iris spoke. "Ojou-sama!" Harson hissed quietly. The man stopped shaking the bottle on his hand to look at the little girl in front of him. "A drink? Hahaha~ I''m sorry little girl~ I don''t think this is the right place for you¨C" "I want to order [Tears of the Moon]." Iris ignored him and instead spoke with a knowing smile. The man almost did a double take at that, his easy-going expression fell, and even just for a moment, he was looking at her stiffly. "[Tears of the Moon] is it...alright then, customer. I shall lead you to where you can get that drink~" The man suddenly bowed at her. Both Silvi and Harson looked on with surprise evident in their eyes upon seeing the change of the attitude from the man before them. "Shall we go?~" Despite that, Iris remained calm and followed the man in front of them. The two of them found it weird but couldn''t help to accept it, as they followed along with her. ****** *TAP* . . . . *TAP* . . . . *TAP* . . . . *TAP* They followed the man from behind and stopped when there was a door right in front of them. *CREAK* *CLINK* As the door was open... The man stood right in front of him inside an empty room. The man turned around and bowed at the them slightly, "I thank you for coming this way my dear customer~" Both Silvi and Harson looked on with surprise evident in their eyes upon seeing the change of attitude from the man before them. "Shall we go?~" Despite that, Iris remained calm and followed the man in front of them. The two of them found it weird but as Iris obedient attendants, they followed her close behind. ****** *TAP* . . . . *TAP* . . . . *TAP* . . . . *TAP* They followed the man from a safe distance and eventually came to a stop in front of a door. *CREAK* *CLINK* As the door was pushed open... The man stood right in front of them inside of an empty room. The man had slit-like snake eyes and green hair, but he had an enticing handsomeness that could draw someone in and slowly consume them. Then he turned around and bowed at them slightly, "I thank you for coming this way my dear customer~" Both Silvi and Harson tensed as the man spoke out first and also wondering where exactly the man brought them to. Meanwhile, Iris just stood still and silent the whole time she''s staring at the man. ''So this is him...'' Iris gulped a bit, as her skill forced her to be calm at his presence. ''One of the secret male target, the one who lurked in the shadow of this kingdom and gathered all kinda of information for his own benefit...the man who is said to have many faces... . . . . [The Dark Guild Master, William Hainsbourg].'' To be continued...