"You can absorb your soul stones now if you want. I will keep guard." Acht said to Tania as he sat down nearby.
She nodded her head in approval and immediately started absorbing them. Seeing how Acht became so much stronger, she had the urge to also grow stronger so that she could be by his side all the time without being a hindrance.
'I must...Become stronger.' She resolved herself as she picked up the first stone and closed her eyes.
Oblivious to her thoughts, Acht checked his device as he waited for her. He had already killed countless monsters and people, though he didn't know if those knights were indeed some hunter-examinees. Nevertheless, he should already have a good number of points.
"Hmm...98000? That's not that bad I guess. The Nagas don't seem to give that many points so even the point booster didn't do much." He then closed his device and shifted his gaze to a lonely individual sitting not so far away with his hands covering his face.
It has been a few hours yet he didn't change his position throughout this period...Not even once.
'Is he dead?' Acht wondered.
It seemed that his first kill had impacted him greatly. But, it was understandable in his case. He seemed to be a non-violent person.
'Maybe he should've not come here in the first place. He should've known best.'
As he had these thoughts, Leon finally made a move. He tilted his head up from his hands and looked at Acht with his red and puffy eyes.
"Sir..." he said
"What?"
"...Am I going to change?"
Acht looked at him dead serious and said.
"No shit, Sherlock. You killed a human being. It would've been weirder if you didn't change."
Leon shook his head slowly. He seemed to have another question...a more clear one.
"Did I do the right thing?"
"It's not something that I decide...Morals aren't something that I understand...If you think killing someone is a bad thing then that's your view..."
"I see..." he muttered understandingly.
Then, he stood up and walked to Acht. His timidness was still there but he seemed to have set his mind on something. When he was only a few steps away from Acht, he bowed and shouted.
"Please train me!!!"
"...No."
"What?! Why?!" Leon shouted frantically.
"Why the fuck would I waste my te training you? You're a prince, right? Ask your dad to get you a professional trainer or something."
"But..."
"You seem to grow a pair of balls just because I didn't beat you up enough, huh?" Acht's aura suddenly engulfed Leon and made him sweat profusely. His eyes turned a degree colder and a small part of his killing intent seeped through him.
"Scram before I make you eat through a pipe!"
"Yes!" Leon yelled and walked away like a scared chicken.
'I thought he would accept and we will be friends!' Leon thought to himself with a sad look.
Even though he had been refused, Leon had already decided on what to do. Many would consider it as a morally wrong thing but he was already on that path and he wanted to see it till the end. Regretting it, later on, was a whole other thing that he will think about when it comes.
*****************************
With that, one week passed. The first day was so hectic and long that it made the extra few days a lot more calmer and easier to deal with.
They hunted monsters throughout the day and then rested at night. It was a simple style of life but it was more than enough for them.
Leon also seemed to have experienced some other changes. He also started hunting weaker monsters with them. It was hectic at first but he was able to get the hang of it soon enough without any external help from Acht and Tania.
Surprisingly, he had a decent talent for fighting and he particularly excelled in archery. It took barely 3 days to be able to hit his targets with 85% accuracy.
During that time too, the points they harvested were getting higher and higher every day. There was no shortage of monsters so it was extremely easy for them to hunt 30 creatures daily.
So, by the end of the week, both Tania and Acht had 990000 points each.
They were so outstanding, that when they announced the rankings for points on the third day, the one who came after them had 35000 points. It was beyond absurd and it totally caught the supervisors of the test off guard.
Acht knew this and deliberately did it for a plan he had in mind. He had already given up the idea of following the plot of the book. He was now steamrolling through without caring about what could happen. It was selfish indeed but that was what he wanted. And even if on the off chance that he really wanted to follow the plot, Livia would've probably done something that will change it just for him.
Anyway, on the 7th day, what Acht anticipated happened just like he imagined it.
While he was resting with Tania and Leon who seemed to forget about leaving them and got integrated into the group for some reason, a person appeared in front of them.
He was a cleanly shaved man with a very neat costume and a good build. He looked like a butler you will find in medieval castles back in time. What made him even more interesting was his aura which was strong enough to almost appear like a chaotic wave that was restrained from unleashing.
Tania and Leon were alerted at first but Acht calmed them down and asked.
"Who are you?"
"My apologies for the disturbance...I was sent here by my master to invite you."
"And who's this master of yours?" Acht asked while hiding a smirk.
"Miss Leislet...The CEO of the hunter association and the general supervisor of this hunter exam." He said with utmost respect and elegance.
'We have caught a big fish.' Acht felt satisfied with this.
He knew that this woman named Leislet wasn't going to harm them since they seemed to have piqued her interest. In fact, this could mean a huge opportunity for Acht who was eager to get stronger as quickly as possible.
"I see. Fine we will come with you...But, just to make sure..We will not fail the test if we leave with you, right?" He asked even though he knew the answer beforehand.
"No, you have already passed the test and the exam as a whole. My master ordered me to tell you so."
As they stood up, Acht took a look at Leon. He was the only one still sitting down.
Leon saw that brief peek from Acht and said with a small smile.
"I will stay here...I want to complete the test. Thank you so much for helping me out. I learned a lot from this experience and I hope we can meet again, Sir..."
"Acht...my name is Acht. Come to think of it, I never told you my name."
"Hehehe, I will remember my benefactor's name for the rest of my life."
Acht started walking away with the other two. But, then he suddenly halted his steps and said.
"I did nothing to help you. You did everything alone. You should thank yourself."
Then, he vanished in between the bushes and trees, leaving behind Leon who smiled widely.
"I will make sure to repay the favor." He muttered to himself.
In just a matter of seven days, he had turned his life upside down. From being a coward who despises the idea of violence no matter how much he needed it to a slightly better version of himself.
His fateful meeting with Acht had made him change without noticing it. Even though most will think that Acht did nothing to help him change, Leon firmly believed that it was wrong.
He was still a long way to go from being the person he wanted to be but he made a step toward the right. And as they say, the journey of a thousand miles starts with a step.
[End Of Volume 2]
(Sigh, this volume was not as long as I intended it to be (only 41 chapters) but it came to a conclusion nevertheless. I made some mistakes and some minor plot holes that many of you noticed and I apologize for it. I still have a long way to go as an author. The next arc will be a change of pace. I want to start the real book from this point on. I intend to introduce many amazing characters, even more mysteries in this world, and more interesting events so be prepared, the ride is still going~. Anyway, thanks for reading :) )
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