"Comparing him to you, he is indeed more capable… That damn fox! If not for me hating him, I'd have supported and cheered from the bottom of my heart for his success."
"The fox?! What fox?!!"
"The one who you fought before! Screw humans! Don't tell me you don't remember your nemesis the moment you returned back in time!"
"..."
This time William's shock reached a level that never reached before.
"Don't give me that look, I already know everything about you, kekekeke," the black fox laughed, and then the entire world around shook with his laughs, "but to be honest with you, it's a bit unfair to compare the two of you together. One lived for a million years, and you… You are just going through your first recycle… But that didn't mean you should act like a moron! Screw humans!"
"Easy there! It's the first time for me to meet you!" William didn't know why this black fox was acting like this against him, "but… You do know many things about that bastard."
"For the first time you said something right," the black fox smiled, "that's indeed true. That bastard and you share the same spirit, and I'm that spirit."
"..."
Again, William got shocked by such revelation. "No way!" he couldn't help but blurt out. And the black fox just laughed on his words and the funny expression on William's face.
"Why not? Do you think spirits you guys have don't live as well? That's how short-sighted you morons called humans are! Screw humans!"
"..." William tried to ignore all the insults in everything that black fox said, "tell me then… What is this place? Why am I here?"
"That's my home," the black fox paused, "as you got such a high-level spirit, one that's considered legendary, then you have to come here every step you take and experience a little test of mine."
"This… Don't tell me you are the one who devised this weird test!"
"Who else?" the black fox rolled his eyes in a very humanish way, "if not for me, this place, this test wouldn't have occurred."
"Then…"
"You came here for me to take a good look at you. I thought you could be someone special but turned out to be just someone common and weak."
"Of course I'm weak! I'm still eleven years old, and at a silver grade on top of that!"
"Don't give me this bullshit! Screw humans! All your race thinks about is the limitations of age and spirit power in the form of grades. No kiddo, you are weak not because of your limited power, but because your spirit is weak."
"You are saying you are weak?! Didn't you say your spirit grade is legendary? Hahahaha!"
William found a chance to return part of the insult and frustration he got from this black fox. And yet the silence he got, and the calm look over the fox face didn't satisfy his desire for revenge.
"I'm not the strongest spirit out there, but that's not the issue, you are!"
"Me? How so?"
"You aren't training your spirit. That's why no matter how hard you try, you'll always end up with spirit form at the same level of your pathetic power system."
William went into deep silence, as this was the first time in his life to hear about such training techniques. He looked at this fox and felt like there was something big coming from this black one.
"I can't see that damn bastard get through what he wants. Listen kiddo, I'll leave a very good training technique in your possession. Just train diligently on it and try to not fail me the next time we meet."
"Are you going to teach me? Why?" William already expected this move from the black fox. And yet he didn't get why this spirit was trying to help him.
"It's a spiritish thing, you don't need to bother yourself about such matters."
"Still, I want to know," William would be crazy if he didn't make the best use of this chance to learn more about this unknown world of spirits.
He never imagined before that spirits that all the spirit masters and monsters used were real beings just like this black fox here.
"Why being stubborn? Screw humans and their curiosity! Fine! I'll let you know, as if this is going to help you in any way," the black fox paused before adding, "spirits you all use come from real beings. Consider us like your gods or something, but we don't have such control over you like how gods should. We just lend you bits of power, our powers. It's like natural laws that we need to follow, but not strictly to lend you our full support."
"So…" William didn't get what the black fox meant at the end of his words.
"Part of us is on the side of monsters, another is on your side. While there is a third party like me, standing in the middle, waiting to see who is going to succeed in taking that last legendary step and we'll support him."
"Legendary step? You mean to break into the untouched legendary realm of the outer world?!"
"That's not untouchable! Few managed to reach there already, taking their spirit with them."
"Oh, I see now… So you are all doing this for your own benefit, right?"
"What else?" the black fox rolled his eyes again, "if not for getting something out of it, do you think beings like me will be free to play this silly game with any of you?"
William got what this black fox meant. And yet he couldn't help but sigh. This black fox and others in his party were just opportunistics, not wanting to risk gambling on one side and losing. They seemed a bit greedy and cautious, not taking any risks in doing this.
"But you said you don't like that fox, right?"
"I hate him! He is something that you can't possibly imagine! Leave him for now, and let's focus on you. Here, memorise this incantation properly, and then I'll explain things over…"
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m