Cermin immediately shook from the intimidating aura this divine beast holds. His hands felt clammy holding the Sword of Solaire.
It was not because he was afraid of the beast itself, though he was for a little bit.
He was afraid of fighting to the death in general. Because serious fighting felt hopeless. The result is always the same.
One or either sides get harmed. Someone gets hurt, no matter what.
Friendly fights like Gridiron games and that busking challenge were nothing, because the goals were not to slay someone.
In fact, most of the time both parties make the decision to not show their maximum strength. But in this case, he cannot reason with a beast….
Because that beast looked angry, baring its fangs at this stranger that suddenly appeared in front of it wearing armor and holding a sword.
But he remembered Ronin’s words, and tried his best to accept that death was inevitable. It’s either him or this creature.
He raised his sword as high as he can and yelled. “Sunburst!”
The large beast was blinded before it could attack him, and flailed its claws into the air. Cermin had a chance to swing his sword across its neck—
But he hesitated for too long, and the wolf managed to sense his direction, knocking him away with its large paws!
Cermin was slammed into a boulder, and if not for the armor, would have broken his skull. He groaned in pain, then furrowed his brows..
Boulder?
He soon realized that giant pillars of rocks appeared from the Earth then go back in, raising and falling like tides.
Cermin turned and saw another Councillor controlling these rocks, Councillor Rouse. He also did a gust of sandstorm for one of the Warriors earlier…
And usually, when he does that, it means he believed that the Warrior would perform better than the rest, and so would increase the difficulty by adding a dangerous terrain!
Cermin cursed his faith as this grand Hero that everyone looks up to and expects high standards for.
(I’m just a coward, a fool, and a weakling. I’m not a hero.)
Due to appearances, people make assumptions that weren’t true. It does not only apply to negative assumptions….
But wrong positive assumptions as well….. Can bring tremendous pressure on someone.
“GRRRRRRR!!!!!” The wolf had gotten over the blinding now, and ran after Cermin’s direction.
Cermin also ran, but ended up being raised by one of the suddenly appearing boulders.
“Whoah!” He struggled to keep his balance.
If not for another boulder hitting the Silver Wolfe right on the snout, he would have been minced meat by now.
Ronin narrowed his eyes, and summoned his system. “Kai, come here.”
Kai appeared before him. “You don’t have to fetch me like a dog.”
Ronin ignored its sassing, and plainly asked. “What level is Cermin now?”
“Level 28, why?”
“He’s leveling even slower than me.” Ronin frowned. “Are you even doing your job as a system?”
“Systems do not interfere or train heroes. I told you that I shall be unbiased from now on.” Kai told him.
“Cermin had just gone through a massive depression due to your actions, so you cannot really blame him if leveling up or training was not his top priority as of late.”
Ronin did not like that condescendingly smart tone. Acting like he was clever just for pointing out something so obvious.
“Yes, I know that. But with you being by his side and barely on mine, I expected that you would have been helping him more, or at least ensuring he survives decently as per the program.”
Kai frowned. “And I do. He’s not dead until now, isn’t he? The enemies he encountered so far, minus of course the one you took care of, were fitting for his level.”
“Even the Silver Wolf got deus ex machina’d in the face just now. So please, don’t question me when it comes to doing my job just because you used to pamper him—“
Ronin threw a punch at Kai, and it disappeared.
He inhaled deeply. His goal wasn’t to really punch him, he knew Kai would teleport. He just want this system to get out of his face so he could think.
He doesn’t really worry for Cermin, or ‘pamper’ him as Kai thinks….
But let Kai think that. Let them all think what they want, and he shall act accordingly.
Yet the anger he had earlier had some truth to it.
For Kai to insult his intelligence and claim that he was ‘pampering’ Min Cheng, hah! Hilarious.
Cermin raised his sword towards the mighty beast, waiting for the terrain to bring it close to him. And this time, had successfully slashed past its thick hide over the shoulder and drew some blood.
(I need to aim where I could kill it faster, and with less pain. The death should be deliberate. I need to behead it.)
And as much as it pains him, that’s the most merciful option he could do.
He used the terrain this time, jumping from boulder to boulder and anticipating the next movements. They seem to work on a pattern, he just needs to remember…
He failed several times though. At one moment, even slipped and had to hang onto it with one hand, still holding his sword in the other.
He climbed up, but the moment he did, the Silver Wolf almost had him and clawed through his armor, knocking him down again!
“Ugh!” Cermin groaned, but by a stroke of luck, he knew what this boulder he fell onto would do later…..
The Silver Wolfe pounced, and just the right time, the boulder raised so high up. Cermin was now above this mighty beast—
“Ahhhhhh!!!!” He yelled as he jumped down to swing his sword, slashing right through its neck!
The Silver Wolf wasn’t even able to make a sound as the sword beheaded it, and its life was taken away before it could even realize it.
Cermin landed on his feet, breathless. The rising and falling terrain stopped, and there was only him and the dead beast.
Looking at the sight of blood dripping and dripping from his hands wearing a gauntlet….. Down to the blade he used to murder this innocent creature…..
“Min Cheng….”
He collapsed to the ground, completely falling unconscious.
The people were confused, thinking he must have sustained an injury they did not see. But once the healers, Sister Marigold and Councillor Rozenaur, rushed to his aid—
They found he had simply fallen asleep, and had no injuries.
Not even broken bones from the impact, just cramped muscles…
And a terrified expression as he dreamt, sweat pooling on his forehead.
Ronin considered what he just watched. He wasn’t able to read any of Cermin’s thoughts during the fight, because he was out of range…..
But he can based on facial expressions and actions alone that Cermin has too much emotional turmoil stunting his growth as a Hero.
“Ah, I suppose I need to train this little Flame food of mine if I want to have a nice feast by the end.” He sneered to himself, his voice much deeper and his face back to that crazed dark one.
He also looked at the dead beast, and knew that he would have another option for a dish to taste delicious Flame from next year.
But for now, he must focus on that sleeping fool, and become his mentor in order to make him taste perfect for later.
Fatten him like a pig for a more epic taste of his defeat.
And fittingly, this was also the time that Don and Volken were training within the Spire of Warriors.
Both of them have the same mentality when it comes to enemies, it seems.
Fighting right now, when you were still unequal, was no fun.
Volken smirked to himself as he watched Don fight off dummies. “I need to make sure you’re worth it before I fight you.”
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