Chapter 188 Volume IV - Chapter 33: Two Days in Neutral
An unaccustomed hot breeze hit me in the face.
It was strange, the fact that the wind was warm. Especially for someone who only a few days ago had experienced the winter cold.
Still, it wasn't impossible to get used to. In fact, I was already getting used to it. The only problem... was that I had to fight all the time in this heat.
I twirled my spear, swinging it at a wide angle in front of me. A tiger, much bigger than it should have been, with black patterns on it and drooling from its mouth, retreated in the face of my attack.
I quickly reversed my spear, positioned my feet, stood firmly on the ground, and held the tip of my spear, gripped tightly with both hands, toward the tiger.
The tiger roared as if it understood this as a challenge. There was anger in his voice, like I was doing something I shouldn't have done as a 'prey'. Still, I didn't care too much.
I closed my eyes slightly, tightened my grip on my spear, and when I opened them again, there were only a few inches between me and the tiger's claws. I could see the saliva in its mouth, the pieces of meat from the animals it had already eaten.
My right foot, which was resting sideways behind my left foot, suddenly exerted an intense force. I applied as much force as I could to my spear and quickly spun around, then stepped aside. The tiger's claw pierced the air where I had been standing only seconds before. Of course, the tiger realized this, picked up speed, and tried to turn back to me.
With the momentum I had gained by turning around and the force I had applied to the spear just before, my spear swung in an instant.
Fast, hard, and brutal... the spear opened a huge gash in the tiger's torso, but I didn't stop. I avoided the claws aimed directly at my throat again, quickly spun the spear in my hand, and swung it again from the opposite angle. The gash in the tiger's torso opened even wider with this attack.
Again... I did not stop. I quickly drew my spear back and thrust it where the tiger's heart should have been.
The time, which felt like it had stopped, began to flow again. Blood poured like a waterfall from the slit I had made with my spear and spilled onto the ground, soiling my shoes. The tiger, whose heart had been pierced, suddenly collapsed on the ground. Its eyes, still in shock, as if it hadn't even realized what had happened, focused on me as it quickly lost its vitality.
It had all happened so fast. A life had ended in mere seconds.
I took a deep breath, drove my spear into the earth, and leaned against it. Breathless, I closed my eyes, just wanting to rest for a while. All the while, I thought about the time since I arrived here.
I managed to get into Neutral. They made me sign a document about what would happen if I died. There were a few more checks and inspections. Then I was allowed to leave the center.
And now, here I am... somewhere far away from the center.
"What do you think you're doing?
Lithoa's voice echoed in my mind, yet I didn't answer him.
'No rest Adrian, you have to move forward. It's only been two days since you left the center.'
I opened my eyes and looked up at the sky, the sun was slowly setting. Soon it would be dark.
'You may have struggled a bit but that is nothing. Fight now while you can. The deeper we go, the more we will encounter creatures we cannot fight, and then you will have to run. So make the most of this time when you can fight.'
"How far... how far do we have to go more or less?
'If you mean where I used to live... Hmm, it should be around six hundred to seven hundred kilometers. If nothing much has changed in the thirty years of my absence.'
A slight grin appeared on my face.
Six hundred and fifty kilometers on average...
I picked up my watch, then looked at the map that had been uploaded to it with my permission from the center. The map was a bit incomplete. I don't know if they left it like that on purpose or if there were really places that hadn't been fully explored, but it wasn't so complicated that I couldn't find my way around.
My eyes quickly shifted to the distance between me and the center.
Only forty kilometers in two days... I wonder how far I would have gone if I had moved at a brisk pace without a fight. It's a pipe dream with the number of creatures around and Lithoa telling me to fight, but... I'd be a lot closer to my main goal, wouldn't I?
Anyway, I'm overthinking it, it doesn't matter how fast I progress as long as I manage to get there. I just have to go back to the academy in four months, that's all. So I have plenty of time.
Still... there's a question in my mind that I can't get rid of.
'How can you be sure that the place where you live hasn't already been looted by someone?'
'Because someone can't find the entrance to it. Even if they do, they can't get in, and even if they manage to get in, they'll soon be dead.'
Lithoa... did he used to live at the bottom of hell or something?
'Where does your belief that I will manage to get there come from in spite of all this?
Lithoa waited for a while without answering.
'Are you hesitant? Is that what you mean?'
I didn't answer, a slight smile appeared on my face.
I pulled my spear out of the earth, slung it over my back, took a deep breath, and looked up at the setting sun. It was only the second time I had seen it here, yet I felt like I was already used to it.
Thinking that I had rested enough in the midst of all the commotion, I set off again, looking for a safe place to spend the night.
I plunged into the forest with the countless corpses of creatures I had left lined up behind me.
Hesitation? Of course not... If I believe that I cannot achieve something, then I cannot do it.
I'll believe in myself first, and then I'll look to the future.
Besides... I have no choice but to do it here. The moment I left the center, it was clear I wasn't coming back.
So, no matter what obstacles stand in my way, I will go to where Lithoa used to live. I will grow stronger. I will continue to grow.
On my way I saw another tiger, looking almost the same as the one before. It hadn't noticed me.
I gripped my spear tightly, and when I got close to the tiger I slowed down. Despite that, I didn't even try to hide myself at all. I faced it directly.
"Hey, look here."
Suddenly the tiger turned to me, bared its sharp, bloody fangs, and slightly shifted into position.
"Great."
I pointed the tip of my spear at him, then smiled.
I will do my best, for my goals.
I will do whatever it takes to get revenge on the man who stole my life from me.
Meanwhile, I will become the person I want to be, a good person who saves lives instead of taking them.
No matter what happens, I will accomplish these things.
As if the tiger knew what I was thinking from the expression on my face, he suddenly growled, his eyes narrowed. It stretched as if it saw me as an annoying fly, then roared with all its might.
Its voice echoed through the forests throughout this region of the Neutral, striking fear into the hearts of some creatures and attracting the attention of many others. As if the battle itself wasn't going to be hard enough, my time was limited by the creatures that would be heading here.
But I still kept a smile on my face. If anything, the challenge made me even more excited and fired up.
When the tiger saw this, it finally stopped holding back. Then, in turn, it lunged at me. And so began my final battle for the day.
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