Seeing the rubble that was once a boat, I didn’t know what to feel. This was the worst possible outco.
"What the hell am I supposed to do now?" I muttered as I quietly began backtracking my way back to the ancient hall.
After another half an hour, I finally saw the stone door at the bottom of the hill again.
I continued walking when suddenly-
All the hairs on my neck stood up, and every instinct in my body flared, as if urging to move from where I was. And move I did. I swerved to the side.
Just in ti to see a shadow zoom through where I had been just a mont ago.
Without wasting a single second, I summoned my sword and hacked at my previous location, only to realize it was gone. My senses sharpened as I cautiously accessed my surroundings while simultaneously creating two reflections.
All three of stood back to back, in case of another ambush.
Suddenly, the shadow leapt at with unimaginable speed, and bit through my neck.
"Crack!" my body shattered into shards of light with a soft crack. The shadow however, once again disappeared into the trees at breakneck speed.
Only this ti, my other selves saw it clearly. It looked like a cat, that much I was sure of. A blue cat half as big as I was, but much also stronger and faster than .
’Yeah I’ll be damned!’ I turned my attention to where the beast had leapt to.
Throughout my entire ti here, this was the first ti I had encountered any beast. The ’see no more’ artifact seed to have been doing its job well, up until this mont. Or maybe I was just unlucky.
The beast dived at once again, this ti I barely managed to stop it’s claws with my sword, only for its other claw to tear a gash across my chest making burst into burst into shards of light once again.
But this ti, blood sprouted as i also managed to tear a deep wound in it’s left fore limb. I was aiming for its head, but it managed to tilt it’s head at the last mont.
But even though, the beast didn’t retreat this ti. Perhaps because it saw that there was only one of left.
It ca at again, but with it’s balance lost due to it’s injury, it was way slower than before. Though make no mistake, it was way slower than before didn’t an it was slower than .
If anything, It was still very much faster than I was, and it only grew more ferocious. But I didn’t move, even as it’s claws sank into my body.
For the third ti today, "Crack!" I burst into shards of light, just in ti for another to appear behind the beast– the real .
"1st art: Blooming Spring."
My core and arm muscles strengthened as my sword ignited in blue shimring Aether. The sword’s deadly diagonal arc left no way for evasion. The sword bit into the beast’s neck with little to no resistance. Blood sprouted as it’s head was seamlessly separated from it’s neck.
"Thud!" It’s body dropped with a dull thud.
"Piece of shit." Taking a deep I crouched before the corpse.
A sha, It was a beautiful blue furred tiger. It could have lived if it didn’t attack . perhaps I could have even taken it as a pet, but alas, such is fate.
After the beast destroyed one of my reflections, and retreated, I created another one and hid it behind a particularly large tree. I bided my ti and waited for just the mont before the beast’s claw sunk into , then swapped with the reflection.
Then I appeared from behind, and used ’Blooming Spring’, the first art of the Darkfell royal sword style.
"I pulled it off better than I thought. Maybe..." I started, but stopped abruptly.
The air suddenly felt silent, and the surroundings grew colder. It was as if the entire forest had been had been montarily swallowed by an eerie stillness.
"GROWLL!"
But that stillness was shattered as an even larger blue tiger walked out from a bush, five ters away from . It was about twice my size, and it did not look happy.
"Oh... shit!" Am I the only one getting so sort of deja Vu?
The corpse before vanished into my storage ring, just before I imdiately started running towards the stone door. No way I was leaving good food behind. Even if it’s especially angry parent was after my precious life.
I ran like my life depended on it– which it literally does. I was barely two ters away from the stone door when beast’s claws connected with my body, tearing three huge gashes on my back.
Pain assaulted my body as I flew into the air, but fortunately, the beast’s attack propelled through the stone door.
I fell into the ancient hall with a roll. My back hurt like hell, as blood pooled from the three gashes on my back.
I took off my torn shirt, and brought out one of the basic healing potions I had procured.
I gritted my teeth in pain as the yellow liquid slid off my back, especially when it touched my raw flesh.
While the healing potion did it’s work, I thought about the fight from earlier and ca to one conclusion. I was a complete noob when it ca to fighting.
I reflected on everything that I could have done, and most of my strengths that I didn’t utilize.
For reference, I didn’t use Aether reinforcent at all. Which would have increased my strength, speed, and both of my offence and defence.
Second, I didn’t use mirage steps. If I had used it, I would have no doubt avoided the gashes on my back.
’One of many’ and the sword style were the only things I had utilized.
"It’s mainly because of Damon. That bastard didn’t even put the slightest of effort in training ever since the awakening ceremony." I put the bla on Damon.
Seriously, the idiot only did the bare minimum in training.
"I’ll have to get into more fights though, it’s the only way I’ll be able to improve." I concluded.
Two hours and another healing potion later, my back was spotless. After that I ate so food, set up a tent behind one of the pillars, and went to sleep. Perhaps due to the fight and the healing, I was sowhat drained.
....
It was until so hours later that a clanking sound caused to open my eyes.
I quietly opened my tent and peered my head from behind the pillar.
The pillar was still blocking my view, but I could hear so voices. People? It was so people having a conversation.
I peered my head even further, and then saw them. It was a group of four, clad in armors. A burly bald middle aged man, a petite woman, a young man in shining armor, and last but not least, a beautiful dark haired woman.
Wait... if humans were here, doesn’t it an I have a way out? Perhaps I could hitch a ride on their boat, or whatever the fuck they used to get here.
I wanted to step out and introduce myself, but considering my non existent social skills, and the fact that I didn’t know if they were friendly or dangerous stopped .
I already had the face morphing artifact on, so I didn’t need to worry about them figuring my true identity.
"You behind the pillar, aren’t you going to introduce yourself?" the dark haired woman turned in my direction with a subtle smirk that didn’t reach her eyes.
My body froze, how did she know I was here? Perhaps she had so sensing ability. God knows everything was possible in this world.
Since she already knew I was there, there was no use pretending.
Gathering myself, I got up on my feet, created a reflection, and stepped out.
"Oh, would you look at that. It’s a little brother." her smirk deepened.
My mouth twitched at the stupid kind of address.
"Identify yourself!" The middle aged man growled, hands at his sword.
I frowned. Who does this idiot think he is?
"Isn’t it common courtesy to introduce yourselves first before asking about others? Besides, you all were the ones who barged in here, so I suppose I should be the one doing the asking."
The man’s eyes widened as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
"You–" he began to speak, but was shut off by the dark haired woman.
"Co on Captain Baldor, It’s just nas, besides, he’s right."
’Baldor? is it because of his head?’ my gaze instinctively went to his bald head, which he seed to notice.
His eye twitched, probably in anger.
"But my lady–" he began, only to be abruptly cut off.
"It’s fine." the dark haired woman said a little more firmly this ti.
Then she turned to with a srizing smile.
"You don’t mind starting, do you, little brother?"
My body shivered at that nickna, but I answered nonetheless.
"No, I don’t mind."
Her face turned serious as if the smile earlier was a re facade– which it probably was.
"Our party docked here a few hours ago. Only to be t with a particularly feral blue tiger beast horde. The rest of our party, buying ti for us four to get to safety, unfortunately didn’t make it."
The faces of the rest of her cohort dimd at that. They were most likely mourning for their dead comrades.
’Wait a minute.’
My mind went blank, her words replayed in my mind. ’A particularly feral blue tiger beast horde.’ I then thought of the corpse in my storage ring.
’Yeaaah, I’m not taking that out anyti soon.’ Who knows if they’ll just kill outright.
Looking at them once again, I realized they indeed look battered. Blood covered most of their armor.
Like a bipolar creature, the woman’s smile returned.
"As you’ve heard before, this here is Baldor" she gestured at the bald man. "These are Ivan, and Mira." She pointed to the young man in the shining armor and the other woman respectively.
Then she pointed at herself with that subtle smirk.
"As for you can call Ms. Present."
’Huh? what type of ridiculous na is that?’ I looked at her incredulously, but didn’t voice my thoughts.
The Baldor guy anwhile, scowled.
"Now your turn, tell us how you got here and what happened to your party."
I smiled.
"I’m a archeologist. I ca here on an exploration last week, and I ca alone."
"Alone you say?" The man frowned, clearly not believing .
"You expect to believe you ca here all by yourself?"
I shrugged.
"Yeah, I ca on a boat, but unfortunately, it was destroyed before I could get back. Probably by so huge beast."
"Enough with the tension." The dark haired woman, or Ms. Present cut in before she turned to .
"You haven’t given us your na yet, or do you perhaps want to continue calling you little brother?"
"No!" I gave her a deadpan look.
As for a fake na, well, I hadn’t thought of another one. Because I was sure as hell not going to introduce myself as ’Mark Mywords.’ ’Hmmm, let’s see!’ It took a few seconds of thinking, but I decided on one.
"Ahem." I cleared my throat. "You can call Mr. Past."
***********
A/N: Well, here we go. If you like my story, support it with power stones, and leave a review. I’m open to suggestions.
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