Chapter 20: Secrets

Beacons of light lit up Twilight Manor. It was a fitting name: the structure was most beautiful when the sun was below the horizon.

"Get a move on, Hit! Stop dawdling!" Eina's red face was also barely visible, as the pair approached the property gates.

Hit grumbled, yet again, and slouched as he traipsed behind his annoying advisor. It was like he was being led by a teacher to the headmaster, although, Hit had never experienced such a phenomenon.

After a brief shouting match with the guards, Eina was allowed entry into the Loki familia grounds. This was not her first time here, acting as an advisor to many Loki familia members; however, she clearly was not in the correct state of mind at the moment.

The enormous garden reminded Hit of all the secluded spots that he could run off to and abandon the elf. It also reminded him of his promise. Hit had enjoyed himself so much that he completely forgot about Ais.

As they were about to enter the mansion, Hit stopped and called out to the furious elf. "I have a previous engagement with Ais Wallenstein. I will be back shortly".

Eina gripped her fists together and breathed heavily. Today had not gone how she imagined. Adventurers usually took months to reach below the 10th floor, and never went alone! She had expected the boy to delve down to the 2nd, maybe 3rd floor.

"This better not be an excuse, Hit". Her voice was far deeper than normal as her teeth grinded together.

The object of her fury inclined his head. "If I had not promised to meet her, I would go with you. I assure you, the discussion with Loki will be short and disappointing."

Eina sighed and gripped the door handle. "Alright, but we will discuss this further, when you're done. And I will not be disappointed!"

Eina flung the door open and trudged through, almost knocking a surprised guard over.

Hit nursed his poor collar. He would need to iron it tomorrow. His large boots somehow made no noise as he approached the rear of the mansion. 'Ugh. Perhaps she'll have given up and gone to eat.' He had no such luck, as Ais was standing right where he was supposed to be, rolling a fallen flower between her fingers.

"Hello..." The girl let the daisy fall and greeted him. If she was angry, she was hiding it well. Her eyes trailed over Hit's strange clothing, curiously.

"Apologies. I lost myself in the thrill of battle; it had been far too long." Hit also hid his feelings of annoyance and approached her.

"It's fine... I understand". Ais was likely the one person in this world who understood the sentiment the most, at least against monsters.

Hit thought of a way to kill two birds with one stone and end this quickly. "I'll begin with a test. I do not know how strong you were, before gaining the falna, so who knows if my training will be of any use to you. I propose a show of strength: a punch. You can judge whether the speed and strength are impressive for an unblessed human, since I have not received a status update."

Hit's reasoning was simple: he could then demonstrate his skill in a similar manner, likely making the girl believe it was teleportation. The Loki familia members would inevitability see his fighting style, some nosy ones already had, so this could help spread some false rumours. As a level 5, she was also quite durable.

"I have no problem with that..." Ais had no reservations and approached the boy, standing directly in front of him.

Hit got into his boxer's stance, readying a right jab. "I'm only going to use my physical strength for this one. Be sure not to die."

Ais nodded and readied herself.

Hit's fist rocketed at the girl.

*BAM*

The boy punched at Ais' abdomen, ruffling their clothes, and causing her to stiffen in shock. Ais was not in any pain, but her surprise was colossal; that attack had the strength of a high level 1. Her own level allowed her to analyse the boy in slow motion: his perfect movements, his alien martial art, his unshakable expression. She needed that strength.

"Well, was that decent?" Hit shook his hand a little and put it in his coat pocket. 'Ouch. Her abdominals are far tougher than a hard armoured's shell.'

Ais blinked in stupefaction. "...Decent? Your strength is remarkable; it is that of a high level one..."

Hit thought back to the story of the little girl who fought against monsters, the first book he read here. "I don't see how it's that impressive. I read that humans faced monsters, even before the gods descended; that includes those from the dungeon. Yes, they were unable to defeat the higher-level beasts, but I'm sure their strength was comparable to mine."

Ais was familiar with stories of old, tearing through novels and storybooks to find seeds of inspiration. "They are rarities; heroes of legend. Spirits also... helped them." Having to mention spirits seemed to dampen Ais' mood greatly.

Hit did not know what spirits were exactly, but the name and context suggested sentience. 'Gnomes, and now spirits. There seem to be even more intricacies to this world's inhabitants.'

"Next, I'll hit you with my full strength, skill included."

Hit was looking forward to seeing her reaction, Eina's was quite amusing.

The moment that Ais tensed, Hit skipped time.

*Shing*

The girl's flowing hair stood in place; her clothes remained fixed this time as Hit's fist met its mark.

**BAM**

Purple light shot out of Ais' back. She stepped back a few feet, startled by the odd sensation, and apparent speed that surpassed even her reflexes.

The punch was also slightly more painful, as Hit was able to angle it over her vital organs perfectly and focus an even greater amount of energy into a single point. The acceleration conferred by latent time energy, was actually not too great.

"W-Wha..." Ais stood, gaping at Hit for a few seconds, like a fish out of water.

Hit put his hands away from view, satisfied that he had fulfilled the first part of their deal. "That is my demonstration. Now, it's your turn."

Ais recovered from her trance, desperate to know what he had just done. She had never experienced anything like it; how could the boy expect her to be satisfied with just that? "W-wait. What was that? How was your punch so... fast...?"

Hit stared down at the dishevelled girl. "I told you that I would only show you the skill. It is up to you to discover what it is, exactly. However, think about it logically. I'm obviously far slower than you, and that punch simply did not exist until it hit you..."

Ais realised she had been too hasty earlier and pouted. "...Fine..."

Leaves somehow crunched soundlessly as Hit walked to a nearby tree. "I'm guessing this will take some time. You explain what you know of skills, and I will disclose my training methods."

At the girl's nod, they both sat next to one another, leaning on the trunk behind them.

…

The two chatted quietly for some time, each making differing progress. Hit had learned that skills were utterly ridiculous, and were either very similar to each other, or incredibly different.

The amazon sisters possessed almost identical skills: berserk, where their strength rose upon receiving damage; and a skill that increased their abilities in a pinch: either intense heat or backdraft. The more solemn sister, Tione Hiryute, possessed a version of berserk that became amplified by rage, suggesting that her calm demeanour was a facade. Her other skill, backdraft, only increased strength; however, it was amplified to an exceptionally high degree. They reminded hit of the universe 6 saiyan, Caulifla.

The dog, Bete Loga, specialised into speed, thanks to the Fenris Wolf and Solmani skills. These improved his running speed; and acceleration speed/strength, respectively. He could also undergo a form of beastification thanks to the Úlfheðinn skill, which dramatically increased all his abilities, but only under moonlight. He was a true werewolf. Although, that seemed utterly useless underground; foolish boy. Who knows, perhaps there were artificial sources down there.

Hit was getting information overload so only got a few snippets of the others. Riveria's Fairy Anthem and Elf Regina boosted her magic, and that of surrounding elves; whilst Gareth's were perfect for a dwarf: Dvergr Enhance boosted strength, and Ardigalea raised endurance.

Finn Deimne was incredibly greedy, and somehow possessed five skills. Pallum Spirit was a skill that boosted skills and magic in the face of adversity. Would that not be every moment within the dungeon? Moving on, Noble brave resisted mental attacks; Dia Fianna gave him the spearman developmental ability, when using spears; Command howl made his voice easier to hear in combat; and Ail mac Midna protected him from drowsiness and the fire element.

Hit did not see the point of some of those. Why didn't the pallum just carry smelling salts, a megaphone, and wear something fire retardant? And why have a skill for spearman, when he could have just selected the ability? Perhaps it acted as a bonus.

Ais was more cagy about her own skill; however, Hit was quite impressed with its effects. Avenger increased the girl's attack power against all monsters, and heavily increased it against dragons. Its effect increased with hate, which seemed to be the strongest emotion he had seen her display, briefly exposed during the explanation. This would, of course, facilitate every fight within the dungeon.

Based on her descriptions, it seemed that a person's background and emotional development were crucial to what skills they gained, in addition to their biological advantages. A shift in someone's soul, or particularly strong emotions, also elicited their development.

Ais was slightly less happy with her new knowledge, as she still had queries. The exercises that Hit explained would have been quite useful if she was still a level 1; however, she had already grown stronger with the falna. Weaving between trees, weightlifting, swimming, and repeating attack forms would not help her much at this point. Hit's mentions of meditative training, image training, and fine-tuning muscle twitching did manage to pique her curiosity; however, she still did not understand how to perform the techniques.

"You must picture your opponent in perfect clarity and fortitude and combine that with your absolutely clear mindscape. There must be no intrusions or distractions. Once those conditions are met, you can predict the outcome of battles, and actually strengthen your spirit and mental strength." Hit was getting tired of repeatedly explaining himself.

"...could you show me..." Ais looked down, ashamed.

Hit felt a little guilty. Only a very, very small part of him though, which seemed to be growing. Purple hair swayed down as Hit hung his head; he was getting too soft.

"Huff...Each day, I will be studying magic in a secluded spot. I suppose you could train while I am reading. However, you must tell no one. You will begin by fine tuning your muscles to maximise efficiency and striking force. Precise control of your body is essential."

'If she can image train with me, I suppose I could strengthen my mind's processing power and reflexes; she is incredibly strong. An actual living partner also enhances the effectiveness of the exercise.'

Ais nodded up and down, repeatedly. She reminded Hit of Bell's enthusiasm. A few emotions did manage to surface on the girl, albeit subdued.

Pops and cracks emanated from Hit as he straightened and stretched himself, after lying against a tree for so long. He could sit in his proper mediative stance for days, demonstrating how essential fine tuning was to his training. One mistake and you would see no benefits. "To summarise, a combination of my training and pushing yourself beyond your limits, inside and outside the dungeon, should help you rank up. Oh, and I also noticed that some skills can be strengthened by emotions. Perhaps you can try various ones during combat and note the effects."

Ais tilted her head as she gazed up at him. "...but you aren't very expressive either..."

Hit nearly fell over at her bluntness. "W-Well, yes, but. Hm." He sighed as he saw her point. "I suppose we can both work on that... I will see you tomorrow, you know where."

Ais jumped up as she noticed her temporary teacher was walking back to the mansion. "Wait...um..."

The former assassin stayed a moment longer as the spirited girl squirmed. "...What's your name...?" Chasing after Bell had prevented her from hearing his brief introduction at the hostess.

Hit rolled his eyes. 'She's asking me that now? The girl really is like a lost puppy. Bell and her would make a good couple... Hm. Maybe I can dump her on him.'

"Hit, just Hit".

With that, the mystery boy walked back to face the music.

After making his way up the mansion stairs, Hit let himself into Loki's room, not seeing any reason to knock. Once inside, he saw that the goddess was having tea with a strange floppy object. The 'floppy object' was Eina, who was sagging on her seat like a flat balloon. A ghostly apparition floated from her mouth, suggesting that her very soul had given up. Loki acted like nothing was amiss. "Heya, Hit! Nice outfit! Eina tells me you've been making waves down in the dungeon! Somethin' about orcs, hard armoured, an' eggs?"

"Mmm...noooo eggs..." Zombie-like moans emitted from the poor creature beside her.

Hit walked up to the nearly lifeless elf and peered down, questioningly.

Loki answered in her stead. "Don't worry, she's fine. She's a huge worrywart, but she means well. Why didn't ya tell her you were stronger?"

Hit flopped down onto the seat opposite his Goddess. "Obviously, because she would not have believed me. This meeting is a clear demonstration of that."

Loki poked the blobby elf, eliciting faint "But... but..." sounds. "Haha, yeah... She conked out after I started talking about crystal mantises. Don't worry, I didn't say anything about the minotaur... She doesn't seem ta know about yer skill though; maybe ya should tell her."

Hit blinked at that. 'She kept her promise? Even to someone she knew would know about my skill?'

"I already did. Her discretion is impressive."

Loki stood up on her seat and leaned over to him. "Ooooohhh, I didn't expect that. Ya have a thing for her?"

Hit fixed her with a scowl that promised torture. "Keep it up. I'll have a nice discussion with Riveria about your least favourite items and activities."

The teeny deity recoiled and hugged her chair cushion for comfort. "P-please, anything but tha'! I-I know, let's update yer status! Ya can finally get stronger!"

Hit shook his head. "No. First, I am going to see how far I can delve on my own. The increase in difficulty isn't as severe as I thought it would be, since my first experience of a monster on the fifth floor was a minotaur, a level 2 creature."

Eina's soul returned to its vessel with a pop: her caring nature brought her back to life. Thankfully, she had only heard the first half of Hit's statement. "H-huh? You can't be serious Hit!? Regular status updates are essential for your growth!"

Her protégé grumbled at her incessant pestering. 'She may be capable, but I might have to change advisors at this rate.'

"I can only become stronger by truly pushing myself. If I become more powerful now, the dungeon would be less of a challenge." He did not want to fall into the same trap as Ais. Sure, maybe he could delve deeper, more quickly; however, he would exert himself less... and have less fun.

Eina flopped slightly, about to give up, but anger drove her on. "B-but that's the whole point of updating your falna: to make dungeon diving easier!"

This explanation only served to dissuade Hit even further. His ideology contrasted immensely with the vast majority of adventurers: He was here for a challenge and was not afraid of death in the slightest. Hit sought a purpose to his new life and wanted to attain power that he could be proud of. The prodigy that was Hit could not be told what to do. "I did not come here for an easy task, Eina; I will delve in the dungeon as I please."

Burning eyes brokered no argument as the elf stared at an insurmountable enemy: the boy's burning will.

ゴゴゴゴ "I am an adventurer who is going to go on an adventure." ゴゴゴゴ

Eina stammered, before flopping onto the table. "B-B-But...aaahhhhh. I give up. You're utterly impossible, Hit... But...

The elf's determination blazed right back at Hit, as she raised her head to meet his. "...I will not abandon you! You are still under my care, and I will always be here for you! Promise me. Promise me that you will always return, no matter what!"

Hit was taken aback yet smirked at her reaction. He valued her tenacity and honesty: they were some of the qualities that he valued the most. "I swear on my time skip."

The two nodded, promise forged.

"Ah, young love." Loki sat with her head resting on her palm, blushing slightly.

"H-huh!? N...no! I am merely his advisor I ... I, it's my job!" Elf ears burned bright red as the flustered woman was caught severely off guard.

As usual, Hit thought in a calculating manner: how to get back at this pest. "Hm. If I recall correctly, you are quite the alcoholic, Loki. What do you say, Eina? Let's break every bottle in this mansion."

Loki screamed and ran to protect a wooden cabinet, inadvertently revealing its importance. "NOOOOO! Ya can't kill my babies! W-We have elixirs too! They're worth millions!"

"Pfft...fufufufufu" Eina burst into fits of giggles; Loki looked terrified! The blushing elf wiped her tears away and finally recovered from her stressful day, letting herself relax.

Hit got up and dusted himself down. "Now that our meeting is finally over, I will retire for the night. Until tomorrow, Eina. "

Eina smiled up at him and nodded; "Yes, see you tomorrow, Hit. Goodnight... Stay safe."

"Goodnight". The boy did not nod as he exited the room; he was going to be putting himself in situations that were anything but safe.

Loki kept a vigilant eye on Hit, until the door closed behind him. Once it was safe, she let her frail body fall onto the ground. "Why do I always have ta lose..."

Author's Notes

One more before I go to sleep to finish on an even number.

I'm not actually sure whether image training requires ki, since it's more of a mental exercise. In the kakarot game I think Krillin states that the two individuals need to match their ki levels. I have included it anyway, as I like it.

Also my cover image requires that I credit the source: by on Freepik: free-photo/purple-shattered-glass-space-background-with-design-space_17838749. htm