Chapter 34: Rematch

After Ais saved Bell, yet again, they had a short lunch, and went for a pleasant walk amongst the trees. Bell gazed upwards in wonder, at the light that trickled through the canopy, feeling awed that they were somehow still in the dungeon. Ais walked a little behind, acting as a guide. "So, um, we're still in the dungeon, right? How is it so bright, down here?" The boy had to shield his eyes as the pair reached the periphery of the forest. Bell stared upwards and was wonderstruck. "Is that...?"

Ais joined him and gazed at the reflective array above. A myriad of pointed minerals sparkled on the ceiling, casting a dazzling lightshow. The construct's emissions were indistinguishable from true sunlight. "Yes... It's made entirely from crystal. Light fades in and out, periodically, separating night and day."

Bell's gaze then passed to a wooden barrier in the distance. Adventurers could be seen entering and exiting the fortification. "That's Rivira, right? Let's head there!"

The romantic scene was interrupted, as someone spoke from somewhere close by. The person was standing to Bell's side, as if they had always been there. "Don't bother."

Bell jumped in the air, comically, and whirred around. He pointed a shaky finger at the newcomer. "Wh...!? Huh!? Mr H-Hit, is that you!?"

Hit turned to face the surprised boy. Ais still could not tell how he snuck up on them. It was likely due to Hit's skill; however, they were out in the open, too far for his 'teleportation' to work.

Bell blubbered, before bowing down, as far as he could. "I-it's nice to see you, again! Ah! Thank you so much for helping my friends! You don't know how grateful I am..."

Hit nodded, sweatdropping at the boy. He looked over to Ais, who tilted her head. Hit was not used to being thanked so honestly, or profusely, so changed the subject. "Congratulations on levelling up. How does it feel?"

Bell shot upright and sent Hit an excited smile, proud to share his progress. "Amazing! Initially, I didn't feel any different... But when I started fighting, my whole body felt so light... and strong! Plus, I learned how to use magic!"

Hit nodded, although he wasn't too pleased by the vague comments. Nothing about an emotional breakthrough, or exact physiological change... This unassuming boy learning magic was quite the surprise, though. How had he achieved such a feat? "You shattered your limits, upon facing your second Minotaur."

Bell scratched at his snow-white hair, blushing at the compliment. "Yeah! Haha! I followed your advice... Although, you managed to beat yours first time!"

The energetic boy stopped still, before fidgeting, with a guilty look on his face. "S-sorry about the Goliath, Mr Hit... I heard you wanted to see it..."

Hit glared at the boy, sending shivers down his spine. Bell may have grown to a higher level, but he felt just as afraid of the intimidating boy. "Yes, that was quite the disappointment. As an apology, let's see how much you've grown from our previous battle."

Ais and Bell gasped, shocked at the sudden proposition. Bell appeared contemplative; whereas, Ais shook her head, and moved to Bell's side. "I don't think that is the best idea, Hit... Bell is still injured..."

Hit looked the boy over, seeing that he did have some scrapes and bandages. However, the manner in which me moved, suggested that they were merely superficial injuries. He pulled a bag from inside his coat and plucked out a few small objects. Bell watched, curiosity burning, as Hit walked up to him, and held out a bundle of leaves: most green, with some purple ones, covered in blue veins.

ゴゴ "Eat this" ゴゴ

Bell retreated, instinctually, from the rather forceful offer, or rather, order. Colourful plants were usually poisonous, weren't they? "H-Huh!? Um... What are those, Mr Hit?"

Ais approached the outstretched hand, and her eyes widened at its contents. "Those are... very powerful healing and magic herbs, quite valuable... Where did you get them?"

Hit shrugged, not willing to disclose his first discovery in this world. "Somewhere rarely frequented..."

Bell was about to refuse such a valuable offering, but a harsh glare from Hit forced his excuses to die down. The boy summoned up his courage, and nodded his head, fully determined. Part of Bell was excited to show Hit how much he'd grown. He grasped the offered leaves and gulped them down, pleased at their fruity taste. Energy flooded through his body, and any severe pains vanished. "Alright! I'll fight you, Mr Hit! But this time... I'll beat you."

Hit smirked and got into his boxer's stance.

However, Bell held out a palm. "Wait! Could I not use my weapons, skill, or magic, this time?"

Hit tightened his fists. His face darkened into a sinister glower. "I thought I told you, boy, always use everything you have in a fight."

Bell jumped in fright and held his hands up. "I-I know, and I will! But..."

The boy sighed and looked down, feelings of guilt and worry, clearly evident. "...When our party was making its way down here, I was completely spent... I ran out of mind, items, energy... and could barely run past the boss. The only reason we're not all dead, is luck. I never want what happened then, to ever repeat itself. I want to practice fighting with just my own two hands! That way, I won't ever endanger my friends again! ...And will never lose against the monsters!" Bell was also unaware of Hit's powerful skill or magic, which subconsciously swayed his position somewhat. It just didn't seem fair for him to fight a level 1, using his full strength.

Hit put his fists away, yet did not lose the murderous expression or deadly aura emanating from his person. Bell gulped, losing his confidence slightly. Dread clawed at him, and he took a step back. Hit followed his movements with a step forwards. "So, rather than a spar, you want a survival exercise. Very well then...You will be the hero..."

Hit took another step towards the fledgling hero... and ran at the startled boy. Bell raised his arms into a hasty cross block, and winced as Hit's powerful punch sent him backwards, sailing into the forest. ゴゴゴ "And I will be the monster." ゴゴゴ

Hit put his best foot forward, and rocketed after the boy, who clattered across the forest floor. Ais' eyes widened and she shot after them yet did not intervene.

Bell righted himself and panted, darting his head to catch sight of the enemy. Constantly shifting shadows and beams of light made it a difficult task. Once he noticed a silhouette approaching, he held his hands up. "H-hold on, Mr Hit! We should...!"

Hit sent a forward jab straight into the Bell's stomach, which sent the light boy skidding back. Bell's eyes widened at its force, far greater than any level 1's should be. "Shut up. My goal is to kill you. Survive, if you can."

Bell sweated and gritted his teeth; this was not how he expected their next meeting to go. Although, he supposed that he did ask for this. They stared at each other for a few heartbeats, coming to an understanding.

.

..

...

Suddenly, Hit jumped up into the trees. Bell turned this way and that, as Hit purposefully shook the canopy as he darted through it. Leaves rained down, adding to the confusing atmosphere of a dense jungle. Albino eyes blurred to blitzing shadows, truly feeling as if he was in a monster's den. Bell back-pedalled, placing his back against a protective tree. Then, he felt something...

"..."

Bell dodged to the side, allowing Hit's fist to barely graze his cheeck. The boy's reflexes were remarkable. Combined with his agility, he was a nightmare to catch, for any level 2. This made his attributes the polar opposite to Hit's.

*CRASH*

The young tree groaned as it exploded into chippings; Hit's fist obliterated the hiding spot, knocking off the tree's entire crown. Bell backed off, eyes wide as saucers. "H-HOLY CRAP!?"

Hit was not done, and instantly hauled up the lower tree trunk, ripping it straight from its roots. The muscular boy stood proudly, with the enormous object resting on his shoulder. Hit glared down at the crouching boy, red eyes matching those of the enemies of humanity.

Bell shook, sweating bullets. "W-wait... L-let's talk about this!... UAAAAAHHH!"

An enormous 'hammer' cratered against the ground, sending shockwaves throughout the area. Hit somehow moved at exactly the same speed, using his improvised 'landform weapon' like a club. He swung the object around, felling trees, and sending a rain of splinters showering across the battlefield. Ais watched, agape, shockwaves sending her hair in a flurry; this wasn't a spar at all!

Bell bounded from tree to tree, avoiding the wave of destruction. The agile adventurer had to adapt quickly to this new environment, and attempted to mimic Hit's movements, which actually seemed to suit Bell perfectly! Bell watched for an opportune moment, and sprung from a branch, right at Hit. The juggernaut had swung towards the opposite direction, leaving himself wide open.

Bell rushed ahead, and sent out a punch, using all of his level 2 strength. "Don't underestimate me!"

Unfortunately, Hit let the trunk free from his grasp, which sailed into the air. He jumped over the surprised boy and flipped over on Bell's other side. "Do not fall for obvious traps."

The two engaged in a back-and-forth volley of blows, with Hit having the clear advantage. Bell winced as scrapes and bruises began to accumulate, yet again. Despite Bell possessing similar on-paper stats, and much greater agility, he was at a disadvantage on the cramped forest floor, and against a martial arts master beyond measure.

Bell's eyes narrowed, noticing that an area of the forest was lighter in one direction; the boy took the opportunity, and ran from Hit.

Hit smirked, seeing that Bell had improved greatly thus far. "Oh, no you don't". He grunted, uprooting another tree, and sent it hurtling in Bell's direction.

"WAAAAAHHH!?" Bell ducked, out of instinct, and looked back, preparing for any more projectiles. Instead, Hit was running after him, coat fanning out as he ran.

To Bell's delight, the menacing boy was falling behind. The jackrabbit smirked and picked up the pace, towards an open field, focusing only on the goal. The speedster did not stop, until he reached the apex of a hill, and stood in his battle stance, preparing for Hit to emerge out of the sea of trees. Bell's heart beat furiously, and his wide eyes were locked onto the shadows.

.

..

...

*BAM*

"Gaaah!?" Bell's ribs screamed in pain, as a hurtling kick slammed into his side, likely fracturing the fragile bones. The rabbit tumbled down the hill, cradling his core.

Hit followed after the 'ball' that was bell, still relatively unharmed. "Never lose track of the enemy".

Hit had used the boy's speed against him, and circled around the hill, silently. The outcrop provided excellent visibility of the treeline; however, this was no excuse to not be vigilant of your surroundings. Yes, this is where one would expect Hit to emerge from; however, there lay Bell's mistake: monsters, particularly of the lower floors, will not always act as you expect them to. Bell's overconfidence was his undoing in this case.

Bell came to a stop on a flat, earthen area, completely bare of plant life. He squeaked and jumped out of the way of a flying kick from Hit, which cratered the parched soil. Abnormally, Bell got up with a snarl and faced Hit, who was now in his serious stance. It seems that they were both ready to take this to its peak, and Bell ran towards his frightening foe. "That's it! No more running away!"

Hit narrowly dodged the attacks and attempted to launch counters. However, the bunny boy weaved, and darted about, also narrowly avoiding the jabs and kicks. Now that they were on open ground, Bell could perform far better.

Bell's eyes glinted as he rolled under a lightning-fast punch, allowing him to land a solid kidney punch, bruising Hit's side. He made sure to dart away, immediately, as Hit cratered the ground with a heavy stomp.

Hit's expression morphed into surprise as he panted slightly, having accrued a number of pummels. 'He's on a whole different level from our previous match. Not only in terms of basic strength and speed, but his very soul seems to shine in a different light. Burning passion blazes in his eyes, determined to never go out. Looks like this snot nosed brat is growing up...'

Hit smiled internally at watching someone's rise to power, and Bell's deadly intent. Yet, he would not back down, no matter what.

"HRAAAA!" Hit flung defence aside and rushed at a wary Bell; his Grey coat spread outwards in the wind, successfully providing a cover for his vitals. Hands were held one in front of the other in a boxer's stance, to keep up the pressure. The former assassin's body was pushed to its limit in this strange battle.

Hit was at a significant disadvantage without his skill, unable to send out cacophonies of punches while skipping time. This is why Hit's attacks were so destructive, as they were magnitudes greater than his individual impacts, which were already incredibly powerful. Instead, he would have to rely on his own attributes alone. The former assassin smirked, underestimating how fun such a battle would be. There was still so much he had to learn, even in his advanced age.

This time, Hit added numerous feints into the mix, something he would never otherwise do. Such a tactic was utterly worthless when your attacks were already unseen, existing in an entirely separate dimension. Bell raised his arms, predicting the jab's trajectory, yet they met nothing but thin air.

"Wha...!? Oof!"

Hit slammed a fist into Bell's core and followed it with a dizzying combo of left and right jabs, supplemented with feints for good measure. Bell's poor body was sent back, left, and right, under the violent pummelling. In this sorry state, it was impossible to predict the string of perfect attacks. The dazzling display was finalised with a roundhouse kick to Bell's face, launching the boy across the ground.

Hit ignored Bell's prone state and ran at the dazed boy, fist raised. "Getting tired? Too bad!"

Somehow, Bell's survival instincts compelled him to roll away and he raised his arms up into his usual stance, this time lacking the usual knives. One eye was closed, and his entire body quaked. He gritted his teeth and the two adventurers re-engaged in their scuffle.

Behind them, a group of familiar adventurers stampeded to the scene, drawn there due to the racket and a flying tree trunk, which nearly slammed into their picnic.

Finn led the pack and called out to Ais, who was watching from the sidelines. Her fingers twitched, eager to save Bell.

"Ais! What's going on? Oh..." Finn, Tiona, Tione, Riveria, and Gareth stood next to Ais and gaped at the 'spar'. Bete was elsewhere, preparing to receive antidotes as a runner.

A haymaker from Hit sent bell back, who was too fatigued to block it. His arms and legs fell limp and his body began to fall. A familiar feeling returned to the boy, one he had not felt since his first encounter with a minotaur: he was going to die.

*BAM*

Hit's fist soared past Bell's falling face, reflected in his terrified red eyes, and cratered into the ground. Hit stared into Bell's eyes for a moment and lifted the appendage from its crater. "Dead. I win."

'That was pointless as a spar; however, I managed to gleam his newfound strength. There's more to 'leveling up' than I thought. It's as if his body is defying the laws that constrain this world. If he were a monster, I'm not sure whether I could beat him, at least without my time skip". Human opponents were perfect for Hit; their bodies were relatively weak, and rife with exploitable weaknesses, particularly mental ones; golem-like monsters were on a whole other level.

Hit stood up and began reaching for some items. Bell remained on the ground, panting, completely drenched with sweat. "Huff...huff...huff... that was... terrifying...mph!?"

Bell stammered as several vials of liquid, and a bundle of vegetation, was stuffed into his mouth. He recognised the fruity flavour and swallowed, before relaxing. Healing energy coursed through him, closing his wounds, healing broken bones, and cleansing his soul.

Hit nodded, satisfied. The boy was worthy of descending down and Hit believed that he now had the skill to defeat Minotaurs and even Bugbears, thanks to his speed. It was an amazing improvement that words simply could not highlight enough; Hit would have to pick up the pace to keep up. "You're ready for the floors below."

Bell raised his body into a sitting position. His injuries were gone; however, phantom pains and adrenaline remained. "B-but, um... you got me..."

Hit continued, yet his eyes seemed to dart to a number of points of interest behind them. "Neither of us were at our prime. I am well acquainted with the enemies below. You are ready. Your friends; however... their prowess is for you to judge."

Bell smiled, a little crookedly due to the pain. He was glad to have met the scary boy again. His advice was always helpful. Now that it was over, he could say that the battle was quite fun! 'I think I'll practice some more, but that was really helpful! But still really, really scary...'

Tiona was the first to speak, mostly to herself. They were all shocked at Hit's fighting style, which was rarely on full display. "I guess we kinda don't realise how strong he is... it almost seems natural now... feels strange to treat him like a newbie... Plus, our fights are always pretty short, and he's constantly disappearing with his skill... I hardly get ta see anything..."

Finn approached the duo with a disapproving glower, and stared at Hit, sternly. "Mr Hit, I would appreciate if you did not harm our guests. I am disappointed in your behaviour."

Bell squeaked and shot up, before rushing to stand between the two Loki familia members.

"No, no! You have it all wrong, Sir! We know each other! I asked for Mr Hit to battle against me, to prepare me for times when I'm backed against a corner. I-It may have been a little severe..."

Bell looked back at Hit's frowning face and gulped. He couldn't shake the intimidating aura that snaked all around the mysterious boy.

"B-but I really learned a lot from this! I'm not used to fighting in forested areas, so this has opened my eyes! When our party goes past the 18th floor, I'll use everything I learned!"

Bell finalised his speech by bowing to Hit, fully. Hit blinked at the display, shocked at how much the brat seemed to admire him. He merely wanted to use him for information, but the lad was slowly growing on him. "Thank you, Mr Hit!"

Finn nodded, losing most of his disapproving gaze. "I see. My apologies, Mr Hit. Although, I highly doubt you could blame me, given how ruthless that 'spar' was."

Hit looked down his nose at the pallum, not at all interested in the man's opinion of his training methods. "Keep your doubts to yourself. Holding back would have only hindered him and taught the boy nothing." Hit turned around, harshly, and waltzed off, leaving the shocked adventurers to their own devices.

Bell scratched his cheek in worry for his friend. He wasn't going to get in trouble... was he? "Haha... Hit sure is intense, huh?"

Finn crossed his arms and looked down, pensive. "Hm... He is correct, the fault lies with me. Maybe I've gone a bit soft on our rookies...

A number of rookies, who had also been drawn to the scene, gulped and prayed that their training regimen would not increase too severely.

Finn looked at Bell properly, and smiled. He chuckled now that the stressful situation had been diffused. "I never knew the two of you shared a bond, Mr Cranel. That looked like random attack!"

Bell stood up straight and answered honestly, filled with gratitude. "Yeah! W-we've actually only met three times, but he's one of the only people who believed in me early on... His training advice also helped me get stronger and allowed me to meet up with someone I... admire."

Ais tilted her head as the boy's gaze flittered to her for a moment. Finn's smile broadened. "I'm glad you two share a bond. Goddess knows, he needs some friends. Anyway, I suppose we can relax now. We will be having dinner later in the evening. You are all invited, of course."

Bell bowed his head slightly. "Thank you so much, Sir! W-will Hit be there?"

Finn shook his head, smirking. Hit was rebellious and did not listen well to orders, but had a habit of appearing exactly when needed. If the defiant boy had not descended with them, their dear Elfy Colette would be dead. "He hasn't joined the familia camp for any previous meals, so I doubt it. As I said, Hit comes to you when he wants, not the other way around."

The surrounding adventurers chuckled lightly, some shaking their heads, and readied themselves to leave. Situation dissolved, the adventurers bid each other goodbye, and went back to their activities. Bell returned to his tent to look after his precious friends, wishing them a speedy recovery...

Author's Notes

If Bete saw this 'spar' I think he'd die of an aneurism. Huh, maybe I should have included him…

Fight scenes are surprisingly fun to write. I hope they have been clear thus far… I try to make them varied and have meaning.

The most boring scenes to write are when the events don't deviate much from the main anime, where it's mostly just recounting what's happening…

Whenever I write this story part of me thinks it's a massive waste of time… That's life now, I guess. If it doesn't make money, your mind subconsciously disparages it. Not every activity has to be for making money; there's more to life than that… I guess that's why all of your hobbies, and life in general, is more entertaining as a kid. Wow that was depressing...