Hello everyone, it's a new chapter, again I am putting a bit more focus on lucy for some more time before we move to a new character. I want her to develop a bit more.
The Training.
It was a new day. Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a warm glow over the room. I sat at the table, enjoying my morning green tea while Raven sat across from me, as silent as always. The stillness between us felt comfortable, almost serene and it would have continued to be like that had not my devilish prankster nature reared it's head.
"I could get used to this," I said, glancing at her. She raised an eyebrow but didn't speak, so I continued. "This whole thing—a bed always ready for me, morning tea, food throughout the day, all made by a lovely girl. So this is what marriage feels like." I smiled, adding just the right amount of amusement to my voice.
Raven had taken a sip of her tea, and for the first time, i saw someone choke on it. She coughed and set her cup down, glaring at me as she regained her composure.
"You really have no filter, do you?" she muttered, wiping her mouth.
"I'm just saying," I replied, leaning back in my chair. "You're kind of playing the role perfectly. Tea in the morning, quiet support—it's all very domestic. Just missing the 'welcome home, darling' part."
She shot me a look that could freeze the sun. "We're not even close to that. And if this is your idea of flirting, you should stop before you hurt yourself."
I shrugged. "I'm just saying it's nice. The calm, the routine—it's... peaceful."
She looked at me for a long moment, her violet eyes scanning my face, searching for something. "Peaceful, huh?
Her expression softened, just for a second, before she masked it again. "Well, don't get too comfortable," she said, standing up and collecting her cup. "Peace doesn't last long in our line of work."
I watched her walk toward the kitchen, the light catching in her dark hair. "Still," I said, more to myself than to her. "I wouldn't mind if it did."
She paused, just for a moment, before continuing on. The silence between us returned, still as comfortable and understood as always.
Well all good thinks must come to an end. I started preparing by bag, there was a limited amount of things I could carry, so much harder than the games.
"So, how's Lucy's training going so far?" Raven asked, her voice calm as she sat across from me, a book in her hand.
I'd spent all day yesterday working with Lucy, and today I had bigger plans—testing her skills in the labyrinth against real monsters. "She's doing well. Learning fast. Honestly, she has way more experience in this world than I do. I swapped her sword and shield for two daggers. Fits her better—she's quick, precise, and agile. What do you think?"
Raven glanced up from her book. "Do what you think is right. But check her class. If your approach is working, her class should level up quickly."
I nodded. "Good point. I'll keep an eye on it."
She looked at me with curiosity. "How did this 'Jinx' person fight in your world?"
I smiled, remembering. "Hexes. She'd throw around bad luck like candy. Things would break—buildings, machines, the ground itself—basically anything she wanted. She didn't need brute strength when the world was falling apart around her."
Raven seemed to mull that over. "I might know of something that could help Lucy," she said thoughtfully, closing her book. "But it'll take time. A few days, maybe even a week."
"Seriously? That'd be awesome. Whatever you've got, I'll take it."
Raven's face grew serious as she stood up. "I'll leave tonight. But listen carefully: if you go through my stuff while I'm gone, break anything, touch *anything*—I will kill you."
I gave her a mock salute. "Understood, ma'am."
*Later that day - Labyrinth, First Floor*
The air in the labyrinth was thick with tension as Lucy faced her first real test with the daggers. Three massive rats charged at her, their teeth bared, hissing wildly. But Lucy didn't flinch. She mirrored their speed, her body low to the ground, moving like she was born for this. Two daggers gleamed in her hands as she rushed to meet them.
I watched from the side, ready to step in if needed, but this was her moment.
Lucy slid past the first rat, her dagger slicing through its flank as she pivoted to dodge the second. She moved with fluid grace, her strikes quick and precise, always staying one step ahead. The rats were fast, but she was faster.
One of the rats lunged at her from behind, but Lucy spun, slashing upward in a clean arc. The creature let out a guttural cry and collapsed.
The third rat, larger than the others, came at her head-on. Lucy didn't back down. Instead, she waited, her eyes narrowing. Just before it reached her, she dodged to the side and thrust both daggers into its neck. The rat twitched, then crumpled to the ground.
She stood over the fallen beasts, breathing slightly heavily but triumphant. I couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. She'd handled herself well.
"Well?" she asked, looking over at me, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "What do you think?"
I grinned. "You're getting there. Faster, more precise. But don't get too confident—you're still holding back."
She raised an eyebrow. "Holding back?"
"Yeah," I said, walking over to her. "You're still thinking like you have a shield. You're not trusting your speed and agility enough yet. You need to get inside their reach and stay there. You've got the daggers now—make them count."
Lucy nodded thoughtfully. "I'll work on it."
"Good. Tomorrow, we'll go deeper into the labyrinth. You'll get more practice with different types of monsters. But for now, let's find a new target and start again," I said, keeping my focus on the task at hand.
"Got it," Lucy replied, slipping her daggers into the sheaths strapped to her legs.
Almost night.
I stared at lucy, feeling a wave of unease creep up. "I can't do this," I admitted, turning to Lucy.
She placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, her expression calm. "It's alright. Everyone struggles with this at first. But the more you do it, the better you'll get. Trust me I am a pro at this."
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my hands. Lucy handed me one of her daggers, and I carefully cut through the skin of the horned rabbit, peeling away the fur from the flesh. It was slow, and every slice made my stomach turn, but I kept going.
"That's it," Lucy encouraged. "Just take it one step at a time."
With her guidance, I continued. Once the fur was off, the next step was the disassembly—cutting through the joints, separating the meat, and discarding the unusable parts. It was messy work, but Lucy was patient, showing me the proper technique.
After what felt like an eternity, i was finally done. I wiped the sweat from my forehead, feeling both exhausted, relieved and holding the vomit that threatened to escape.
"See? You did it," Lucy said, a small smile on her face. "It gets easier, I promise."
I nodded, though I wasn't sure I'd ever get used to it. "Thanks. I couldn't have done it without you."
Lucy gave me a playful nudge. "That's what partners are for."
She packed up the meat and materials, and I took a deep breath, the weight of the day's lessons sinking in. I taught lucy to fight and she taught me the way of the adventure
As uncomfortable as the process had been, I knew it was something I couldn't avoid. There was only so long I could pretend to be an experienced adventurer before my lack of knowledge would catch up to me.
I was in a new world, and if I wanted to survive here—really survive, not just get by—I needed to know every detail about how this world worked. The monsters, the terrain, the customs, even the mundane things like disassembling a rabbit. Every bit of knowledge counted.
The more I learned, the less vulnerable I'd be. I couldn't afford to slack off or rely on luck. I had to be ready for anything, and Lucy was right. Partners help each other, but in the end, I had to pull my own weight.
"Tomorrow's another day," I muttered to myself.
The Next Day
Waking up was harder than I expected. Without the familiar smell of Raven's green tea filling the room, everything felt off. I stayed in bed a little longer than usual, staring up at the ceiling. Even when I finally forced myself out of bed, there was none of the usual energy that came with starting the day. I felt sluggish, like I was missing something important.
"Wow," I muttered to myself, the emptiness creeping in. It was strange how much of a difference one day without her made. It was like my whole routine had crumbled. No sarcastic remarks, no silent glances, no quiet companionship. It felt like a huge hole had opened in my life, and I wasn't sure how to fill it. Just one day of her absence and I already felt like not getting up at all.
Still, I had responsibilities. I got my bag ready, trying to shake the fog off, but everything felt... dull. No Raven, no tea, no sarcastic comments to push me out of my slump. I sighed, grabbed my gear, and flew to Lucy's house.
Once I landed at Lucy's place. The fresh air helped clear my mind, the usual routine was to take her to the forest and train, where we would be pushing ourselves, testing our endurance, sharpening our accuracy, and engaging in mock battles
But today, I wanted to change things up. "We're heading to the guild," I told Lucy.
She raised an eyebrow then a large smile came on her face, she basically dragged me to the bustling guild hall, where adventurers were already swapping stories or prepping for their own quests. I hadn't been here in a while, so it felt good to be back in the action.
Lucy walked me over to the quest board and started explaining the available jobs.
"Alright, here's what we've got," Lucy said, pointing at the different postings on the board.
*F Rank Quests*
- *Rats in a House: A small house is infested with rats. The owner's willing to pay *10 copper per dead rat* for clearing them out.
- *Runaway Dog: A girls dog ran off, and they want it found. Reward is *50 copper*.
*E Rank Quests*
- *Kobold Hunting: A group of kobolds has been harassing traders on the outskirts. *5 silver per kobolt*
- *Goblins extermination: Small goblin camps are forming near town. Reward is *1 silver per goblin* for clearing them out.
- *Giant Poisonous Spiders Infestation: A crew wants to reconstruct an abandoned house but can't due to poisonous spiders inside. Clearing them is worth *10 silver*.
*D Rank Quests*
- *Wild Boars for a Feast: A mansion is requesting two wild boars for a feast. The job pays *20 silver per boar* for delivering them.
- *Wolves in the Forest: A pack of wolves has been spotted and is scaring locals. The reward for eliminating them is *10 silver per wolves*.
*C Rank Quests*
- *Wyvern Sighting: A wyvern has been spotted in the mountains. Taking it down offers a bounty of *5 gold*.
- *Trolls by the Bridge: Trolls have been attacking travelers near a bridge. Dealing with them nets a reward of *2 gold per troll*.
"So," Lucy said, crossing her arms and looking over the board, "What do you want to go for?"
Alright, here's the plan," I said, scanning the board once more. "We'll start with the F-rank job—rats in a house. I'll turn into a cat, and you can practice your accuracy by hitting them with a blunt knife. It'll be good training for precision."
Lucy smirked, "Using rats for target practice, huh? Sounds fun."
"And once we've got that sorted," I continued, "we'll move on to the E-rank goblins. They're usually tougher than rats, but nothing you can't handle with your speed and precision. It'll be good practice for a real fight—dealing with a group of enemies, focusing on multiple targets, and keeping your reflexes sharp."
Lucy raised an eyebrow. "And if we manage to finish that?"
"If we still have time, we'll tackle the D-rank boar quest. It's a bit more challenging—wild boars are stronger, and they don't go down easily. Plus, they're fast and aggressive, so it'll be a good test of your endurance and agility. And, hey, the reward's good—"
Lucy smirked. "a feast for some rich mansion. We might even get to keep some of the meat if we're lucky."
"If they do you can have it." I told her. Meat still didn't sit right with me.
"Fine by me," she said with a nod, adjusting her gear. "Let's see if we can knock out all three in one day."
"Now you're talking." I grinned. "Let's get started."
Ok that's it for this chapter and if anyone was paying attention beast boy is F rank while lucy/jinks is D rank. So she can take any D rank quest without any problem.
So guys what do you think so far. Please do let me know what you think about the story and if you feel there is anything I can do to improve it.
Please do review as it helps the story a lot
Current Chapter 30 September 2024
Next Chapter 4 September 2024
