And back with Chapter 17.
Unfortunately, not a lot for me to add.
Hope you enjoy.
Kay ( ﾟдﾟ)つ Bye
XXX
He ducked low and avoided a horizontal strike.
As the enormous arm flew by him he brought his sword upwards in an arc from below, hitting the rear part of the upper arm. His blade cut through for a moment before stopping in the thick muscles of the monster.
Tsk.
With a side-step he dashed to the Monster's side, sword still stuck in it's flesh, and using every fibre of the little arm and back muscles he had, he pushed. Finally the arm had been cut off, difficult as the task had proven to be.
It roared in pain, blood gushing out from his stump like rivers. It did not roar for long, as the boy jumped high and cut through half of his neck, thus bringing an end to the Monster.
That had been the last one from this group.
He sighed, and allowed himself to fall butt first onto the floor, gasping for air for the next few seconds.
It was hard.
Extremely so, in fact.
Death was floating like a blanket around him, breathing down his neck just waiting for one single mistake from him, then it would strike, merciless and without hesitation.
...Good. This is good. Fuzen told himself, his breathing once again in check. He stood up and turned around. "Get up."
"…"
"You are not dead yet. Unfortunately. Get up." He repeated, scanning the leech from head to toe.
He was, even more so than Fuzen himself, a single push away from collapsing into unconsciousness. His cheeks were hallow, his body battered and broken. Granted, Raiju had no blood or organs, as he was Magic Power made manifest, but he could still feel pain and exhaustion, both of which he was experiencing at the moment.
Raiju opened his dry lips, a grunt of pain escaping his throat. "...Master...I can't…" He replied.
"...Do I look like I care? Get up. We are not done for today." Fuzen shot back, nonchalant as always.
"Master...I can't move. I have no strength left…"
He narrowed his eyes at the dragon."Oh, sorry about that. It's not like I'm leeching off your power, after all."
"...Have you not...killed me enough by now?" Raiju asked, his eyes closing and opening in quick succession. He was on the verge of unconsciousness, that much was obvious.
Fuzen sheathed his sword having used a piece of cloth to wipe it clean, then walked up to Raiju. He was spread on the floor, not able to move one single finger. He got down in a squatting position, examining Raiju for a couple of seconds. "Hmmm…" Then he slowly shook his head. "No."
"Master...just take...a break already…"
"That's not an option, now is it, leech? Seeing how I lost most of my power because of you."
"I'm strong. Is that not...enough?"
His eye twitched a couple of times, just barely managing to not lose his composure. The absolute brainless stupidity that sometimes came out of the lizard's mouth was amazing in it's own right. "...How you call yourself a part of me yet are still so obvious to my aspirations is beyond me. Your strength means nothing. It is nothing. At best, it's useful for my current situation. Nothing more, maybe even less."
"...God damn it, Master…"
"Enough flapping your gums. We go, now." Waiting no more, Fuzen grabbed the lizard's arm and dragged him behind towards the next group of enemies.
They were both currently on the 27th Floor, having made their way here from the 37th Floor where they began their daily training. For three months, the time since Raiju's manifestation, Fuzen had decided on his move and meticulously planned his daily routine down to the finest detail.
Every day they would descend all the way down to the 37th Floor, their daily starting point.
He had thought long and hard about it and that was the deepest Floor he could still manage, with Raiju's help that is. Once there they would each draw as many Monsters as possible and have them chase both of them up to a large, empty clearing.
Then he allowed Raiju to leech off his Ki and use his area-of-effect attacks to obliterate all the Monsters they had gathered. This would be done multiple times, until Fuzen felt his Ki pool going down to critical levels.
This whole process took roughly three hours, give or take, depending on how many enemies they managed to round up with each try. Once this step was done they would collect the Magic Stones which were worth a lot given they were of high-Level Monsters, and then Fuzen would send Raiju off to transport the Stones back to Rivira, on the 18th Floor, where he struck a deal with a merchant there: he would hold onto the Magic Stones until Fuzen would collect it on his way up and be allowed to five percent of their daily profit.
Naturally, the merchant had tried to bargain and get as much as fifteen percent from the profit, but Raiju took care of that.
He was at least very proficient in intimidating people, if nothing else.
The transportation was done by Raiju in one of his dragon forms. Having worked with him daily for three months, Fuzen had a lot of time to experiment. He thus found out that depending on how he allocated his Ki towards the lizard, he could have him grow to different sizes: the small one, no longer than a scarf around the neck, the middle one, roughly the length of four horses, and the gigantic one, the form he took when he first manifested.
Well, there was also one above that but it required a lot of Ki, so much so in fact that it almost made Fuzen fall unconscious.
It was also too large: the one time they pulled it off Raiju almost collapsed the Floor they were on and the earthquakes from the mass destruction had been felt all the way up to the surface.
Naturally, he did not tell anyone he was responsible for it.
While Raiju transported the bags of Magic Stones to Rivira by using his 2nd middle-sized form, Fuzen would slowly make his way up by himself, fighting any and all enemies that came his way.
It was not easy.
Far from it.
Raiju had already stolen a big chuck of his Ki, which he used to maintain his form and attack with. This left Fuzen with roughly one third of the Ki pool he had possessed before Raiju happened.
The lizard could use attacks with his own share of Ki he stole upon his birth, but it was spent quickly, Raiju's ability to use energy efficiently far less polished than Fuzen's.
Thus Fuzen was required to let him use a lot of his own Ki. After their mass obliteration of Monsters at Raiju's hands, he had only enough left to use a few of his Techniques, and he had to use them sparingly.
In itself, Fuzen had not become weaker in the true sense of the word. He was still as skilled with a sword, he still had the exact same experience in fighting, and he still had his honed intuition.
However, the lack of Ki he could use made itself visible.
He was no longer as fast, as strong, as sharp as before.
His Sword Style made extensive use of Ki, juggling with the energy inside of his body, directing it to where it was most needed before they even thought about it.
Direct it to your feet for Lighting Drive to enhance explosive speed power for short burst, re-direct it to the eyes to enhance eyesight and reflexes, then back to the arms and back to increase cutting power, then let it coat the sword to increase sharpness then back to the feet, over and over again, fraction of a second to fraction of a second.
If a Mage who could use Concurrent Chanting was similar to a person holding a barrel of explosive as they ran across a field of fire, then a Disciple of the Lightning Sword Style was similar to a juggler who needed to juggle while blind-folded, trusting only in their training to complete their task.
Each ball they failed to catch and fell to the ground was one burst of Ki they failed to control and which would implode, damaging the area it was located in.
Just like how Ais broke her knee and ankle while performing Fuzen's Techniques, a mishap which the boy was unaware of.
However, he lacked the Ki to do so now.
Now, he could mostly only count on his natural physical strength and his God-blessed flesh and bones. He could only use the few drops of Ki he had left in truly dire situation, where his life was at risk.
Unfortunately, in his current state his life was always a risk and thus he switched to trusting his gut more than his thoughts.
He was no longer someone who could boost himself to such heights he could defeat the Level 5 Ais with ease.
That was only a bitter-sweet memory now, something he once held in his hands and now slipped through his fingers, unable to stop it from doing so.
He could still defeat her, probably.
He defeated her before he joined Loki Familia, as well. It was how he showed them all he was worth accepting into the Familia. But could he still defeat her with such ease?
...No.
He would need to go far and beyond to do so.
Truly, life was unfair.
But...it didn't matter.
"...Monsters ahead." He stated as another group of enemies showed up from around the next corner. Mermen, nine of them. They always travelled in group, led by the Merman Leader, a slightly stronger version of the other eight. "It's time."
"...I'll die." Raiju said with a sigh, already knowing what was awaiting him.
"Yes. Yes, you will. All according to plan." He nodded and mustering all the strength he had, threw Raiju in front, the lizard landing somewhere between Fuzen and the group of Monsters.
A group screech later the Mermen were dashing towards him, the nature weapons they held, spears and one trident held by the Leader raised high. Their wet, webbed feet made splashing noises with each steps they took, a sound which greatly grossed Fuzen out.
Then, upon reaching Raiju they began impaling his already broken body with their spears, the lizard grunting in pain with each thrust he experienced.
It wasn't just Raiju who was hurting, however.
Fuzen, too, was affected by the lizard's wounds.
Luckily, it was not as if they shared pain, nor was he receiving the same wounds as Raiju. However they were still linked, to his great displeasure, and every time the leech got injured he gnawed at Fuzen's Ki, leeching it off in order to heal himself.
Heal...no, that was the wrong word.
Raiju was made up of energy, not flesh and blood. He did not leech off Fuzen's Ki to knit his flesh back together, nor to make up for blood loss.
His body was pure energy, a combination of Ki as well as Magic Power.
However, weird and unexplainable as it was, each wound his physical form received sapped at the energy he had stored inside of him. Thus, in order to maintain a prime condition he subconsciously drained Fuzen's Ki to restore the lost energy, thus giving off the impression of healing.
M-Master, I'm about...to die…
You're still alive and talking, are you not? Then shut up.
It hurts.
Good.
Master...you're killing me. You're...killing yourself...S-Stop...
…
It was not the first time Raiju repeated these words. Every time his energy levels dropped to critical levels he became like this, spouting off confusing mumbles of barely audible words.
Fuzen had no idea why. Was he getting delirious when almost out of Ki to leech off? How would that even work?
He didn't even have a brain, not an organic one like Fuzen and other living beings, at least. So how could he get delirious?
Fuzen had asked him a couple of times about this change in personality, but Raiju simply stared at him blankly before shaking his head, not saying anything in response. After receiving the same reply every time he had simply stopped asking him about this matter.
It still confused him, however.
...Weird useless lizard...
It was time.
By now Fuzen felt the consequences of letting Raiju get injured, as well. His knees felt weak and shaky, his vision became blurry and he was tired.
So damn tired.
All symptoms which were to be expected.
Ki was life force.
Along with blood and organs, it allowed living beings to be alive and to continue living. It was a...coat of energy, wrapped around both the inside as well as the outside, and in it's own mysterious way, allowed the mortals to experience life and more importantly, it allowed them to go past their limits.
Though it's existence was not known to most humans, it played a pivotal role in everyone's life. When a person took it upon themselves to do something hard for their current state, say run ten kilometres for example, they unconsciously made use of the little Ki they had within themselves.
If they had the willpower to do so, that is.
The first six or seven kilometres they could run with their physical strength and endurance alone.
However, from that point on their legs would feel strained, their lungs would burn up, their body became sluggish and heavy. A person with no willpower would take that as their cue of having reached their limit and they would stop three kilometres short of achieving their goal.
However, if they had the willpower to endure, unknown to even themselves, they would unconsciously tap into the energy known as Ki. It would hurt, running past one's natural limits.
Yet if the will to succeed was present, they could bite through the pain and continue on.
Adrenaline, endorphins, guts, fighting spirit, many terms were used for the state of a person who reached their limits yet pushed on despite this fact. All those terms could be replaced with Ki, for it was indeed Ki they used to go beyond their limits.
People like Fuzen, trained in secret on how to harness this energy known as life-force could feel it, after all: the dormant Ki in an unawakened person, slipping out to give that one little push needed to overcome an obstacle too difficult to break through otherwise.
What Fuzen himself was trying to do had that little secret in mind.
Raiju was linked to him, and shared his Ki. He also sapped away Fuzen's Ki when injured.
All the while, Ki was the energy which gave the little push needed to overcome difficult obstacles. Lastly, when a person's life force was exhausted they would fall unconscious, and probably also die.
Here in the Dungeon, where Monsters lurked at every turn, that was definitely the case.
By having Raiju be a sandbag, Fuzen planned on observing how far Raiju's so called leeching immortality went all the while allowing himself to be depleted of his life force via the injuries Raiju received.
Why?
Because his inability to raise his Status was thanks to the conditioning he had underwent as a Disciple of the Lighting Sword Style. A fair deal, seeing how he was granted the ability to use Ki in exchange for the inability to raise his Status.
However, his pool of life force was no longer what it was until recently.
He needed to Level Up to make up for the lost power.
And by fighting while deprived of almost all his Ki he could put a stop to the state he had achieved after long years of conditioning. At least for a while, until his life force began to slowly regenerate by itself.
Was it a foolish move?
Yes.
Very much so.
He had read through the book passed down to him containing the wisdom of all those before him, yet he never once saw anything like what he was trying to do being mentioned in all of it's pages.
Was he desperate enough to go through with it, nonetheless, despite whatever unknown risks it could bring?
Yes.
Desperate was the correct word.
Over the course of the last year he had taken three steps forward, but also six steps backwards.
He was lost.
The one way he knew on how to become stronger was no longer viable.
Desperate was the right way to call him at the moment.
Desperate enough to do anything, no matter how rash or risky it was.
...Ok. That's enough, least I fall face first into the ground.
Fuzen drew his sword and with a sharp whistle, gained the attention of the group of Mermen. They left Raiju, by now little more than a honeycomb, alone, and with yet another loud unified screech dashed off towards the boy.
He himself did not move.
Dizziness had already overtaken him and the narrow corridor he was on felt like it was shaking left and right. Some of the Mermen appeared to lose contrast to him and become two before going back to one.
Tired.
He felt very tired.
"Screech!"
Slash!
And that was just what he wanted.
Lastly, another thing he wished to achieve through this training regime was...to expand his Ki pool.
How?
By depriving himself of it via letting Raiju die over and over again, having him leech off almost all the Ki he possessed then call upon the last embers, the last traces of Ki he did no longer have, in battle.
Was it helpful?
Truthfully, he could not say.
Indeed, Raiju leached off less Ki than at the beginning for his area-of-effect attacks, but whatever this was because his Ki pool was indeed expanding or if it was because his Magic Attribute had improved by a lot and thus Raiju made use of the now available Magic Power, he did not know.
Neither did Raiju.
Still, he went through with it nonetheless. Foolish as it was.
It was, probably unsurprising, also the most dangerous part of all.
The Lighting Sword Style was not a Style which emphasised battles of attritions. It was a Style meant to take out opponents, often stronger than oneself, as quickly as possible, either in one single powerful strike tempered and perfected through countless repetitions or in a series of Techniques, all linked together to open the path to victory.
Battles of attrition, of endurance, were not something he counted among his strengths.
And that is why he was doing it.
The corridor was narrow, but nonetheless, five Mermen were attacking him all at once with the other three behind them.
One he had already felled in a single strike, but it took everything he had. He could no longer muster the strength to cut through their thick muscles in a single strike.
"Gah-!" He was backing off, more so than he liked to admit, moving his body just enough to the sides to avoid being impaled by the many spears coming his way. Nonetheless, with shaky legs and blurry vision he was avoiding them mostly through instinct, the years of experience under his belt taking control over his senses.
It wasn't fool-proof, however, and many spear thrusts found themselves licking at his body and chipping away at his stamina as they drew ever more blood.
He wasn't afraid.
For three months now, this had been his daily routine. He would go on about his training for thirteen days consecutively, with the fourteenth being a day dedicated solely for rest.
Today was the thirteenth day of the current set.
For twelve days now he went through with this. Naturally, he was more drained of power than any other day before.
But he had survived three months of this training.
He could survive another three.
Then another six.
Then a whole year of it if needed.
He would regain his former power then go beyond that, too.
And nothing would stand in his way of doing so.
"Tsk-!" Another spear came too close for comfort and it grazed his left side, the edge's side running across the length of one of his upper ribs, grazing the bone in the process. He hissed in pain, redirected the spears coming at him then jumped forward, thrusting his sword through the Merman's throat.
It foamed blood and saliva at the mouth then dispersed into ash just as he stepped back again, avoiding his own throat getting impaled by a thrusting attack.
He was finally starting to feel it, the need to put everything he had behind every single move and action he took.
This was the state he needed to experience, to make up for his lack of strength. This was what it all boiled down to: Life or death.
And if he happened to collapse here and now? There was no one down here to help him, not even Raiju.
One mistake, one single moment of laxity, and all would be gone.
...Yes. This is good. This is good...
"Schreech!"
Clank! Whoosh!
Come. Come at me more.
Slash!
Come. Every single of you. I'll…
Shriek…
I'll...I'll kill you all.
"Every single one of you...Kehehe." Fuzen chuckled.
Then a smile escape his lips, a smile most disturbing…
XXX
Her palms slammed on the table, a sharp sound echoing within the large room. "What do you mean I can't have it?!"
Finn simply shrugged, his eyes fixed on the papers before him. "We can't afford it, Loki."
"But I want it!"
"No can do." He shook his head, the faint smile for which he was known still present on his lips. "We can't afford a simple bottle of wine which costs hundreds of thousands of Valis at the current moment, Loki."
"But it's a special limited edition! It won't come out for another ten years if we don't get it now!"
"Haha. Good thing Deities are immortal, then."
"You want me to be thirsty for ten whole years?!"
"You can drink any other brand of wine in the meantime."
"It's not the same!"
"It won't change the fact that we are in the red." Finn stated, letting his pencil down as he leaned back into his chair.
"...Sigh...What's the situation currently?" Loki asked after a long sigh.
"Well, we paid some of the debt off. But truth be told, our Familia's finances don't look good. We still need to make up for the losses from the last large expedition, and with the extra debt from three months ago...Not to mention, we use the profit to take care of the Executives equipment which is not cheap at all. We are not completely in the red, but we cannot afford to be thoughtless about how we use our finances for the foreseeable future."
"...Hmm…" Loki knew her Familia's financial state was not anything to brag about, but was it truly this bad?
A Familia's true leader was it's Patron Deity.
That was a well-known fact and rarely needed to be said out loud. Naturally, with how laid back some Deities were, it was understandable why this fact rarely became the truth.
Loki herself, mischievous as she was, counted among those Deities who worked hard for their Familia's well being. However, one could also say that recently she took it slowly, at a relaxed pace.
Finn was already such a great leader and so she subconsciously placed herself in the back, thinking it was all okay.
"...Hmm…"
"…? What's wrong, Loki?"
"...Nothing. Guess it's time I carry my own weight around here, isn't it?"
"Not really." Finn stated. "We aren't currently doing so well but that will change over time. We are a large Familia, it's only natural that we don't do quite so well financially. Our expenses are high, after all. But we will take care of it with our next expedition."
"That's still one month away, isn't it Finn?"
"Well, yes. Preparations are still underway. It's going well, however. No need for you to worry."
"...Well, if you say so. I'll try to see which of my connections could bring us in some money, anyway."
"That's appreciated."
"Mhm. Guess I'll just have to wait another ten years for my special limited edition wine, then. Ohh, what I don't do for my children~"
"Hmhm. Thank you."
"I'll leave you to your duties, then." With a wave of her hand Loki left the room and walked down the hallway.
It was not false to say that in the years since Loki came to Orario, she had built herself a stable network of connections with people from all walks of life. If Finn said that everything would fall into place, she could trust that.
Her Captain knew what he was doing after, all.
However, a bit of extra money and items never hurt anyone. She would talk to a few merchants, make some deals with the safer Deities in Orario, let others have a favour to call upon on the Loki Familia. They were at the top in Orario, after all. No one in their right minds would let a chance to call upon their help slip by.
She had one month until the next expedition.
Not much time, but enough to exert some of her influence for her children's sake. "...Hmm?"
Arriving at the stairs leading to the ground Floor Loki noticed drops of blood along the steps. She traced them with her eyes and could already guess whom the blood belonged to.
With a sigh she walked on ahead then took a left.
Before long she arrived at the hallway which only had two rooms on the left and a dead-end straight ahead.
The first was an unused room, the second one was Fuzen's room.
The boy was also there leaning on the door frame with his shoulder while his head rested on the door itself. "Hey. Lil' Fuzen, what's wrong?"
Loki approached him and from a distance, she noticed his bruised and tattered state. It was no surprise, however.
That's how he came back home every day for the last few months.
"Well...that's a first one." She muttered with a raised eyebrow as she closed the distance and stood before Fuzen: he had fallen asleep, one push away from reaching his room, his hand still on the door knob. Raiju, too, was still being held in his other hand, the magic Dragon just as unconscious as his Master. "...You did your best, didn't you? If only you could avoid getting this hurt in the process…"
With a sigh escaping her lips Loki grabbed Fuzen and opened the door, pulling him inside.
He was light.
Very much so.
Her strength was no greater than a normal human's, yet she had little trouble pulling him to the bed.
He's still just a kid, after all…
Shaking her head, Loki took off Fuzen's haori and shirt before laying him on the bed, then grabbing Raiju, the dragon no bigger than her forearm, and placing him to rest in the basket Fuzen prepared for him.
Both were truly out for the count, no reaction to being touched or dragged at all.
"...Hmm…" The Goddess stood by Fuzen's side, observing him with piercing and analytic eyes.
His body was blue and purple, various degrees of blunt-force trauma visible on his body. Lacerations were also present, having already coagulated thanks in no small part to the Falna on his back. She grabbed his hand and turned it upside: his hands were full of callouses, both at the base of the fingers as well as the palm, the thickened skin peeled off and bleeding.
However, despite his state Loki could not bring herself to use any potions on him. It was his wish, after all. Something about letting his body heal and harden by itself with no outside help, in Fuzen's own words.
Now...what should we do about him…? Loki asked herself, taking a seat on the edge of his bed.
She knew the boy had issues.
If his own behaviour did not point it out enough then it was made clear by what Riveria told her, Finn and Gareth after she reached out to him shortly after Fuzen left the Familia to stay at the inn a while back.
He didn't just have issues, it was...much more than that.
With that in mind Loki had Riveria accompany her a while ago to the Dian Cecht pharmacy where they talked to Amid about this matter. Granted, the girl was a doctor and not a psychologist, however even the Dea Saint stated that his condition sounded grave. They could have also tried to get a professional opinion, however Loki did not wish to let anyone else know about this possible weakness least someone found out about it and make use of this information.
The only reason she even went to Amid in the first place was because the girl was truly a good person and from what she understand, Fuzen also liked her, at least more than he liked other people.
As for what they could do to help?
Nothing.
The answer was nothing.
Unless the boy himself opened up and allowed himself to be helped, there was little they could do.
Granted, they tried at every opportunity, Riveria more so than anyone else. She truly was the mother of the Familia, Loki had once said with a laugh. However so far little progress was made.
Following that one time he went into the Dungeon with the others to show what Raiju was capable off he gathered Loki and the Top Executives in order to declare that he would embark on a rigorous training regime and that he was to not be disturbed helped or otherwise talked to unless absolutely necessary.
His trust has already been badly damaged by Ais a while back, and besides that, Fuzen had informed Finn and Loki about what happened with the Soma Familia Supporter and the trap they had laid out for him.
He explained in great detail the whole situation as well as how he took care of the Soma Familia members, letting only the Supporter live. During his whole explanation he had not once showed remorse or pity for letting those Adventurers getting eaten alive.
With that said, his trust of which there had never been much of anyway had been shattered twice, in quick succession no less.
Loki...wanted him to remain in her Familia.
Awkward as he was, Fuzen was her Child.
And each of them were special to her, in their own unique little ways. That went for the boy, as well: she had never, in her very long life, seen anyone as obsessed as he was in pursuing his goal. Barely eleven years of age yet determinedly crawling his way towards grasping the Heavens, holding on without fail until his fangs could reach said Heavens and thus make his dream a reality.
Why did he want to grasp the Heavens?
Loki had no idea.
Did he even mean it in the literal way?
Again, she had no idea.
But she wanted to seen him reach his goal.
She wanted to observe him as he progressed along the way. She...wanted to see how much he could endure. Would he break, or would he triumph? Was he all bark, or the contrary?
Lastly...helping him.
That too was a goal of hers.
Deities were unchanging beings. Neither their appearance nor their personality would change, no matter how many years would pass. Naturally this was a great perk, however it also came with it's own drawbacks.
Loki had descended to the Lower World some thirty years ago. While for the mortals this might sound like a long timespan and enough time to get used to the change, for Loki it was as if she had descended last week.
She had...troubles, understanding mortal worries.
She also had trouble adjusting to the Humans quick change of priorities. Two Deities might start a discussion around one topic and continue pondering and discussing it for a hundred years, not coming to any decisive conclusion. Humans did not have the time for that. If something came up, they could quickly categorize it in order to save time. It would be black, white, or any shade of grey in-between.
This lack of understanding was what kept Loki from involving herself too much with Ais, something she regretted to this day.
Since her Familia had formed, Ais had been the only member to join while younger than ten years of age. Finn joined when he was fourteen. Raul too. Tione and Tiona were thirteen upon joining. Lefiya herself had been twelve.
Ais had been the only true child to join her Familia and Loki, thanks to her lack of understanding, had been unable to help the girl in any real sense, despite Ais's own...problems. Instead, she choose to leave it to Finn and the others, simply hoping it would be enough.
Granted, Ais was no longer the same troublesome, hate-filled child she had been upon her joining and Loki was simply thankful that it turned out okay. However, she had asked herself many, many times: would it have turned out better if she had resolved herself to help Ais, as well?
She didn't know.
Ais was no longer a child and she could now ask for help herself. Her friends were there for her, as well.
She was better now.
However, the boy had also appeared before her. He had joined her Familia. And he was...worse off that Ais.
Could she ever hope to help him?
Loki did not know.
But this time around she would not make the same mistake as with Ais. She would try. That, she decided.
...How to go about this, then…?
She turned her head and looked at the boy. Though sleeping, he was all but relaxed: he was frowning, his expression closer resembling a middle-aged man than a child. It was funny, in it's own way.
"...Guess I'll start by trying to make him smile." Loki muttered to herself with a nod, her hand stretching out to pat the boy on his head lightly. "Now that I think about it...you never smiled once, did you? You obsessed little swordsman..."
My obsessed little swordsman...
XXX
The room was damp and old, the smell of rotting wood persistent in the air.
It was far from ideal and the man switched to breathing less than usual, with greater time-intervals than before.
He disliked his current situation but there was little he could do but put up with it. His mission was one of discretion, after all.
With a tired sigh he leaned further into the wall with his shoulder, both arms crossed across his chest as he looked outside through the window.
His target had just walked down the street a short while ago and entered the property of his Familia. He had been observing his target for a little over a month now. Tomorrow would be the day, for it was the fourteenth day. The target would not be going into the Dungeon.
Nonetheless, he decided to keep watch from the window, just in case he somehow decided to leave the Manor again.
His lookout was a house his higher-ups provided the money for on the same street as the target's Familia Home, just four houses away from the residence exactly opposite from the front gate. It was not the ideal spot for observing and gathering information, but it was good enough. It was also the closest lookout they had provided.
Three others had been sent before him, all with the exact same mission.
All had disappeared without a trace.
Had it been the target or was someone else responsible for their disappearance?
He could not say.
Nonetheless he had been sent, and he planned on doing better than the ones before.
His achievements spoke for him: while the others went cold after the first few days, he had observed the target for over a month now. Daily reports had also been written and sent back via the third party and he even gathered rumours from around town with said reports, to allow for better understanding of the target's behaviour, connections and power.
And tomorrow, he would make contact with the target, extend the offer, then fulfil his mission and reap the rewards as well as the boost in social rank.
Was the mission risky?
Sure it was, even for someone as experienced as him.
But nonetheless, the rewards were immense. An opportunity one could simply not miss.
"...Mhm. Tomorrow this mission will come to a conclusion. Just have to approach him when he leaves..."
"Ohhh~? Tell me more~"
"…!"
Startled the man swung his arm backwards, from where the sweet, sugary voice came
However, his motion stopped as a grip made of iron caught him wrist, the sound of bone being crushed by sheer force making his heart drop. A moment later, the man fell to his knees in pain and anguish, the cold edge of a blade pressing against his neck.
"Now, mind telling me why meow are stalking my cute little treasure?"
He was completely overpower, the woman holding his broken wrist many times stronger than him.
On his back he felt the intimidating stare a predator might give his prey and shivers went down his spine. Slowly he looked over his shoulder, heavily grasping for air. A pair of feline, emerald eyes met his stare from behind a hood, the woman managing to almost make him relieve himself in his pants with her stare alone.
A Cat Person.
But who was she? The man went through intense information gathering on the Loki Familia even before being sent to Orario. He knew all of their members and she was not one of them. Then, why was she intervening with his mission? Was there another faction out for the target, trying to win him over?
He needed to be smart about it.
"Let...let me live, and my superiors will reward you handsomely. Millions of Valis. I swear on my life, that is how much you will receive."
His suggestion was no bluff. His higher ups were ready to pay a lot of money to see the target switch sides. If the Cat girl would let him live, he would give her a great share of his reward.
"Ohhh~? My, my, how tempting, meow~"
"I am not lying. The reward for the mission I was entrusted with is that great. Let me live and I will offer you all of it."
"I know, I know. All the others said the same, too. Guess meow higher-ups are really greedy if even their underlings are so obsessed with money."
"…! Others? It was you...who dealt with the others?"
"Of course, meow~"
The man felt sweat run down his face. If this woman was responsible for the disappearance of the others and if they had offered the same but were now missing nonetheless…
Oh. Oh shit. Oh shit…
"However, you see, meow...The old me would have jumped at this opportunity, but...meow found something much more important. And that is…"
"Wait-!"
A sharp pain erupted across his throat and the man moved his free hand to cover the affected area, warm blood gushing out while warmth left his body. In mere seconds he was face first in the floor, his body twitching as he tried to gasp for air to no avail.
Then, the world went dark.
"...cute young boys, meow. The treasures of the world. And the cutest of them all..."
The woman watched with cold disinterest as the man before her became stiff, life having left his body, then moved over to the window overlooking the Twilight Manor.
"Oh. This really is a good stalking-...ahem, observation point, meow~"
XXX
Crap.
That was how he felt, from the very moment he opened his eyes.
Like crap.
His lack of Ki and stamina meant he could not tap into the Technique used by the Lightning Sword Style users to remain awake and aware of their surroundings while letting their bodies rest.
As such he woke up sweaty and tired, having jumped out of his bed, his hand reaching for the sword which was not there. He only needed a moment to understand he was not where he believed to be and let out a long sigh.
Yet again, nightmares plagued his mind.
They have done so for a while now, since he started his new training regime.
Years of using the Sleep Technique have made him susceptible to his own mind's imagination. For countless nights now he conditioned himself to have his mind awake while his body rested, all in order to meditate and to not lose precious time.
Eight hours per day of doing simply nothing but rest? That was stupid, and in no way helpful towards grasping the Heavens.
He might as well have given up on his goal before doing that.
Yet now, tired as he was from over-straining himself, Fuzen no longer had the Ki, stamina nor mental strength necessary to maintain such a state of constant awareness.
And so, nightmares began to plague him, his mind ever trying to sap away at his sanity by making him experience his life's worst moments over and over again.
"...God damn it."
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
He managed to calm himself within the minute, his hands no longer trembling like when he just woke up. He looked over his shoulder towards the only window in the room.
It was still dark outside.
Most probably it was even earlier than his usual waking hours.
Not really a surprise, seeing how he fell asleep as soon as he arrived at the Manor yesterday. If he had to guess, eight to nine hours had passed, meaning it was three in the morning, give or take.
His eyes moved to look upon his sweaty body which was half naked. He did not remember taking off his clothes. Someone must have done so in his stead and then pulled the blanket over him.
...I should probably inquire as to who it was and thank them properly...However, before all else, I need a bath.
Indeed, the coagulated wounds and dust he was covered in were still present and that needed to change quick. Few things felt more gross than being dirty and covered in dried blood.
He would also need to change his bed sheets.
Getting up from his bed Fuzen grabbed a towel, a change of clothes and his herbal shampoo, ready to scrub himself clean of yesterday's hard work.
"...Hm?" He stopped and looked over at Raiju, snoring peacefully in his basket.
The leech was no longer the length of one's forearm, but rather the length of the whole arm. This was...interesting. They had both left the Dungeon on barely a spark of Ki left yesterday, having used it all up.
Yet he grew back to his usual size incredible fast. Was it because his own Magic Attribute jumped so high and he was making unconscious use of the available Magic Power to regenerate himself before using Fuzen's Ki for this feat?
...Questions for later. A bath. I need a bath.
With quick steps Fuzen made his way towards the men's bath, turning on the water which was heated via a Magic-based system powered by Magic Stones and more or less jumped inside the second it was filled with enough warm water.
He allowed himself to relax, leaning onto the edge of bath, arms spread wide.
It was the fourteenth day of this set of training, and a few moments of relaxation could be forgiven. Training would resume tomorrow, anyway, so taking it easy for a couple of minutes would not leave a lasting effect.
Progress.
Was he making any?
He raised his hand and stared at it.
His Stats were certainly growing week by week, his body also growing a bit stronger every time. However, it was only physically. As a boy of eleven years of age, even if his Stats were to be at A or S rank it would be less than the same Stats of the same rank on an Adult Adventurer.
His body was small and young, after all.
It would not be able to exert the same power an adult body could. Even blessed with a Falna as he was, limitations were still present on his current self.
So then, was he making progress?
"...I don't know anymore." He muttered with a long sigh, looking up at the ceiling. "All I can do is try, in the end…"
Try, and succeed.
Time was ticking away.
The flame was fading.
His goal was not one he could allow himself to grasp at the end of his life, in forty, fifty or sixty years. He needed to grasp the Heavens soon, or else all that ever mattered to him in this world would fade away and turn to ash.
He had once been called self-centred by a Level 1 in the Familia, probably an individual who had negative feelings about Fuzen after the incident with Ais.
Was he self-centred, as that man said with a scornful look on his face?
Probably.
But even if that was true, it would only be half of the whole truth.
...I doubt anyone else's shoulders are as heavy as mine, with the exception of Captain Finn's. Self-centred, huh?...Not an honourable trait. But I'll be as much of it as necessary if it's helpful to reach my goal...right?
"...Sigh...I don't know anymore. I'll...I'll just charge forward at full speed. It's all I can do…"
Guidance...would have been appreciated.
However, neither Hachiman nor his Mistress were present. He also did not wish to worry his former God, thus why all the letters he sent back home were...sugar-coated.
As for the individuals in his current Familia?
…
...
No.
As much as he respected the Executives and Loki herself...no.
He would not allow himself to be vulnerable around them. He would not ask for their guidance, for doing so would make it clear that he was found lacking.
Naturally, Fuzen was not foolish.
He was still part of the Familia, after all.
Thus, he explained in detail to Loki, Finn and the others that Raiju's manifestation made him weaker, that he was no longer as strong as before.
This did not come easy to him, revealing his weaknesses. However, if the others believed him to be unchanged, if they thought he was still at the same level as before, they would build their plans around that notion.
He could not allow it.
Even if they were to betray him down the line, to not inform them of this would be dishonourable.
He could not be responsible for someone's death because he failed to inform those in the leadership roles that he was weaker and not as efficient as before.
Thus he came out and said it, reluctant as he was to do so.
"...No. This is for the best."
Having come out and said it, Fuzen had also been able to justify his need for solitary training without going into detail about the secrets of his Sword Style and that of Ki.
Overall, though not ideal, this was the best course of action he could have taken.
"...Mhm. No point on thinking about that, anymore."
He nodded to himself and began washing his long hair, something he was not exactly happy to do so early in the morning. It needed to be done, however, as time consuming as it was.
Then, once he was finished scrubbing himself clean he would go and do the next thing, which he was also not happy thinking about.
...Sigh...It's a rest day for the body, but not for the mind. I just need to deal with it…
XXX
Bzz.
Bzzzz! Bzzz!
Her ears perked up, and her eyes slowly opened.
Bzzzzz!
What the…? She raised her head and looked around the room. Whatever noise it was, it didn't come from here.
It was still dark outside, the sun not even close to rising across the horizon.
Anakitty got up from her bed, something she immediately regretted.
Though the inhabited rooms were heated it was still chilly, having just gotten up from behind her warm blanket. Her room-mate, Alicia, was still sleeping profoundly, her sense of hearing not as sharp as Aki's own.
Cat People were no cold lovers so she quickly grabbed the nearby robe she prepared just in case, and jumped into her slippers. She had no idea who or what was causing the noise she picked up, but she needed to investigate.
Aki left her room quietly to avoid waking up her room-mate, and was immediately surrounded by the cold air of the unheated hallways. She was aware that it would be a waste of money to heat up the hallways, but gosh, she wished they had been.
Bzzz.
"...That way...huh?"
Trusting her ears she walked down the dark hallway and took the first left. The source of the noise was not far from her room: it was the library at the end of the hallway, light coming from under the door.
Someone's having trouble sleeping, that's for sure…
She approached the library, and slowly started to pick up words from behind the door.
"...Hmmm...'As a thunderstorm cloud grows, precipitation forms within the cloud. A well-developed thunderstorm cloud contains mostly small ice crystals in the upper levels of the cloud, a mixture of small ice crystals and small hail in the middle levels of the cloud, and a mixture of rain and melting hail in the lower levels of the cloud…' The hell does that mean…? 'Air movements and collisions between the various types of precipitation in the middle of the cloud cause the precipitation particles to become charged. The lighter ice crystals become positively charged and are carried upward into the upper part of the storm by rising air'...Skip this...'In addition, a small positive charge develops near the bottom of the thunderstorm cloud. The negative charge in the middle of thunderstorm cloud causes the ground underneath to become positively charged, and the positively charged anvil causes the ground under the anvil to become negatively charged...'Oh, I see now. So that's how it is. Notes, gotta make notes…"
Is that…?
Having listened for a couple of seconds Aki was pretty sure of who was inside and opened the door, the light from within blinding her for a second.
Nonetheless, despite the moment of blindness, she had been able to make out Fuzen, standing at the table just opposite of the door, a book open before him, and his hand held above a metal nail which levitated roughly ten centimetres above the table, crackling with electricity before falling down as Fuzen looked in her direction.
"…"
"…"
"Fuzen."
"Autumn-sama."
"…"
"…"
"What...are you doing so early in the morning?" She asked after a long, awkward silence between them while rubbing her eyes.
"As you can see, I am reading. And why is Autumn-sama up and walking so early?"
"I...heard something, and came to check."
"Oh. My apologies. I forgot the rooms around the library are occupied by members. I shall try to be more quiet." He bowed, and turned his head back to the book, continuing reading.
"…"
"...Is there something I can help you with, Autumn-sama?"
"...No. Just...Why are you reading at this hour?"
"...Because I woke up a while ago? I took a bath, and following that, I decided to read and increase my knowledge here until the libraries in town start to open."
"...Why not go back to sleep?"
"...Because I already slept enough. I won't grasp the heavens by sleeping some more."
Well, she had expected that answer from him.
It was very Fuzen-like, after all.
Aki was well-aware of the training he was doing at the moment. She was also aware how dangerous it was. She looked at his hands and as expected, they were shaking, his fingers twitching.
All signs of how much he strained himself in his pursuit of power.
A while ago, just as the boy had begun his solitary training, Loki had called for her and Alicia for a meeting usually held only between the Executives. However, the subject matter had been Fuzen, and his...loose screws.
Aki and Alicia were thus called too, as they were part of the group Fuzen spent most time with when not on his own. As for why the others were not called, as well...she guessed it was because they were less skilled at keeping the information to themselves.
It was not exactly a secret that the boy was...peculiar. Many things he did or said were not something kids his age should do or say. Then, there was the incident with Ais.
Fuzen by that time had already earned himself many nicknames from the Familia members, all pointing at his obsession with swords and sword fighting, however none could have guessed a boy as well-behaved and ready to help as him would go to such lengths, almost killing Ais just because she tried to copy his Sword Style.
Just because...
That was probably...not something she should say in his vicinity, Aki thought to herself.
All things aside she had been made aware of his issues. And she wanted, honestly, to help him. But she had no idea how to go about it.
When she was his age, she helped her parents with the small shop they had, she played with her toys, had fun with the other children in her village, laughed and caused mischief, as most kids did.
Fuzen did nothing like that.
He did not play. He did not have fun, he did not interact with others his age, and he did not laugh.
He had not laughed once since joining the Familia.
At first she simply thoughts that was how kids from the Far East were. However, she had stumbled across the East District of Orario filled with easterners a while ago while out shopping. There, she saw how the eastern kids were. Yes, they were slightly different than others. More disciplined and responsible, working diligently cleaning the shops of their parents and tending to other such responsibilities.
But nonetheless they were kids and behaved as such.
All this made her wonder.
Just what had Fuzen seen or lived through to make his so isolated from everything and everyone?
Just what could turn a child into someone so cold and distant…?
…
…
"...Say…"
"Yes, Autumn-sama?"
"You are not...planning on going to sleep again, are you?"
"No. I am now awake, and as such, I will not go to sleep for approximately eighteen more hours."
"Mhm. Uhh, so…"
"What is it, Autumn-sama?"
"Well...breakfast. Do you want me...to prepare something for you?"
He turned and looked at her, his eyes slightly more narrow than usual as if trying to see through something which was not yet visible. "...I am capable of preparing my own meals. As such, appreciated as the offer is, that will not be necessary."
"Oh. I see. Yeah, that's right…"
"Mhm."
"...Uhh. Tea. You like tea, right? Should I make some?"
"...What are you playing at, Autumn?" Fuzen closed the book and stared her right in the eyes. Somehow, thought not her intention, it seemed as if she struck a nerve with her inquiries.
"Playing at?"
"Asking so many questions all of a sudden after a year of being acquaintances, not leaving me alone...What is your end goal here? Just so you know, Autumn-sama, I don't take kindly to liars and manipulators. I really don't."
Well, shit.
It turned sour really fast, really unexpected.
If this had been the Fuzen from half a year ago, he would not have snapped at her so easily. But this was not the Fuzen from back then, not the kid who joined the Second Group and braved the Dungeon together, defeating a Monster Rex in the process.
Was it Ais's betrayal of his trust?
Was it the betrayal of that Pallum Supporter Loki mentioned, who led him into a trap?
He no longer trusted them.
He no longer trusted anyone.
His cold, mistrustful stare said all there was to say about his thoughts on her questions.
"..."
"Hm?"
...Dancing around the problem at hand...won't do any good.
"I'm...not playing at anything."
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Yes."
"Then why are you bothering me, trying to make me answer your questions? What is the reason behind this?"
"Because I want to get to know you better. Because I want to go into the Dungeon with you again." She said without hesitation, for she knew that taking her time to form her answer would give someone as sharp as Fuzen the impression of her trying to mislead him with carefully picked words.
"...That will no longer happen."
"Why not?"
"Oh for God's...Can't you just go back to sleep, Autumn-sama, so we can put an end to this meaningless discussion?"
"I will, if you answer my question."
"Well...I won't."
"You can't run away from this forever, Fuzen. At one point, you will need to turn back and face it."
"...What did you just say to me?" He asked quietly, his eyes twitching slightly as he stared at her with a surprised look on his face.
That was the moment Aki knew...she screwed up.
Yes, Fuzen was a kid and she was an adult.
However, he was a kid who could defeat all of their Familia Level 5's in a spar, however that was possible, while she could not. If he so desired, he could thrash her around just as he did with Ais a couple of months ago.
Well...shit. What should I do? Play dead? Would that work?
"Well?"
"H-Huh?"
He narrowed his eyes at her lack of reply. "I asked for you to explain what you meant."
"Oh...Well...I meant that you...can't run from the things you wish to run from forever. There comes a time...when we all have to face them. I am aware that you don't trust us."
"How so?"
"It's pretty obvious."
"...Mm, is that so?"
"It doesn't have to be me, or anyone from the Familia, really. It can be someone from the outside, too. But you...need to talk to someone. Your trust issues, they are not something you should let to fester inside of you."
"...Why?"
"Why...? Because...they will slowly kill you from the inside. People cannot go on their whole lives without trusting anyone."
"...Yet, I am still alive."
She took a moment to process his words, thanks in no small part to her being still sleepy. Then, a couple of moments later, her eyes widened as she realized what he meant.
"...That...can't be."
"Of course it can. You need only look upon myself."
"No. I'm sorry, but I don't believe you. It can't be that you never trusted anyone in your life."
He gave her a small shrug. "It is the truth, however."
She refused to believe it. Yes, he might be cold and distant, but at least in his childhood, in the Far East. There must have been someone, one person, anyone…
"...Your former God. Uhh...Hachiman? Surely you trusted him. You speak so highly of him."
"Hachiman-sama? Yes, I respect him with all my heart. But…" He closed his eyes, and shook his head. "He is a God. And Gods cannot be trusted."
"...Why...is that?"
"Please." He sneered, something which Aki was not used to. "They all lived their carefree life in Heaven, then the Dungeon appeared all of a sudden vomiting out Monsters by the thousands, and just when mortals were on the brink of losing the war the Deities decided to descend, just so happening to have this Falna ready for use? And what's more, the Dungeon itself, alive in it's own way as it is, hates Deities more than anything? Hmpf, what is there to trust? All I see is a thousand year-old ruse, meant to direct the attention of us mortals away from something else, something we are not meant to discover just yet. So no, I don't trust Deities. I never have and I never will."
Aki's mouth opened and closed a couple of times, still processing what he had just said.
Ruse?
A trick?
What was?
Their whole life?
Her head felt like spinning simply by trying to make heads and tails of his way of thinking.
No, this is not important. Who else…? That friend of his-...No, Riveria already told us Fuzen's thoughts on him.
"...What about your parents? Surely-"
"Unless you want something truly bad to happen to you, you won't mention them again. Not now, not ever."
...Holy shit, if stares could kill...Just what happened to you, Fuzen?
It was hard, but not impossible to imagine.
Unfortunate as it was, Aki knew that not everyone was lucky enough to have parents they could trust, parents who were...parents.
But...there was one more person.
A person Fuzen had always spoken fondly off, when he was part of the Second Group. He spoke so fondly of this person, in fact, that Aki doubted he could ever mistrust her.
"...Fuzen. What about...your Mistress? You speak so fondly of her, with so much excitement and pride. Do you...not trust her?"
He stared at Aki for a long, awkward moment, and then finally he sighed.
Slowly he raised his hand and pulled down the collar of his shirt.
"W-What?"
"…"
She looked at the skin he exposed before her. What did it have to do with her question? She stared, and stared...and then it clicked inside her mind.
"...You don't mean…"
"I have a question of my own: could you ever trust someone who sliced your throat open, Autumn-sama?" Fuzen asked as one finger ran across the large horizontal scar on his neck.
"…"
"Are we done here? Because I would really like to go back to my reading, if you would be so kind."
"...Just...how? If it truly is the way you said, then how?"
"How what?"
"How can you be so…?"
"Because it doesn't matter."
"What?"
"It doesn't matter. I will be the one to stand at the top, in the end. I will be the one to grasp the Heavens. I'll reach heights that no one before me reached. Me, and no one else. I will be the next."
"…"
He gave her a long last look before opening his book again, his focus on longer on the woman.
Then he went back to the old Fuzen for a moment. "...Go back to sleep, Autumn-sama. And wrap a towel around your back and belly before going to bed, to prevent catching a cold on this chilly day."
XXX
Morning came, and with it, the start of yet another day.
Contrary to popular belief Loki was a morning person. As such she had already taken a shower and eaten her breakfast.
As for now?
Now she was back in her room, waiting.
A metal box containing a needle was on the table near her, as well as a piece of paper.
It was the fourteenth day, so he should be here any-
Knock.
"Yeah, just like that. Come on in!"
"Apologise the intrusion." Fuzen bowed his head as he entered the room. "Good morning, Loki-sama."
"Mornin'! Come, sit down, sit down! Let's get you a Status Update!" Loki replied, waving over to the chair she prepared for him. In all honesty she was more excited about this than Fuzen himself.
"Understood. Again, you have my gratitude for agreeing to this Status Update I requested every two weeks, Loki-sama."
"Don't sweat it, don't sweat it! Sit down!"
"Very well."
Taking off his shirt, Fuzen sat down and waited for Loki to do her magic. Before long he felt the unusually hot drop of blood run down his back, then his Status being drawn out.
"...Oh my. Nice, very nice…" Loki smirked, happy at what she was seeing.
Fuzen Katsumi
LV 2
STR E 473 → 480
VIT F→ E 396 → 404
DEX C 608 → 618
AGI C 608 → 618
MAG G 260 → 295
Magic: Ikazuchi Jigen Bussei
Skill: Inazuma no Michi
Tenmashin
Development Ability: G Sword Disciple
Incredible.
Loki thought to herself as she looked a second time at his Status. This growth was...good. Granted, Level 1's to Level 3's had it much easier to increase their Status when compared to Level 4's and above, but...it was still good.
At first, even when he defeated Udaeus along the others his growth was minimal. Yet now, even though I updated his Status just two weeks ago, he gained seventy points across all Basic Abilities. Most of all…
Her eyes stopped at his Magic which more than any other Stat, was growing at an abnormal pace. In three months it had already reached G Rank. She guessed it was because Raiju was a Spell which was constantly active, and thus Fuzen was using his Magic Power constantly, as well.
"...Not bad, Lil' Fuzen. Seventy points gained in total. And your Vitality ranked up, from F to E Rank."
"I see."
"Now lemme just copy your Status Update on this paper...And done."
"Much appreciated." He bowed his head, and then put on his clothes again before looking over the Status. "...I fulfilled one of the two requirements for a Level Up, correct? Seeing how both my Agility and Dexterity are at C rank."
"Yup! Now you just gotta do something amazing, and you'll Level Up!"
"Define amazing." He inquired.
"I dunno, it's different for everyone. Defeating a Monster stronger than you usually does the trick. Or invent something new, like a new way to store Spells in books, or anything like that. Anything that would make a God go Whoa, Lil's Fuzen is something else!"
"...Sigh...That is not very helpful. I defeat strong Monsters all the time. Do I need to cut down a Monster Rex again…?"
Loki shrugged. "Well...maybe?"
"I don't suppose our Familia can call dibs on the next Monster Rex that will spawn?"
"Well…I could." Loki smirked as she crossed her arms, ready to make her offer when Fuzen turned on his heels and made for the door.
"Again, thank you. I will be on my way now."
"H-hey, wait! About my offer! I can make sure the next Monster Rex-!"
"I don't need it. I won't dance in Loki-sama's palm again. I'll find my own way to Level Up. Goodbye and thank you again."
And with that he was gone.
"...Sigh...I just wanted a date again with my cute Child...Loki, sad…" She muttered as she pouted at her Child's tactless actions.
All the while Fuzen made his way down the stairs, his next stop the library in town.
Granted, he did have two books on his subject of current interest, but he already read both of them and was now in need of more knowledge.
Besides being lazy and still sleeping even to this hour, Raiju was by no means a lizard who liked to read and learn.
Fuzen, as well, was no book lover.
However, he understood the importance of learning.
He could not force the lizard to learn himself for he could not cut it down, and he had little else he could use as bargain to do so.
However, he did share knowledge and thoughts with the lizard and vice versa.
As such, he took it upon himself to learn, while the lizard would gain the knowledge he collected passively with a bit of time delay.
Did he enjoy this situation?
Not at all.
It felt like he was serving the lizard, and not the other way around.
However, this was the better option. Slothful as he was, Fuzen doubted the lizard would even take reading and learning seriously, and so if Raiju was tasked with this duty both of them would only gain mediocre knowledge, at best.
No, it was safer for Fuzen to do it himself in order to avoid that. And this way he could also tell what the lizard's limits were, avoiding the lizard lying to him in order to spare himself the hassle.
Yes. I cannot allow that thing to trick me. I will be the one to decide his limits, upon gaining more knowledge.
Before long Fuzen arrived at the library, the biggest one on this part of town. However just as he approached the door and made to push the knob…
"Excuse me, young man."
Someone decided to address him.
"Hmm?"
He turned around, and then found himself forced to bend his head backwards. An individual with golden hair and honeyed brown eyes stood behind him. He was well-dressed, wearing a suit Fuzen could only hope to guess the price off, and he was tall.
Very, very tall.
"Yes? How may I help you, sir?"
"My, my, how well-mannered you are. Just to make sure I have the right person: are you Fuzen Katsumi of the Loki Familia?"
"Yes. And who might you be, if I may ask?"
"Oh, just a middle-man, I assure you. To be honest, my associated and I have tried to contact you for a couple of months now, but as it so happened, we found ourselves...unable to do so until now."
"You have yet to answer my question, sir. Who are you?" Fuzen asked again, his eyes narrowing at the individual before him.
He could already tell something: he did not like this man. Not one bit.
"As I said, young man, I am simply a messenger, bearing an important message for you. If you would not mind, may I ask you to follow me so that I might deliver my message?" The man asked, a faint smirk on his face. "I assure you, I can make it worth your while. That, I promise."
XXX
Ey.
If you were wondering, here is the last Status we saw of Fuzen, from Chapter 12, when his Magic just manifested.
Fuzen Katsumi
LV 2
STR F 337 → 339
VIT G 215 → 230
DEX D 554 → 560
AGI D 554 → 560
MAG I 0 →
Magic: Ikazuchi Jigen Bussei
Skill: Inazuma no Michi
Tenmashin
Development Ability: G Sword Disciple
And here is the newest Status, in case you wanted to compare them.
Fuzen Katsumi
LV 2
STR E 473 → 480
VIT F→ E 396 → 404
DEX C 608 → 618
AGI C 608 → 618
MAG G 260 → 295
Magic: Ikazuchi Jigen Bussei
Skill: Inazuma no Michi
Tenmashin
Development Ability: G Sword Disciple
Decided to leave this info from the original version for comparison.
Also, I did change the numbers a bit.
Previously his Magic Stat was 260 – 280, but I decided to increase it to 295. Might not be a large improvement but seeing how Raiju has been instrumental in his training for the last 3 months...yeah.
Also, his Magic Stat jumped from 0 to 295 in the span of only 3 months. Granted, those 3 months were focused on solely training, but at this pace if he were to train for 10 or 11 more years, I think his Stat would reach S Rank, or at the very least A Rank.
If only his sword-related Stats would grow just as much… ㄟ(≧◇≦)ㄏ
Anyway, that's about it.