CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.
The ice spears crashed into the ground, Hector having dodged them by a hair. But Hiro noticed something immediately.
His sword handling has degraded.
Wielding two swords simultaneously had clearly disrupted Hector’s balance. His movements, so fluid before, became clumsy. The blades clashed against each other when he tried to coordinate them.
An almost imperceptible smile touched Hiro’s lips.
“Bodily Acceleration.”
The effect was instantaneous. His body became lighter, faster. The world around him seemed to slow by a few fractions of a second.
He charged.
Without a sword. Bare fists.
“WHAT?!” Hector’s eyes widened. “You’re CRAZY?!”
Hiro didn’t respond. His fist shot out, hitting Hector’s jaw.
WHAM.
Hector staggered back, shocked. He swung his two swords in a desperate arc.
Hiro stepped back fluidly. Then came right back, his fist sinking into Hector’s stomach.
“GAAAH!”
Another blow. Then another. Hiro chained relentlessly, pushing Hector backward.
“Stop… STOP!”
Hector struck with his right sword. Hiro ducked, the blow passing over his head. Counter—uppercut to the chin.
Hector’s head snapped back violently.
He struck with his left sword. Hiro pivoted to the side. Punch to the ribs.
CRACK.
“AAAAH!”
Hector backed up, backed up, until his back hit the cliff wall.
Trapped.
“No… no no NO!”
He swung both swords simultaneously in a desperate motion.
Hiro stepped back exactly fifteen centimeters. The blades whistled past his face.
Then he came back.
BAM. BAM. BAM.
His fists fell like hail. Stomach. Face. Ribs. Face. Stomach.
Hector tried to protect himself with his swords, but his hands shook too much.
The left sword fell to the ground with a metallic clatter.
“Shit… SHIT!”
Hiro didn’t slow down. On the contrary, his blows became stronger. More precise.
The right sword fell in turn.
“MERCY! MERCY!”
BAM. BAM. BAM. BAM. BAM.
The crowd watched the scene with a mix of horror and morbid fascination.
“This is… this is brutal.”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Someone should stop him…”
“The Young Master deserves what’s happening to him.”
“Maybe, but still…”
Two minutes passed. Two long minutes where the only sound was Hiro’s fists hitting flesh.
Then finally, Hiro stopped.
Hector collapsed to his knees, his swollen face unrecognizable. Blood dripped from his broken nose, split lip, several cuts on his cheeks.
He breathed with difficulty, each inhale producing a painful wheeze.
Silence.
“He… he really destroyed a noble,” someone in the crowd murmured.
“The Young Master’s going to be in trouble now.”
“No, the ADVENTURER’s going to be in trouble. The Torbernus family won’t let this slide.”
“Who cares? The Young Master’s an asshole.”
Opinions were clearly mixed.
A laugh suddenly echoed.
Loud. Jovial. Almost… joyful?
The old man slapped his thighs, doubled over with laughter.
“AHAHAHAHA! That was FUNNY! Really, really funny!” He wiped his eyes. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen something so entertaining!”
He turned to Hiro, smiling widely. “You can pass, kid. You made me laugh well.”
Hiro picked up his sword, sheathing it. He bowed slightly. “Thank you.”
He started crossing the narrow passage.
Lena, Lucia, and Cassian followed him immediately.
The old man’s hand shot out, blocking their path.
“Ah ah ah. Not so fast.”
Lena blinked. “Excuse me?”
“I said HE could pass.” The old man pointed at Hiro. “You three? Not yet.”
“They’re with me,” Hiro said, frowning.
“I don’t care.” The old man crossed his arms. “Everyone has to give or prove something to pass. Those are the rules.”
Hiro opened his mouth to protest.
Then the old man smiled—a strange, almost calculating smile.
“However…” He stroked his beard. “I’ll make an exception. If YOU become my disciple, I’ll let all three pass.”
Silence.
“What?” Hiro stared at him.
“You heard me.” The old man approached, circling Hiro like a predator assessing its prey. “I have a gift for discerning hidden talents. And you…” He tapped Hiro’s chest. “…you have potential. A lot of potential.”
WHOOOOOOSH.
A column of black light suddenly exploded around the old man.
Massive. Terrifying. It shot toward the sky at blinding speed, its top disappearing into the clouds.
The pressure was overwhelming. Cassian felt her knees weaken, her body screaming to prostrate.
“What the…” Lena gasped.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Ten figures landed around the old man. Men and women. All exuding an aura of pure power.
The old man tried to move.
Nothing.
“What the…” His eyes widened. “You… YOU DARED?!”
A woman—short silver hair, cold eyes—stepped forward. “Your mana is sealed, Master. Don’t resist.”
“SEALED?!” The old man laughed in disbelief. “By MY own disciples?! Have you lost your minds?!”
A massive man—scar on his face—crossed his arms. “Reveal where you hid your treasures.”
“My… what?”
“DON’T PLAY INNOCENT!” Another disciple—young, red hair—pointed an accusing finger. “You’ve accumulated riches for CENTURIES! And you refuse to share with your own disciples!”
“Stingy!” another spat. “Completely stingy!”
The old man stared at them, mouth open. “You… you’re serious?”
“We struggled FOR MONTHS to find you!” The silver-haired woman clenched her fists. “And what do we discover? That you’re playing HIGHWAYMAN! Blocking passages and extorting innocents!”
“For FUN!” added the massive one with disgust.
“It’s entertaining,” the old man muttered. “You should try it sometime. It relaxes you.”
“STOP SCREWING AROUND!” the redhead roared. “WHERE ARE THE TREASURES?!”
The old man smiled slowly. “I refuse.”
Silence.
Then the silver-haired woman said calmly, “Very well. We’ll seal you. For years. Decades maybe. And in the meantime, we’ll search for your treasures. Without an owner, they’ll legally revert to us.”
“You can’t kill me,” the old man sneered. “But you think you can restrain me? Amusing.”
“We CAN restrain you,” the massive one corrected. “Look around. Ten against one. Your mana sealed. You have no chance.”
The old man laughed. Loud. Hysterically.
“You want to know where my treasures are?” He smiled widely. “Even I don’t know.”
The disciples froze.
“You… what?”
“The best hiding place,” the old man said with satisfaction, “is the one you don’t know yourself.”
“HE’S LYING!” The redhead panicked. “He MUST be lying!”
“No,” the silver-haired woman murmured, paling. “He’s crazy enough to have really done that.”
The massive one massaged his temples. “No point talking to this old fool anymore.”
He stepped forward, raising a hand. “Reversed Broken Restraint.”
The column of black light began to retract. Quickly. It shrank, shrank, until it became the size of a small box fitting in the disciple’s hand.
The old man was sealed inside, visible through the translucent light, still smiling.
The silver-haired woman turned to Hiro, who had remained frozen during the entire exchange.
“Do you have ties to him?”
“No,” Hiro answered immediately. “None.”
She nodded. “Good.”
Without another word, the ten disciples flew off as quickly as they had come.
Silence.
Then a floating window appeared before Hiro.
[QUEST FAILED]
[Clear the passage for travelers]
[Reward: NONE]
Hiro sighed mentally. I completely forgot about the quest because of Hector.
Anyway, even without him, I clearly couldn’t have beaten that old man.
Another thought crossed his mind.
Strange. I didn’t get a quest about Hector. Too bad.
“FINALLY!” someone in the crowd shouted. “WE CAN PASS!”
“THANKS TO THE DISCIPLES!”
“I thought we’d be stuck here forever!”
People immediately started crossing the passage, their faces lit with relief.
“YOU BASTARD!”
Hector staggered to his feet, pointing a trembling finger at Hiro.
“My family… my family will make you PAY for such an affront!” Blood still dripped from his mouth. “You better pray you NEVER cross my path again!”
Hiro looked at him calmly without responding.
“YOUR NAME!” Hector screamed. “GIVE ME YOUR NAME! It’ll make my family’s search easier!”
“No.”
“WHAT?!” Hector limped forward. “I ASKED FOR YOUR NAME!”
“And I refuse.”
“YOU… GIVE ME YOUR NAME!”
“No.”
“YOUR NAME!”
“No.”
“I… AAAAARGH!” Hector screamed in pure frustration, pulling his hair.
Lena and Lucia rushed to Hiro, their faces shining with admiration.
“You’re so strong!” Lena exclaimed. “That Hector had no chance against you!”
“Really impressive,” Lucia added with a soft smile. “You protect us so well.”
Hiro smiled humbly. “I just did what was necessary.”
Cassian watched them from afar, arms crossed.
There’s nothing to be proud of.
She looked away when Hiro tried to meet her gaze.
Cliché events. Always CLICHé events around him.
She had expected a dramatic turnaround against Hector. Something.
But no. The fight had unfolded exactly as predicted. Hiro dominating. Hector losing.
And the worst? Hiro had almost had an overpowered master. ALMOST.
If I let events unfold as planned, she thought bitterly, Hiro will have everything for himself. All the rewards. All the glory.
That’s unacceptable.
Hiro has to share with me.
She clenched her fists.
The next time I recognize a situation that puts Hiro in the spotlight, I’ll do EVERYTHING to take my share.
She stopped.
Actually… how do I do that exactly?
Her brain spun in vain.
“It’s too complicated!” she muttered in frustration. “If I had a SYSTEM, I wouldn’t have to think this much!”
Things would have been easy from the start. She could see her progress concretely. Her stats. Her skills.
Instead?
Nothing. Just the feeling of slowly fading while Hiro shone brighter and brighter.
The longer I stay by his side, the more I realize…
…that I hate him.
Hiro noticed Cassian was lost in thought. Again.
She does that often.
He glanced at her furtively. Her blonde hair shone in the sun. Her blue eyes stared at the horizon. Her perfect face seemed sculpted from porcelain.
She’s magnificent.
He quickly looked away, feeling his cheeks heat slightly.
I don’t know how the system creates skills from the magical abilities of the harem girls. But it must be based on affection.
It had taken time with Cassian. Longer than Lucia.
But now her skill had appeared in the registry.
She seems to like me more each day.
He smiled softly.
That’s a good thing.
