2 Days Later
"Fuah…ah…" Zeid panted tirelessly. His composure bent over with his arms holding his knees. He raised his eyes to see Cowl heavily panting as him. Zeid just had finished training with Cowl through different sessions since the beginning. The training consisted: ten combats, stone juggling, sleight of hand, and body coordination. After a total of two weeks and a half, Zeid heard a beep. He closed his eyes and met with a panel as soon as he opens them through a slit.
[Skill Obtained]
[Dagger Arts]
-You have mastered Dagger Arts and received an innate skill [Closing Strike].
[Dagger Arts: Closing Strike]
-During combat, there is a 20% chance of revealing the opponent's lethal spot. Attacking the lethal spot will guarantee a lethal damage of +200% Critical Damage.
Zeid flicked the panel away as he raced his breath. He had never felt so exhausted before and probably it's his fault for not exercising in his past life. All those work-outs he had done is nothing compared to Cowl's ruthless training. Ten combats were there to improve Zeid's ability through close-combat, stone juggling and sleight of hand is for essential dagger movement and handling, and lastly body coordination where Zeid has to move his legs and hands according to Cowl's command. Sleight of hand training was for Zeid to grab his stone from his in conjunction to juggling three additional stones. In short, it was excruciating.
"Come, it's time to hunt." Cowl had already regained a bit of his strength.
"Five…more minutes." Zeid sat down and leaned his back behind a tree.
"Sessions' over but hunting is still part of your training." Cowl nodded as he prepared his trusty dagger.
"Hunting for rabbits and weak animals aren't training, it's food." Zeid retorted as he stood, his breath had calmed down a bit.
No matter how healthy Zeid was, when expending energy, one is still susceptible to fatigue. He noted that he won't overwork himself but altogether remembered that Cowl's ways can also increase his stamina. Not to mention, through hunting, Zeid was able to trigger a quest to accomplish his daily quest.
"Still useless rewards. How I missed those free status points." Zeid sighed as he took a clean cloth from his inventory and wiped his sweat away.
His inventory was a mess. Most were low-grade potions, consumables, and small amount of b-gems.
Zeid and Cowl began hunting, almost completing the whole map of the forest. After hours of hunting, they have officially completed the dungeon forest. Standing amidst the thickets of tall trees, they found another entrance going below.
"Looks like the boss isn't here after all." Cowl spoke and Zeid silently nodded.
Both of them leaned over to see where the underground staircase would lead but sadly it was too dark for them to see. All they know that the stony staircase is a continuation of the dungeon's tunnel leading to the boss chambers. Since there weren't many traps back then, they expect a much harder course within the deeper level of the dungeon.
Rumble!
Suddenly, the bush behind them shook. Startled, the both of them took several steps away. They began to arm themselves with their blades. Their chests began to fill with apprehension yet both had managed to subdue their emotions. Now ready to battle, they prepare for the enemy to pounce!
Plop!
[Main Quest!]
Hunting!
Hunt Rabbits 0/3
[End]
Plop! Plop!
The two of them sighed. It turns out, it was only three wandering rabbits. Thankfully, they don't have to go back and hunt as the prey escorted themselves to Zeid and Cowl. Unknowingly, the rabbits didn't know that they delivered themselves to their hunters.
Shriek!
[Trigger and Daily Quest Completed]
Rewards: 10 Bronze gems and Cloth
[End]
"Good hunt, kid. It's time to prepare our dinner." Cowl sheathed his dagger and added, "I'm famished, we didn't get to eat lunch."
Zeid remained silent.
The luminescent crystals above the cavern began to dim, announcing the arrival of dusk. Zeid and Cowl began their camp 10 meters away from the underground staircase. Cowl prepared the fire as Zeid skinned the rabbits. The meat was skewered on a stick while the guts were buried to the ground. Both were on the same page of agreeing that guts and insides weren't their taste. However, Zeid stored the fur in his inventory.
Cowl saw Zeid vanishing the fur out of thin air and began to ponder. Not being able to contain his curiosity, he opened his mouth.
"Hey, kiddo, I've been wanting to ask. Where do things go when you hold them? And not to mention, killing those goblins should've dropped a bit of gems but strangely they didn't. Could it be that you're the Curse Useless Support?"
Zeid hear his words. He simply smirked and replied.
"Well, you're going to die when this ends after all. I don't mind telling you. Yeah, I'm that guy."
Cowl's eyes look sad. It appears that Zeid didn't forget that Cowl was a Witch Hunter and Zeid was an emissary, a reincarnation to save a witch. Perhaps, Cowl has grown fond of Zeid and had begun to view him like a son. But remembering a much deeper goal he needed to accomplish, his eyes were in deeper sadness.
"I have this something called inventory where I can store things endlessly." Cowl raised his eyebrow but Zeid didn't bother wasting his time explaining again. He knew himself as well that he can't explain how his system works. All he knows that it functions the same as the games he played. He flipped over the meat to cook the other side.
"How about you, Cowl? Why do you hunt witches?" Zeid asked in exchange. "No, much more clearly, what does it benefit you?"
Enlightened by Zeid's question, Cowl spoke while adding more wood to the fire. His emotions were a mess but he didn't let it transpire on his face. But a hint of sadness was clear on his voice.
"You're not good in asking questions are you?"
Zeid glanced then returned to cooking.
"For wealth."
Zeid grabbed a piece of rock and threw it far away into the darkness of the forest. A slight feeling of distaste filled his throat. No matter where he would go, people would always be driven by greed. Through greed, there will always be conflict and death. Zeid knew this as he had already seen the dark sides of his past life.
"My life is not worth your earnings, Cowl. I don't know what the church taught you but I'm not evil."
He knew a bit of European history thanks to the most games he played that contained a medieval genre. That whenever the world would turn dark, the people would always plead to the church. The church knew that they couldn't give the so called miracle and needed a scapegoat. They wouldn't risk losing their faithful followers so instead, they began branding women witches who were responsible for the catastrophe even though they weren't. Regardless the morality and values of the women, the church tortured them as soon as they recognized them in their eyes that they are witches.
Cowl smiled as the snapping fire filled the air with warmth.
"I need wealth to give my daughter a better life. That's all."
Zeid raised his head to see Cowl's saddened eyes. He wanted to ask more but bit his tongue instead. To continue the conversation, he asked more about the witch hunters.
"What do you do when you finally kill us? How do you even find the witch if you don't even ask us, and even if you ask me, I don't even know where that witch hides."
"We don't know. The Witch Hunters' Association was made by the Seven Seraph Church. Most of us are just adventurers, mercenaries, finding an easy way to earn. The association would simply tip us where we can find emissaries, and do their dirty work. We bring the dead emissaries and earn the gold, and the rest is the associations work. Maybe by using some kind of magic, they can fish out information."
Zeid nodded and handed Cowl the meat.
While gnawing on the meat, Cowl began asking.
"How about you kid? Tell me about yourself. I noticed something about you while I was training you. I have students that I teach archery and dagger arts, all of them were hardworking but still, they didn't compare to the way you work. Why is that?" Cowl spoke and Zeid lowered the meat he was chewing on.
"To become stronger. Stronger than before, stronger than now."
"What is the reason for that?"
Zeid glanced to Cowl with anger and replied.
"I failed to protect someone, and that someone called me weak."
Swish!
Zeid disappeared into the foliage of the trees surrounding them, leaving his unfinished meal to the ground. Zeid stood on a sturdy branch of a tree and punched its bark. The upper part of the tree timbered as a shower of splinter and a cloud of sawdust exploded in the air. Zeid gritted his teeth as a tear fell on his eyes.
He sat and began to reminisce a tragic moment back when he was still young.