98...99...100.
I lay on the floor, gasping for air like as if that was the only thing I can do.
Losing a bet with Hikari can have serious consequences. He did win fairly. Claiming to only hit me with the first ball. The game was very simple. Hikari claimed that this game can help train my reactions. The loser has to do one thing requested by the winner. He had three balls in his hand and claim to only hit me with the first ball. I wasn't allowed to move unless he thrown the first ball. Instead of throwing the first ball at me, he threw it upwards and placed the second ball in his empty hands. I had thought that he was going to use the second ball. He wasn't lying. It was still the first ball he threw at me. Maybe he used the first ball as a way to distract me. So I readied myself for him to throw the second ball, which he didn't. I was confused until I realised what he had done. By then, the ball has already landed on my head. So I had to do one thing he wanted me to do.
"500 push ups, 100 pull ups, 100 km run in under 10 minutes, 1000 squats other training. This is impossible." I complained.
"A bet is a bet. You should have been ready for such punishments when you accepted the bet. Besides, you never know what you can do unless you try." he retorted. "I will be kind and give you a week to adapt. If you can't manage, I will double the intensity at the end of every week. I will remove this punishment once you are able to do what I asked in one go. Good luck~"
Hikari walked away and waved goodbye with his back turned towards me.
This is impossible. How do you expect me to complete all this. I can't even do half of what he gave me, let alone all of it.
Once I stopped gasping, I tried again. I have nothing better to do in the morning, might as well spend some time doing this.
...
I walked down the streets, heading towards the bar that I frequent.
Tatsumi has potential. With the right amount of training, he can yield results no one can achieve.
Sitting at my usual seat in the corner of the bar, I ordered some food and began to wait for its arrival. This bar is a great place for gathering intel on anything that happens within and outside of the Capital.
"Have you heard, someone broke out of prison."
"What? You got it wrong. It is the prison warden himself who ran away. He apparently gone mad and even stole a special weapon before killing his superior and taking off."
I focused on this conversation. A warden who went mad. There could only be one person. He is quite infamous in the Capital for the number of people he beheaded. Zank the Beheader. He must have stole an Imperial Arms from someone and took off. It was said no one have been able to find him because of this Imperial Arm. Whatever it is, I need to be careful.
The food arrived moments later. Still trapped within my thoughts, I poured some of the food into my mouth.
There was a burning sensation appeared in the back of my mouth, effectively bringing me back to reality. I had not realised that the food was still hot.
Talk about being careful.
...
Opening the door to my room in Hikari's house, I walked in and before I knew, I already had my face buried into the sheets of the bed. Hikari was willing to let me stay at his place until I am able to secure a place in the Capital to stay. His house is pretty neat. His house is found in the Residential District. He got for himself a two storey apartment, a fireplace and all. It isn't as large as what the nobles in the Capital live in, but it is still have the feeling of home whenever I step into his apartment.
My body is aching and refuse to move even an inch. I had spent most of the morning trying to honor the bet that I lost to Hikari. After all that, the only thing I am still able to do properly would be to breathe.
I let my mind wander off. I wanted to make money. The only place that had decided to hire him is at a Blacksmith's shop. I was asked to arrive at noon, for that is when they usually open. I have an hour left. Might as well get ready. I remembered the hammer that I had picked up when I was clearing the bandit's hideout.
Maybe I can use that . At least it is better than letting it rust under my bed.
Sliding off my bed, I peeked under his bed. There, in the corner, lies the black steel hammer. I reached forward to pick it up. I examined it using the light that shone through my window. Black handle with its hammerhead made of grey steel.
There are some words on the face of the hammer. Using my shirt, I attempt to wipe off the dust on the hammer, hoping to see the words clearly.
Something was written there, but I can't read it. It looks like some foreign language. I admired the hammer in awe and subconsciously traced my fingers over the words on the hammer. There was a response and the words started to give off a light blue light.
Somehow I have a gut feeling something bad would happen. I dropped the hammer in shock. Instead of a hard thud when it come into contact with the floor, there was a splash. The hammer, apparently, has now melted and is now in the form of a black goo. Some parts of it was still glowing blue. I leaned forward to take a closer look at the phenomenon before me. It did something completely unexpected. It started moving. Before I can even react, the goo jumped at me. I felt a numbing pain before I blacked out. The last feeling I felt was a sharp pain at the side of my head as it touched the floor
I woke up, finding myself lying on the floor.
Why was I on the ground? I tried recollecting the events of the morning but can't seem to find any useful evidence. I only remembered training, and then collapsing onto the bed. After that, I find myself on the ground. My eyes glanced across the pendulum clock hanging on the wall. I froze.
Oh crap, I'm late for work. I scrambling to get changed, before racing out of my room and ran towards my destination. The process of me changing and running out of the apartment took less than a minute. What a great way to start the first day of work.
Even though I was late for work, the shopkeeper was understanding and didn't blame me for being late. Being a blacksmith isn't easy. There are so many things to look out for. You have to complete certain procedures within a certain time period. A minute more or a minute less and the result would be vastly different. It was a miracle how I was still able to think or not faint from the heat. If not for having prior experience, I would have been lost about what is going on. After a long hard day of work, I was able to head home.
"Night time in the Capital is very dangerous, especially now that there is a serial killer on the loose. It's getting late so why not you make your way home. I won't want to lose a skilled worker like you. You performed beyond my expectations for your first day. Come back tomorrow, okay? And try not to be late." The shopkeeper said.
I complied with his demand, and apologised once again for the last part of the conversation. I shouldn't argue with the shopkeeper. He seems to know the Capital much better than I would.
...
A person stood on the roof of the Clock Tower. He was granted a bird's eye view of the entire Capital. With this gift granted to him, he scanned the entire streets of the Capital, looking for another prey to kill. Currently, he only have one big prize on his mind. Akame of Night Raid. An experienced assassin who had accumulated a higher kill rate than all the other assassin's combined. No one knew the exact number of how much she killed.
"It really is fun to watch prey run around, thinking they are safe. I would enjoy their expressions when they realise that such thinking caused their demise." he talked to himself while thinking of the fun he would be having. "I am very patient, so let's choose who to kill for today and tomorrow. Might as well choose all my prey for this entire week. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" he bursting into a hysterical laughter.
"For today, I choose that girl." he said as he points into the distance. "For tomorrow, I choose that young man over there." pointing to a boy with brown hair. "These two seems fun to torment and kill."
He continued mumbling to himself who he wants to kill, laughing every time he thinks of their possible faces when he kills them.
On his forehead, was an Imperial Arm, in the shape of an eye.