'A hero never gives up in the face of adversity. They rise to the occasion and become stronger under it.' — Justice Man.
Lyla couldn't give up like that.
Not after suffering such humiliation. She wouldn't let herself. Staring at the door that led to the third Demon King, she glared at it fiercely.
It wasn't over yet.
"What's going on here?"
Right on cue. The Henchmen entered the apartment.
"..."
Patting her clothes clean, Lyla stood up and puffed her chest up. She then walked to Dean with confident strides and nudged his clothes. At the same time, she handed him the paper.
"What is it?"
"Sign."
"What for...?"
"TV."
Lyla didn't feel the need to lie to the Henchman.
"Oh? Just that...? Sure."
He was as easy as they came.
Swiftly taking out a pen, the henchman signed the paper. Nodding in satisfaction, Lyla carefully rolled the paper and tucked it in her pocket.
Good.
Her confidence which had previously been shattered, started to return.
But...
What exactly could she do to make her sign the paper? The third Demon King. She was a tough nut to crack.
Sitting down on the sofa, she pinched her chin and fell into thought.
"Hmm."
What exactly could she do...?
Her mind was blank. Whatever strategy or skill she had at her disposal seemed useless and meaningless at the moment.
"What's wrong, Lyla? Is something bothering you?"
"...Yes."
She was indeed stumped. Her mind just couldn't come up with any measure against the third Demon King. Dean sat down next to her.
"Tell me what's bothering you?"
"Joana."
"...And what exactly did she do?"
"Didn't sign."
"Ah... I see what's going on."
The Henchman leaned back on the sofa.
"Hmmm. I think I have a way."
"...?"
"You don't believe me?"
Shake. Shake.
"Am I that unreliable?"
Nod...?
"Then I won't say anything."
Shake. Shake.
"Reliable. Reliable."
"Hee... look at you changing the narrative so quickly."
Dean pinched her in the nose causing Lyla to squint.
"S,stop."
"You need to pay for disrespecting me."
"M,mercy!"
"Am I reliable?"
"R,reliable."
"Look at you lying so openly like that."
"Ah...!"
Lyla's arms flayed around as the Henchman, evil as he was, squeezed her nose tightly.
"Alright, I'm now satisfied."
Dean patted his hands and then proceeded to pat the child's head.
"You want to know how to convince Joana to sign, right?"
Nod...
"Well, to be honest. It isn't that hard."
"...?"
Dean walked to the fridge and took a small can.
"Do you know what this is?"
"Drink."
"No, what drink is this?"
"Beer."
"Good. Do you remember what happened the last time Joana drank this?"
"...!"
"What do you think will happen if she drinks it again?"
"...!"
In other words, they were going to poison her. So long as the third Demon King got the beer in her system, she would sign it?
"So how about this? I'll help you again, but you must promise me something in exchange."
Lyla hesitantly looked at Dean. What was this guy plotting? She squinted her eyes.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm not going to ask for much. Just... make sure to brush your teeth two times a day. It isn't that hard... Eh. Maybe it is."
Taking note of Lyla's twisted face, Dean let out a hollow laugh. As expected, this was a lot harder than he thought.
But surprisingly, Lyla eventually nodded her head.
"...Fine."
"Oh?"
Dean was pleasantly surprised. He hadn't expected her to agree. It had to be noted that getting Lyla to brush her teeth was twice as hard as getting the Guild to increase their budget. Basically, an impossible task.
"You promise?"
Nod. Nod.
"Really... You're really going to do it?"
Nod...!
"Really?"
"...Hurry..."
"Ha."
Dean smiled happily.
"I guess the fucke... Keum, I mean Liam did end up coming up with a useful suggestion for once."
And so. Having happily convinced Lyla to brush her teeth twice a day, Dean hopped to Joana's room.
Staring at Dean's departing back, Lyla's face twisted menacingly. Lowering her head and staring at her hands, she mumbled.
"...I have sold my soul to the devil..."
***
"I...I apologize. On second thought, you're right... We were in the wrong on this matter. As compensation, allow me to grant you one of my bookings."
The sudden shift in attitude happened so abruptly that Sarah had no time to properly process things.
"Sarah already has my number. I'll send you a list of the times we've booked the training room, and you can choose whichever suits you."
Watching Ms. Valeri pace out of the training hall alongside her student, who threw occasional glances her way, Sarah didn't know how to feel. Eventually, her gaze drifted towards her manager's back.
She hadn't seen what had happened, but for her to suddenly change her tune after a couple of words with him...
Just what exactly happened between the two of them?
"Haaa."
With a sudden sigh, her manager turned around.
His gaze then fell on her.
"Are you ready to train...?"
"...Yes."
"Okay."
Liam nodded his head and removed his blazer. He soon sat down at the edge of the training room, and gestured,
"Go ahead."
"Yes...?"
"Train."
But... weren't you supposed to train me? Sarah held her words back when she saw him resting his head against the side of the training room.
"Let me see how you train first."
"Oh..."
And so she did. Taking out her sword, she positioned herself in the middle of the training hall. Before starting, she remembered to set up her phone next to her. Pressing the record button, she stood in the center and began to swing her sword.
Swoosh—! Swoosh—!
The sound of the blade cutting through the air filled the space as she seamlessly transitioned into a series of horizontal and diagonal strikes.
Remembering her training sessions with Ms. Valeri, she diligently followed her instructions.
Overhead swing, diagonal swing, horizontal swing—Sarah diligently practiced each movement. Every ten minutes, she paused to review her footage, identifying any mistakes before resuming her training.
Throughout the entire time, she felt a pair of eyes lock onto her, but she paid no mind to it and continued to train.
Swoosh—! Swoosh—!
"Haa... Haaa..."
Before she realized it, an hour and a half had slipped away. Sarah's breaths were heavy, and sweat consistently trickled down the sides of her cheeks.
Throughout the entire hour and a half, her manager remained quietly seated in the same spot, observing her without uttering a word.
It felt uncomfortable at first, but she soon got used to it.
"Haa... Haaa..."
She was just about to train once more when her manager finally spoke.
"...A mess."
"Yes?"
Sarah lowered her sword.
Wearing a frown, Sarah observed as her manager slowly rose from his spot, his expression conveying a less-than-pleased demeanor.
"A total mess."
He continued to add, his voice dry.
Sarah pursed her lips.
"What's the issue?"
"Everything."
"Everything...?"
"How long do you practice each day?"
Rather than elaborating, he asked her a question. For some reason, his gaze felt pressuring as Sarah answered honestly.
"Ten... hours."
"Hmm."
His frown deepened.
"Ten hours... of that?"
Sarah nodded her head slowly.
"Yes."
"Okay... I see what's going on here."
With a subtle nod, her manager turned her back toward her once more, heading toward his spot where his bag sat. Taking out his phone, he started typing something.
"From this moment forward, you'll not be allowed to train any more than five hours each day. For the remaining five hours, you'll be studying."
"Yes?"
Sarah was taken aback.
Studying?
"Yes, studying."
"Why?"
"Because you are not your own enemy."
"Pardon...?"
What was he trying to say?
"Rather than telling you, how about I show you?"
Setting his phone down, Sarah observed as her manager made his way to the weapon rack, selecting one of the swords. He positioned himself in the middle of the training hall, facing her.
"Attack me."
Sarah was taken aback.
She hadn't expected things to develop this way. Yet, just as she was about to say something, her eyes met his and her words stopped.
Gripping onto her sword, she dashed forward.
Her figure blurred and within an instant, she was in front of him.
She swung down.
Swoosh—!
The air whistled.
But...
It met nothing.
"Ukh!"
And a terrifying blow hit her right in the stomach, sending her hurtling back, heavily crashing against the floor of the training room.
Bang—!
"Kaa... ukh!"
Catching her breath after having the wind knocked out of her, Sarah's pupils trembled as she raised her head slightly and managed to mutter,
"H,how..."
"What do you think I've been doing for the past hour and a half?"
Gazing at the sword in his hand, Liam gently traced his finger across its body.
"Your movements. Your habits. Your eyes. Your weaknesses. I observed everything..."
He lowered his sword.
"I know everything about you."
"That..."
"What do you know about me?"
Sarah wanted to rebuke at first, but gradually, she lost her voice.
"..."
"Why do you think I told you to study? There are over a thousand different monsters that you can find in dungeons. All wielding different patterns and specs. The same is true for Star Chasers of the same Tier. How do you expect to deal with them if your only focus is yourself?"
"..."
"If the only thing you see is yourself, the only person you'll ever beat is yourself."
"..."
"So..."
"..."
He stared at her deeply.
"Don't spend the entire time focusing on yourself. Focus on others. Learn their habits, attack patterns, and anything that you can figure out about them. Then... make it yours."
"...Make it mine?"
Finally, Sarah managed to utter a few words.
Liam nodded in response.
"Yes, make it yours. Only once you're strong enough can you stop worrying about others and focus on yourself."
"How...?"
"By observing."
Lowering his sword, Liam walked up to her.
He crouched down to meet her gaze.
"Look into my eyes."
"...?"
Though skeptical, Sarah did as he ordered and met his gaze. At first, she was confused, but her confusion soon turned into realization, before turning into horror and dread.
His gaze.
It had only been normal just moments prior.
And yet.
In a matter of seconds, Sarah witnessed his eyes gradually turning hollow, and a profound sense of dread enveloped her entire body as if unseen black hands had emerged from nowhere and clamped down, rendering her immobile.
Reflected within those pupils she could see a desolate world where she alone stood.
She felt insignificant within that world, and...
Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump!
Her heart, which had been steady moments prior, suddenly started to beat with more intensity.
"Uagh... Uagh..."
Breathing started to become impossible and her hands soon grasped at her neck. Alone, she stood in the middle of a desolate world deprived of all oxygen.
"Uagh... Uagh..."
She desperately tried to call out for help, but the words just refused to come out of her mouth. All she let out were strained breathing sounds as she desperately clung to the little air she could breathe.
And then...
Everything shattered.
"Huuuaaahhh!"
Inhaling deeply, the surroundings snapped back to normal. Two pupils confronted her. Her heart quivered, and instinctively, she edged backward.
"W, what was that...?"
Her shoulders trembled, and despite everything returning back to normal again, she found it difficult to keep her mind calm.
Who are you? What was that? What happened? How was that possible? There were so many questions she had in her mind.
But all of them disappeared at the sound of his voice.
"Do you want to make that yours?"
Sarah blinked, her mind struggling to understand his words.
"You will teach me?"
Such powerful skill?
"Didn't I say it before?"
He continued, looking at her as if he was disappointed.
"You're talented."
"...Ah."
Sarah pursed her lips and lowered her head. Right, he had said that to her. Multiple times at that.
She had always thought he had only said that to her out of pity, but..
"Okay."
She nodded.
"Teach me."