"I would like to fight the beast again, David." Kayden's look was one of pure determination and it enraged the scientist all over again. Kayden went through another round of curses worthy of resetting the penal code from end to end. When the scientist calmed down, the boy blurted out his ultimatum:
"If you don't help me, I'll do it myself, and this time you won't be there to help me." Kayden would do it again one way or another, but he'd rather have David's help with him. David was silent this time, it made no sense to him. Why all this obsession?
"Kayden, why are you so obsessed with progressing like this? To the point of risking your life for small improvements?" His question took the boy by surprise. Kayden expected another round of abuse.
Sitting down in the chair across from David, the boy gave the scientist's question some thought. Why was he trying so hard? With his heart of mana, he could progress slowly and lead a peaceful life.
The minutes it was passed. David didn't interrupt Kayden's thoughts. Minute after minute, Kayden's head tried to search for an answer. It wasn't something that took a lot of time. Turning to David, he said:
"People value their lives above their goals, but what's the point if after living for years you can't achieve it? You chose not to take risks and achieved nothing. I struggle out of fear. Fear of being mediocre. Afraid of wasting the only chance I have."
Kayden's gaze regained lucidity as he solidified his ideas and presented them to David. Today he took another step in knowing himself.
"What's the point of leading a life identical to that of millions of others? Being born, growing up, falling in love, graduating from college, getting married, buying a house. It looks like a mouse running around in circles. There is nothing new, just something predictable and commonplace."
The boy's phrase shocked the scientist again. He had never thought of it from that point of view. Unbeknownst to Kayden, David was someone who had been stuck for years. This brief conversation with the boy reignited his teenage desire to conquer the world and rise to the top.
After a few seconds of silence, David looked into the eyes of the boy who had probably changed his life.
"Whenever you want, I'll be there."
"Thank you, David."
The wind was whipping Kayden's robes hard. The sun shone brightly on his sword. The grass shivered with the passage of air. Birds sang in the trees. It looked like a movie scene from a rural area.
This landscape was seen as peace for the boy. There were no problems, everything was calm, and the a steady flow of life. Kayden was there to fight a 4th rank beast again.
David didn't ask if Kayden was ready. Just asked Cerberus to bring the same beast again. While the two waited, Kayden replayed the last fight in his mind, trying to predict what would happen in this one.
A few minutes later, the same scene as before can be seen. The giant dog was leading the wolf like a sheep being led by the shepherd. As soon as Kayden saw him, he went through something he hoped he'd gotten over.
As in his first defeat, his palms began to sweat. His heart sped up and his throat went dry. His instinct screamed only one thing: run. Run away. Turn around and leave. Don't fight.
Taking a deep breath, the boy drew his katana from its sheath. His body was practically going through a panic attack, but his mind was crystal clear. There was not an ounce of doubt or hesitation.
He knew what he had to do. Either he overcame his fears or they would consume him. Readying his battle pose, the boy nodded at David. The scientist relayed the signal to the dog and it all started again.
The wolf took off at speed towards the boy. This time, Kayden was ready and he ran towards the animal. It was no use changing his fighting style because the opponent was stronger than him. Kayden must do what he was used to and do his best.
Just before they met, Kayden used a Pop Flash. It wasn't the first time the wolf had seen this trick and he recovered almost instantly. What he didn't expect was the concentrated beam hidden with the spell.
His body was paralyzed for milliseconds and Kayden used that window of time to get even closer to the beast. When she recovered, she saw the katana blade approaching her body quickly.
The beast had small rays materialize in its body and dodged the blow. When she was at a distance that she considered safe, she opened her mouth to shoot lightning at the boy. Unfortunately, at that moment, she received another concentrated beam.
The same scene was repeated, but when trying to move away, the wolf saw another ray coming towards him. He didn't have time to dodge, he was already moving away from the sword. Preferring the bolt over the blade, the wolf continued its retreat.
Kayden took advantage of the beast's embarrassment and, using acceleration, quickly approached it. For a few seconds, this was repeated several times. The wolf couldn't get off the defensive. He was faster and stronger than the average human boy, but he never had an opportunity to attack him.
Kayden was improving the execution of his moves each time this situation came up. After a few seconds and seeing a slight sign of fatigue in the wolf, the boy tried another strategy.
When a concentrated ray was supposed to come out, a Pop Flash came out. The wolf had no time to react and took the spell with wide eyes. This caused the beast to panic and it tried to shoot lightning in all directions again. But before he could open his mouth, he felt a tingle in his throat and the muscle went numb.
Kayden approached using acceleration and passed the katana harmlessly across the animal's neck. The beast, feeling the metal in its throat, lost any will to fight and began to run. If he hadn't been blind, he could have continued fighting.
Kayden looked down at his hands. They were shaking. The boy put the katana away and took a deep breath. His body stilled. He had won. No injuries, it was a practically one-sided fight.
"Congratulations Kayden, that was impressive," David spoke sincerely. A minority of wizards were capable of fighting beasts and of those only a fraction could do what the boy did.
What about 4th-rank apprentices? Probably only those who had early training. Kayden turned to David with a look of realization.
"Again"
**
That was the last week of January. The college tests had all come to an end. Or at least almost everyone. There was still the one that everyone was anxiously waiting for.
One that caused dreams in every child in the kingdom and admiration in adults. The Sol Academy. Once again, his entrance test would be shown on national television. This time, Kayden knew what was going to happen and had already scheduled himself to watch the show over the weekend.
The days passed quickly. Without school, the boy would wake up in the morning and train until bedtime. With the day full like this, time seemed to fly by.
Friday, Kayden woke up and went downstairs to the orphanage. He performed his morning training after a hearty breakfast and headed to the backyard. As he arrived early this time, he could see the old man levitating different sofas and food in the same position as last year.
After offering help and being bluntly refused, Kayden sat down on the ground and started cultivating. Every second should be used to the fullest. Seeing this attitude, the old man cracked a small smile to himself.
AN:A small special thanks to ISEKAI Fan , he has been supporting and helping the work for some time , my sincere thanks