N/A
here the author!!
If you see an error in the words, tell me and I'll fix it, I'm half asleep and I just made this chapter.
Maybe there are some mistakes that I didn't even notice, bye!
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I nimbly dodged Ruby's attacks, slicing her body with my sword. Large cuts appeared, but instead of blood, crimson flames licked at her wounds, burning with intense fury. I shielded myself with Rebellion, but a powerful blow sent me flying into several trees.
"Shit..." I growled, jumping to my feet.
I sidestepped a slash from her fiery sword, the trees behind me instantly turning to ashes. Infusing my sword with demonic energy, I severed both of Ruby's arms with a blur of motion. The ground behind Ruby shattered under the force of my strike.
"Not bad, kid. But you're unbalanced. Your attacks are strong, yet it seems like you're holding back to avoid destroying the surroundings. An A-Rank hunter would only hold back if there were innocent people around. We're alone here, so be serious, kid," Ruby remarked with a smile.
Before I could respond, a knee to my chest sent me flying through the air. I stabbed my sword into the ground to stabilize myself and heaved a sigh.
"I'm... unbalanced...?"
"I don't understand," I said, pulling my sword from the ground and pointing it at Ruby. She regenerated her arms as if nothing had happened and gripped her sword. "Your power is impressive, but my first impression was that you're holding back. From what I know of human ranks, hunters can contain their power to avoid causing massive destruction. Are you holding back, or do you simply lack control over your power?"
"Lack control...?"
Ah, System, some insight?
{You are still young, and your control over demonic energy is quite decent for your age. However, the fire elemental known as "Ruby" is correct—you have not yet mastered the art of controlling your destructive power. One could say that you are subconsciously holding back to avoid collateral damage.}
So... why haven't you mentioned this before!?
{My primary functions are to facilitate the acquisition of items and to inform you of any new powers you unlock. It is not within my purview to bestow power upon you without cost. The "beginner gift" was an exception, as you were weak and vulnerable at the time, requiring assistance to protect yourself effectively.}
I turned to Ruby and asked, "Well, could you teach me how to control this destructive power?"
Ruby sighed. "You really don't know? You're weird..."
"I lived in a rather isolated place and didn't know much about the world," I explained.
Ruby nodded. "Well, just focus on destroying everything around you. That's it. Now, fight!"
She appeared in front of me in the blink of an eye, and I dodged her attack. An attack meant solely to destroy?
Destroy...
I crouched, barely avoiding a kick that grazed my hair. Everything behind me burst into flames and turned to dust—the trees, the grass. I leaped away, but Ruby's sword slashed across my face, the flames searing my skin. I retaliated with a precise cut to her chest, splitting it in two, but she healed swiftly. Her sword cut across my chest, and I felt my skin and bones burning.
Gritting my teeth, I backed away, using demonic energy to regenerate. I sighed in relief as the pain subsided. Shit... that hurt like nothing before.
"Crazy bitch..." I muttered.
Ruby glared at me. "Are you going to keep acting like an idiot, or are you going to get serious? This is getting boring..."
I gripped Rebellion tightly and focused. Destroy...
Destroy...
Infusing Rebellion with demonic energy, I assumed a fighting stance, my sword pointed at Ruby. Destroy...
I tightened my grip on the hilt, and the bright crimson energy emanating from Rebellion began to darken, taking on a blood-red hue.
I tensed my legs and inhaled deeply. With a burst of speed, I charged at Ruby, swinging my sword in a powerful horizontal slash. A huge, crimson gash cut through the air, slicing through everything around her. Trees and earth were reduced to pieces and turned to dust.
I jumped away, feeling a little heavy. I looked back to see that only Ruby's feet remained; everything else had been obliterated. A massive gash marred the ground, and suddenly, Ruby regenerated.
She looked at me and said, "Not bad. You're finally starting to look like a decent A-Rank..."
She vanished in a blur and, with Rebellion, I parried her sword, feeling its force drag me back slightly. Ruby locked eyes with me and smiled savagely.
I dodged another kick and, with amazing speed, sliced her leg. It regenerated instantly, and she kicked me in the jaw, a portion of my mouth cracking under the impact. I retaliated with a series of swift stabs to her face, but her head disappeared, only to reform immediately. She grabbed my face and flung me away, and I landed on the ground with a sigh.
"Shit... I'm sick of this..." I jumped to my feet, determined to end this. I would destroy her completely; nothing would be left.
Channeling a vast amount of demonic energy, I infused Rebellion with a dark crimson aura. I tightened my grip on the hilt, raised my sword, and exhaled.
Ruby charged at me, and I activated the demonic energy in my eyes, altering my vision. The world turned black and white, with only a brilliant red energy emanating from my sword. The energy seemed alive, crimson hands of red energy enveloping my blade. I inhaled deeply as Ruby closed in.
So... this is what an A-Rank hunter can truly do, right?
I squeezed the hilt of Rebellion, my vision darkening further until only black and white remained. I saw Ruby's form rushing towards me.
Suddenly, my right arm began to burn, as if something was changing within it. I ignored the sensation and focused on the battle at hand.
With a clenching of my teeth, I unleashed my attack. A vertical slash sent a torrent of crimson demonic energy towards Ruby. As I released the attack, my vision returned to normal, and the ground shattered into pieces. A massive vertical slash carved a gaping wound in the earth, so long that I couldn't see its end.
There was nothing left of Ruby—only sparks in the air.
{You have created a skill compatible with the Sword Master style:
Pandemonium Slash: A powerful attack that compresses demonic energy to an extreme degree, capable of slicing through dozens of buildings simultaneously. The energy requirement for this skill is 50% demonic energy (the amount of energy may vary in the future, and the power of the ability may scale with your current strength).}
I collapsed to the ground, feeling incredibly heavy. "Damn... Did I win?"
I rose shakily to my feet. "Not bad, kid. That was unexpected... Well, you passed my test."
I looked in the direction of Ruby's voice and saw her watching me with a playful smile. "I want to rest..."
"Well, you deserve it," she said, snapping her fingers. Reality shifted, and we were back where we had first appeared, floating in space.
"Oh, he did it!" Sylphiete's voice grated on my nerves, and I covered my ears, longing for rest. My body felt heavy, and I closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep.
After an unknown period, I was awoken by noises and the smell of burning. Who burned the food...?
I opened my eyes slowly. "Idiot! I told you not to do that!" Ruby's finger was on my head.
"Hey...?" I mumbled, half-asleep. Suddenly, my hair felt hotter than normal.
"This will help you!" a younger voice piped up, and I felt water splashing on my head. Ah...
I jumped to my feet. "WHAT THE HELL!?"
Touching my head, I realized my hair felt hotter in one spot—it had been burned. I glared at Ruby, who quickly averted her gaze. Lazuli stood with her arms crossed, a proud smile on her face. These girls...
"How long was I asleep...?" I asked, noticing my wet pants.
"In human time...? Well... Five hours," Ruby replied, her eyes bored. Five hours...
"Hey, can I go back to my world...?" I asked, scratching my head. It itched a little, and I didn't feel like getting angry anymore.
"Yes, yes. Oh, right—try your Mana. You earned it, right?" Ruby said with a smile.
I looked at my hand and noticed something surprising. A warm blue energy emanated from my palm. I clenched my fist, and the energy enveloped my hand completely.
It reminded me of cursed energy...
I threw a punch into the air, feeling an increase in speed, though not as fast as with demonic energy. Well, this would at least allow me to move unnoticed in certain places.
"Hey, can you teach me how to use Mana more effectively?" I asked curiously.
Sylphiete approached and explained, "Well... Mana is the life force of the world, and we are connected to it. Mana is like a pseudo-conscious being; it chooses who can wield Mana and who cannot. Those with greater talent naturally attract Mana more easily, while those with zero talent are unable to use it, even though it exists within them."
"So... every living being has Mana, right?" I inquired.
Sylphiete nodded with a smile. "So, you four are like the protectors of the world or something?"
"More or less," she replied. "We guide Mana to every living being in the human world, ensuring its distribution."
"So, are you like mothers who guide a child, helping Mana choose who to empower?" I asked, looking at Sylphiete.
"Well... I think so..." she said, slightly uncertain.
I sighed. "Well, can you help me with my Mana now?"
She nodded and focused on me. "The first step to using Mana effectively is to determine your primary element. It's the most basic aspect. You have to let Mana choose your main element, although it is possible to use multiple elements if you have a connection to them. Your main element is the one you have the strongest connection and affinity for."
I nodded, absorbing all the information I could about Mana. Perhaps it would prove useful, even if only as a disguise to avoid raising suspicions about my demonic powers.
"So, what are unknown elements?" I asked, curious about the topic.
Sylphiete shifted uncomfortably. "Well... you could say they are elements that are amalgams of reality itself. They are extremely rare. Time, space, light... the world is unpredictable, and even Mana can be unpredictable, creating these unknown elements. We don't have much control over them; we merely guide Mana to ensure it is distributed in a controlled manner. Unknown elements are beyond our direct influence."
I nodded again, processing this new information. "How do I know which element I have the best connection and strength with?"
"You have to let Mana choose," she replied with a smile. "Close your eyes and concentrate!"
I sat on the ground and obliged, but suddenly, I heard countless voices—hundreds, thousands. My head began to throb, and I opened my eyes to find myself enveloped in darkness.
"Where am I...?" I murmured, my voice echoing in this strange place.
A blue crystal appeared before me, similar to the one from when I received my inheritance. It began to vibrate slowly, and soon, the vibrations became so intense that it seemed to leave residual images in the air. Suddenly, the crystal shattered, and a light blue energy flooded the darkness.
Wow... I reached out and touched the energy, assuming it to be Mana. The Mana converged into a small blue sphere, which then glowed brightly, and a ball of fire appeared.
"So... fire element? Well, it's a pretty simple and cliché element, but okay, maybe I won't even use it," I said with a sigh. Mana was interesting, but I preferred my current abilities. However, fusing Mana and demonic energy to increase my power might be worthwhile.
Suddenly, everything began to shake, and the fireball started spinning in circles as if scared. A crimson energy appeared out of nowhere, and a hand made of demonic energy seized the Mana as if it were a weak bug.
The Mana squirmed nervously, but the hand of energy tightened its grip, and the Mana calmed down, submitting to the demonic energy's dominance.
"Oh, that was... unexpected," I said, smiling awkwardly. It seemed my demonic energy didn't get along well with Mana.
"Well, I think it's time to leave," I murmured, closing my eyes. When I opened them again, I found myself face to face with Sylphiete, her bright green eyes shining with excitement.
"Were you able to get your element yet?!" she exclaimed.
"Yes, I think so?" I replied, smiling awkwardly.
{You have obtained a secondary energy!
You have obtained: Mana (although by force...) }
I looked at my hand, and Mana emerged like an aura. Not bad...
"So, how do I use the fireball and those simple spells?" I asked, curious if I would need to resort to books for more complex spells.
"Spells... well, it depends on a person's talent and Potential Rank—S, SS, and so on," Sylphiete explained.
I nodded, and she continued, "A fireball is created by compressing Mana and establishing a connection with your element. It's one of the simplest spells for the fire element!"
I nodded and raised my hand, focusing on the Mana as I had done with my demonic energy. The Mana slowly formed a ball of blue energy, which then ignited, transforming into a fireball. Wow... this is kind of fun.
I pointed my hand in a random direction, and the fireball began to compress further. Is this normal?
Suddenly, the fireball shot forth, accompanied by a sonic boom that echoed through the area. It flew like a bullet into space.
"Oh, that's... normal?" I asked, unsure if such power was typical for a fireball.
Ruby looked at me and said, "Not bad. Your talent is well above average, although I think you exaggerated a little there. Maybe it's because of your other energy—it's more chaotic. You should be gentler with the Mana..."
I nodded, curious about something else now.
I stood up and looked around, raising my hand to create another fireball. This time, it formed much faster. I aimed into the distance and infused it with some demonic energy. "I hope this is crazy!" I said with a smile.
The fireball was enveloped by crimson energy and began to pulsate erratically. I launched it, and it shot out like a rocket, accompanied by a deafening sonic boom.
I looked at my hand, which was slightly burned. "Haha! This is great!" I exclaimed, pleased with the results of combining Mana and demonic energy.
"Well, I think I should return to my world," I said, turning to the girls.
Ruby asked, "What's your name?"
"Dante," I replied with a smile.
Suddenly, I found myself back in the training room. That was pretty fast.
I looked around; everything seemed normal.
"I want to take a bath..." I murmured, heading out to do just that.
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{Third-person POV}
Ruby looked at the spot where Dante had been just a few seconds ago. She sighed and said, "So, his name is Dante, huh..."
Sylphiete spoke in an uncharacteristically serious tone. "He is going to bring chaos to the balance of this world; you know that, right?"
Ruby nodded. "It's obvious. The other energy he possesses is strange. It reminds me of demonic power, but instead of being purely destructive, bloodthirsty, and insane, it's more chaotic. Yet, he wields it with ease, as if that energy obeys his every command and nothing more. It's as if..."
Gaia sighed. "He is a being with unique energy. His energy is similar to what we know, and yet it is different. It reminds me of the energy of chaos..."
Sylphiete's face twisted in disgust. "That energy is disgusting... Only beings from that dimension use it..."
Lazuli looked in the direction Dante had been and sighed sadly. "Yeah... but I think he's a good person!"
Ruby turned to Lazuli and said, "For once, I think I'll agree with the crybaby."
"Hey! I'm not a crybaby!" Lazuli retorted.
Gaia murmured, "That boy is an abnormality in this world... from a faraway place, perhaps?"
Ruby stretched her arms. "Well, it's time to get some sleep. It's been a while since I had some fun!"
Gaia looked at Ruby and asked, "Hey, Ruby... Dante... do you think he's a..."
"I don't think so," Ruby replied, walking away. "He seems like a normal teenager."
Gaia sighed. "Well, time for me to sleep as well."
Lazuli followed Gaia to go to sleep.
Sylphiete was left alone, her hand on her chin as she mused, "White hair..."
Sylphiete opened her eyes slightly and murmured, "He is... no... That wouldn't make sense. That occurred thousands of years ago... He will be..."