The dust settled, leaving the crowd in suspense as they strained to see who had won the duel.
The air cleared up, it revealed Shinra kneeling, blood dripping from wounds all over his body, steam rising from burns inflicted by my last fiery ki attack.
Meanwhile, I lay on the ground, my consciousness slipping away. Despite all my training over the past month, it hadn't been enough to close the gap between us.
Just before everything went dark, I heard Kiba directing Kenjuro, "Get these two to the infirmary."
I could faintly hear the murmurs of the crowd. They couldn't believe the devastation caused by a duel between two young, supposedly amateur warriors. Our final clash had obliterated the only good-condition duel arena left in the Arcane Guild.
Kiba's thoughts lingered as he looked at me, still amazed. He thought to himself "When I first met him, I was sure he had no ki or any training whatsoever. Yet, in a month, he mastered the 12 Scales of the Dragon Blade and reached Ki Condensation Stage 3. What monstrous talent…
could this be the beginning of the Arcane Guild's rise?"
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
[STATUS LOG UPDATED]
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Later, I regained consciousness in the infirmary. I looked beside me and found Shinra, both of us were admitted to the infirmary bearing the marks of our fierce battle.
In a playful tone, I teased, "Did someone beat you up?"I chuckled a little bit, which I fully regretted the moment I did it because laughing hurt my body like hell.
Shinra chuckled in response, "I could ask the same about you."
I grinned, but then hesitated, the question I'd been wanting to ask all along pulling at me. Taking a breath, I finally went for it, feeling the weight of the tension between us. "Why do you hate outsiders so much?"
Somehow, I sensed it wasn't me he despised—yet each time he saw me, he'd cry out like an immature brat.
Shinra's expression shifted, caught off guard by the question. His gaze drifted, and he rubbed the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable. "It's… complicated," he muttered, his voice quieter.
Taking a deep breath, he finally spoke, as if unearthing a painful memory he'd buried long ago. He took a deep sigh,
"My father died because of an outsider. He was an elder of our guild, one I looked up to."
I asked him, "How did he die?"
he looked at me then looked at the ceiling and replied, "It all happened on the day he saved that noble girl from the woods. He brought the girl into the guild and treated her and brought her back to her family."
"Do you know what they did when he brought that girl back to her family? You'd think they would be happy that the girl was back safe and perhaps a small thank you."
"but instead, They expressed nothing but disgust for him, a commoner who had dared to intervene in their affairs. Even the girl herself looked upon my father with disgust, and he was humiliated."
"My father didn't let it affect him much. He was just relieved that the girl was safe with her family. But when we heard how they had treated him, we were horrified by their callousness."
He took a deep breath, continuing the story. "after a few days, A messenger of that noble family came with a letter inviting my father to their estate wanting to show their thanks for saving their daughter. The guild's elders, wary of their previous encounter, tried to reason with my father and dissuade him from going there."
"But my father, stubborn as he was, refused to back down. He believed that the divide between commoners and nobles should be bridged, and was determined to prove that point."
Shinra's eyes darkened as he reached the tragic climax of his tale, his voice wavering. "After a few days, my father still hadn't returned from the estate. Naturally, we grew anxious, but then a messenger arrived—the same one who had delivered the noble family's request to him."
He paused, a deep bitterness in his tone. "The man looked pale like he'd seen something too horrible to speak of. And he carried a box. He wouldn't meet our eyes as he handed it over, but I could see the horror on his face like he dreaded what was inside."
Shinra took a shuddering breath, his fists clenched. "When we opened it, we saw... my father's severed head, with the word 'FILTH' burned into his forehead. The sight of it… my mother collapsed, vomiting.
"The elders froze, horrified, unable to process what they were seeing. Kiba shielded my eyes, trying to comfort me for I was a kid, but nothing could make that horror go away."
He closed his eyes, his voice barely above a whisper. "I later learned that, according to the messenger, my father had been thrown into jail and accused of harming and kidnapping the noble family's daughter. "
"They claimed he had violated and mistreated her, that his whole act of 'rescuing' her had just been a cover."
A harsh, bitter laugh escaped him. "They didn't even bother to make the story believable. They just wanted an excuse to execute him, to make sure they owed nothing to a commoner who dared to help them. I mean how fucking messed up do you have to actually think like that."
They couldn't bear the thought of being in debt to someone they saw as 'filthy.' So they destroyed him—cruelly, brutally—and left us with nothing but grief and anger."
"The guild leader was so furious and was about to go haywire against them, but the elders stopped him before he did something hastily. We weren't strong enough to go against them and it left us feeling powerless, painfully aware of our place within the hierarchy."
"My father was a fool—too kind and naive for this world. No matter what era, there is always gonna be a gap between nobles and commoners. I'm certain, even at the very end, he clung to his ideals."
Shinra's expression softened, a trace of sadness crossing his face. "I didn't agree with how he saw things, I thought that he was stupid for foolishly sticking to his childish ideals but… In a way, I still respected him for it. I just wished he revolted back rather than meeting such a pathetic end."
He paused, looked at me, and asked, " In what way are we different from the nobles? seriously, do these nobles bleed blue blood or something? What in the actual fuck makes those fuckers this cocky? Are we commoners, not fucking humans in their eyes." with each question the anger in his voice seemed to increase.
"When I heard you were found in the woods too, I couldn't help but think of that girl they found there, and suddenly all these questions started flooding my mind. I kept seeing that vivid image of my father's head, and that's why I reacted the way I did."
I heard his story till the end and once he finished telling it the room was filled with an awkward silence. I broke the silence, " I am not gonna say I know how you're feeling because I don't."
"To be honest I don't even remember my parents. The only semblance of memory that I have is a woman who I think was my mother. I have no idea or recollection of what she looked like. I can't remember her face—just a hazy, shadowed figure that I believe was her."
"In that memory, she was holding me, her voice soft but full of sadness as she whispered she was sorry and that she loved me. It's the only part of her I can hold onto, and even that feels like it's slipping away."
"I guess I don't know firsthand what it's like to lose your family because I didn't have one, but I do know that the world can be a cruel place, believe me, I know."
"There will always be people who commit acts that are beyond comprehension. But that's them, if we try to judge others based on the actions of these people, we aren't so different from them."
The room fell silent as we contemplated the shared pain of our pasts. It was quite an awkward silence because the topic of conversation was kinda grim and neither of us didn't know what to say after.
Just then, Kiba's voice sliced through the tension. "Well, isn't this cozy?" he smirked, perched casually on the window rail of the infirmary, making both of us jump.
"Fucking hell, Can't you come in like a normal person? " Shinra exclaimed, half-spooked and half-annoyed at Kiba's stealthy entrance.
Kiba chuckled at Shinra's reaction. "Aw, quit acting like a baby. I just came here to check how you both were doing," he said, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.
Still recovering from the intensity of our match, I decided to join the conversation. "Yeah, we're doing fine," I assured Kiba.
"The match ended in a draw," he answered.
"A draw? But I thought I fell first?" I asked him confused. I was sure I lost consciousness in the battle.
"Yes, a draw. You fell unconscious on the ground meanwhile Shinra fell unconscious kneeling. Both of you were unconscious and unable to continue fighting yet still gripping your swords so tightly that I had to use my qi to loosen your grip.
That last move of yours was definitely something. So after you both recover, you both can join the training."
My eyes widened in surprise. "Me too?" I asked, my voice laced with disbelief.
Kiba nodded and offered a warm smile. "Yes, I would be stupid to pass on someone with your talent, especially after the spectacle you both put up there. Welcome to the Arcane Guild, Ryojin. So rest up while you can. See you then," he said before leaving the room.
just as he said that the system window appeared again:
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QUEST CLEARED:
OBJECTIVE: TO PROVE YOUR WORTH AGAINST SHINRA REIJIN IN A SPARRING MATCH
REWARD: *THE SKILL [STEALTH] WILL BE ADDED TO YOUR SKILLS.
* AFFILIATION HAS BEEN UPDATED TO "ARCANE GUILD [DISCIPLE]". It will give the user a 10% buff on all physical stats when the user represents the guild in a fight.
* YOU HAVE LEVELLED UP TO LEVEL 9
STATUS WINDOW WILL BE UPDATED:
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STATUS WINDOW
NAME: Ryojin Yukimura (LVL-9)
AGE: 17 (23)
RACE: Human??
TITLE: (LOCKED)
AFFILIATION: ARCANE GUILD [DISCIPLE]
Ki: KI CONDENSATION: [STAGE:3/5]
Mana:
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SKILLS:
Temporal Insight[G] [ACTIVE SKILL]
12 Scales of the Dragon blade [100% MASTERY]
Stealth [A] [ACTIVE SKILL]
Vein Of Vitality [S] [PASSIVE SKILL]
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The quest was to prove my worth in the duel against Shinra not to win against him. The gap between our levels is too high for me to beat him. His kneeling unconscious and me falling unconscious was a testament to that.
Once we were alone again, Shinra turned to me with a somewhat sheepish expression. "Just so you know, I'm sorry for how I acted," he admitted sincerely.
"The match might have ended in a draw, but next time, I'm gonna make sure I win. So how about it, rivals?"
Shinra extended his fist, a gesture of camaraderie. I was a bit surprised, "Rivals?".
He replied, "Yeah, rivals. I think that's what seems more appropriate. I still don't trust you completely but I could feel your strength and tenacity from your blade. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed holding my sword giving it my all. So what do you say?"
A small smile tugged at the corners of my lips. I lightly bumped my fist against Shinra's.
"Rivals," I agreed, my smile growing more pronounced.
Shinra couldn't help but tease me. "So you can smile without being creepy?"
I rolled my eyes half annoyed, "Oh, shut up."
A month passed a mere chapter in the saga of our relentless pursuit of greatness. As the others observed us in the training hall, their astonishment was palpable, and the whispers amongst them grew louder.
Our grueling training was a daily spectacle for the guild. Onlookers watched, awestruck, as we pushed ourselves to the brink. It somehow also lit a fire in the others and also started to train harder.
"498," Shinra counted, sweat dripping from his face.
"499," I followed, grit in my voice.
Finally, in perfect unison, we declared, "500.
With our bodies pushed to the limit, we rose from the ground, and with a resolute toss, we cast aside the boulders that we used to train, which broke the floor of the already destroyed training ground beneath us.
Dabbing our sweat-drenched brows with towels, we walked away, each step resonating with an air of unwavering determination.
As we disappeared into the distance, our thoughts converged, our rivalry fueled by our shared aspiration, echoing in the chambers of our minds, "I won't let him surpass me."
....