CHAPTER 39
…
[You have slain a dark beast.]
[Rank: Awakened]
[Grade: None]
'Yess!'
[You have grown stronger.]
[Dark essence: 17/10000]
A smile curled up on Megumi's face as his hand ached in pain, though not shattered like the last time he had tried to launch an all-out attack like he did just now. His fist was still lodged in the dark beast's abdomen, and the frost instantly vanished.
He watched as the bluish hue of the creature's skin began to dim before completely dying. Then, his hand slowly slid out, allowing for the lifeless body of the creature to topple over.
His hand would probably be out of commission for a few hours, but it didn't really matter. They had spent over twenty minutes dealing with the two awakened beasts, and he had no doubt that the two hulking monstrosities in the distance would be meeting their end pretty soon.
However, he couldn't help but remain somber as he stared at them. He had already gained the desired knowledge of how the system acquainted essence to him—he gained a single essence for slaying dormant dark beasts and ten for slaying awakened ones—but he still wanted to know how different it would be if he killed beasts of a higher grade.
They were supposed to be his grand prizes in all the chaos, but right now, both he and Yuki were famished. Worn out from the two flights, though they had lasted for only a few minutes.
He walked to the dead body of the dark beast and knelt down beside it; then he raised his hand and plunged it into the hole he had created in the beast's body. Tearing the ice beast apart was far easier compared to the earlier awakened beast they had killed and even the dormant wolf beast he had met earlier.
Soon, he pulled out his hand, grabbing hold of a luminescent crystal. Its core was just as magnificent as that of the last one, and he wasn't planning on giving it to Yuki, at least not yet.
He had already given her three crystals in total, two dormant and one awakened beast core. Anymore, and she would start asking questions, and he knew that she already had many.
With the beast's core firmly clasped in his hand, he slowly stood up and looked in the direction of his partner. Yuki was a few meters away from him, panting, her hands around her waist as she bent over slightly.
She was clearly in a worse state than he was.
'She really needs rest.'
Heaving a sigh, he got up from the ground and walked toward her. She staggered forward a bit as he grabbed her, and then he gently wrapped his arms around her waist, allowing her to lean against his body.
Her head rested on his shoulder, her breath coming in short gasps while his hand gently gripped her shoulder.
He smiled softly and gently patted her on the back.
"Let's go home, Yuki."
********
Walking while aiding the girl had turned out to be a bit of a hassle given how tired he was and all the twisting paths that lay in his way. However, he still made it back to their meeting point.
Leaving the girl to rest by the edge of the hill, he walked to his backpack and quickly put the beast core he had with him inside it, but not before he tried to absorb it once more.
He sighed as he remembered the runes that shone before him after he had slain the ice beast. A thousand more times, he would need to kill awakened beasts a thousand more times before he would finally be able to evolve—or rather—ascend to the next rank.
That number was a lot, and he couldn't imagine how much it would take him to become an Elite if he did somehow manage… No, he was certain he was going to achieve the rank of Adept Sorcerer.
But before he could worry about that, human interactions would probably be his biggest problem once he was forced to experience life outside the premises of Clan Fujiboma and the protection of his mother and Gekka.
The only thing he had to himself was some simple rules Gekka had laid out for him and Yuki, though hers varied a bit.
… Don't speak unless you're spoken to.
… You are the heir of Clan Fujiboma and no one else.
And the last one…
… Under no circumstances should you wield your innate ability of light unless the circumstances direly call for it.
The first rule was pretty simple, and he would remember his first interaction with Yuki each time he thought of it.
The second one, though, was one he found a bit strange, because according to Gekka, people were bound to want to kill him more if they found out that he was the son of Lady Himeko than if he was just the heir of the Fujiboma clan.
'More, huh… ?'
And the third one also had to do with him getting killed. Well, if there was one person bound to kill you better than anyone else, then it was the one who knew you best.
The instructions were only words she had blurted out during one of their training lessons, and with their first demon hunt approaching in less than a year, it was a lesson he really needed to focus on.
And besides that, something else lingered in his mind…
He had almost fully mastered Raven's Flick and was still learning Shadow Strike with what little time he had, but the battle against the ice beast had taught him something…
… He seriously needed to learn how to use a weapon.
And thinking about that, a list of possible sword weapons and arts he could use was pouring through his mind, clouding it a bit.
'Dammit, this is way harder than I thought.'
He still had a lot of learning to do a year before he would perform his demon hunt and two more years before he would join the academy. That was when his life as a sorcerer would truly begin.
With a sigh, he got up from the ground, picked up his backpack, and walked back to where Yuki was testing. With the few minutes they were able to manage, the girl regained some of her strength and could at least walk on her own.
He looked into the distance to see that the two hulking awakened beasts fighting in the distance had already been taken care of. The people he was waiting for had finally arrived.
It wasn't long before he heard the footsteps of people rushing toward them through the woods, and two young men appeared before him and Yuki.
They both looked basic, and he didn't need anyone to tell him that they were both still awakened. They were both wearing uniforms with swords sheathed aside their waists.
Things weren't supposed to take very long here… They already recognized him as the heir of their clan, and now all he had to do was explain to them what had happened back inside the woods, though he kept a few details to himself.
In the end, none of them had dared to question his story, and together he and Yuki quickly went back to the mansion in wait of a new day…
********
Well, Gekka had arrived home before the wake of a new day, and their training had only continued; only this time, it wasn't their usual training.
Seated in an awfully familiar room, lined with books and a desk in front of him. He was holding an inked feather, a single sheet of paper lying on the desk in front of him, and next to him was Yuki. But the both of them weren't the only ones currently in the room.
He could count at least ten other children who were in the room along with them, and they were all doing the same thing he was: composing words on a single piece of paper.
Who knew that he would be learning conventional decorum pretty soon, but it was much better this way.
He had a few more people he could practice with… at least…