Hammerhead cleared his throat as Diane calmly collected her daggers. “Right then. Best not keep the two of you waiting.” He said with a nod, reaching into his inventory to pull out the prepared equipment. “Did my best to match your requirements, though I might have done a tad better than I planned.” “How’s that?” I glanced from him to …
Chapter 35: Mood Killer
Kelly didn’t immediately charge in towards me at the start of our battle, rather she put her arms behind her back, seeming to take a defenseless stance. Anyone that truly thought that she was defenseless, however, didn’t know anything about her. I took a deep breath, activating my Stealth and Empty Body. She still appeared confident, and I began moving …
Chapter 34: Return
Of the skills that I was required to train in the forest, the first to reach the goal was none other than Light Step, as I was constantly using it both in and out of combat. Next was Reduced Earth, for very similar reasons. The ability to briefly amplify my movement speed didn’t sound too impressive at first, until I …
Chapter 33: Woodland Survival
The next day, I found myself without my equipment, alone in the forest behind Decashear. I didn’t know how far Kelly had taken me from the city. All I had was a bow, three quivers of arrows, and a set of instructions. I was not allowed to activate my Stealth, or any of my status enhancement skills. At the same …
Chapter 32: Training Pains
The next day, I left the inn early, making my way to the martial arts training ground. As Kelly had asked, the sun hadn’t yet come up by the time I entered the courtyard. I found the bearkin teacher already waiting, practicing by herself by striking at a wooden dummy, her arms alternating between slowly striking at multiple pegs. Before …
Chapter 31: Regret
First, as it would seem, was torture. Specifically, it was training my new Dull Pain skill. Kelly stood with a whip on one side of the room, keeping her red eyes closed as I sat with my back to her, my shirt off. Her wrist was constantly in motion, the snap of the whip ringing through the air as it …
Chapter 30: Greeting the Master
After sending off the rest of the rings, I asked a guard for directions to the city’s martial arts training ground. The man gave a wry chuckle before telling me where to go, a look of pity evident in his eyes as he sent me off. When I arrived, I found the training hall deserted, the sign in front of …
Chapter 29: Test of Strength
I looked at the stocky dwarf in front of me, with short, brown hair and a scraggly beard that went down to the top of his chest. He was well-built and as muscular as one would expect of a dwarven blacksmith, with a wide grin on his face. He wore a leather apron over a black shirt and thick, brown …
Chapter 28: The Deal
After having received Diane’s warning, I made sure to keep my stealth activated the entire way to the city. It took me a little under an hour to complete the trek, as the city was just on the edge of the horizon when I entered the dungeon. By the time I arrived, I saw Diane waiting for me. Perhaps it …
Chapter 27: A New Boss
When I once more arrived in front of the boss room, I concentrated on that large door, activating my Detective Analysis in the hopes that I would be able to catch a glimpse of what monsters lay beyond. My guess was that it was some kind of ogre chief, but I couldn’t be sure. Unfortunately, the door blocked my perception, …