Rick's name was called. Guess I'll be sparring with him then. But he is a Shadow Knight. Second highest rank in the ranking system. He'll definitely be different than the other two I fought earlier. They barely even moved when I hit their shoulder or neck. I did not hit hard. I'm serious!
But why Rick? I'm certain there are other rookies, isn't it? The second rookie was stronger than the first but he still didn't react to my attack. Hmm.
Rick came to the arena. He was scratching his head while walking over. Then he asked the Dark Lord to reconsider his decision to which he replied "You vouched for him, didn't you?". Rick was speechless after hearing that. He then picked up the wooden sword on the ground and stood ready to face me. He seemed reluctant but I, was excited. Time to find out whether my perception was right. Can I beat him? I raised my hand to which Rick was surprised.
"Can I spar with my weapon? I will use the blunt side as I wish to spar at my best," I bowed to the Dark Lord. He stared at me with his death stare. Even looking down, I can still feel his stare piercing into my very soul.
"You may. What about you Rick? Do you wish to use your weapon?" the Dark Lord asked.
Rick declined. No doubt he will surely feel embarrassed for reaching out his weapon against a newbie. The receptionist brought my weapons to me. I grabbed Inazuma and slotted him at my hips.
"Rick, I wish to spar with you properly. I need to know my strength level and how else to improve. I hope you are willing to teach me as my senpai," I bowed to him. He flustered and started rubbing his nose.
"Well, if you say it like that... Alright" he scratched his head.
Looks like he is serious now. I heard the word "Begin" yet I did not move. Unlike the two previous rookies, Rick was calm and emitting an aura. This must be the Fear spell that the Dark Guild is known for. Makes you think twice before attacking. I breathed deep and exhaled twice. Then I attacked.
***
Rick's perspective
Look at this guy getting all cocky. Getting me excited over a sparring test. This is just suppose to be an initiation test! Damn. And he used his cute starry eyes in asking me to teach him. Calling me senpai too!
I must have a soft spot for this kid. Alright, I'll teach him. I'll teach him what it means to be in the Dark Guild.
I started with our signature Fear spell. This will make your opponents think twice before attacking and if you succumb to it, you'll lose all morale to even have the will to fight. Hmm? He's breathing to calm himself. This kid. Most newbie would already cower in fear or start running away by now. You're really something else.
Wh.. what? He disappeared as I blinked? Woah!
pap!
I blocked his attack that was aiming for my neck. Jesus, how fast is this kid? Oh shit here comes more.
pap pap pap pap!
I managed to blocked all of them. This kid is aiming to knock me out. His swings are not heavy but his speed and his attack speed is unbelievable. He is swinging his katana around like a piece of toy with his skinny arms. What do I even have to teach him? My agility is not that fast anyway. Oh boy, Here he comes again!
I continued to block his attacks. I'm at my wits end here. Blocking is all I can do now that he is on the offensive. If I miss one, I'll be kissing the ground. Good thing he is using the blunt side though. Damn it!
Woah! I managed to dodged back but he cut some of my front hair. Not the hair!
I'm panting heavily now and so is he. Wait, is he? He is just panting normally. We exchanged blows after blows and it is mostly me defending myself. Shit, what a joke. And... he's coming again.
His agility is off the charts. Not to mention he is nimble and attack with precision. I am losing control of this fight. So much for being a Shadow Knight when you can't even beat a newbie. Damn it! I'm losing my footing. Shit shit.
***
Zen's perspective
What's going on, why isn't he attacking? I thought cutting his hair would have made him angry and charge at me but he was surprisingly calm. Not bad there.
Guess I'll push the attack further. He's blocking all my attacks so far. Aiming for his vitals to knock him out isn't as easy as I thought. I just have to keep pushing until an opportunity arise. There, he's going to lose his balance. Now all I need is to go for his..
"Shadow strike!" Rick suddenly shouted. His block suddenly became heavy. His block pushed my swing into the air. I am now exposed to him. Damn it. I fell to the ground. That caught me off-guard. I tried to quickly get up but I saw Rick's wooden sword in front of my face.
Alright, I'll admit defeat. No point continuing any further.
Claps can be heard from the spectator seats. Since when did so many people came to watch? I must be really focused on this fight to not noticed this. Rick reached out a hand. I grabbed his hand and stood up.
"Geez kid, you're crazy! Hah, hah, forcing me to use Shadow strike in an initiation test! You're going to be stupidly strong in the future. Ah, damn it," said Rick while panting heavily. I just fought my best. Am I that strong? I even lost to you.
"Where did you learn how to fight?" the Dark Lord asked.
"My grandfather taught me. Today is my first time sparring with someone else," I said. Was that.. a smile? Did the Dark Lord just smiled? That was the most evil smile I ever saw in my life.
"Initiate Zen, I accept you into the Dark Guild. You will still start out as a warrior rank until I deemed fit to rank you higher. Miss Angelica, please escort our new warrior initiate to his room," said the Dark Lord.
Oh well, everybody got to start somewhere I suppose. Rick seems to disagree though. He went towards the Dark Lord trying to convince him something.
The receptionist came and handed me back my items to which I gladly receive.
"Miss Angelica, I take it?," I asked her.
"Yes, that is right. Do follow me so I can show you to your room," she gestured me to follow her.
So I followed. Praying in mind that I would not have a room-mate or if I really do, hopefully one that is not annoying, dirty and hard to live with.
To my genuine surprise, I have my own room. Smaller than the room at the tavern but hey, as long as there is privacy.
"This will be your room. It looks small but everyone starts out small, right? Rank higher and you'll get a bigger space to call your own," she told me.
Higher the rank, bigger the space. Time to climb up the ladder for a bigger room. New side quest unlocked.
Side Quest: Rank higher for the glory of bigger room.
"Any rules that I should know of?" I asked Angelica.
"No visitors in the room. I'm sure you know what I mean," she winked at me.
Umm, okay. I am not "that" horny yet but good to know.
"Anything else? Will visitors be allowed at a higher rank?" I asked curiously.
Just some information to know when the possibility arrives. Just y'know. She paused and looked at me. Is she thinking I'm hitting on her? No, it's a genuine curious question from me. And by visitors, I meant John or Lily coming to visit. Not bringing women for naughty stuffs. Although Lily is technically a lady. Shoot.
"If you reach the rank of Fighter then you can bring visitors into your room. But don't think about inviting me though as I am already taken, alright?" she winked at me after saying that.
I looked at her bluntly. She really mistook what I meant earlier. But hey, just need to get myself promoted and I can invite my friends over. Sounds easy enough. I hope.
"In the meantime, you can wait in your room for someone to come pick you. You can leave your items here. It belongs to you now, until you shift to another room after you ranked up. Then you can get to inviting "visitors" then," she said. Her sarcasm is on another level.
"Understood. I'll wait here for someone to come. Guess I'll be alone until I ranked up then. Maybe after I ranked up then I'll invite you personally for, maybe, a wine perhaps?" I said jokingly.
Two can play at that game. Huh? Is her face turning red? I was just kidding. Really, I did.
"I'll.. I'll take my leave now!" said Angelica while rushing out of my room. Guess she is weak to being teased perhaps. Ah well, time to see what's in my room. Let's see, a table, a bed, some cupboards. That's about it. No bathtub to bathe or soak in the room. Doubt it will fit in the first place. Guess I will be showering with the others then. Is there even a shower room in the guild or do I have to find one outside?
Finishing the tour of my room, I lay on my bed. Not as comfy as the tavern's bed but it'll do.
Should I take a nap first while waiting for whoever to come? I am feeling a little sleepy after that sparring. I need to get in better shape to increase my stamina and endurance. Oh, speak of the devil, someone is knocking on my door. Time to see who it is then. I walked towards the door and open it.
"H.. hey, guess I really am your senpai now," Rick said.
Is he really going to be my supervisor? Well, guess it's better than someone that I don't know. At least I can banter with him if things went unfairly my way.
"Nice to meet you, Senpai, I'll be in your care from now on," I bowed to him.
"S.. stop that. You don't need to be so formal with me," said Rick while he rubbed his nose.
"What about your mercenary job? Won't your party members miss you or something?" I asked him.
"Nah, it is just a side job that I do every once in a while. My main income is still from the guild's quest-board or from the Dark Lord himself. And since you gave us a gold coin, we were able to split it nicely for a favourable amount. You really shouldn't go flaunting and spending your money like that," he told me.
Guess I shouldn't tell him that grandfather gave me twelve of those and possibly more hidden at home.
"When do we meet the other members? It is supposed to be a party of four, right?" I asked. If my memory serves me right, this is what grandfather told me.
"Ah, you see, you're kind of a special case. It is just you and me. You, will be doing quest while I, am just.. supervising," he paused at the end.
"Are you telling me to do the guild's quest alone? Is that even proper for a rookie that just joined in?" I asked genuinely.
It felt more like sending me to my death rather than it being a "special case".
"Oh don't worry. Rookie's quest usually doesn't resort in you hunting or killing any monsters. It is usually some trial quest that is within the city borders," he said. I really hope so.
"Well, when do we start? Is there anything else that I need to know?" I asked.
"It starts now. Let's head down to the quest-board. Keep in mind that I am pretty harsh in judging my subordinate's performance. So, do well or the Dark Lord will be giving me a shit ton of shitty quests if you screw up," Rick said to me.
"Alright, let's see what my first quest will be as a newly warrior rank. Let's go," I said.
***
"Alright, the Sun story ends here. You need to go to school now and I need to head out for a guild quest," I told my daughter.
"Ehh, what?? It was just getting good! I wanna hear more," she showed me her pitiful cute adorable face. She really follows after her mother.
"I'll tell you more after you come back from school. We can continue from there. Now, get ready to head out while I talk with your mom," I said.
"Oh kay," said my daughter with a sad face. Education is important kid. I proceeded to look for my wife who is in the kitchen.
"Honey? I'll be bringing Daisy to school and then head off to a quest," I told her.
"Okay, what is your quest this time?" she asked me.
"Hunting a yellow dragon that is not too far from here. It seems like something is triggering dragons to attack on settlements and villages. We might need to investigate on this eventually," I told her.
"Do take care then. You're probably not as spry as you are last time.. even though it seems like you stopped aging," she put a hand to my face.
I held her hand. Ah my lovely wife. You are always so understanding and lovable. That is why I chose you. You still can't see her as you are looking through a window outside. You can see her hand though.
"You looked exactly like when you were twenty," she said while stroking my right cheek.
This is true. It seems as though I have stopped aging somehow. I still do not know why since from what I know, I do not have any elf blood flowing within me. I might have stopped aging but that does not mean I can live longer than a human. I will probably only know when I am officially a senior citizen.
"I'll be going now and hopefully I can make it back by evening along with Daisy. Otherwise, can you pick her up instead?" I asked her. She nodded and gave me a kiss before I headed out. Alright, first stop, bring Daisy to school. And only then will I hunt that yellow dragon.
You're probably wondering why I cut the story short. Truth be told, I am quite embarrassed in telling my daughter about my first quest. Not even my wife knows about it as it is an extremely silly quest. I am still embarrassed to even recall it. And it is also the end of the Sun story. Next will be the Star story. Stay tuned.
Rick's name was called. Guess I'll be sparring with him then. But he is a Shadow Knight. Second highest rank in the ranking system. He'll definitely be different than the other two I fought earlier. They barely even moved when I hit their shoulder or neck. I did not hit hard. I'm serious!
But why Rick? I'm certain there are other rookies, isn't it? The second rookie was stronger than the first but he still didn't react to my attack. Hmm.
Rick came to the arena. He was scratching his head while walking over. Then he asked the Dark Lord to reconsider his decision to which he replied "You vouched for him, didn't you?". Rick was speechless after hearing that. He then picked up the wooden sword on the ground and stood ready to face me. He seemed reluctant but I, was excited. Time to find out whether my perception was right. Can I beat him? I raised my hand to which Rick was surprised.
"Can I spar with my weapon? I will use the blunt side as I wish to spar at my best," I bowed to the Dark Lord. He stared at me with his death stare. Even looking down, I can still feel his stare piercing into my very soul.
"You may. What about you Rick? Do you wish to use your weapon?" the Dark Lord asked.
Rick declined. No doubt he will surely feel embarrassed for reaching out his weapon against a newbie. The receptionist brought my weapons to me. I grabbed Inazuma and slotted him at my hips.
"Rick, I wish to spar with you properly. I need to know my strength level and how else to improve. I hope you are willing to teach me as my senpai," I bowed to him. He flustered and started rubbing his nose.
"Well, if you say it like that... Alright" he scratched his head.
Looks like he is serious now. I heard the word "Begin" yet I did not move. Unlike the two previous rookies, Rick was calm and emitting an aura. This must be the Fear spell that the Dark Guild is known for. Makes you think twice before attacking. I breathed deep and exhaled twice. Then I attacked.
***
Rick's perspective
Look at this guy getting all cocky. Getting me excited over a sparring test. This is just suppose to be an initiation test! Damn. And he used his cute starry eyes in asking me to teach him. Calling me senpai too!
I must have a soft spot for this kid. Alright, I'll teach him. I'll teach him what it means to be in the Dark Guild.
I started with our signature Fear spell. This will make your opponents think twice before attacking and if you succumb to it, you'll lose all morale to even have the will to fight. Hmm? He's breathing to calm himself. This kid. Most newbie would already cower in fear or start running away by now. You're really something else.
Wh.. what? He disappeared as I blinked? Woah!
pap!
I blocked his attack that was aiming for my neck. Jesus, how fast is this kid? Oh shit here comes more.
pap pap pap pap!
I managed to blocked all of them. This kid is aiming to knock me out. His swings are not heavy but his speed and his attack speed is unbelievable. He is swinging his katana around like a piece of toy with his skinny arms. What do I even have to teach him? My agility is not that fast anyway. Oh boy, Here he comes again!
I continued to block his attacks. I'm at my wits end here. Blocking is all I can do now that he is on the offensive. If I miss one, I'll be kissing the ground. Good thing he is using the blunt side though. Damn it!
Woah! I managed to dodged back but he cut some of my front hair. Not the hair!
I'm panting heavily now and so is he. Wait, is he? He is just panting normally. We exchanged blows after blows and it is mostly me defending myself. Shit, what a joke. And... he's coming again.
His agility is off the charts. Not to mention he is nimble and attack with precision. I am losing control of this fight. So much for being a Shadow Knight when you can't even beat a newbie. Damn it! I'm losing my footing. Shit shit.
***
Zen's perspective
What's going on, why isn't he attacking? I thought cutting his hair would have made him angry and charge at me but he was surprisingly calm. Not bad there.
Guess I'll push the attack further. He's blocking all my attacks so far. Aiming for his vitals to knock him out isn't as easy as I thought. I just have to keep pushing until an opportunity arise. There, he's going to lose his balance. Now all I need is to go for his..
"Shadow strike!" Rick suddenly shouted. His block suddenly became heavy. His block pushed my swing into the air. I am now exposed to him. Damn it. I fell to the ground. That caught me off-guard. I tried to quickly get up but I saw Rick's wooden sword in front of my face.
Alright, I'll admit defeat. No point continuing any further.
Claps can be heard from the spectator seats. Since when did so many people came to watch? I must be really focused on this fight to not noticed this. Rick reached out a hand. I grabbed his hand and stood up.
"Geez kid, you're crazy! Hah, hah, forcing me to use Shadow strike in an initiation test! You're going to be stupidly strong in the future. Ah, damn it," said Rick while panting heavily. I just fought my best. Am I that strong? I even lost to you.
"Where did you learn how to fight?" the Dark Lord asked.
"My grandfather taught me. Today is my first time sparring with someone else," I said. Was that.. a smile? Did the Dark Lord just smiled? That was the most evil smile I ever saw in my life.
"Initiate Zen, I accept you into the Dark Guild. You will still start out as a warrior rank until I deemed fit to rank you higher. Miss Angelica, please escort our new warrior initiate to his room," said the Dark Lord.
Oh well, everybody got to start somewhere I suppose. Rick seems to disagree though. He went towards the Dark Lord trying to convince him something.
The receptionist came and handed me back my items to which I gladly receive.
"Miss Angelica, I take it?," I asked her.
"Yes, that is right. Do follow me so I can show you to your room," she gestured me to follow her.
So I followed. Praying in mind that I would not have a room-mate or if I really do, hopefully one that is not annoying, dirty and hard to live with.
To my genuine surprise, I have my own room. Smaller than the room at the tavern but hey, as long as there is privacy.
"This will be your room. It looks small but everyone starts out small, right? Rank higher and you'll get a bigger space to call your own," she told me.
Higher the rank, bigger the space. Time to climb up the ladder for a bigger room. New side quest unlocked.
Side Quest: Rank higher for the glory of bigger room.
"Any rules that I should know of?" I asked Angelica.
"No visitors in the room. I'm sure you know what I mean," she winked at me.
Umm, okay. I am not "that" horny yet but good to know.
"Anything else? Will visitors be allowed at a higher rank?" I asked curiously.
Just some information to know when the possibility arrives. Just y'know. She paused and looked at me. Is she thinking I'm hitting on her? No, it's a genuine curious question from me. And by visitors, I meant John or Lily coming to visit. Not bringing women for naughty stuffs. Although Lily is technically a lady. Shoot.
"If you reach the rank of Fighter then you can bring visitors into your room. But don't think about inviting me though as I am already taken, alright?" she winked at me after saying that.
I looked at her bluntly. She really mistook what I meant earlier. But hey, just need to get myself promoted and I can invite my friends over. Sounds easy enough. I hope.
"In the meantime, you can wait in your room for someone to come pick you. You can leave your items here. It belongs to you now, until you shift to another room after you ranked up. Then you can get to inviting "visitors" then," she said. Her sarcasm is on another level.
"Understood. I'll wait here for someone to come. Guess I'll be alone until I ranked up then. Maybe after I ranked up then I'll invite you personally for, maybe, a wine perhaps?" I said jokingly.
Two can play at that game. Huh? Is her face turning red? I was just kidding. Really, I did.
"I'll.. I'll take my leave now!" said Angelica while rushing out of my room. Guess she is weak to being teased perhaps. Ah well, time to see what's in my room. Let's see, a table, a bed, some cupboards. That's about it. No bathtub to bathe or soak in the room. Doubt it will fit in the first place. Guess I will be showering with the others then. Is there even a shower room in the guild or do I have to find one outside?
Finishing the tour of my room, I lay on my bed. Not as comfy as the tavern's bed but it'll do.
Should I take a nap first while waiting for whoever to come? I am feeling a little sleepy after that sparring. I need to get in better shape to increase my stamina and endurance. Oh, speak of the devil, someone is knocking on my door. Time to see who it is then. I walked towards the door and open it.
"H.. hey, guess I really am your senpai now," Rick said.
Is he really going to be my supervisor? Well, guess it's better than someone that I don't know. At least I can banter with him if things went unfairly my way.
"Nice to meet you, Senpai, I'll be in your care from now on," I bowed to him.
"S.. stop that. You don't need to be so formal with me," said Rick while he rubbed his nose.
"What about your mercenary job? Won't your party members miss you or something?" I asked him.
"Nah, it is just a side job that I do every once in a while. My main income is still from the guild's quest-board or from the Dark Lord himself. And since you gave us a gold coin, we were able to split it nicely for a favourable amount. You really shouldn't go flaunting and spending your money like that," he told me.
Guess I shouldn't tell him that grandfather gave me twelve of those and possibly more hidden at home.
"When do we meet the other members? It is supposed to be a party of four, right?" I asked. If my memory serves me right, this is what grandfather told me.
"Ah, you see, you're kind of a special case. It is just you and me. You, will be doing quest while I, am just.. supervising," he paused at the end.
"Are you telling me to do the guild's quest alone? Is that even proper for a rookie that just joined in?" I asked genuinely.
It felt more like sending me to my death rather than it being a "special case".
"Oh don't worry. Rookie's quest usually doesn't resort in you hunting or killing any monsters. It is usually some trial quest that is within the city borders," he said. I really hope so.
"Well, when do we start? Is there anything else that I need to know?" I asked.
"It starts now. Let's head down to the quest-board. Keep in mind that I am pretty harsh in judging my subordinate's performance. So, do well or the Dark Lord will be giving me a shit ton of shitty quests if you screw up," Rick said to me.
"Alright, let's see what my first quest will be as a newly warrior rank. Let's go," I said.
***
"Alright, the Sun story ends here. You need to go to school now and I need to head out for a guild quest," I told my daughter.
"Ehh, what?? It was just getting good! I wanna hear more," she showed me her pitiful cute adorable face. She really follows after her mother.
"I'll tell you more after you come back from school. We can continue from there. Now, get ready to head out while I talk with your mom," I said.
"Oh kay," said my daughter with a sad face. Education is important kid. I proceeded to look for my wife who is in the kitchen.
"Honey? I'll be bringing Daisy to school and then head off to a quest," I told her.
"Okay, what is your quest this time?" she asked me.
"Hunting a yellow dragon that is not too far from here. It seems like something is triggering dragons to attack on settlements and villages. We might need to investigate on this eventually," I told her.
"Do take care then. You're probably not as spry as you are last time.. even though it seems like you stopped aging," she put a hand to my face.
I held her hand. Ah my lovely wife. You are always so understanding and lovable. That is why I chose you. You still can't see her as you are looking through a window outside. You can see her hand though.
"You looked exactly like when you were twenty," she said while stroking my right cheek.
This is true. It seems as though I have stopped aging somehow. I still do not know why since from what I know, I do not have any elf blood flowing within me. I might have stopped aging but that does not mean I can live longer than a human. I will probably only know when I am officially a senior citizen.
"I'll be going now and hopefully I can make it back by evening along with Daisy. Otherwise, can you pick her up instead?" I asked her. She nodded and gave me a kiss before I headed out. Alright, first stop, bring Daisy to school. And only then will I hunt that yellow dragon.
You're probably wondering why I cut the story short. Truth be told, I am quite embarrassed in telling my daughter about my first quest. Not even my wife knows about it as it is an extremely silly quest. I am still embarrassed to even recall it. And it is also the end of the Sun story. Next will be the Star story. Stay tuned.
