n

n

nIt had been a couple of weeks since the whole Rewind incident, in the middle of September...as it turned out, I didn't end up killing that loli, after all.

nPersia and the others pulled me back into the room and didn't leave until I promised them that I wouldn't try anything...and then Persia stayed over to make sure that I would stay put, among other reasons...

nThis wasn't over though...I'll get my revenge sooner or later.

nOn another note, I'm assuming that there was no divine intervention when my younger self told Key and Az about the whole reincarnation thing because that version of me had no memory of the agreement I'd made to keep quiet about the whole thing. Huh, not-God was surprisingly reasonable.

nThings had been pretty normal since then.

nI had to explain to the Academy and Guild regarding the run-in we had with those Adventurers I'd nearly killed. I managed to get off with just a warning after I explained what my situation had been.

nAnd then I got the bill for the repairs for the hole I'd blasted through the roof...yeah, that wasn't cheap.

nLater, I was summoned by the royal castle to be consulted regarding the aftermath of the Goldway destruction.

nApparently, I had impressed the prince and representatives during the Goldway Quest, since I had been in the thick of it practically the whole time, and had a lot of input in the strategizing and whatnot.

nThey wanted my opinion on how to proceed. It turns out that The Valaque Empire had cut ties with Silvland and Bronztan, and both nations had expressed interest in forming alliances with the Rustlands since we had been heavily involved during the whole Goldway fiasco, and had information about The Empire that they didn't.

nAfter thinking it over, I gave them my opinion...

n

"We've always been considered the weak link amongst the nations of this world, right? Well, that's not the case right now. Unlike with the Goldway alliance, where we went to them...make Silvland and Bronztan come to us. If they want to ally with us, it should be on our terms. Obviously, look to make the alliances on equal standings for both parties, but since we're the ones with the information, we need to make sure that they know that we have the upper hand. Unless you're fine with remaining the weakest country...I mean, er, you highness.

"

nThe king and prince thanked me for my input and dismissed me, but that, along with the incident at the cave, earned me the ire of most of the full-fledged Adventurers in the country. I guess I couldn't be too surprised, not only was I just a Student Adventurer, but I was also still a first year.

nOn another note, groups of bandits and thieves had begun appearing in the areas around the Rustlands.

nIn the past, they were pretty rare around here, but with Goldway gone now, they were too afraid to go near The Valaque Empire, and as a result, had shifted their sights to the other countries, including the Rustlands.

nAnyway, back to the present.

nI was currently on a Quest in the forest area with the rest of Group D. It was to collect some herbs, but that wasn't our main reason for coming out here today.

nNaturally, we were in the hidden clearing where all those Marijuana plants grow. And I was currently making...tennis rackets. Yup, you read that right. Tennis rackets.

nRai had used rubber and thin cotton to make a tennis ball, and he had incessantly begged me over and over again to make rackets so that we could play tennis, until...I finally caved in to get him to shut up.

n...I really didn't like that he could get me to do what he wanted through sheer persistence and nagging.

nI was using wood to carve the rackets, and using my metal wire as the strings. I was using an elastic black headband to push my hair back a bit, it was hard to focus with one eye partially covered by hair...yeah, I definitely like the way I look with longer hair, but it's kinda inconvenient and impractical, though I am kinda getting used to it...

n

"So, what's this game called again?

" Asked Key, rolling on the grass lazily.

nOh, and all five of us were already high. I then remembered something...

n

"It's called tennis. Hey, Key...there's something I've been meaning to ask you, during the whole Rewind thing...in the cave, when you cut off my hand...your speed, strength and reflexes shot up like crazy, and...you had fur on your arms and le-,

" I began to ask, recalling that moment.

n

"Ahh! N-no, must have been y-your imagination!

" She shrieked, rapidly sitting up like a woman possessed.

nWoah...I had never seen her lose her cool like this. Ordinarily, I wouldn't press it any further, but...she did expose my phobia, so...

n

"No, I'm pretty sure of what I saw...do you have a Retractable Anima?

" I inquired curiously.

nInstructor Dile and Instructor Tabbs were the only people I'd seen so far with Retractable Animas, I know they're supposed to be rare, but still...you'd think I'd have run into at least one more by this point.

n

"Woah, for real? Oh, yeah...you never did tell us what your Anima was, did you, Key-Key?

" Chimed in Rai, joining in with great interest and curiosity.

n

"Hey, come on guys, leave her alone...although, I can't deny that I'm also pretty curious,

" Added Persia, giving her a sheepish look.

nShe was starting to look pretty cornered, as the three of us stared at her with intrigue.

n

"You might as well tell them...it's not like you can hide it forever,

" Azyl spoke up, letting out a disinterested yawn.

nOh, right...he already knew what her Anima was.

nAfter a few minutes of silence, Key let out a sigh of defeat.

n

"...yes, I do have a Retractable Anima. When it first manifested, I was so embarrassed by the way it looked that I began desperately wishing that it would disappear...and then it did. I thought I was dreaming, but then found out that I had a Retractable Anima.

"

n

"...

"

n

"...

"

n

"So...what is it, your Anima?

"

n

"...

"

n

"...

"

n

"I-it's an, um...it's...it's an...orangutan,

" She mumbled reluctantly, her face turning red.

nOh, that explains the color of the fur that had appeared on her.

n

"...what's so embarrassing about that?

" Responded Rai in slight confusion.

n

"Um, if you don't mind...could you show us what it looks like?

" Persia requested, caving in as she was unable to hold back her curiosity anymore.

nSo...this is the power of peer pressure, huh?

nWe all stared at her expectantly...

n

"F-fine...!

" She muttered loudly, before taking off the gloves that went up to her elbows, as well as her boots.

nBrownish-orange fur began sprouting on her forearms, hands and feet, as her toes grew longer and flexible like fingers. The way she had been acting, I wasn't sure what to expect, but...it didn't look particularly strange or anything.

nI had definitely seen plenty of weirder looking Animas so far.

n

"I don't see why you're so embarrassed...it kinda looks good on you, goes well with your red outfit, hair and eyes!

" Exclaimed Rai, grinning.

n

"Y-you really think so?

"

n

"Definitely!

"

n

"Mhm, I agree...it doesn't look bad at all,

" Persia agreed.

n

"Yeah, what they said,

" I added,

"So, it boosts your physical abilities, right?

"

nShe nodded in reply, looking a bit more relieved as she took in our reactions. Had she been afraid that we'd laugh or something?

n

"Yes, I become a lot more nimble and flexible, especially in my legs. My strength and speed both go up significantly...a-anyway, that's enough of that!

" She stuttered, as she retracted the mutations and returned to her normal state,

"L-let's get back to the game we were going to play, um...tennis, was it?

"

nOh, right...I'd totally forgotten about that.

n

"Oh, give me a sec...I'm done with carving the frames for the rackets, just gotta string it now...,

" I replied, picking up one of the wooden racket frames I'd whittled and began stitching my metal wire through the circle.

n

"Hey, those look so legit...you're pretty good at this, dude,

" Remarked Rai, peering over my shoulder.

n

"Yeah, well...I've always been good with my hands. My younger self kicked all your asses in Ludo in a single turn, remember.

"

nYeah, I know plenty of useless skills and tricks, I had so much free time when I wasn't training or on missions in my old world that I would often practice party tricks and whatnot.

n

"That makes sense, you handle needles a lot, and you've got really good aim too...in fact, I don't think I've ever seen you miss. Although, you can't really call that a game, it was over before it could even begin,

" Remarked Key.

n

"Well, I wasn't actually a part of that game...,

" Said Rai.

n

"Oh, right...it's a four-player game so you sat out. Anyway, my point is...I'm good at doing precision work with my hands, I used to practice random and technically useless stuff like spinning pens with my fingers, shuffling cards in flashy ways, carving and whittling, I can even do a bit of sleight of hand magic tricks...basically, I was really into learning cool but pointless tricks during my preteen years, and as a result, I found out that I had pretty dexterous hands.

"

n...

nFive seconds later, I seriously regretted telling him about that particular aspect of myself...

n

"Hey, hey...! I've got a coin...make it disappear or something!

" He requested excitedly, handing me a small silver coin.

nI sighed in exasperation and took it from him, placing it in my palm and closing my fist. I didn't want to, but I knew that look in his eye...he wasn't going to shut up about this too easily, and it was a lot less effort to just do it instead of argue with him...

n

"Okay...now you see it...now you don't,

" I mumbled half-heartedly, making an unenthusiastic show of blowing into my clenched fist and then opening it, revealing an empty palm, before reaching behind his ear,

"Oh...here it is...wooow...alright, happy now? Can I get back to the rackets?

"

nI sighed as I handed the coin back to him, and got back to stitching the wire across the rackets.

n

"Woah, that was awesome, dude! What else can you do!?

"

n

"How did you do that?

" Asked Persia and Key at the same time.

n

"That was neat,

" Was Azyl's input.

nYeah, definitely regretting this...

n

"I only know a few basic sleight of hand tricks, alright? I didn't really get that much into it after the more advanced tricks took too long to get the hang of.

"

nIn the end, I distracted them by showing them exactly how I'd done that trick, going over it step by step, demonstrating with my right hand while using my left hand to continue working on the rackets.

n

"I don't know if my fingers are flexible enough to do that...I might be able to if I fully un-retract my Anima...,

" Key muttered to herself.

nThey had started attempting the trick for themselves...good, I can finish these rackets in peace with them distracted...

n...

n...

nFinally, done! I had finished stringing the four rackets that I'd made, and they were looking pretty good, if I do say so myself. I had made four in case we decided to play doubles, but also as backups in case one or two of them broke.

n

"Alright, guys...shall we?

" I inquired, holding up the finished rackets.

nIt took a minute to get them to stop practicing the coin sleight of hand trick I'd taught them, after which Rai and I explained the rules.

nWell, sort of...the actual way the point system works in tennis is kinda stupid and doesn't really make sense if you ask me, so we replaced that aspect with a simple 'first person to reach five points wins' rule. We also added a 'no Elemental Magic' rule.

nWe set up some branches and leaves in the middle as a sort of makeshift net...and by we, I mean mostly me.

nAfter a few practice rounds so that everyone could get the hang of it, we began.

nI let the others play first as I decided to take a moment to relax.

nI wasn't exactly tired, but the process of stringing rackets felt so tedious and repetitive that I was mentally kinda drained.

nCome to think of it...why did I work so hard to make the equipment to play a sport that I had no real interest in?

nWe played in a round-robin format, as in each of us would play each of the other four once.

nMy first match was against Azyl.

nHe...lost every single one of his matches, and it was most certainly due to a lack of effort.

nMy second match was against Key.

nThis one was a lot more challenging, as once she got the hang of it, she began fully incorporating her sword technique into her strikes. She always returned my hits using swift slicing strikes, meaning that the ball either skidded or spun when it bounced.

nWe were currently tied at 3-3.

nLet's see...I should be able to get the ball to spin or something if I rotate my wrist as I hit it. I tossed the ball up and hit it across her, with a rapid flick of my wrist...

nIt bounced out of bounds, before spinning sharply.

nOh, wow...I hadn't managed to land it inside the court, but...that was some seriously spin.

nIf I messed up again, she'll win...

nLet's tweak it a bit.

nI shifted my position a bit more to the left and tossed the ball up. Alright, here goes...

nI jumped up and hit the ball straight at her, once again flicking my wrist at I hit it. It bounced right in front of her, and as she prepared to return it...it sharply spun away to her right, as she failed to react in time.

nOh, nice...that worked perfectly, I love it when things go exactly as planned!

nHey, you know what...this is kinda fun.

nShe served next, once again slicing the ball towards me...she used a really sloped angle with the racket to hit the ball, instead of using the full face of the racket. I had gotten used to her skiddy strikes though.

nAs the ball crossed over the net to my side of the court, she quickly stepped back to the edge of her side...I see, she was giving herself more room to deal with my spin. In that case...

nAs the ball bounced and skidded towards me, I...gave it a light tap, using just enough strength to send it back over the makeshift net. It bounced a couple of times and then rolled away before she could reach it.

n

"...you got me,

" She conceded with a sigh.

nShe had been standing so far back that there was no way she could have made it forward in time to hit my weak return.

nNext up, I faced Rai.

nI wracked up three points in a row with my spin serves, as he failed to keep up with me. I'm enjoying this a lot more than I thought I would.

nAnd then, I let down my guard...

nAll three of my points had been due to him missing the ball as it spun away to his right...and his current stance was positioned to the right...what, does he think I can't get the ball to spin to the left?

nI subtly switched arms from right to left, tossed the ball up, jumped, and then hit it towards him, as I flicked my left wrist upon contact.

nHm, the trajectory is slightly off, but good enough.

nIt landed about a meter in front of his left foot, while he was positioned to counter the ball spinning towards his right...and then it spun left. Heh, gotcha...

nBut before it could go past him, in a single, fluid motion...he tossed the racket over his shoulder, caught the handle with his tail, and...smashed the ball back at me, as it rapidly bounced and shot past me, I was too surprised to react in time to hit it back.

nD-did...did he just...?

nI had no idea he could use his tail like that. It was like he had an extra limb...maybe I should have asked for an Anima with a flexible tail...

n

"Aw, YEAH! I totally got you, dude! I tricked you into thinking that I was thinking that you were going to spin it to my right, but I was counting on you spinning it to the left this time! Oh, man...this feels so good, I totally outsmarted you...!

"

nHeh...hehe...oh, boy...I had never felt this irritated before...

nAnd so, I gave it everything I've got to make sure to crush him before he could score another point on me.

n

"Aw, I lost...oh, well...I'll totally take that one point against you as a win, the look on your face when I hit the ball back was pure gold-!

"

n

"Don't push your luck,

" I smiled coldly, before grabbing his tail and zapping him.

nAnd finally, I took on Persia.

nWe hadn't trained together for a while, not since before the Goldway Quest, I hadn't really been training at all since I got back to the Rustlands. I was planning on starting it up again soon though, don't want to get too rusty...

n

"Hey, how about we make this interesting and have a penalty...whoever loses has to do one thing the winner wants, just like we did before,

" She suggested with a confident grin.

nThe two of us were both undefeated so far, her natural speed and reflexes had led to her winning all three of her previous matches 5-0. Az lost all his matches because he didn't even try, while Rai's only win was against Az, and Key's two wins had been against the both of them, although she would have fared a lot better if she had used the full extent of her Anima.

nNone of them had been able to defeat either Persia or I. So...it was time to find out which of us was the better tennis player.

n...something I'd have never imagined I'd be doing in a fantasy world, of all places. I mean, it's kinda ironic...I never played tennis, or any other sport for that matter, in my old world, but I was practically co-inventing it in this world right now...

n

"Is that really necessary? I don't mind or anything, but we've done this penalty thing twice before, and even though we both won once each, both those times ended the exact same way...,

" I pointed out, referring to the fact that the penalty for both of those previous instances had been me petting her cat ears.

nBut, these days...we don't really have to ask each other before doing stuff like that.

n

"Oh, come on...it'll be fun to try and think of a new penalty. Think of it this way, if you win...you can ask me to do absolutely anything...maybe there's something you're too embarrassed to ask me normally?

" She leaned in and whispered so that the others wouldn't hear.

n

"...well, nothing's coming to mind right now, but...I guess it'd be pretty stupid to pass this up, huh?

" I replied with a smirk.

nAs we both agreed on the addition of the penalty, we took our positions.

nHm, I wonder what kind of a penalty would be good...oh, how about- no, she probably wouldn't refuse that even without a penalty...

nSo...what, then?

n...

n...

n...that's when it hit me!

nYes...yes, that's perfect!

nOh my not-God, how had I not thought of this before!?

nHeh...hehehe...

n

"Kuro? Uh...hey, Kuro!

"

n

"H-huh, wha-?

"

n

"Snap out of it...you looked like you were about to start drooling. Come on, let's start!

" She called out from the other end of the grassy, makeshift court.

nWell, then...this was a game changer.

nNow that the idea was in my head, there was...there was absolutely no way I could afford to lose!

nShe was going to be tough to beat though, if I'm being honest I'm definitely at a disadvantage here...

nHm, I can't use Lightning Boost, the others will definitely notice the slight electric glow. I should be able to use it to just enhance my perception and reaction time though...I streamed lightning through the nerves connected to my eyes.

nAlright, if this turns out to not be enough, I'll extract some Karma...

nShe served first, hitting the ball straight towards me.

nHer strikes weren't particularly fast or tricky, they certainly weren't bad, but they weren't impossible to deal with either.

nWhat made her so tough to beat was the fact that she was yet to fail to return the ball, not a single person had managed to score a point against her yet. She was very quick to get into position and counter, she could see the trajectory of the ball a bit earlier than the rest of us thanks to her cat-like eyes...well, my enhanced perception was about to neutralize that advantage.

nThe ball bounced in front of me, and I whacked it back with a flick of my wrist.

nShe took a step back and steadied herself...the ball bounced and spun to her left, she immediately stepped across to the left and returned the ball swiftly.

nIt bounced back at me at an awkward position...looks like I can't hit this back with any spin. I hit it normally, across to her left. Before the ball had even crossed the net, she was already in position to hit it back.

nHm...looks like I need to hit them back with a bit more speed.

nI took a step back to give myself more room to work with, and...she countered with a light return, hitting it back with just enough force to knock it back over the net.

nShe just...she just used the same move I used to bamboozle Key.

nShe winked smugly and stuck out her tongue at me with a cocky grin. I responded with an annoyed smile.

nAlright, Cat Girl...game on.

nAnother volley began, and as she hit one back that bounced a bit extra, I sprang up, and as I reached the ball, I extracted ten percent Karma, giving myself a x1.5 boost. I then smashed down on the ball as hard as I could, Persia narrowly failing to send it back, her return strike unable to clear the net.

nAs she gave me a suspicious glance, I quickly forced the Karma back into the Mana Orb in my chest, before she could notice my eyes.

nAlright...1-1.

nAs the next volley got underway, I began wracking my brain on possible options to take...I shouldn't keep using the same move over and over...okay, no using Karma during this volley.

nIt went on for a while, until she finally got one past me. She was definitely better at me than this, I can't win unless I play dirty.

nMy turn to serve...okay, which way should I spin it...wait, hold on...as soon I got the hang of adding spin to my serves, I've been using it every single time I serve. In that case...

nAs I tossed the ball and sprang up to hit it, I faked the flick of my wrist and gave the ball a straightforward smash towards her.

nShe may wait till the last moment to react and counter instead of trying to predict it, but if there was even a slight bias in her that was expecting the ball to spin, regardless of direction...this might catch her off guard.

nAs the ball bounced...it maintained its direction and bounced straight towards her. Her eyes widened in surprise, and as she hesitated for a split second...the ball ricocheted off of the corner of her racket and went out of bounds.

nYes, it worked! Huh, maybe I don't have to cheat to win after al- woah!

nAs she served, the ball flew past me rapidly, like a violent gust of wind. Did...did she just use her Wind Magic!?

n...this means war.

nNo need to hide the cheating anymore. Rai looked like he was about to speak up and call her out on it, but before he could...

nI activated Lightning Boost at x2.7, my current maximum mastery, and served the ball back as hard as I could. She reached it, but wasn't able to control her return, hitting the ball into the net.

nAnd now, the score was tied at 3-3.

nGame on.

nAfter a couple of normal exchanges to start off the next volley, I re-activated Lightning Boost and smashed the ball across to her left...heh, looks like another point for-!

nI was snapped out of my premature celebration as she suddenly used Propulsion to rapidly move to her left, bursting out a jet of wind from behind her hand to speed up the swing of her racket as she smashed the ball back at me.

nI zipped across with Lightning Boost and slammed the ball back across her, as she kept up using her Propulsion and returning the ball with some serious force.

nEven with my vision enhanced to the absolute maximum, that ball looked like it was moving rapidly. I shot towards, barely reaching it as I struck it back.

nIt hit the top of the net, losing some momentum as I went over to her side. She shot forward and absolutely smashed her racket against the ball, as it slammed into the ground on my side.

nIt bounced a lot higher than any of the previous strikes, about a meter in the air above me.

nHere's my chance, time to end this...I extracted fifteen percent Karma, adding an additional x1.75 boost on top of my x2.7 Lightning Boost for a total boost of...eh, you do the math.

nGotta finish this now, I can't handle this much Karma for more than five or six seconds.

nI then jumped up as high as I could and shot up towards the ball in the blink of an eye.

nEverything was moving in slow motion...the ball in front of me appeared to just be floating in mid-air. I raised my racket, and with all the strength I could muster...I brought it down on the ball like a flash of lightning...

n...

n...

n...I **ed up.

nI quickly forced the Karma back into the orb before it could start destroying my body...managed to get away with a few torn muscles, no biggie.

n

"Okay, uh...well, clearly, at some point this match stopped being a game of tennis...uh, well I guess we can't continue anymore,

" Remarked Rai, staring at the result of my last swing.

nRight, so remember how I had strung the rackets using my metal wire? With enough force, this wire was sharp enough to decapitate a person.

nMy last swing had been so rapid that the wire ended up cutting the ball into pieces instead of hitting it back down.

n

"Heh...I, uh...might have gotten a bit carried away,

" I grinned sheepishly, as Persia walked over to me,

"So...I guess that was a tie.

"

n

"...you can have the win. If your last swing had sent the ball back towards me, I'm pretty sure I would have had no chance of returning it...which would make the score 4-3 in your favor. And besides...you looked like whatever penalty you came up with was something you really wanted,

" She responded with a teasing wink.

n

"Heh...was it that obvious?

"

n

"Yeah, I'm actually a little concerned by how giddy you looked...also, you gave me the win when our race was a tie, so...it's only fair.

"

n

"Wait...you knew about that?

"

nAnyway, unlike with the spare rackets I'd made, we only had the one ball, which meant that we couldn't continue, so...we went back into the weed haven and got high for a couple more hours...

n...

n...

nAs the sun began to set, the five of us reluctantly got up and began heading back.

n

"So...what's my penalty for losing?

" Persia inquired, walking next to me.

n

"Hm? Oh, uh...I'll tell you when we're alone,

" I whispered back.

nIt was kinda embarrassing, and I didn't want to risk anyone else hearing.

nWe hadn't gone much further when I noticed something...

n

"We're being followed, guys...let's see...looks like six people...yup, definitely human. And they're definitely hostile,

" I stated in a low tone, just loud enough for the others to hear.

nThey nodded quietly as we kept walking like we hadn't noticed.

nWe usually did this when monsters tried to sneak up on us, so that we could surprise counter their surprise attack. This was the first time that it was humans though...Key and Rai were showing signs of slight unease.

nWell, Rai was anti-killing, while Key was probably still a bit shaken up by what had happened at the Goblin cave during the Rewind incident, so I wasn't really surprised.

nAlright, they were twenty meters away...I cleared my throat twice.

nTen meters away...I cleared my throat once, moving my left hand by the handle of my dagger as I did.

nPersia slowly extended her metal claws, while Key got ready to draw her sword. Rai- oh, right...I should mention that he had changed his weapon.

nThe chain part of his chain-sickle had continued to get in our way when it came to combo moves...so he had replaced it with a large scythe, claiming he was going for the 'Grim Reaper vibe'. Ironic, considering that the last verb I'd use to describe him would be 'grim'.

n

"Now!

" I exclaimed, turning around and drawing out my dagger, the others also turning and readying their weapons, as...a group of bandits sprang out from the bushes.

nThey halted as expressions of surprise crossed their faces, taken aback by the fact that we were facing them.

nWe each shot towards one of them...

nKey drew out her sword and dashed for one of them, a man with a rat-like tail. He swung a knife at her head, as she effortlessly ducked the swing and then horizontally slammed the back of her blade onto his stomach, before unfurling a vicious throat punch to knock him out.

nRai shot forward using Lightning Boost and used Stream to coat his scythe with lightning and then used the back, blunt side of the curved blade to strike his opponent, a woman with a beak, the electric shock knocking her out.

nAzyl stood where he was, as one of the bandits, a man with a large sword, charged at him. Az lifted his hand, instantly encasing his opponent in a block of ice before he could even get near him.

nPersia snuck past her tall opponent's hammer swing using Propulsion, getting it close and rapidly driving her claws through his heart, her arm shooting forward like an arrow as she blasted a powerful jet of wind from her elbow to propel her claws through his chest and out the back.

nI dashed towards my opponent, entering Bloodlust Mode for the first time in weeks, but using my normal speed. It didn't feel as emotionless as usual...

nI used Stream to electrify and extend my dagger, slashing off his hand as he attempted to strike me with a poison-coated knife. I then drove the dagger into the middle of his chest and twisted the blade rapidly, while extracting ten percent Karma and charging a ball of black lightning with my right hand.

nI violently pulled back the dagger, eliciting a tortured cry of pain from him, before I blasted his head off using the black lighting blast.

nOne left...

n

"Alright...who wants the last one?

" I asked the others.

nBefore anyone could take dibs, the man began to turn and run away in fear.

nI flung a needle coated in Confusion at the back of his neck, he collapsed as it took effect, flailing in a futile effort to stand up.

nI walked over and stabbed him in the heart through the back, slowly driving and twisting the blade into him, until it reached his heart and killed him.

nI then withdrew my dagger, wiped off the blood and put it away, as I returned to my normal state of mind.

n

"You know...you didn't have to kill them. We could just tie them up and take them to the Guild,

" Remarked Rai, a bit disdainfully.

n

"I think it's okay. My one's dead too,

" Countered Azyl, nodding at the ice-encapsulated man he'd frozen.

n

"Mine too,

" Chimed in Persia, as she wiped her metal claws.

n

"We each do things differently, I'm willing to respect that. And besides, it will be easier to take back two than six. Let's just say the other four were killed in self defense if we're asked, alright?

" Sighed Key, putting away her sword as I tossed her a roll of wire to tie up the knocked out bandits.

nAfter we tied up the two that were still alive, we headed back.

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"What about the bodies?

" Asked Rai.

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"Leave them...the monsters and wild animals will take care of those,

" I shrugged, before stopping and adding,

"I know that sounds harsh, but that's my take on it. If you want to stay back and bury them or whatever, be my guest. But I have no sympathy for anyone who tries to kill me.

"

nNo one said anything, as we continued heading back, leaving the corpses as they were. Rai was clearly troubled by it, and to a lesser extent, so was Key. Az was hard to read as always.

nAs we neared the gates of the country, I thought back to the way I had killed those bandits.

nIt wasn't my usual efficient style of killing as quickly as possible...even though I had been in Bloodlust Mode, I made sure to inflict some pain before I killed them, and...I had enjoyed it.

nUsually, I was cold, calculating and efficient when I immersed my mind in Bloodlust Mode, but it was different today, there was a new variable in the mix, it was barely noticeable at first, but it was definitely there...something wild and feral...something that craved violence.

nLooks like I really have changed...

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nThank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to vote, and feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate any and all feedback and criticism! Also, check out my Instagram account @aimdaqs for posts relating to this book.

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