[ALERT]
[HARMONY BETWEEN SUMMONED CREATURE COMPLETED.]
[ 5 XP]
[CURRENT STATUS: NUMBER 9: LEVEL- 65/100 XP.
MANA CONTROL: 10
MANA POOL: 20/ 5000
PHYSICAL STRENGTH: 15
STAMINA: 10
AURA: 0
SKILL PROFICIENCY: NONE
FAMILIAR TRUST: 92%
—Linked Familiar: WHITE DRAGON
CONTRACTS: ACTIVE 1.
—Na: [ASH]
—Bond Type: Sealed Pact.
NEW ABILITIES: LOCKED.]
It was seven in the morning when Raiden and Ash both stepped into the center of the renovated training room. Raiden remained confused about how Ash could suddenly talk, and unfortunately, Ash had no idea how it happened either—though she knew it would be in Raiden’s best interest to grow stronger. Even worse, the number of words she could manage was limited.
Raiden took a glance at Ash as she rested on his shoulder. "Maybe climbing the ranks will help her speak more freely... because I think she trusts enough."
His daily life as an assassin involved enduring extrely cold or scorching hot rooms for two hours, but if he wanted to get stronger, that tifra—or more—was his epiphany of what it ant to be the strongest.
He gently bent his waist in silence and placed Ash on the floor, sat down beside her, and began taking slow but steady breaths.
"If the target is above your rank, patience is the only knife that cuts. I start with balance training. The best killers are ghosts, not beasts." He muttered and began ditating.
He followed his heart for a while before finally syncing with the silence deep within.
To his surprise, his mana core had grown more spherical and quadrupled in size. Fire needs wind to burn brighter, just as the heart needs blood to pump.
Feeling the silence in the darkness and materializing it through imagination, he began creating white veins of sensation. He believed even a pretend smile could make soone’s day—if he could maintain the illusion that his core was being fed, he would grow stronger still.
Surprisingly, everything ca easier than the previous ti. It was as if a curtain was lifted.
Before long, he was done with ditation and moved on to his actual workout. At first, he’d assud his left hand healed from Ash’s bite thanks to a healer, but after the second bite, the pain faded within monts. Now he felt more energetic than before she’d even bitten him.
He went into pushups, each one becoming lighter than the previous. While this wasn’t anywhere close to his strength as Jack, he was able to complete 70 pushups. It was clearly a milestone for Raiden’s body, though his muscles began trembling at the 60th count, forcing him to stop imdiately after reaching 70.
[ALERT]
[MANA POOL: 30/5000
MANA CONTROL: 20%
PHYSICAL STRENGTH: 10
STAMINA: 10
AURA: 1]
[You need to get powerful, papa.] Ash stirred from her slumber and nudged Raiden.
"I already told you... I’m not your Papa."
"Don’t you think it would be nice to address your bond appropriately?"
Raiden turned to see Aeris standing there with a confident smile, hip jutted to one side and hand resting on her waist. Ash imdiately began hissing at her.
"Stop, Ash. She’s not a threat." He carried her and walked past Aeris to the entrance leading to the switch.
"I heard you fought off a spy. Though he escaped, the book is fine." He paused for a minute.
"You have to understand , Raiden." Her voice was etched with what seed like guilt, but Raiden wasn’t buying any of it. He simply flipped the switch, and the walls flipped.
"Can you say sothing?... I really need the paynt; otherwise, I can’t feed my family."
Raiden turned to her and pointed at Ash. "Do you kno—
[No.]
He paused and turned to Ash as she stared at him with a skeptical expression. Raiden returned the look and simply turned toward where the swords were decorated. He wasn’t certain, but clearly, Ash didn’t want him revealing anything about her.
"Were you going to say sothing?" She began walking toward Raiden. "Please, can you say sothing?"
Raiden let out a sigh. "I don’t really care about your decisions... they’re yours to make, not mine."
"So can I beco your tutor again?" she asked, a tinge of excitent in her voice.
Raiden said nothing and simply grabbed an Odachi sword with a white and golden hilt. The blade was thicker than what he was used to, but he found himself smiling as he admired it.
[ALERT]
[ITEM IDENTIFYING...]
The screen beca scanning the sword.
[ITEM IDENTIFIED] : ODACHI SWORD
[RANK] : ORDINARY
[MATERIAL] : STEEL
"Can I?"
Raiden turned to her with a confused expression. He had completely forgotten that she was there, just from the sight of the sword.
"Sure... suit yourself, but don’t interfere with my work."
Aeris’s expression turned even more pained as she watched Raiden stand motionless, eyes closed.
Jack’s voice began to ring in his head, cold but precise. "Kill the old self’s fear. Break the chains. Kill the weakness."
Everything Raiden intended to do now was exactly as his parents had trained him, and he wouldn’t need anyone—especially not soone stronger than him. He began swinging the sword through the air with precision. The weight was enough to break his grip if he wasn’t careful, but that’s exactly what he wanted.
[Papa, get stronger.] Ash said as she ran around, while Aeris remained motionless.
"So, can I tutor you?"
With no response from Raiden, she walked to the wall and sat down, leaning her back against it as she watched him train fiercely.
Whatever needed to be slashed—vegetable, at, or even a killing strike—the blade perford only a small part of the work, albeit the most crucial part. Each swing must be delivered with precision, aid at the exact angle, and tid perfectly to strike at the right mont.
"Without skilled delivery, the edge can’t shine." Those were Jane Grim’s words when she taught Jack swordsmanship, and that was exactly the principle Raiden was following.
He slashed through the air with precision, visualizing the easiest creature he’d ever killed with a sword: a human. His sword always aid directly at the neck, delivered with exact force, angle, and timing. He practiced this motion repeatedly until his hands began to fail him, sweat cascading down like a waterfall.
Soon enough, he dropped the sword as his hands began shaking uncontrollably. He rested his arms on the floor, panting heavily as his palms and hands turned a deeper shade of red.
[Papa, tired.] Ash said, climbing up onto Raiden. He smiled, giggling at her gentle nudges.
"If you really want to train, then I can make a proposal on your behalf."
Raiden tilted his head slightly toward her as she stood up. "No." He said it without even looking at her again.
"No, listen. You go out there—fight goblins, ogres, even slis." The words tumbled from her mouth. "You’ll get strong quickly that way."
Raiden remained silent, continuing to lie on the floor with Ash resting on his chest, his hands finally relaxing.
[ALERT]
[STAMINA: 10
PHYSICAL STRENGTH: 15
AURA: 2]
[NEW SKILL PROFICIENCY ACQUIRED]
[SWORDSMASHIP: 5%]
"Please, give sothing to do... anything." Her voice cracked with desperation.
If he was going to get stronger, he would eventually need sothing more challenging to push his boundaries—and he already knew that training alone wouldn’t be enough. He turned to her with a smirk, ready to stir up so drama.
"If you say so, then I have a few tasks for you."
Aeris stepped closer, her eyes bright with hope. "Yes, anything."
"I don’t normally deal with traitors. I prefer them dead." Aeris’s expression darkened.
"I want you to find out why Captain Kai and the elders want the Night family out of power. Then you fetch every detail about the assassins. Finally, you get everything there is to know about blue crest bearers... especially those with dragon familiars."
His voice grew darker, denser, and colder. "Cross again, and this ti I will kill you."
His words sent chills through Aeris. She trembled and stood frozen for a mont. "After that, you will pay 2000 Persa per month."
Raiden smirked. "Just get it done."
Aeris managed a grin before leaving the room.
Everything Raiden said was a pure bluff. Without knowing exactly how strong Aeris was or outranking her significantly, he wouldn’t stand a chance if it ca to a real confrontation—he wouldn’t move a muscle.
But he knew it wouldn’t reach that point—her willingness to walk in and plead for so long revealed a desperation he could exploit.
"Hell might be fun after all." He smirked.
[No.]
"No? What do you an?"
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