Dark finally finished his training.
He let out a deep sigh, his body drenched in sweat, and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.
Ingrid approached, her arm still in bad shape.
— Dark, I think you’ve done enough for today. Now it’s time to hunt, and this time, you’ll face stronger monsters.
— Wait! I only trained a little… I don’t even know if I can fight properly, and I get tired way too fast, remember?
— Hold on… — Ingrid put a hand to her chin, studying him carefully. — Are you feeling completely exhausted right now?
— Well… not really, just a bit. Why? — Dark dropped his sword into the ground.
— You just trained for four hours straight.
— Four hours?! How am I even still standing? I should’ve collapsed by now!
— Maybe it’s the sword… — Ingrid’s attention shifted to the blade. She crouched down, inspecting it closely. — How do you feel when you hold it?
— Me? I feel… strong? Faster? Like I can do anything I want.
— Dark, I think this sword actually enhances your physical abilities. — Ingrid stood back up, leveling with him. — Since it boosts your skills, you should go after stronger monsters.
— Bu-but…
Ingrid stared at him in a way that left no room for argument.
— Fine… — Dark muttered, adopting a lazy, unmotivated stance. — I’ll go. Should I leave now?
— Yes. Hunt plenty of strong monsters, and tonight we’ll head to the middle of the island. There will also be a boss there. — She smirked slightly at him. — You probably don’t know this, but it’s going to happen. I have my connections.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
— You want to kill me, don’t you? — Dark asked, looking at her as if he’d given up on life.
Ingrid turned and walked back toward the camp.
— If I killed you, I’d gain nothing. Only lose. Besides, many of the upcoming lessons are meant for pairs. — She stopped halfway and glanced back at him, speaking softly enough for him to hear: — I need you, Dark… whether you like it or not.
— Damn… — Dark sighed, picked up his sword, and followed her.
---
After gathering their gear, they walked through the forest.
Dark carried the sword on his back, secured with two vines.
— How do we find stronger monsters? — he asked.
— We just keep walking until we find them. Besides, this island has more weak monsters than strong ones.
— So there’s a chance they’ve all been killed already?
— I doubt it. Someone must respawn the monsters. — Ingrid’s tone became serious as she glanced at the trees. — There are several instructors on the island, watching us…
— Wait… then why didn’t they help us against Tyson? — Dark asked, guilt creeping in.
— Because none were nearby. They’re obviously focusing on the best students, so they didn’t really care about you. — Ingrid explained calmly, stepping on the dry leaves.
— Hey! — Dark protested.
— But… one of them was following me. I made it get lost and eventually found you. Tyson must have used something to keep the instructors away. — Ingrid paused thoughtfully. — Anyway, let’s focus on what we actually need to do.
The air between them grew heavy.
Neither spoke for a while.
---
Almost an hour later, they were suddenly attacked.
Ingrid leapt to the side, dodging, but quickly remembered Dark.
— Dark! — she shouted, alarmed.
The dust cleared. Dark lay on the ground, his eyes glowing green before fading to a light yellow.
He stood up, grabbed his sword from his back, and assumed a battle stance.
He scanned the area, finally spotting the enemy.
It was a Lycan — a humanoid monster with a wolf-like body and claws sharp enough to tear stone. It was fast, fast enough that most would die before even seeing it coming. Its claws were its primary weapon.
— Ingrid, what kind of monster is that? — Dark asked, serious and ready to fight. He felt a strange, intense power radiating from it.
— A Lycan! It’s mid-tier, but it gets much stronger in packs. — Ingrid moved behind him, correcting herself. — It should give a good number of points since we’re rookies. Think of it as a Rank A for us.
— Wait! Why are you behind me?! — Dark snapped, annoyed at her lack of courage.
— I can’t fight, remember? My sword’s gone, and I’m down an arm.
— Right… — Dark murmured, embarrassed.
— Come on, take it down. You should be able to manage. It’s not that hard… — she quickly switched to a proud tone, a small smirk forming. — At least, it wouldn’t be for me…
Dark’s irritation grew.
He sighed and ran toward the Lycan, swinging a transversal slash.
The monster dodged and countered, scratching Dark’s shoulder.
He stepped back, his eyes glowing green again.
— Dark, are you okay? — Ingrid asked, worried, reaching out.
— I’m fine. — He tied a piece of his own pants around the wound as it bled.
— Much better… — he muttered.
The Lycan charged again.
Dark’s eyes flared bright green.
He cut the monster’s arm, sending it sprawling to the ground, terrified and trying to escape.
Knowing it wouldn’t make it, he threw his sword.
The blade pierced the Lycan’s chest, and it fell lifeless.
Dark approached the corpse. He no longer seemed like himself.
The air around him felt colder.
Ingrid watched, unsettled by the change.
Dark stood over the monster. The wind blew through his hair as he looked down with a gaze of pure disdain.
He crouched and, without hesitation, pulled his sword from the creature’s chest, now soaked in blood.
Ingrid felt nothing — monsters dying were normal to her.
But seeing Dark kill like this, so coldly, was different.
It was… unsettling.
Dark’s eyes returned to normal.
— Hey, Ingrid… I’m done here. Where’s its core? — he asked, back to his usual self.
— Ah, yes. It’s where the hear
t would be. — Ingrid approached cautiously. Dark seemed dangerous. — No… — she whispered to herself. — He’s my companion now.
Should I make the chapters longer? Shorter? Or is this enough?
