Chapter 63: Ch 62: A duel.
"What do you mean that he wants to duel me?"
"He wants to fight you."
"No I know what that means, I want to know why he wants to fight me?"
August starts speaking with Mr. Duelist, I could catch a few words while he was talking, after he gets a reply he gives it to me.
"He wants to test your strength, since you tamed a storm hare and went into the forest and came back safely."
I didn't expect to be challenged in a duel so quickly, but whatever, this duel does sound pretty exciting and I do want to test his strength, and I could learn how to hold back more.
"Tell him that I accept."
"I did think that you'd refu- wait, you're accepting?!"
"It sounds like an interesting fight, plus it will be dishonorable to refuse a duel out of fear."
"Rai, this man is the strongest in the village, he evolved into a bull beastman and is fully grown, the difference in physical ability is like night and day between you two, and a duel like this will likely forbid techniques, there is no way for you to win!"
"Trust me, I won't lose, and I had already told you, refusing a duel like this will stain my honor."
August sighs, guess he realized there is no changing my mind, he tells this to Mr. Duelist and then he grins, he tells something to August and then turns and leaves.
"He is telling you that that's the spirit and to meet him in the training grounds now."
"Alright, I am heading there, you can come with me if you like, but let me tell you something. I'll end this battle quickly then I'll go to where the woodworkers are."
I start walking towards the training grounds, Nozomi and Ethan had also followed me along with August, when we reach there, we find that there was a small crowd of villagers watching the grounds, they were gonna be out audience I assume. I see that bull dude on the training grounds and he gestures to me to come. Before heading down I talk with Nozomi and Ethan
"You're not gonna wish me luck?"
"Why do I need to wish you luck when I know that you're gonna win." Nozomi said confidently.
"Go my student, show him the power of the rabbit martial arts." Ethan says while trying to make himself sound like an old man.
I shake my head and smile under the mask from Ethan, fine I guess o'wise "master". The villagers looked confused as to why I shook my head but I hurried up and went to face him. He looked at my hands then pointed at a wooden sword nearby, I shook my head and lifted my hands in front of me, he nods then takes out a giant wooden greatsword. A villager stands between us and lifts his hand, he shouts something and August explains it.
"He says that the rules of the duel is that you will not use any techniques and any fatal attack is not allowed."
The villager then after that swings his arm down after what I assume was him counting down, and so the battle begins.
The bull dude charges forwards the moment the battle began, fitting for him to be charging head first into battle. His movements weren't bad... for a first evolution. I could see him move very slowly, by the time he reaches me, I had already devised a strategy not to beat him with overwhelming strength, I step back from the swing of his great sword and it strikes the ground, the ground cracked under the force of that strike and even the sword had some of the wood in it crack. The villagers gasped as I dodged the attack and Mr. Duelist here was a little surprised, he grinned then tried to attack more with his sword, the difference between our strengths was too large for it to be a challenge but he didn't know, so I continued to hold back and dodge his attacks, I duck under a sideways swing that he delivered and the airforce from that attack had caused my hood to slip from the top of my head, revealing my fox ears for a second, I quickly pull the hood back on, none of the villagers noticed but the duelist here and August certainly have, he had been shocked by me dodging his attack, so I take this opportunity and deliver a punch to his stomach, I had held back a ton, but even so the punch pushes him back and makes him slightly keel over. He had recovered from this attack and then looked at me, he was completely focused now on me, he then rushes straight at me again with his greatsword, seriously? That isn't gonna work y'know, as he approaches I try to punch him as he got closer, but then my fist had only touched air, as he had then stopped and jumped to my left, he swings down his greatsword with incredible strength onto me, I force myself to be thrown down by his swing, as it didn't do any damage to me and I was afraid the sword was gonna break when it hit me, while I was on the ground, the villagers had gasped and I saw that the villager that started the match was about to declare that he was the victor, oh my, do they not believe in me that much? Well, I hate losing, so prepare yourself Mr. Duelist.
While I was on the ground I push myself off the ground then kick him lightly on his greatsword, the greatsword parried it but was heavily damaged, then I move behind him before he realized it and punched him in his back, he had then fallen down to the ground, he did not stand back up. Looking around, I see that the villagers were in disbelief from this, even the referee didn't declare the loss of Mr. Duelist here, I clear my throat for him to remember and then he says something, I guess he announced my victory. I go up to the duelist then heal him, after healing him, I leave and meet up with August, the look on his face said more than words could describe.
"So you were a fox beastkin? From the strength you've shown you might actually be something higher than that."
"Well, I do say that I have a large amount of essence."
"Haha, you're a very interesting fellow, you even managed to beat Rowan, although I don't know how you beat him in physical strength."
"I just targeted areas that would do more damage."
He seems to have accepted that as a good answer, but thank god that he didn't see any fur on my face or something like that, otherwise I think he'd be treating me far differently than now. At that moment, Rowan came up to me after the duel, he looked kind of angry but didn't do anything, he said something that I once again didn't understand.
"He said that he thanks you for the duel."
Oh? He was thanking me? Haha no worries pal, I'll beat you up whenever you want to. Wait I think I forgot something... Ah! That's right, I need to go to woodworking!
"I already knew you were gonna win Rai."
"You were pretty coo-"
"There is no time you two, we gotta go quickly!"
I grab the two and then tell August to hurry up, we then end up running as the crowd had dispersed and went off to do whatever it is that they were gonna do, eventually I reach the place where 3 people were making wooden furniture and another was making a door. Were they building a house? They greet me and I actually understood what they said, I guess the classes are working pretty well, once again, August translated that they told me that they wanted to know if I could remove Nozomi and Ethan from here, I tell them no with telepathy, after all, this lesson was also meant for her. We studied under them for a few hours before leaving to go learn how to cook, I wave goodbye to them as I had left. I go into Walter's house again and watch as he was cooking, he teaches me all kinds of cooking techniques, and how to make a vegetable soup. Now that I think about it, I was kind of hungry, I look over at Nozomi and Ethan and see that they were also hungry, I guess all that learning does build up an appetite, Walter could tell what I was thinking and invites me to eat with him, he also invites August but August replied to him with something and then leaves, hey August?! Y'know that I can't really understand what he says unless you translate it for me. I ask him to also feed Nozomi and Ethan the soup, and then I sit down with the Walter and his daughter, it was only the two of them here though, perhaps his wife passed on? I feel rude speculating like that so I'll just shut up and eat, after I had finished I thanked Walter and then left with Nozomi and Ethan, I waited for August to finish and then asked him to also let me learn to make more proper clothes, we went there and I was welcomed nicely by them, I had spent even more time with them learning how to make more proper fabrics and clothes, it was now getting pretty late, I go over and then get Hope so we can get back home, when I find her I found out she was crying a bit, I hug her and lift her up and she calms down, I guess she didn't like to be with strangers like this, I'm sorry Hope. Anyways, let's return home. I say goodbye to August and then leave the village, once I get out of sight I return to my normal form, holding a human form for so long was pretty tiring, after a while of walking, we had finally got back home.
"Hey Rai?"
"Yes Nozomi?"
"I'm hungry, can you make something?"
"Sure."
And so I cooked some meat I had in my sub-space for them, we had then started training with each other and I practiced what I learned today, we had then went to sleep after painstakingly trying to get Hope to go to bed.
We had repeated this routine for days, and before I realized it, 3 months had passed in the blink of an eye, and we were now in winter.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone