Veldor's become an excellent addition to our group, making our reach in the Tower even larger. We were able to climb to the eighth floor, possibly even further if we tried it again. We've made great progress in such a small amount of time thanks to both their hard work, there's only one thing left for me to do on my part.
I stood outside the ASH building staring at sheets of paper pasted all over the wall. There were illustrations of various quests and a bold number highlighted beneath every single one of them.
Quests are the backbone of adventuring, essentially what keeps adventurers in the business. Without them, it would only be a matter of time before they all ran out of money.
It was an easy transaction: ASH placed the 'job' that needed to be done and then adventurers completed them, afterwards they claimed the reward and that was that. There are a few details in between and on the side that get a little more complicated but for the most part that's how I understood it.
Quests served as a great method to earn money but they also had another purpose for Adventurers, that reason is ranking!
If I wanted to become stronger and take on better quests, I'd need a higher rank. That was the true purpose of my visit to ASH that morning.
I stood there waiting for my appointment outside the building, there was a massive commotion amongst their workers that kept things from running as smoothly as usual. The other adventurers gathered on the stairs and entrance hall all stood around like me, loitering to pass the time.
There were countless feet tapping and restless fingers flicking whatever loose material was around on their person. The atmosphere was dull, to say the least.
Something burned on the back of my neck, not physical pain but rather…an intent of something, or rather someone.
I felt like I was being watched. My eyes flicked through the large group of adventures around me but nothing had changed, all of them were either absorbed in their parties' conversations or left sitting there in peace, waiting for their names to be called.
The uneasy feeling that I was in the spotlight of someone else's gaze kept me on my toes. Suddenly, to send me into further alert, I felt a hand brush over my shoulder.
"Rei, we're ready for you."
"Gah!!" I screamed in fright.
Kana flinched back, just as shocked as I was. I gave a few bows to apologise and she caught her breath back.
"What was that about, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"I'm sorry I just…it's nothing, never mind."
"Well if you're done messing around, we're ready to see you inside now."
I'm not sure if it was Kana calling me by name or whether they were brought in by my scream, but suddenly our conversation had more than just us listening in on it. The watchful eyes of adventurers around us all peered in with stares of contempt as they whispered amongst each other.
"So that's the unique skill user? He doesn't look all that tough."
"Yeah, I heard he's still a rust-rank so the rumours can't all be true. He probably faked his admission forms or something."
"Whaaat?! No way, you can do that? If I knew I could get that kind of fame, I would have given myself a unique skill on my form!"
"Of course the guy with the Skill gets to go in first, damn it! This is special treatment at its worst."
I was waiting out here just as long as you guys…
My eyes lowered and a sigh left my mouth. Kana noticed my lack of energy sprout from their comments and let out a nervous smile of her own.
"Let's go inside…quickly." She rushed.
We walked in and the cacophony of disapproving voices faded from my ears. Waiting for us inside was a woman dressed in a uniform that displayed the ASH symbol and its primary colours, gold and green.
"Good day Mister Alos, we hope you haven't been waiting long. Our filing system seemed to have failed us today, our apologies." The woman bowed.
"O-oh don't worry about it, it wasn't that long."
"Well the wait is over, we've assessed your request for a rank-up and have the results here for you."
My face lit up with excitement but that wasn't the end of it. Standing beside me was Kana who seemed just as excited as I was, if not happier.
"It seems in light of your current progress in the Tower, as well as certain incidents…"
She did her best to tip-toe around the Heaven's Gate situation as best she could, forcing a smile as she spoke.
"We've decided that you're eligible for a Rank-Up ceremony! Congratulations!" The woman cheered plainly as she gave a tepid applause.
Kana couldn't wait another second, her smile broke free from her grin and followed with a wink towards me, holding up a thumbs-up as she did so. Kana seemed pleased with the result but I didn't share her enthusiasm.
"Uhm…sorry but I don't understand…" I said as I raised my hand gingerly.
The applause and cheery expressions vanished.
Essentially to sum it up, the Rank-Up ceremony was a way for adventurers like myself to rank up when they haven't done many quests but have shown their strength and ability to potentially rise to the higher rank. The process involved taking a difficult quest that matched the strength, skill and precision that the desired ranking would require. In this case, that meant me.
"This is good news Rei, this means that you can Rank up!" Kana smiled.
"I hope so, just how difficult would my quest be? It's not going to take me a month to complete or anything like that, right?" My face scrunched up just thinking of it.
Kana set my mind at ease as she placed her hand over my shoulder and explained calmly. "No nothing like that, it won't be anything from the board but it'll be Silver-ranked difficulty. That's how they'll know you're ready. Don't worry though, I'm sure you'll manage."
"I'll make sure to clear it, no doubt about it. So when does it begin?"
The woman in uniform flipped through her notes and scanned the page before answering. "We'll begin a week from today, so make sure to prepare for then. Miss Mills can provide you with the time and any necessary provisions you'll need, as far as the quest is concerned, you'll have to wait for the day of the ceremony."
"Understood."
The lady gave a short bow and headed straight for the back rooms where other employees essentially flooded out. They looked busy as all hell, nearly as bad as the last time I had visited the building.
We hadn't fully recovered since then but the number of adventurers seemed to be coming back to normal and returning to the Tower as usual.
Kana and I spoke briefly before another worker shot past us and yanked on Kana's wrist sleeve. She tried pulling her away with aggressive tugs.
"Here you are playing around with your special-skill boy when we're swamped back here. We need you back there, ASAP!"
Kana fought back, she tried staying with me but the other worker was too strong. Kana found herself being dragged by the sleeve of her uniform without the strength to resist.
"Ah wait–I had something to tell you…Rei!!"
She called out in a panic, desperately trying to tell me something as she disappeared into the back rooms of the ASH main hall.
"...I wonder what she had to say. I hope it wasn't important."
Before I knew it, the sun had already begun to set. Most of my day was used up in that line but I still had some time on my hands. Investigating my new skills back in my room seemed like the best use of my time.
I cut through the Market District and crossed into a vacant alley that led to the street where the inn was where I stayed. It was a bit of a walk from ASH but it was faster than my usual route.
I stepped into the alley, free of any watching eyes or signs of life and yet…there it was again. The feeling of someone's eyes burning into the back of my neck.
I felt oddly naked, as though I were on display for someone, only I didn't know where it came from. My eyes raced into every corner of the alley but it was no use, everything around me was darkened by the shadow cast from the buildings on both sides.
That feeling of peering eyes branded into my neck rose to its uncomfortably highest, drawing closer and closer. My eyes couldn't track that feeling's origin, yet every nerve in my body screamed at me to move. I followed the begging of my nerves and raised my arm, gripping my Chakram tightly.
A blade–wide and curved–clashed against mine and forced my body back. A wave of force hit me all at once from a single point, focused on bringing down my guard. It did so effortlessly.
I tumbled back and gripped the floor for stability, still unaware of what had just happened. My eyes raced up in front of me and then again all around, trying to find the attacker.
Nothing.
"You're weaker than I thought you'd be."
Those were the words I heard before it struck again. Much faster than before, a dagger pierced the air at a speed I couldn't match and cut my cheek. I was useless against its speed and stumbled back against the wall of the building beside me.
"What the hell is that?"
My eyes darted back and forth to the directions of the voice but…it wouldnt stop moving. From the left, then the right, above, no it came from below me? No matter where I looked, I couldn't track that voice.
It resonated a light timbre around me, much too sensual or high for a boy, meaning whoever attacked me was a girl–no it was a woman. She sounded like an adult, one that had done something like this before.
The calm and collected register of her voice put my shaky tone to shame.
"Where are you…come out!"
She remained calm and ignored my desperate screams. Still outside my vision, she continued to throw taunts energetically.
"Why ruin the fun, you still haven't even shown me the best part?"
The best part–fun–what is she talking about? This is just some game to her, isn't it? She's not taking me seriously!
As my rage boiled to the surface and my grip tightened, the stinging sensation of another cut appeared on my cheek to bring me back to my fearful self.
It was like she had cut me down anytime my anger showed itself, constantly bringing me down to a pitiful state, no more than a weakling under her blade.
I didn't think about it, my mouth just moved on its own. I needed to protect myself and every alarm in my head rang at the same time.
"Iron Body!!!"
My scream roared out of the alleyway and erupted into a flash of mana and light that surrounded me in less than a second.
I was enveloped in its protective shell, a large golem silhouette that offered shielding but not much comfort. I knew that the skill I acquired from the golem would shield off any attack weaker than its defence. I knew I was protected and yet…
Why won't my nerves settle?!
Clank!
The intense clash of sparks in front of the shell erupted before my very eyes. She had just attacked.
Clank! Clank! Clink! Clank!
Blow after blow, the attacks came from every direction in a relentless spree of slashes and strikes. I tried my best to keep up with them but my eyes still weren't fast enough to track her movements. I still had no idea what she looked like.
"This really is something, it feels like I'm hitting a real golem!" She celebrated.
Her voice was filled with joy, almost as though she had waited for that very moment. Even though she couldn't get through, she celebrated, her words grew happier the more her blade bounced off my skills defence.
Clank! Clank! Clank! Clink! Clank!
Small cracks appeared around me, slowly drawing in closer to the core where I resided. My eyes grew wider as the worry that it would all crumble any second grew larger.
"What are you gonna do once I break it, huh? Another monster skill? Your blades? I can't wait to see!"
"Tsk! I don't have a lot of…time?"
Before I could finish my thought, the silhouette broke under the last hit of her blade. Suddenly the sharp cut of its edge reached my neck and I sensed its cold sharpness hugging my throat.
My eyes jolted wider as I screamed the skill I needed to activate in my mind. Never before did I need it to work as much as that moment.
SHADOW STEP!!!
Sure enough, I made it out alive and slammed into the side of the alley a few steps in the air. I dropped to the ground and stumbled back into a roll. My body tumbled across the ground but I quickly flew to my feet in an attempt to get my bearings back.
My body was shaking, still frightened by how close I came to death. I placed my fingertips gingerly across my throat where the sensation of her blade lingered.
Even after that, I felt it hanging on my skin. The cold, soulless touch of a murder weapon. She wasn't just playing around…she wanted to end me with that strike. Could she have known I'd run? Did she plan to kill me there if I couldn't use Shadow Step?
Too many questions flooded my mind but only one seemed to take the forefront of my thoughts.
What the hell can I do to survive?!
"There's the skill, just as I predicted! That was a Shadow Howler skill, wasn't it? So do I get a prize for guessing right…no? Aaaaw~"
She complained out of the abyss like a child who was denied a new toy. Her voice carried an elegant, almost sultry tone to it and yet her words were the complete opposite. It threw me off completely, I couldn't match a face to that voice at all.
My face contorted into a rage-filled glare as her taunts reached me at my core.
I looked down at the small droplets of blood that remained on my fingertips. My hand squeezed into a tight ball and my eyes drew forward to the dark end of the alley.
"You look mad…Seriously scary!"
I found her. It definitely came from there!
A foot emerged from the shadows, her maple brown skin reflected a smooth gleam under the moonlight's elegant glow. As her leg stepped out from the darkness, a portion of her curvy figure came into view.
I didn't know what to do with my anger, suddenly I was filled with another emotion, something equally as strong. I swallowed it down to regain focus and gave my head a quick shake.
Focus–focus–focus!
Once my head came right, the slender hips and curvy thighs of the attacker had vanished once more. Before I could voice my confusion, it was put to rest.
A pair of lifeless purple eyes, like violet marbles, shot into view. The full range of her beauty was forced in front of me as her face was no less than a breath from mine.
Her hair which illustrated the same pure colour as cream, flowed freely beside her ears as she flew in front of me. Her hair was short but not much more than the general shape and colour came into view as most of it was hidden under her black hood.
I should've attacked, I had the perfect moment to. I wasn't fast enough to react but I knew I should have, the only reason I didn't was because of those eyes.
They drew me in and once it had me…I was trapped! I took in her beauty, staring blankly at her face like a freshly hung portrait done by my favourite artist. Even with that, I wasn't fast enough. It was taken from me all too quickly.
The violet marbles, creamy hair and lightly tanned skin all disappeared behind the curve of her dagger. It rushed to my face and shot between my eyes before I could realise it was there.
Suddenly a wave of wind forced me back and I was pinned to the wall.
I couldn't believe what I had just seen. Or rather…what I hadn't been able to see. It all happened so fast that I felt more like a passenger in her assault.
She had pinned me with only the force of her strike, without needing to land the finishing blow! The wind generated by that wind up had enough power behind it to cut down a tree in a single strike, no doubt in my mind.
"Looks like I win, Mr. Unique-Skill~"
The blade drew away from my throat and all the air that escaped my lungs returned in one large breath. I finally felt like I was going to live again when the blade, as well as the mysterious figure, disappeared into the shadows.
The remnants of her voice surrounded the alley before it fell back to silence.
"Here I thought you'd be as strong as Mills talked you up to be~"
I collapsed to the floor with my back pressed against the side of the building, my breath still shaky. I looked at my hands, they trembled to no end.
"Did she just spare me?"
I examined myself once more to make sure I was still alive.
"She mentioned Kana…what did she have to do with this? No–better yet–just who the hell was that?"
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