章節 13: Calm Before The Strom

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Kai thought quickly. 'Good, he listened. Now I just need to choose my words carefully. The way I am right now, I'm no match for them.' He cleared his throat trying not to sound intimidated by the pressure.

"Look, I'm not some big shot in the Revolutionary Army, but I know potential when I see it," Kai began, his eyes darting nervously to Ivankov. "And I see that in you, your power, your leadership. It's why I want to ally myself with the Revolutionaries. But you're right. I'm not officially part of your army. Yet."

Kai waited for Ivankov to make his move, then said, "I know there is the new prisoner, Ace. But there is more-somebody else is going to show up, somebody very important for the Revolutionary Army, or at least for your boss."

Ivankov laughed; a low, disbelieving sound rattled out from him. "You can't be talking about D..." Just that far, Kai interrupted Ivankov.

"Yes," Kai nodded firm, his gaze locked with Ivankov's. "Someone important to the person known as Monkey D. Dragon. And your job is to assist that person when they arrive here.

Ivankov fell silent, the playful demeanor dropped just for a moment as he started to pace in circles, muttering to himself. He turned to Kai, his expression skeptical. "If that were true, Dragon himself would've told me. And who exactly might this person be, boy?"

Kai kept calm, weighing his words: "Look, that is the extent of what I can do. About them. only they can tell you."

Kai was fighting his thoughts in his mind. 'I don't want to do too much, or I will blow something. I have already done more than what I am supposed to do. not that I care about what is going on with them. I just need to get out of this place in one piece.'

Ivankov began to resume his pacing again, this time going in rapid circles as he clasped his head dramatically. "My head! It's going to explode!" Ivankov wailed, his voice escalating in agony.

The Okama nearby scrambled over, their faces filling with panic. "Master Ivankov, are you okay?"

"It's going to explode!!" Ivankov screeched, writhing in exaggerated pain. The moment-of-truth, Ivankov sprang upright and flung their arms wide. "OR NOT!" they exclaimed with a ridiculous flourish; all tension was to vanish in an instant.

The Okama cheered, clapping along to Ivankov's theatrics while Kai just stood there, staring at the absurdity unfolding in front of him. He let out an internal sigh, rubbing his temples. 'What a fucking idiot.'

Ivankov crossed their arms, glancing down at Kai with a raised eyebrow. "Look, boy, I don't entirely buy what you're selling. But." Ivankov's grin grew, "I'll take this chance. 'Cause there's an inkling somewhere where I'd see myself regretting not doing so-and the GREAT IVANKOV doesn't regret a single thing!"

Kai exhaled a breath, relieved, but kept decorum. "Good. Well, now what? Anything you need from me?"

Ivankov's voice boomed with laughter across the chamber. "Need from you? We've got everything we need right here, boy!" They stopped for a second, then said with a weird smile, "Actually, now that I think about it. yeah, there is something. You're weak."

Kai quirked an eyebrow and Ivankov said, continuing in his speech, "I want you to train with my candies for the time being. If your words hold any truth, we might have to break out of this prison soon, and you're not ready."

Kai smirked and crossed his arms. "Fine by me."

"Heehaa!" Ivankov burst into laughter again. "I like your spirit, but don't underestimate my candy boys! even with your weird ability, it's not going to be easy."

"Very well," Ivankov added, tone now serious once more. "You can go. Join them in the Okama training room."

Kai hesitated, narrowing his eyes. "I'm not about to walk into some weird dungeon, am I?"

Ivankov waved a hand dismissively. "No, boy. We're done testing you. for now."

Kai nodded and began to walk away before immediately stopping mid-step, a sudden realization hitting him. "Right. I totally forgot about this," he muttered under his breath. Opening up his system interface, the now-familiar glow greeted his eyes, and a quick glance at the numbers told him what he'd overlooked in the chaos of the past few hours.

"12,517 runes?" he thought to himself in astonishment. "These must be from the wolves. I was so worried about surviving that fight, I didn't even realize how many I gained. Not bad."

He grinned. "Alright, time to level up." His fingers flicked through the interface with ease, scanning over the options. "Great Intelligence it is. Got to start using that Night Shard now-it's way too powerful for such a simple night sorcery."

As the points channeled into his Intelligence stat, he felt the now-familiar inflow of energy run through him, as if pieces of a jigsaw were clicking into place within his brain. The senses suddenly sharpened, he could tell that the spell have became slightly stronger.

"Now, what else?" he told himself, frowning as he weighed the options. "I feel like I'm being forced into relying on sorceries now. "Not like there's really much of a choice any more. I need to be at range in order to survive."

He sighed silently, bitterness creeping into his mind. "I am turning into what I hated most. A stinking sorcerer hiding behind spells and keeping a distance."

There was a time when Kai enjoyed the closeness of combat-the ring of steel, the feral rush of being in an enemy's face. Now, he deliberately tried to avoid direct confrontation, using those magical arts that he once despised more and more.

"Is this what it means to survive?" he thought, his hand resting over the system screen. "Trading bravery for caution? I guess it's wiser this way, but it's not me it still feels... wrong FUCK!"

For one moment, Kai stood silent amidst the swirl of his thoughts, still torn between the man he used to be and the sorcerer he was slowly becoming. The excitement of the fight was replaced by something colder, calculated the visceral rush of steel meeting steel. Sure, it was effective, but it left him feeling so odd inside.

"Ah, fuck it. Mind it is," he growled, finally making up his mind with a resigned sigh. He invested the remainder of his runes into his Mind stat, feeling the now-familiar pulse of energy as his mental capacity expanded. His thoughts were suddenly clearer, sharper, and the power of his sorceries felt more accessible now: like he was able to mold and bend it with an ease formerly unknown to him.

Pulling up his stat sheet, Kai took a moment to reflect on how far he had come:

Name: Kai Silver (RadahnAndGone)

Race: Human

Age: 20

Class: Prisoner

Faction: None

Level: Rune Level 20

Stats:

Vigor: 15

Dexterity: 14

Mind: 15

Intelligence: 18

Endurance: 11

Faith: 6

Strength: 11

Arcane: 9

Inventory: Prisoner's Armor Set, Estoc, Glintstone Staff, Rift Shield

Magic: Magic Glintblade, Glintstone Arc, Night Shard

Kai's eyes ran down the numbers. "Level 20." he said, almost in quiet disbelief. "Still a good way from what I'm after, but. decent start, I suppose."

He smiled wryly-the small surge of pride mixed with frustration. There was still so much further to go. He was far from the strength he needed to reach, but every step forward, each battle, took him nearer the power he needed. It wasn't enough anymore just to survive; he wanted dominance.

"Not bad," he said to himself, tightly clutching the Glintstone Staff. "But this is not enough to get me out of here alive. It can't go down like this. This is just the beginning.".

Kai closed the system screen; the humming of the runes was still tingling at his fingertips. He fisted his hand, feeling the new strength from his leveled-up stats, then smirked to himself.

"Now, to the Okama Smash Dungeon. here I come," he said with an undercurrent of sarcasm and at once firm resolution, preparing himself for whatever weird kind of training may have been in store for him. At any rate, it was a name that made him really apprehensive, but if there is one place where he can get stronger, he had no other choice than to face it head-on.

He took a deep breath, began to walk, and steeled himself for whatever manner of insanity Ivankov's "candy boys" might have in store for him.

*****

A week and half had gone by since Kai began his arduous training with Ivankov's candy boys. The days blended into each other in a continuum of sweat and grime, replete with grueling sessions of dodging, parrying, and attempting to survive the relentless onslaught of his absurdly strong, flamboyant trainers. Reluctant though he had been, he had to confess, it worked. Quickened his reflexes and his stamina, outside of the system at least, although his body felt like it had gone through a stampede of angry bulls. Kai lay sprawled across a makeshift bed in the Okama training hall, his muscles aching and mind in a daze. Sleep finally had come hard and fast, and for the first time in days, his body finally seemed to give in to exhaustion.

"KAI! KAI! WAKE UP!"

A voice pierced the fog of his sleep, sending him painfully jolting by his shoulder.

"Wha.what.?" Kai grumbled, eyes hardly opening as he tried to figure out who or what was shaking him from his sleep. He was incoherent; his brain was still in a daze from the aftermath of post-training sessions.

"Get up! You've got to see this!" the voice insisted, shaking harder now.

Kai blinked hard, trying to set his sights on the blur standing before him. "See what.? Can't it wait?" he mumbled incoherently, still half-asleep, rolling over with the hope of catching a few more minutes of rest.

"No, it can't wait! It's happening right now!"

It was the urgency in the voice this time that finally snapped him into a semblance of wakefulness. Kai sat up groggy, rubbing his eyes.

"Alright, alright. I'm up," he managed to say, still groggy. "What's going on?"

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