Chapter 42: Bare-knuckle arithmetic – Part eight

The Dark Wolf Cave had a very threatening name, but it was a labyrinth for beginners.

It was a cave with five floors, and it was populated by monsters with good night-vision called dark wolves. Their attack power and stamina were not that great, and they were not as strong as fighting dogs used by tamers.

However, inexperienced adventurers could be caught off guard by their ability to conceal their presence in the shadows and their agility. It was the most difficult labyrinth where G ranked adventurers could enter.

Sha!

Gyain!?

Nick knocked down a dark wolf with a counter blow, who whined like a pitiful dog.

Two more attacked Nick. One jumped from above, and the other attacked from below, as if it was crawling.

That was a bad move. When you carelessly jump like that you seal your own moves.

Nick attacked the dark wolf coming from above with speed matching the wolf itself.

Swinging his leg almost like a scythe, Nick stroke down the wolf with his heel.

Waoh!?

The dark wolf was sent flying downwards, and hit another dark wolf.

Take that!

And then, Nick hit the remaining one with his fist. The three wolves were dispatched in no time.

Not bad. It was like a magic trick.

Dont be silly. Anyone that practices hand-to-hand combat can step behind a dark wolf and attack it from the rear without using magic or anything.

Sorry, I dont know anything about the world of fighting.

Nick and Tianna were there all by themselves. Nick wanted to polish his fighting intuition before the duel, but he couldnt enter the labyrinth by himself, so he brought Tianna along, even though he was fighting the wolves by himself.

Normally, you wouldnt take them down like that Youd defend against the first attack, and take them down one at a time.

Dont talk to me about whats normal.

Why?

With Enemy Search you can find where the wolves are hiding, so its possible to attack preemptively. Taking down small fry like that is boring when youre here.

Fufun. Its nice, isnt it.

Tianna smiled proudly.

Well, it is nice to be safe, but thanks to that, I feel like Ive gotten a little rusty.

That doesnt mean you have to do this absurd training. Taking down monsters with nothing more than a knuckle guard

What? I kicked too.

So Is Leon really so strong that you need to prepare so intensely?

I wouldnt say strong Its a little strange.

Nick gave a vague answer.

Strange?

Lets put it like this, Im pretty confident in my fighting skills. Well, not to the point where I can take down bosses with just hand-to-hand combat.

Yes.

But Leon lured me into a two on one situation.

Well, two on one is pretty bad right?

Thats not it, I was sure there was no one around. Its not like it was an ambush, it was more like his helper came running because he knew Leon was in trouble.

Ah, so thats whats on your mind.

Now that I think about it, the first time I met Leon was strange too. When I was talking to Claudine, he had no way of knowing that I had been expelled by my party, but the moment we started talking about that, they appeared.

It was like it was transmitted to him instantaneously.

I dont know what it is, but youre saying theres something you need to watch out for, right?

Yes.

Is that a problem that can be solved by practicing hand-to-hand combat?

I have no idea. There so much I dont understand, so Im moving my body and my head.

Do you have to move your head?

Thats up to Karan and Sem, not me. I asked Sem to investigate something for me, and I may have something to ask of you too.

Well, if you have an idea then I dont mind, but what do you want me to do right now?

My body is finally warmed up, so Im going down to the other floor. Stay here and hold down the fort.

Youre more of a muscle head than I thought Be careful!

Nick waved his hand, and Tianna looked on with an exasperated expression.

Ahh, I think its time to go back.

Nick returned after being deep inside the labyrinth.

Youre dripping with sweat. Here.

Thanks.

Why are you dressed like that?

It was hot so I took it off.

Tianna threw a towel to Nick, who returned naked from the waist up.

I took down about thirty of them. Thatll be some nice pocket change.

You have some nerve, you did that without using magic too Wait, your arm is bleeding.

Ah, its not like I was bitten, I just scratched it on a rock.

Sit down, we need to stop that bleeding. And we need to ask Sem to take a look at it when we get back.

Yes alright. Ill take a break and catch my breath.

Yes yes.

Nick sat down on a rock, and Tianna started wrapping bandages with styptic herbs around Nicks arm. And while she was at it, she handed Nick a canteen.

Thanks.

Youre welcome.

I wonder if theyre hard at work studying right now.

Karan and Sem? Im sure theyre fine, Karan is an honest girl.

Youre right, but honest is

What?

Im a little worried because shes too naive.

Youre the leader, so thats on you.

Hey hey. Dont put that responsibility on me.

Nick shrugged as he used the towel to wipe the sweat.

He didnt have a thick body like muscular warriors, but his body was lean, with not a lot of fat. He had a lot of scars, as a result of his diligent training and adventuring.

Tianna felt bad about looking, and turned away. Nick wiped the sweat and put on his jacket, as his body was starting to get cold.

That was when Tianna grumbled a question.

Hum.

What?

Do you still like that Claudine?

Of course not! Im still pissed!!!

Ah, so youre still mad?

She ripped me off and looked down on me, how could I not be mad. I want to erase my past with her altogether Is it not the same for you, Tianna?

Tianna had a similar dark past.

The person she saw as her boyfriend got together with another girl, and framed Tianna.

Hmm I guess Im still mad. I dont know what I would do if he appeared in front of me.

But Tiannas eyes showed clear anger, not a never ending obsession.

But I dont think I want to erase the past, or follow him to the ends of the earth just to beat him to death or anything.

Nick thought well thats normal, but didnt say it.

Tianna was speaking seriously.

I wont forgive him for setting me up. It wasnt just me, he caused a lot of trouble for the teachers, and I think one day Ill absolutely make him regret it.

But I dont really regret falling in love with someone Rather

Rather?

I have to be engrossed in something. Love, playing, adventures, etc. If I graduated and married Alex My former ex fiancee, Id probably get tired of it and run away from home anyway.

I can see that. I cant see you as a young wife at all.

Hey, why do you have to say something like that?

Eh? Youre the one that said it!

Youre supposed to disagree. Seriously though

Y-yes?

I dont like your ex-girlfriend, and I hate the tiger person thats always grinning next to her.

Thats why I got so angry, it wasnt for you, I did it because thats what I felt like doing.

Saying that in such a refreshing way actually makes me feel better.

Right?

If I ever saw your ex-boyfriend Id probably want to hit him too.

You look like you want to do it. So

So?

Do what you want to do as well.

What I want to do?

Of course, things like hitting nasty people, gambling, and watching an idols live show fit into that category, but Im talking more about a goal in life. Do you have anything like that?

Nick remembered his former party.

A goal in life

Yes.

Do you have something, Tianna?

Me? Well I want to be a sage.

Sage?

When you attain recognition from the sorcerer association as both a sorcerer and a scholar, they bestow upon you the title of sage.

Eh So is that like an S rank adventurer?

Yes. Well, its not like the country starts paying a salary of anything, so its more like an honorary certification, but it would allow me to get a job in any research facility. You also get to talk face-to-face with royalty and nobility, so a lot of people are after this tile.

Are you after it?

For now, Ive been thinking about writing essays in between adventuring and gambling. I only have a tiny little chance of being recognized by the sorcerer association so

Wow Thats out of this world.

Nick let out a sigh of admiration.

What? You have a chance to become an S rank adventurer too dont you?

Dont you know? If you get to A rank or beyond, youre awarded a court rank, so you can become nobility.

Yes, I know. Theres no pay attached, but you become kind of like a celebrity here in the Labyrinth City.

Oh, so you knew.

Yes, but youd have to be a hero to get to A or S rank.

Hero?

Usually it just means youre really strong, like an extension of being D or C rank. But when theres a big outbreak of miasma, and monsters start overflowing, A or S rank adventurers lead the charge to take them down. Or maybe they capture a dangerous villain with a bounty on their head. Those kinds of adventurers that are respected by everyone in the Labyrinth City truly are heroes.

You know a lot about that Are you actually aiming for A rank?

Nick dejectedly shook his head.

No, not really, but

But?

I wanted to raise the rank of my former party. It wouldnt be an impossible task either, because everyone there was an experienced warrior. They even conquered labyrinths that were said to be impossible for parties without a sorcerer, with raw power alone.

Hm

So if they worked diligently they couldve gone up to A rank, or maybe even S rank. I wanted our leader to get more recognition from the rest of the world.

Before Nick knew it, his usual vulgar way of speaking was gone.

My parents were merchants, and traveled from town to town. Ever since I can remember, I walked through all sorts of places with them, but one day, they were killed by thieves. It was Argus who helped take those murderers down, the leader of All Martial Arts.

Afterwards, he took a useless little kid like me and taught me how to fight and how to be an adventurer.

Is that so

I wanted to repay my debt to him, and I thought I could compensate compensate for what All Martial Arts was lacking.

No, I really think I was succeeding in doing that, but

Nick didnt finish the sentence.

So, do you regret that?

Regret?

Working so hard for that Argus. Do you think it wouldve been better to not do anything?

No I dont know about that.

Nick frowned, and after a while, he shook his head.

Maybe it was all for my own self-satisfaction, but I dont know if I didnt accomplish anything.

We had our disagreements, and in the end, I was expelled, but I think I needed to do something for someone else.

I see.

Well, now I want to be better than them! I look forward to the day when I make that idiot regret what he did!

Said Nick with a smile, to which Tianna smiled back.

Thats nice, I think its good to get back at them like that. Become an A or S rank adventurer and show them you were right. Its really interesting to think about you as a hero of this city.

That sounds good.

Thats the spirit.

Im going to need you to work hard without holding anything back too.

Yes yes, but this time, its all about you. Do your best.

Nick turned away and scratched his head. It seemed like it had hit a nerve, and Tianna looked on, thinking it was amusing.

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