“Hobgoblins? They leveled up,” Gerald chuckled. “Fine. Let’s take the left and prepare for battle.”Gerald took the lead as they walked further on the left path. After a few minutes of walking, they heard the growls of the hobgoblins. The growls were deeper and the shadows of the monsters were bigger compared to the goblins that were just four meters tall.“Get ready…” Gerald whispered when he heard the footsteps getting closer. He took a step back and the hobgoblins started attacking.The four went forward again and started fighting off the hobgoblins. Compared to the goblins, the hobgoblins were bigger and stronger.“Humans… can’t… pass!” A hobgoblin roared before it attacked Kane. “Not allowed!”Kane blocked the spear that the hobgoblin was using and pushed it back. They were a lot stronger than the goblins!“Xander and Arisa, pair up,” Gerald ordered. “It will be easier for you to defeat those hobgoblins if you pair up.”Xander immediately went to Arisa’s side and supported him. K
Since Gerald had already given the approval, the team went further inside the cave. Like earlier, Kane took the lead because he was the one who knew the location of the bugbear. He also told them that before they would be able to reach the bugbear, they would need to face the last hobgoblin.Kane stopped when he heard the footsteps of the hobgoblin walking toward them. The others immediately noticed his sudden halt and kept their silence while preparing for a fight.“Intruders… I will not… allow intruders to meet young master!” the hobgoblin growled.Young master? Just like what he heard, the hobgoblins really were serving a bugbear.“Aren’t you ashamed? You are a hobgoblin but you are serving a bugbear?” Gustav blurted out.“How dare… intruder… call young master like that?” the hobgoblin roared as it raised its sword. “Young master… son of Hobgoblin chief!”When the hobgoblin said those words, they realized the answer to their question. Hobgoblins were intelligent. Just like humans,
After Kane took the bracelet, Gerald asked the other three to pick one. Gustav took the bracelet for the night vision, Xander took the necklace that boosts mana circulation, and Arisa took the earring that enhances defense.Gerald nodded his head when he saw that the young hunters made a good choice. He picked the ring that boosts speed and Tricia took the remaining one– the watch that increases casting speed.Since they were done taking the items from the first chest, Gerald moved to the second chest and opened it. Tricia smiled sarcastically when they saw that the next chest was filled with weapons.She did not even have the choice because there was only one mana crystal that was crafted into a necklace. That was a good weapon that mages could use.Kane took the necklace and gave it to her. She smiled when she realized that Kane noticed her inner thoughts.After Tricia took the necklace, Kane looked at the remaining weapons. It was as if the dungeon gave out the rewards, especially
It was already morning when they arrived back at the village chief’s house. The other students were getting themselves ready to go back to the capital city, so Xander and Gustav went on their way to prepare as well.“Arisa!” Erin shouted as she walked towards Arisa and hugged her. “I thought I would not be able to bid you goodbye.” She pouted.“I’m glad that we were able to come on time.” Arisa smiled as she patted Erin’s back.“I heard you went hunting with Xander. How was it?” Erin asked with a curious tone. She knew that Kane was strong, but could he be stronger than Xander.“It was fun!” Arisa beamed with excitement. “I wanted to tell you about it but the DME and Hunters Guild asked us to keep quiet about it.Erin smiled enviously. “I wish I was able to go with you guys.”“It’s okay. You can just come hunt with us next time.” Arisa consoled her.Kane shook his head while watching the two. He could not understand how could they act all chummy towards one another when they just met
On their way back home, Kane had been silent. He had been thinking if what he had been doing for the past weeks was the right thing to do. People had been telling him that he was like the Kane that they knew. He wanted to be different, but he did not want to change his current self.He knew he would not be able to act differently. It would be hard for him to suddenly act like Arisa, Gavin, or even his master. It would be hard for him to suddenly change his attitude and even his way of thinking.“What are you thinking about?” Arisa asked him after they went off the bus. They started walking towards their training place because their master told them that they would immediately train as soon as they were back.“None of your business.” Kane walked ahead without looking back, his hands inside his pockets.Arisa rolled her eyes when Kane ignored him. She regretted that she even went to talk to him because she thought that he was having
Kane went home late and he just realized that his body was sore when his back met the soft mattress of his bed. He looked at the ceiling and thought about the things that their master told them. Though he thought that he had good insights, it was still not enough. He needed to learn how to solve situations on his own without hesitation.A moment of hesitation might cost you a life.Kane could not remove those words in his head. He remembered the leak incident and the monster attack in the village. What if he was the only hunter in the area? What could have happened if Arisa was not around? He was only able to keep the people alive because there were people assisting him. He was able to fight mindlessly because there were people behind him who would take care of the people for him.A moment of hesitation… He needed to be strong enough that he would not need to hesitate. Kane stretched his arm and looked at his hand. He needed to grow stronger.He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth
After that incident, Kane started using his mana manipulation ability to speed up and leave the apartment in a blink of an eye. He had been doing it for days while going on a jog, to training, and even on his way back home. It had been a routine and he was glad that none of the people who seemed to be interested in him were observing or stalking him.“You’re early today as well.” Arisa noticed when she entered the training place and found out that Kane had started his training already.Kane sighed as he stared at his hands lightly. He did not even notice that Arisa had been there watching and teasing him. His attention was so immersed in his hands after he tried to release his mana that he could not give his attention to anything else.Was he about to break through? Arisa thought when she noticed Kane’s focus during the past few days. She could tell that the guy was getting impatient but she commended him for not bursting out. She knew how frustrating it was when someone was about to
Kane felt a little frustrated after a few tries. There were too many instances that he almost drowned because he was getting more and more impatient the more he failed.He went out of the water and dropped himself on the grass. He was still catching his breath as he stared at the sun that was about to go down. Usually, he would spend just a few hours finishing a task and he could do at least two tasks in one day. Why did he end up not being able to finish the task assigned to him? Had he gotten weak because he had less practice?“We’re done for today,” Viktor called his disciples who were busy trying to finish the task that he gave them. He noticed how frustrated the two had become because they were used to finishing at least two tasks in a day. However, that would be a thing of the past starting from that day.Those who were strong needed to grow stronger by doing things that seemed too hard at first. He deliberated what he would do next and decided to level up their training. He was