Point-of-View: Argent Stryker

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Okay...that should do it. I had just finished burying the bodies of my mother and the other villagers who had been killed, with a heavy, pained heart. My hands were covered in dirt, and my eyes felt heavy, the tears having finally dried up.

I slowly got back up onto my feet and silently headed towards our house, the stale scent of blood in the air making me nauseous. As my home came into sight, I saw that the door was wide open, a faint smile appearing across my face.

Mom would always lecture us when we left the door open, especially at night. But now...that’ll never happen again. I felt a lump in my throat as I headed inside, looking around quietly.

It was in absolute disarray, so many things broken and smashed, and dirty footprints all over the floor...I clenched my fists as I felt my rage continue to surge inside me.

The people who did this, they..they won’t get away with this, I’ll make sure they live to regret what they’ve done here, before killing them as painfully as I can imagine, no matter how long it takes.

And to do that, I need to get much, much stronger than I am now. I’ll register at the Guild in town, and take on quests. My parents have been training me for years, but mom was a bit overprotective and told me to wait till I’m older before registering.

I hate to go against her wishes, but...I have to do so in order to avenge her, and save dad and Larrk. I’m the only one who can do it, I’m the only resident of this village who wasn’t killed or kidnapped.

So, it’s upto me. I’ll head back into town a bit later, I’m not done with this place yet. I then began tidying up the house, setting the furniture back in place and putting the dishes back in the cabinets, throwing away all the broken ones.

I always hated having to do chores, and cleaning the house was probably the one I hated the most. But right now, it feels different...it’s hard to explain, but there’s a bittersweet feeling inside me this time.

Once I was done cleaning and tidying up the house, I took a shower to wash off all the dirt on me, changing into clean clothes after I was done. I then found a backpack and began packing it, a few sets of clothes, all the money that was left in the house and some other items that I might need.

I won’t be coming back here, at least not anytime soon. I’ll go to the Adventurer Guild in Marri Town and register, and once I’ve got an idea of where I stand in terms of power, I’ll head further out. I’ll travel the nation, taking quests from various Guilds in different towns, I’ll keep striving to get stronger.

Yeah, I’ll keep striving towards that purpose...until I’m strong enough to break into the capital and rescue my father and brother. There’s nothing I want more than to save them right now, but...there’s no question that I’m far too weak as I am now.

All I’m likely to accomplish in my current state is getting myself killed, and if that happens, there’ll be no hope for either of them. I can’t afford to let that happen, no matter what. At least, not until I’ve brought them both to safety.

I then headed out of the house where I’d grown up in and spent all my life, shutting the door for the last time in what could be a very long time, possibly forever.

Who knows, the next time I come here, there might be no trace of the village left, or it might look completely different and unrecognizable.

And I’m not just talking about the buildings...all those familiar faces that were a part of my everyday life, they’re gone now. I’ll probably never see most of them again...even of the ones who were kidnapped, tracking them all down may well be impossible.

As I walked out the village, I did my best not to look back, keeping my gaze focused forward as I got further and further away from the place I’d been raised in. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

It wasn’t long before I got to Marri Town, and I wasted no time in heading for the Guild. I noticed a lot of people staring at me and whispering, but I just ignored them.

I’ve come to this town with my father several times, so a fair number of the people here probably recognize me, and likely know what happened to my village. I’m not interested in their pity or sympathy, I have no use for those.

As I reached the Guild, I pushed open the door and headed right for the reception desk. I cleared my throat to get the attention of the receptionist, a middle aged man watching a news broadcast on a TV screen.

"Hm? Yes, how can I help you?" He inquired, as he glanced at me.

"I want to register as an Adventurer. And I’ll go for the faster method, dueling other Adventurers rank by rank," I remarked, getting straight to the point.

"Are you sure? Failing the exam with that method would mean that you can’t apply again for-..."

"I’m aware. That’s fine by me," I interrupted in response.

If I fail, then it just means that I wasn’t strong enough to register yet. I’ll just have to accept that, keep training and then try again once I’m eligible to apply for the exam again. But that’s all only IF I fail.

"Very well, then. Follow me, we’ll get started right away," Replied the receptionist, before leading me to the back of the building.

We then headed down a staircase after I signed some paperwork, entering a large underground space...huh, they really had something like this down here? I would never have guessed.

It was a large, grassy spot with a small waterfall at the back, surrounded by short cliffs and a bunch of trees and shrubbery. It’s like I walked into a tranquil forest or jungle, how exactly did they make this?

"I’ll be fighting here?" I inquired, looking around the area.

"Yes, that’s correct. I’ll select and bring your first opponent shortly, you may explore this area in the meantime and familiarize yourself with the layout. I will explain how the duel will work once I return with your opponent," He informed me, before heading back up the stairs.

Uh, couldn’t he have just chosen someone and brought them down here with us in the first place? Well, I’m not complaining, the opportunity to familiarize myself with this place is a valuable one.

I strolled through the area, checking to see if there were any good hiding spots and such, spots where I could ambush my opponent from, and subsequently, spots that I should be wary of being ambushed from by my opponent.

Before much longer, the receptionist returned with a man, who looked like he was in his mid-twenties or so, a cocky look on his face as he glanced at me and seemed to size me up.

"In order to pass this exam, you will first need to win this duel, securing yourself the minimum Bronze rank. The subsequent duels will determine your initial starting rank, but this first duel is the one that will determine whether you pass or fail. As for what counts as a victory...," Explained the receptionist, before elaborating on the specifics of the duel.

My opponent would enter first and find a spot to wait in, and then I’d do the same. The starting signal will be the activation of a barrier, specifically the instant it finishes fully forming. To win the duel, I need to trigger the barrier’s safety mechanism, or knock my opponent out unconscious or get him to surrender.

Killing my opponent would also work, but if the receptionist determines that I killed him deliberately, then I could be disqualified. So killing only works if it’s an accident.

"Sorry, young man, but I don’t plan on making this easy for you," Remarked the Adventurer, stepping forward as the receptionist finished explaining.

He then stopped, right out in the open of the space. Huh? He isn’t going to hide? I have to say, that seems like a pretty dumb decision.

"Underestimate me all you want, I’m definitely not complaining," I responded dryly, as I stepped onto the space as well, stopping a few meters away from him.

Yeah, this feels like a decent enough distance.

"Smart, you’ve realized that no matter where you hide, I’ll be able to see exactly where you go from here," Smirked the Adventurer, as the barrier began to form.

I’m not gonna waste too much time on this.

"Initiate Skill: Limit Breaker. Manifest Soul Weapon: Dragon Fangs," I muttered quietly, and the instant the barrier finished forming, I shot towards my opponent at top speed, closing in on him before he could react.

"What the-...!?" He exclaimed in alarm, as I swung one of my blades towards his throat.

A barrier wall formed in front of his neck as my blade closed in on it, striking and shattering it instantly, before I narrowly stopped short before I could decapitate my opponent.

"Close one," I remarked dryly, as a trickle of blood ran down his neck as my blade nicked his skin, "I almost took your head off."

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