VOLUME 1


    - CHAPTER 24 -


    TRIGGER SAFETY


    -


    - - - - - - - - - - - - Is he really going to fight me? How am I supposed to win when he’s the only one with a weapon??


    Tension crackles in the air as Strider glares at my whole body with his tired eyes, it’s been like that for a few seconds now, the both of us haven’t moved an inch.


    - - - - - - - - - - - - Wasn’t he the one who suggested training me? So why isn’t he doing anything? Why didn’t he explain what I’m supposed to do? And why I’m unarmed!?... Wait… is this his way of punishing me? I shouldn’t be creeping around so now he will beat me up and “training” is the formal way of him saying that?? Oh, God, what have I put myself into? If you’re going to do it, then stop looking at me like a predator hunting for its prey and just do it already!!


    As if on cue, Strider suddenly clicks his tongue in scorn.


    Strider:- - “Tsk. You make this too easy…” – He lifts his weapon at me, anger overflowing his aura. – “I’m going to cut your head out.”


    He dashes forward in a burst, my eyes widen and both my hands rise to protect my face. His steps come closer and, suddenly, something hits the back of my ankle. The forest switches with the sky, and soon after, my back falls flat to the ground.


    Strider:- - “You lost.” – He taps under my chin with the twig. – “That was three seconds. That’s how long you would have lived in a real fight.”


    He lifts his weapon and starts calmly walking away.


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “You--… I-- You tricked me!” – I stand up. – “You didn’t use the sword, you kicked me!”


    He stops and turns to me with a poker face.


    Strider:- - “Oh, you’re a fast learner. Yeah, of course I tricked you. Are you a masochist? Do you want me to whack you with a stick?”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “N-No, of course not!”


    Strider:- - “Then don’t complain about falling on the grass. Besides, real life won’t treat you like a newbie when it hits, you should’ve predicted I would attack from something besides the weapon I’m holding.”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “But I thought you were the one teaching me! Why didn’t you explain that? You’re already stronger than me, don’t I get a handicap?”


    He raises his eyebrows, a bit surprised by my tone.


    Strider:- - “If you are not ready, you die. If you do a mistake, you die. Don’t blame others for your lack of competence, that only gets in the way. We don’t have the time nor the luxury to train conventionally. If you want to get it fast, you need to learn from experience. And the closer you are to the real thing, the faster you’ll be ready for the real thing.”


    He stomps on his starting position.


    Strider:- - “Now, get up. We are doing another round. I need to test you a little bit more.”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “But… how can I fight you? There’s no way. You’re a hero, and I… I am an unarmed sheepkin.”


    He sighs in annoyance, slowing down his pacing of words.


    Strider:- - “Back when I was younger, I used to fight kids way bigger than me. Just because someone is stronger than you it doesn’t mean you can’t beat them. But your legs are too stiff, you get too nervous and your moves get stupid, that is what makes you truly weak. To win a fight you shouldn’t only watch your enemy, you should know what you’re made of too.”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “I… I don’t get it.”


    He facepalms.


    Strider:- - “Okay, new rule. If you trespass the treeline surrounding us, you win. That should make things easier, shouldn’t it? There you go, your handicap.”


    The treelines, huh? They’re about a couple of steps away, maybe more, but it’s surely way further than him and me right now. I’m not too good with measuring space by the naked eye, so about three to four times our distance? Maybe if I run for it at full speed I can make it.


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “O-Okay!”


    He points his wooden weapon like a one-handed sword at me.


    Strider:- - “Ready? When I make a step, it’ll start.”


    I think over all the information for a second time, then I nod in response.


    …


    One second passes, then another, and another. All he did was stare at me with intense focus, it''s like he was already fighting me in his mind and he would only start once he had flawlessly won. And then, at the apex of tension, he leaps forth.


    My fear overwhelms me to turn and I almost stumble to make one step. My eyes search for a way into the forest, but before I could go for my second step, the grass comes up and the world spins sideways.


    Strider:- - “You lost.” – he presses the stick against my left cheek, my head laying sideways on the ground. – “That makes three seconds, and a half.”


    He raises his weapon and retreats back to his starting position.


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “How--?” – I mumble to myself. – “I didn’t even feel it this time.”


    Strider:- - “Go on, another round.”


    I look at him with a distant gaze.


    Strider:- - “Get up already. We are doing this until you win at least once.” – He points at the ground one step away from me. – “To your starting position.”


    I don’t even argue and follow his order.


    - - - - - - - - - - - - Okay, I’ll do it this time. I just got startled, I wasn’t expecting him to move so suddenly, this time--


    Strider steps forth.


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “Huh?!”


    His figure swiftly comes closer as I go two steps back. During the first two rounds, I wasn’t paying much attention to how he did it, but now that my eyes are wide open and my hands are below my chin I can see him leaping forth, wavering slightly to the sides in each long step, first it’s a bit to the right, then left, and repeat, moving almost like a lunging snake.


    - - - - - - - - - - - - I won’t be able to run. I need to--


    He jumps to my side, his cold stare locked at my body until it reaches the edges of his eyesockets, his weapon following suit below his other arm as it points backward, and in the next instant, he spins and I lose balance.


    …


    Strider:- - “You lost.”


    I open my eyes to see the sky above me.


    Strider:- - “That’s an improvement.” – He releases the pressure his twig had on my neck. – “It’s four seconds now. Let’s try one more round.”


    I watch him stepping out of my field of vision as my thoughts try to rewind what just happened.


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “I… I saw it.” – A faint smile grows on my face as I sorely move to sit.


    Strider looks back from his starting position, tilting his head inquisitively toward me.


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “I saw how you are doing it. You’re jumping to my side and kicking my ankle, that’s how you’re making me fall.”


    He stays silent for a couple of seconds, but without much surprise in his voice, he ultimately responds.


    Strider:- - “And what about it? Are you going to counter it?” – He straightens himself, raising his weapon against me. – “Let’s see you try, then.”


    With my legs still trembling, I stand up.


    Strider:- - “Once I move, it’ll start.” – His face closes to seriousness as he builds his stance back up.


    …


    And once more, Strider didn’t move immediately, he only stared at me, his focus somewhere around my neck and chest.


    - - - - - - - - - - - - I think I understand it now, he’s not looking at me exactly, he’s using his peripheral vision to see my entire body. He’s not focusing on my eyes, hands, or legs. It’s everything, he is sacrificing his focus to pay attention to the whole picture. I’ve read it once, that some skilled fighters don’t pay attention to what they see, instead, they use their mind to visualize the battle from the sky’s view, building the terrain and their foes beyond what their vision has to offer.


    (Strider: “…if you know where you can be hit that’s half the way to it.”)


    - - - - - - - - - - - - Is that what you were talking about? what you’re teaching me? If I turn to the forest I won’t be able to counter your moves, but if I only see you, I won’t know where the forest is and my winning condition falls flat. I need to do both, that’s what you want me to do, isn’t it?


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “Okay, I’m ready,” – I nod to myself.


    Strider doesn’t flinch, his stare continuously fixated on me.


    The wind blows, rustling the leaves around us in a calming environment for a few seconds, and once it was over, complete silence falls between us. But not for long, as Strider’s feet suddenly press the ground and he leaps forth.


    I try my best to overcome my trembling legs and I start jumping backward, trying to gain the most distance I can from him, but he doesn’t stop, actually, it only makes him go faster, making my efforts seem useless.


    By imagining the distance from the treeline with my mind, taking my peripheral vision as a comparison, I quickly realize that I’m not even close to my goal, I’m only a few steps away from my starting point.


    Strider does his last leap and his entire figure goes to my right side, in the same way as before. But now, instead of being caught by surprise, I jump to my left, creating enough distance to see him turning his body, but instead of a missed kick, he simply twists his feet and leaps in my new direction.


    I try to repeat what I just did, but he’s already at my right again, and before I can hop away, he strikes my ankle lifting in the air. I fall and roll on the grass with momentum, but that’s when my eyes widen even more.


    - - - - - - - - - - - - Wait, I only lose if he touches me with the sword. If I roll to gain space I—


    So, instead of stopping the rolling, I speed it up. My spinning vision allows me to look at a tree in the distance and go towards it, but something abruptly hits my back and pins me down, halting my movements completely as air forcefully leaves my lungs.


    Strider:- - “You lost.” – He says while stomping over me and pressing his made-up sword against my spine. – “That was actually good. Seven seconds, almost double the time. If we continue like this, we’ll be over by the end of the day.”


    He immediately starts walking away and I lift myself to sit with my legs crossed.


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “Was that sarcasm?”


    Strider:- - “Was it?” – He shrugs.


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “Seriously? So I’m not doing it right? How am I going to learn anything if you won’t tell me what to do? I’m trying to visualize the fight with my mind, but there’s no way I can win with just that! You need to tell me more.”


    He stops and turns with a frown.


    Strider:- - “Visualize? What are you talking about?”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “That I need to see both the forest I need to go to and my enemy to win? To imagine what is around me instead of seeing it with my eyes? Isn’t that what you’re trying to teach me?”The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Strider frowns even more.


    Strider:- - “I don’t know what the fuck you’re saying.”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “Heh??”


    Strider:- - “All you need to do is win a duel, you have the handicap advantage of leaving by the treelines. If you want to visualize, or whatever the fuck, sure, since you win in the end.”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “Aren’t you doing that same thing? So, why are you waiting so much to start? And why you’re using your peripheral vision instead of focusing on a part of my body?”


    Strider:- - “Peripheral vision? I didn’t know you guys knew that word here… huh, I guess you are right. But that’s to not give away where I’m looking at… I think. You know, they won’t know where you are going to hit them if you’re not focusing on it. It’s kind of something I learned when I was a kid, it became such a muscle memory that I don’t even realize I’m doing it.”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “And all the waiting…?”


    Strider:- - “That’s just to throw you off, if you don’t know when the fight will start, then I’ll take you by surprise, even if you see me.”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “Wah!”


    Scratch anything about fighting techniques! He’s not following any books I’ve read at all! It’s just a bunch of cheating tricks!!


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “Then what are you trying to teach me??”


    He stops and looks at me with apprehension.


    Strider:- - “I’m teaching you how to respond.”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “Huh?”


    Strider:- - “Do you remember our first two rounds? The ones who you lost at three seconds?”


    I nod, still a bit confused as to what his point is.


    Strider:- - “You couldn’t move. Can you tell me why?”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “I-- I don’t know!”


    Strider:- - “Come on, tell me the first thing that comes to mind.”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “Uhm… It was-- It was because I was afraid?”


    Strider:- - “Nah.” – He shakes his head. – “Sure, fear is messing with you even now, but that isn’t the source. You need to seek the deeper reason why you couldn’t move your legs. Just think about it. What changed from the first round to our last?”


    Well, if there’s an answer to that, and it isn’t only fear… then what would make me freeze before, but now I’m able to at least hop around?


    (Strider:  “I’m going to cut your head out.”)


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “Was it… death? I was afraid of dying?”


    Strider:- - “If you were afraid of dying why would your body stay still? It doesn’t make any sense, think harder.”


    It doesn’t? So what else then?


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “I-It’s because… my body doesn’t know what to do, I-I’m unsure if I’m going to do the right thing.”


    Strider:- - “Oh, so you don’t move because you are afraid of making a mistake?” – He nods affirmatively, before mocking. – “So you chose to not make a move at all?”


    Strider starts walking closer to me.


    Strider:- - “You need to understand that your subconscious is as rational as your consciousness, it is even more logical actually. When something happens to you, your body learns from it, and when the conditions are met, it acts on instinct. It doesn’t make loops or forget something in the line of thought. If you really were only afraid of making a mistake, then why don’t you move? In a die-or-live situation, the only way of winning is by fighting or fleeing, if you negate your move then that’s admitting defeat. So, what was it? Why were you freezing?”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “I… I-I don’t know. I don’t know, alright! I’m not smart like you to understand what my body is doing!”


    He crouches in front of me.


    Strider:- - “It’s because you’re weak, and you know that.” – His glare pierces my skull. – “That’s why your body doesn’t even move. Independently of what you do, you’ll die, that’s what your subconscious is yelling at you, so why even bother spending energy? You’re not afraid of making a mistake, it’s just that you know you can’t make the right move.”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “And… so-- what should I do?”


    Strider:- - “Start by learning, and then practice.” – He stands and steps back. – “Of course you can’t protect yourself when you never fought before. You don’t know martial arts and you don’t have experience with weapons.” – He stares at me from above. – “If you want to fight, then do it. Stop thinking that you weren’t made for it. When that barrier of self-distrust breaks and you level up, you’ll realize that even right now, you can at least throw a punch or jump a fence to get away. Once you start moving, your body will understand that it’s not worthless trying.”


    …


    My gaze slowly descends towards my trembling hands.


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “I think… I understand it. You made a condition to force me to move because you saw that I wasn’t wanting to learn to begin with, because deep down, I knew I couldn’t do it.”


    Strider:- - “Yeah… that’s half right.”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “Only half?”


    Strider:- - “The truth is, I didn’t make that condition because of it. Actually, I only realized that responding was your mistake after that.”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “So it was pure coincidence??”


    Strider:- - “I’m not a genius at reading people, you know, it just became so obvious that it got unbearable. It didn’t come to you even once that hitting me was an option, right? I even let myself open the entire time for you to take the chance. I thought you would see that I was cheating from the start and try to cheat on your own, like using a hidden weapon, break the rules and use magic, or at least do a pocket sand on me.” – He looks at me with disdain before adding with a mumble: – “Though I would counter-attack any of those right after.”


    That’s precisely why I wouldn’t attack you!


    Strider:- - “And only at our last round that you realized that being hit wasn’t the end of the fight. What a shame.”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “H-Hey! That was, what, our fifth bout or something!? How are you expecting me to learn these things so quickly?”


    Strider:- - “That’s true… but unfortunately, we can’t have our usual rounds anymore, now that I spoon-fed you with all my tricks and exposed your main faults. We need to speed things up.”


    He suddenly tosses me the twig he was carrying, it drops to my chest and I’m almost able to grab it, but it falls on the grass floor in front of me.


    Strider:- - “Just take it.” – He sighs.


    I grab it and stand up with growing excitement.


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “Wait, am I going to have a sword too?”


    Strider:- - “Sure, but I’ll be using my real weapons this time around.” – He unsheathes both of his silver daggers and points them at me.


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “H-Hah?!? What--!? Isn’t this way worse than before????”


    Strider:- - “Don’t worry, I won’t use any throwing techniques, so just worry if I get too close. Besides, even if I slit your throat wide open, I can stop the bleeding with my Status Nullification and heal you with a potion. So, go on, to your starting position.”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - Slit my throat wide open? Jesus.


    I wobbly go to the place I’m supposed to.


    Strider:- - “Oh, but you can use your skills now, don’t be afraid to spend them, if your energy drops I’ll give you a restoration potion. Also, having a stick should give you less energy cost and some accuracy, if I’m not mistaken. So, you can go all out.”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “Huh? Wait…”


    Strider:- - “Asides from that, all rules remain. If you are hit once, it’s over, and I still won’t be using any skills. Once I make the first move, it’ll start.”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - There’s something wrong. Didn’t he tell me before? Why is he saying that I can use my skills? Doesn’t he know? Wait… is this… another misreading?... Our discussion in the gathering yesterday, him almost igniting the forest on fire, and when he confessed to not knowing what my weak point was before giving the handicap…


    Strider’s cold eyes focuslessly look towards me like before, his face becoming numb to emotions as he prepares himself to fight.


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “Wait!” – I shake my hands for him to stop. – “Wait, don’t start it yet!”


    His sharp blades reflect the sunlight as they lower themselves.


    Strider:- - “Uh? Why? Do you need to go to the bathroom?”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “What!? No!! That’s not it! It’s just that you said I can use skills, right?”


    He hesitates, glancing away to think twice about the question.


    Strider:- - “Yeah, and…?”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “It’s because I don’t have any skills. I can’t use them because I don’t have them.”


    Strider:- - “What? Are you joking?”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “I’m not, seriously! I could never use a skill before, since I was a kid. I’m some special case, all the other kids had their abilities awakened early on, even my brother and mother, but there isn’t a trace of magic in me even after I became an adult.”


    Strider relaxes his stance, lowering his daggers completely.


    Strider:- - “That doesn’t make any sense. Are you saying this just to not fight me? You can drop out if you want to, I’m not-”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “-It’s not that! Really. All the physicians I went to said the same thing, I simply don’t have the aptitude for it.”


    Strider stops to think for a bit, and after some time he sheathes one of his daggers and walks to me.


    Strider:- - “Give me your hand, I’ll check your attributes.”


    I hesitantly raise it and he snatches it, his eyes glow yellow and he starts reading something invisible over my wrist.


    Strider:- - “You have energy, and a class too. All your skills should be good… Hmmm, is where you live in Nepaty crowded?”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “Huh--?”


    Strider:- - “You live nearby a lot of people?”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “Ahm, I do, it’s a big city. The houses are all clustered together, the streets are way narrower than of this village.”


    Strider:- - “Strange… there shouldn’t be anything blocking you. The only abnormality I see is that you have a special subclass when you have only two unlocked. But…”


    I look at his puzzled face and wait for him to explain, but he doesn’t.


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “…I don’t understand.”


    He lifts his other hand and taps something in the air with his index finger, taking some time before tapping somewhere else and so forth.


    Strider:- - “The thing is… you’re a vampire.”


    Ah, a vampire… I see.


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “Wait, what?”


    Strider:- - “…You should be even stronger around many people, but to not have the power to… hmmm…”


    He keeps on tapping the air and reading something.


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “Wait. What!? A Vampire?! What that means?? Do I need to drink blood or something? Oh my god, did my family hide it from me? That’s why I’m weak and I can’t use skills? Oh, no… is the sun burning my skin?! Oh, God! Jesus! My eyes are burning! I really am a vampire, ain’t I?! I’m going to die!”


    Suddenly something hits my head and forces my head down.


    Strider:- - “Shut the hell up, won’t you. Vampires don’t work like that. Not in SFO, at least.”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “Ouchie…” – I rub between my horns. – “…Ess-eff-oh? What’s that?”


    Strider:- - “It’s your world, dumbass. Vampires are a special subclass that you can only unlock at level sixty, but you’re level forty and it''s your second class. It doesn’t make sense, but hell, the things I already saw in these few days coming here, I’m not even surprised anymore.”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “So I can eat garlic just fine?”


    Strider:- - “Dunno, ask your doctor. Vampires are affected by the environment, it grows stronger depending on the people around them, and they can even get attributes or skills from others, that’s what they are strongest at in the meta. Unfortunately, you’re stuck with only one passive skill of that subclass, which is the first case. The more time you spend around the same enemies, the stronger you get. It has a long radius so it’s actually pretty good.”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “Ahh…… I’m completely lost. So, I only have a passive skill that’s it?”


    Strider:- - “You have three of each type. For the actives, you have a magic barrier, a buff that transfers your attributes to someone else, and a water mid-range projectile. All from Shaman, your other sub-class. You still have one slot to put a skill, so maybe you need to get it somewhere… but you said you had to awaken it, right? So I suppose you can’t simply put new abilities as you grow older?”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “No… we are born with them, sometimes we awaken further after passing by a great difficulty, but we don’t choose them unless it’s a blessing.”


    Strider scratches his head to think.


    Strider:- - “So damn weird.” – he lets go of my hand and his eyes go back to their normal dark color. – “A great difficulty, you say. Maybe you got them at Nepaty’s invasion?... But this is out of my knowledge… Have you tried activating it?”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “Not really, it’s been a few years since I last tried. I kinda… gave up.”


    He sheathes his last dagger and looks at me with a thoughtful gaze.


    Strider:- - “Okay… so let’s try it then. We can put your combat training on hold, this takes priority. If you don’t know how to activate your skills, you’re as good as dead out there.”


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “I see…”


    I blink twice.


    - - - - - - - - - - - - “Wait, what?”


    -


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