Chapter Fifteen: The Camp and a Bunch of Bastards

  “Now! Strike hard from above, then lunge forward with your body, shift direction and sm him to the ground!”

  That was one of the moves Echo was trying to teach Tairen. Six days had passed since their intense training began. During that time, Echo had taught him the basics: the principles of swordpy, some simple maneuvers, and a primitive way of handling daggers.

  But the moves were more than combat techniques — they were a fusion of Tairen’s physical ability and his powers. The strike began with a blow that unched the enemy into the air, followed by a spirit-piercing attack that caused invisible damage. The enemy would then be smmed into the ground, where deadly spikes would erupt.

  Tairen y on the ground, panting, sweat dripping from his brow, drained.

  — “Well done. You've reached a level just below failure. Congratutions.”

  “Shut up...”

  — “I can't believe you're speaking to your trainer like that! A thousand hand waves as punishment for your insolence!”

  “Just be quiet...”

  The knight’s form faded, repced by a bck orb hovering above Tairen.

  “Anyway, I’m doing fine. All I want is to survive this rift… and live a nice, retired life. That’s all.”

  — “Retired? Where does this ziness come from? You’re seventeen!”

  — “And where do you get your ideas from? You’ve been conscious for six days, don’t overcomplicate things.”

  As he y there, he suddenly sensed something strange. A loud crash rang out — the iron door came flying toward him. Tairen stopped it with tendrils of darkness, then told Echo to return to his soul. Echo hesitated for a moment, then slipped inside.

  — “Where do you get the guts to skip a whole week of training?”

  Tairen shoved the door aside and looked at the speaker — a young man with sharp yellow eyes like honed bdes, and messy bck hair across his brow. Tairen sighed.

  — “This idiot again...”

  — “What’s it to you?! Are you my mom now? I skipped school, big deal — are you my mom or what?”

  — “What’s it to me?! You bastard! When the whole squad dies — including you — you’ll understand what ‘what’s it to me’ means!”

  — “Yeah, yeah… bh bh bh…”

  — “Ever heard of knocking?! You barge in like this is your father’s house!”

  — “You bastard… I swear I’ll teach you a lesson!”

  Tairen smirked.

  — “Fine. Since you insist, I’ll come.”

  He could’ve sworn he heard the guy mutter to himself: “Damn it… why… by the Creator, he’s the only one in this css with a Stealth Origin?!”

  — “Tch… trash.”

  Soon after, Tairen sat in a carriage with the guy and several others. He didn’t show any desire to talk, distancing himself silently.

  — “You really are a weirdo, sir.”

  — “I’m not weird. I’m just honest… and I don’t want to talk to them.”

  Anyone watching might think he was depressed, mencholic, or odd… but he was something else entirely: a ridiculous person who ughed too much, even for no reason.

  ---

  Tairen finally reached the camp. He dragged his bag zily, and as he approached the gate, a gruff-voiced soldier stopped him.

  — “You’ll feel a strange urge — like needing the bathroom or a sudden hunger... That’s the pull of the rift behind the fence. Don’t act on it! Stay here until unch day. Teams will be formed ter. Daily training is mandatory.”

  Then he gred at Tairen.

  — “Now… it’s punishment time.”

  But before he could grab him, Tairen was already bolting, running like the wind without chains.

  — “Oh crap, he’s chasing me!”

  “If I catch you, I’ll make dough out of you!”

  — “Never!”

  — “Hehe! Well done, sir! You’ve ditched ziness and started living your life!”

  — “Ditched my ziness?! You’re tearing my heart out and calling that living?!”

  While running, a group of people turned into his path. At his speed, he tripped.

  The soldier leapt at him, but Tairen rolled hard, crashing into the group — all of them fell like dominoes.

  A girl stood up — bck hair like night, eyes shifting between grey and white. She stared at him dryly:

  — “Hey… you.”

  Tairen jumped up, dodged an imaginary punch, and grinned.

  — “Before you say anything… no, I’m not sorry, and I won’t be.”

  Then he dashed off, ughing.

  “If I catch you… you’re dough!”

  — “In your dreams…”