"No!" Haruya shouted as he turned to run. Daichi also turned to run but stumbled and fell.
Right then, Raito noticed what was happening. Damn... too far. Damn it. I’m going to have to do this again. I can do it, he thought.
He flipped his dagger backward, gripping it by the blade, and hurled it with all his strength. The blade spun through the air and struck the spine of the Red Wolf leaping for Daichi. It let out a piercing cry as it hit the ground, writhing.
But the second wolf kept charging straight at Daichi.
"That’s it," Raito muttered. "I have to save him. My mentor said I’m going to be like him. My power has finally manifested. It’s time to fulfill my wishes. It’s time to become just as powerful as a hero... like Masen Nibori."
Blue light flared across his body as his speed surged. In the next instant, he was there. The wolf lunged at Daichi, but before it could bite, Raito drove his elbow into its core. The beast staggered but wasn’t finished yet.
As it tried to rise, Raito grabbed its tail, spun, and hurled it into the dungeon wall. The impact left the Red Wolf too weak to stand.
Daichi scrambled up to his feet. "Thank you for saving me once more. I’m really grateful," he said.
"No, no, it’s nothing. It’s actually nothing," Raito replied.
"No, I mean it. Why don’t you let me treat you to something? A meal, maybe? It’ll be on me," Daichi offered.
"I’m good," Raito said. "What about your other friend? He left you. Was he your friend?"
"Oh, Haruya? That’s just the way he is," Daichi said with a small smile. "He’s still my friend though... but he loves himself more than anyone."
"Yeah... sorry, but I think I’m going to keep going," Raito said.
"Wait, please. Aren’t you tired already? I’m so grateful you saved my life. What rank are you? Are you rank B? Or rank C? If you’re a rank C, you move like the best rank C I’ve ever seen," Daichi said, staring at him in awe.
What? Can I actually tell him my rank? Raito thought. No. If I do that if he finds out I’m not even Rank E he’s going to avoid me. I’ll just pretend and never answer the question. Maybe tomorrow I’ll finally go for my rank assessment, so I’ll at least have the right to enter a dungeon.
He raised a hand and scratched the back of his head, smiling awkwardly.
Daichi chuckled. "Okay, looks like you don’t want to tell me. That’s fine. But thank you really. I’m grateful. You saved me, and that’s why I said I want to treat you to a meal. It’s not much, but still..."
"There’s no need for that," Raito replied. Then, after a pause, he added, "But since you insist... maybe not today, but another day. If I run into you again, I’ll let you treat me."
"Yeah. It’ll be a pleasure," Daichi said with a relieved smile.
As Raito turned to leave, he suddenly stopped. "Let’s go out of the dungeon together."
"Alright. We could," Daichi agreed.
The two of them walked in silence, neither one speaking. The air between them grew heavy, almost awkward.
I’m not really good at maintaining a conversation, Raito thought, slipping his daggers back into his inventory with a flick of his wrist.
At last, they reached the dungeon entrance. Just outside, they spotted Haruya talking with two hunters who were guarding the entrance.
As soon as Haruya turned and saw Daichi, his eyes widened. "Hey, you’re alive!" he shouted, running toward him.
"Yes... I’m alive," Daichi answered. His arms and shoulders were still bandaged and bleeding, though the wounds looked less severe than before. They had clearly used a healing potion cheap, low grade but it had only managed to close the deeper cuts and slow the bleeding.
Haruya’s gaze shifted toward Raito. He bent his head low in gratitude. "Thank you for saving us."
"Please, raise your head. It’s fine," Raito said with a small smile.
One of the dungeon guards narrowed his eyes at Raito. "Hey, you. When did you enter here? I haven’t seen your face before."
"I’m from around here too," Raito replied quickly.
"Let me see your hunter card," the guard said firmly.
Shit. I don’t have a hunter card. What should I do? Raito thought. His pulse quickened.
Without answering, he tugged the hood of his jacket up over his head, shadowing his face.
"Hey, I’m talking to you. Are you not going to answer?" the guard demanded.
"Sorry," Raito muttered and then, in a flash of blue light, he vanished. He sped forward, bypassing the entrance completely, and leapt over the high dungeon wall with effortless momentum.
The hunters nearby froze in shock. Follow current novels on 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹•𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖•𝗇𝗲𝘁