“THE WHAT?!”

  The underground guild even went silent as our shout echoed.

  A few adventurers nearby stopped midway. One actually choked on something. Rok blinked slowly, like the information was too much, heck it was actually too much.

  Jaw open, I pointed at Damien. “You’re a—“

  “Yes,” Damien replied calmly.

  “You didn’t think that was important?!” I demanded.

  Damien said nothing as he calmly looked at us.

  Rok looked between us. “So… we bow no? Or—“

  “No,” Damien said immediately.

  Behind us, Sylvia sighed.

  She walked toward us with soft steps, “you three.” She said.

  Hearing that, we all froze, even Damien did.

  She walked as her pink hair swayed behind her.

  “Prince. Commoner. Walking muscle. I do not care.” She stopped in front of us, arms folding. “Move.”

  I blinked. “Move? We’re kind of in the middle of something—“

  “Yes,” she said flatly. “You’re in the middle of being idiots.”

  We didn’t move, we instead stared at her blankly.

  But next thing I knew, she grabbed mine and Rok’s arms and dragged us toward the forest exit.

  Rok and I both yelped. “Ay, what—“

  “You’re coming with me.” She said.

  In front of her was Damien, she paused briefly before looking at him with that same intimidating glare.

  To my horror Damien nodded and stepped aside before following right behind her.

  We walked through the dim underground and out into the night, the trees looking creepy as ever, and leaving only the wind.

  Sylvia didn’t stop until we reached a flat, wide clearing.

  For what was supposed to be our training ground, it looked more like the kind of place adventurers used when they wanted to beat the life out of each other.

  Sylvia let us go and looked at us with arms crossed, and eyes sharp.

  “And do not come back until dawn.” She said.

  I frowned. “Until dawn? What about food…”

  I stopped mid-way as she gave a whole different look compared to her usual ones.

  “… You walked out of that cave alive,” she continued. “That does not mean you knew what you were doing.” She said, in a low voice.

  Rok looked at the ground.

  But I didn’t.

  Damien’s expression hadn’t changed, but something about his posture changed into something else entirely, almost thoughtful.

  “You’re forming a party?” Sylvia said. “Then prove it.” She said, stepping back toward the guild's entrance. “And if you come back before sunrise, you can forget all about the guild.”

  And just like that, she left us all alone, in the middle of night barely with any light.

  Two idiots, and one prince.

  I looked at Damien. “…So,” I said slowly. “You wanna explain?”

  But no, he didn’t, he just pulled out his sword and faced us.

  Damien didn’t even get into a stance, he simply stood there, as if waiting for us to strike first.

  Obviously anyone could see through the trap, but Rok didn’t, he stepped up first, of course he did.

  His shoulders rolled once. His grip tightening.

  “We fight,” he said.

  And without hesitation, he lunged forward with force. Dirt exploded under his heavy feet as his club came down in a heavy strike that’s meant to crush through defenses.

  But Damien moved, not backwards, but sideways.

  Rok’s strike had split the ground where Damien had been standing earlier.

  Damien’s wooden sword tapped the side of Rok’s body in a light, precise strike.

  Rok stiffened as Damien’s foot hooked behind his ankle making Rok hit the ground.

  Hard.

  Silence came as I looked at them, clearly confused on where this wooden sword came from.

  “Huh? Where’d you get that from?” I asked.

  Damien didn’t answer as he pointed his sword at me, making me grip tighter on my hammer.

  Rok stared up at the sky. “…Again,” he growled, already pushing himself up.

  Thank goodness, or else I would’ve ended up like him.

  “Alright,” I muttered, stepping forward. “Maybe don’t charge in this time?”

  Rok grunted before we moved together.

  I circled left while Rok advanced from the front, simpler this time.

  Damien’s eyes narrowed at us.

  Rok swung first, more controlled this time.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  I darted in right after, aiming low instead of high.

  Damien stepped inside Rok’s reach.

  Inside? Who does that??

  Rok’s club passed harmlessly behind him.

  Damien’s shoulder bumped Rok off balance as his wooden sword redirected my hammer with a sharp crack, making my wrist sting.

  Before I could recover, he tapped my chest.

  Then my shoulder.

  Then the back of my knee.

  Each strike felt light.

  But the pain shot up immensely throughout my body.

  I stumbled as Rok adjusted, swinging down to give me space.

  But Damien ducked, and Rok's club nearly hit me instead.

  ”watch out!” I snapped.

  “Move faster,” Rok shot back.

  While me and Rok were struggling, Damien over here didn't even look tired

  He just stepped back once, outside of our striking range.

  “You commit too fully,” he said calmly, nodding toward Rok.

  Hearing that, Rok's jaw tightened.

  Damien's gaze shifted to me.

  “you strike before thinking, set a target before moving.”

  “What? I do not—”

  “Your shoulders tense up, loosen up.”

  Damien tilted his head slightly.

  “You just did it again.”

  Before I could respond, Rok attacked out of irritation.

  But Damien pivoted smoothly, letting Rok's momentum carry him forward before striking behind the knee.

  Rok dropped to one knee.

  I lunged to capitalize on the moment.

  But Damein again stepped aside at the last second.

  I collided with Rok instead, hitting the ground.

  Both of us looked up, and instead of the beautiful stars all we saw was Damein standing over us, his wooden blade resting against his side.

  “You do not fight as one,” he said evenly.

  There was no mockery in his voice, just a simple fact.

  And as much as me or Rok hated it… he was right.

  Rok pushed himself up again, breathing a bit heavier now.

  “We change,” he said.

  Damien nodded once.

  “Good.

  He raised his blade again.

  “Then we try again.”

  By the time we stopped moving, my lungs were burning, dirt was clinging to my body.

  We were both exhausted

  Rok was breathing heavier too, which was rare for him.

  But Damien?

  He was barely winded.

  He lowered the wooden blade slightly, studying us like training dummies instead of people.

  “...Again?” Rok asked.

  “Pause,” Damien said calmly.

  I dropped onto the ground without dignity.

  “Finally.”

  Rok remained standing for a few seconds longer before exhaling sharply and sitting down with a thud.

  The forest was quiet again, just the wind blowing through the leaves.

  Damien's eyes shifted slightly, before moving his hand.

  “System, open.”

  A faint blue shimmer reflected in his eyes.

  Name: Damien Valcrest

  Status: Prince, Human

  Rank: A

  Strengths:

  Speed

  Swordsmanship

  Combat analysis

  Weaknesses:

  Family

  Companions:

  Mr.Rocky

  [UNKNOWN FIGURE]

  Roku Ashkarn

  The moment Damien saw the screen, his eyes immediately landed at [UNKNOWN FIGURE]

  After a while, Damien closed his screen and glanced at me.

  “Elias… your system?” He asked.

  I brushed the dirt off my arms.

  “I don’t have one.”

  What followed next was a moment of silence, Damien looked at me briefly with wide eyes as Rok continued staring at the sky.

  Damien didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he stepped closer.

  “You have never seen a system?”

  “No.”

  “Never heard a response?”

  “No.”

  “No status window?”

  “No.”

  Damien continued staring at me, clearly stunned.

  “How do you measure growth?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t.”

  The wind continued to breeze through as Damien studied me longer. As if trying to determine whether I was bluffing.

  “You are certain,” he said.

  “I’ve been certain since day one.”

  That answer seemed to settle something inside Damien, or maybe unsettle it.

  The night stayed quiet, but I could tell something had shifted between us.

  I continued to look at the ground as I felt Damien’s stare at me.

  I could feel he had questions in his mind, questions that would reveal what I actually am and where I come from.

  And should he find out… only god knows what’s next.

  “Listen, Damien—“

  He lifted the wooden sword again, posture straight and relaxed like before.

  “Stand.” He commanded.

  I sighed and pushed myself up a second later, ready to face the questions.

  The sky above was lighter now, the sun higher than the trees.

  I looked Damien in the eyes, both of us making eye contact.

  “Again,” Damien said.

  It took a second for me to register what he said… again?

  “What… what do you…”

  I couldn’t finish as he stepped backwards, still facing us.

  “I said again.” He said, gripping his sword tighter.

  Before I could say another word, Rok moved first, and slower this time.

  Damien noticed immediately.

  “Better.”

  Rok grunted and swung.

  I hesitated, but when Damien made a brief glance at me… I rushed in, hammer low.

  Damien blocked Rok’s strike and twisted away from mine, the wooden blade sliding against the side of my hammer with a sharp crack.

  But this time, I didn’t crash into Rok.

  We adjusted.

  Rok turned as I stepped back.

  Damien’s eyes narrowed slightly.

  “Improvement. “He said, before moving.

  His foot shifted once and suddenly he was inside our guard again.

  The wooden sword tapped Rok’s shoulder.

  Then my ribs.

  Then Rok’s side.

  Each strike was light but precise.

  I winced.

  “Don’t leave openings,” Damien said.

  Rok swung away.

  Damien leaned away.

  I lunged forward.

  Damien pivoted between us.

  The fight flowed again, rhythm faster now,

  Step. Swing. Block.

  Rok forced space. And I rushed the opening

  But when we did, Damien shut it down every time.

  We were lasting longer. Barely.

  I raised my hammer again, frustration building.

  “Okay, new plan.”

  “Plan?” Rok asked.

  “I’m improvising.”

  I should’ve figured it was a bad sign when I rushed Damien head on, but oh well.

  For a brief moment, as my hammer came down, something flickered along my arms.

  A thin flash.

  Like lightning sliding across my arms. Running from the hammer’s grip up to my forearms before vanishing instantly.

  But it was so fast I brushed it aside.

  My hammer struck the ground where he had been standing.

  Damien stepped back smoothly, wooden sword redirecting Rok’s swing.

  The moment had passed as the fight continued.

  But I could feel Damien’s gaze lingering on my arms longer than before.

  Lightning?

  No.

  That made no sense.

  There had been no spell. No chant. No system trigger.

  And Elias didn’t even have a system.

  Damien stepped forward again, striking Rok’s wrist lightly.

  Then he tapped my shoulder, making me fall.

  The fight soon stopped as I breathed heavily.

  Damien lowered the wooden sword, his eyes drifted to my hands.

  After a moment, Damien exhaled quietly.

  Fatigue, he decided. Nothing more.

  “Your timing Improved,” he said calmly, like he wanted to brush something aside.

  Rok nodded once, breathing heavily.

  “…losing.”

  “Yes.” Damien said.

  I dropped the hammer onto the ground, while I stared at the moon.

  “Good news,” I muttered.

  “What?” Rok asked.

  “If we survived this training, we might actually survive something harder.”

  Damien raised his wooden blade again.

  “Last one?”

  Rok groaned.

  “…He enjoys this.”

  I sighed and lifted my hammer again.

  “Yeah.”

  And just like that, training resumed.

  The moment the sun finally rose over the trees, I dropped.

  Just… collapsed.

  My hammer slipped from my hand as I stared at the sky, chest rising and falling.

  Beside me, Rok sat down with a heavy thud.

  “…Enough,” he muttered.

  Damien stood a few steps away from us, wooden sword still in his hands, posture perfectly straight like the night hadn’t touched him at all.

  Not even a speck of exhaustion on him.

  I turned my head slowly.

  “… You’re not human.”

  Damien tilted his head slightly.

  “I am.”

  “Liar.”

  Damien considered that for a moment before lowering the wooden sword.

  “The training is sufficient for today.”

  “Today?” I croaked. “It’s still the same day!”

  Rok slowly laid back on the ground beside me, staring up at the sky.

  “…We die soon.”

  Mr. Rocky, who had somehow managed to sleep through most of the training night, finally stirred nearby.

  “Croak.”

  He blinked slowly, then looked at the three of us.

  “Croak?”

  “Morning,” I muttered weakly.

  For a while none of us moved, we enjoyed the quietness of the forest and the rise of the beautiful sun as the long night finally ended.

  Eventually, Rok pushed himself up.

  “Food.”

  I sat up immediately.

  “…Food.”

  Damien glanced at both of us.

  “You did not bring supplies.”

  “That,” I said while forcing myself to stand, “sounds like an Elias Kane party problem.”

  Rok nodded once. “Hungry now.”

  With the strength of two exhausted idiots and one confused frog, we began the slow walk back toward the guild.

  Damien followed behind us.

  Every step felt heavy.

  My arms were sore.

  My legs were sore.

  Even my thoughts felt sore.

  I felt like I couldn’t walk anymore, and might have to sign my will early until.

  Sniff. Sniff.

  I stopped immediately.

  “…Do you smell that?”

  Rok sniffed once, his eyes widening.

  “…Meat.”

  My head snapped toward the guild entrance.

  “No way.”

  We both immediately started moving faster.

  Behind us, Damien paused for only a second before following.

  The moment we stepped inside the underground guild, the smell hit us properly.

  Roasted meat.

  Fresh bread.

  And stew.

  Actual, real food.

  My eyes widened.

  Rok’s grip on his club tightened like he was preparing for battle.

  And in the center of the room, there it was.

  A massive table covered in food.

  And standing beside it, arms folded like she was expecting us…

  Sylvia.

  She glanced up as we entered.

  “… You made it back.”

  Rok stared at the table.

  “… Food.”

  I pointed dramatically,

  “You made food?!”

  Sylvia raised an eyebrow. “You sound surprised.”

  “You told us not to come back until dawn.”

  “Yes.”

  “And then you made a feast?”

  “Yes.”

  Rok and I couldn’t hold our tears as we ran toward Sylvia with open arms.

  “SYLVIA!” We said, voice cracking a bit.

  Sylvia sighed and pivoted sideways making us hug the ground instead.

  She pointed toward the table.

  “Sit. Eat.”

  That was all the permission we needed as we both hit the table at the same time, grabbing food like starving dummies.

  Mr. Rocky hopped onto the table and proudly claimed a piece of meat for himself.

  “Croak.”

  For several minutes the room was nothing but sounds of eating.

  Sylvia watched us with a tired expression.

  “… At least eat slowly.”

  Across the room, Damien hadn’t moved.

  He stood quietly near the entrance, waiting.

  Sylvia walked towards him.

  “…You’re not eating?”

  Damien’s gaze moved toward the table, then back at her.

  “I am fine.”

  She studied him for a moment.

  “You—“

  “Have you noticed anything weird about Elias?” Damien interrupted.

  Taken back a bit, Sylvia looked at us.

  “Give me that!”

  “Mine!”

  “You already had three!”

  “Not enough.”

  “Croak.”

  Sylvia looked back at Damien.

  “Other than being weird, no.”

  Damien looked at her briefly.

  “You don’t know about it either, do you?”

  “About what?” Sylvia asked, calmly.

  Continuing to look at her, Damien’s gaze shifted back at us.

  “Keep your eye on him, he’s a special one.”

  Sylvia watched in mild surprise as Damien walked past her calmly across the room before sitting down beside us.

  I pointed a spoon at Damien.

  “You’re late.”

  Damien didn’t react, he reached for a piece of bread and ate quietly.

  Sylvia watched us quietly.

  Rok and I were still arguing over bread.

  Mr. Rocky croaked in support of Rok.

  Damien ate in silence.

  Sylvia’s eyes drifted toward me again.

  Special?

  She frowned slightly.

  “… What are you talking about, Damien?”