Everything was hazy.
Like a puppet with cut strings, Yanagi’s head hung down. He watched the blood leak from his chest.
Oh. I lost…
He couldn’t move a finger. Yes, he would certainly die right here and now, and nothing could change that simple fact. Amane Rin, the one who stabbed him in the heart—a boy, just a boy—watched him with unfeeling eyes.
I never expected he’d best me this thoroughly. An ugly, wet laugh wracked his chest. In the end, I was the one in the palm of his hand.
A magic-stealing sword, invisible barriers, and teleportation. Rin had used so many tricks to destroy his plan, corner him, and run his heart through. After all his villainous talk crumbled to nothing, Yanagi only had one question left.
“Tell me…Amane Rin,” he croaked. “Have you…killed someone before?”
Rin regarded him silently for a moment.
“No. This’ll be my first time taking a life.”
“…Then you’re a real monster.”
He had to be. To not flinch in the face of the bloodlust turned his way; to take that bloodlust and turn it right back on his attacker without hesitation. That spoke to who he was.
As for Yanagi…
The first time he killed someone, his hand trembled as he gripped the knife. He ran from the truth—that even though his actions were in self-defense, he had stolen a life. That younger version of himself couldn’t face his victim, the way Rin did now. Had he ever faced it?
Maybe the result of this battle was decided from the start.
His consciousness slipped, and he mustered his final words to Rin.
“I’ll keep an eye on you to see how you use that power…”
Yanagi’s breaths stopped. There was quiet.
✦ ✦ ✦
Yanagi stopped breathing before my eyes. At the same time, the system spoke in my mind.
“Gained XP: Level increased by 121!”
“Obtained skill: Plunderer.”
“Plunderer has been reset to LV 1.”
The words stunned me. “I obtained Plunderer…?”
As startled as I was, part of me understood. Plunderer required permission from the target to switch to someone else. I surmised there was a hidden reason for the target to have a say in the matter, though I hadn’t imagined winning the skill was it.
That explained Yanagi’s final words. He knew the Plunderer ability would transfer to me. He knew. Did that mean…
Could he have stolen this skill from someone he killed?
I turned on my heel, away from his corpse. Even though he was gone, I swore to him anyway.
“Even with the same power, I’ll never turn into someone like you.”
Those words bounced off the walls and faded into the distance.
Amane Rin
Level: 13,617
SP: 8,710
Titles: Dungeon Traveler (10/10), Nameless Swordsman, Endbringer (ERROR), Wiser Wise Man
HP: 39,280/106,680 MP: 3,680/29,490
Attack: 25,450 Defense: 21,480 Speed: 26,620
Intelligence: 21,160 Resistance: 21,240 Luck: 20,220
Skills: Dungeon Teleportation LV 20, Enhanced Strength LV MAX, Herculean Strength LV MAX, Superhuman Strength LV MAX, High-speed Movement LV MAX, Gale Wind LV MAX, Revitalize LV 1, Purification Magic LV 1, Mana Boost LV MAX, Mana Recovery LV 2, Enemy Detection LV 4, Evasion LV 4, Status Condition Resistance LV 4, Appraisal, Item Box LV 5, Conceal LV 1, Battle Barrier LV 1, Plunderer LV 1
Dungeon Teleportation LV 20
Required MP: 1 MP × distance (meters)
Conditions: Teleportation can only occur in dungeons that have already been visited.
Teleportation Distance: Maximum 400 meters.
Activation Time: 0.8 seconds × distance (meters)
Scope: User and user’s belongings.
Sub-skill: Time Zero
Paying 100 MP allows the user to teleport instantly within a ten-meter radius. (This ability is obtained when Dungeon Teleportation reaches LV 20).
Plunderer LV 1
Conditions: Killing the target allows the user to steal one of their skills. If a skill is not chosen, this ability will steal the target’s highest-level skill. If the user is killed by the target, this skill transfers to the target and is reset to LV 1. Targets must be touched directly.
Plundering capacity: 1 type.
✦ ✦ ✦
As I walked away from Yanagi’s body, I checked my stats display. It showed, MP: 3,680/29,490.
“I may have come out on top, but that was a close one,” I said to myself. Fortunately, I’d had two new powers at my disposal: Greed and Time Zero.
My sword, Greed, was the second reward from the Remote Magic Tower. Time Zero was the result of boosting Dungeon Teleportation’s level to twenty so I could reach Sumifuku and find Hana as soon as possible. My only goal was shortening the time required to teleport as much as possible, but this new sub-skill was a major bonus.
Together, these two tools formed a powerful weapon, but the severe mana requirements were a downside to the combo. Greed required the same MP cost as the magic it stole, and Time Zero required 100 MP for each use. Since this was the first time I’d used the combination, it was possible there were also downsides I couldn’t see yet.
I intended to practice before using the two in such a high-stakes fight, but once I tasted Yanagi’s strength, I knew I couldn’t hold back. That was how threatening an intelligent opponent was.
If it was just a difference in physical strength—like the lightning beast had shown me—that was one thing. But in this case, one wrong slash, one wrong judgment about who I was up against… I would’ve ended up dead.
My thoughts heavy, I walked over to Hana.
“Are you okay?” I asked, taking a knee in front of her. Relief must’ve hit her hard because she practically jumped on me.
“Oniichan!” she said shakily.
“Whoa, there!”
“I was so scared…!”
“I’m sorry. You wouldn’t have faced danger if I hadn’t been so late.”
“That’s not what I meant! You nearly died because I called you for help! That’s why I was scared.”
“Hana.” I patted her head. “It’s over now. I’m sorry I worried you.”
“It’s okay, as long as you’re safe.”
“Thanks,” I replied. “Still, that was scary. Did his dagger cut you at all?”
“No, thanks to you. I’m totally fine.” She giggled with nervous energy.
Just in case, I inspected her for any injuries. Like she said, she didn’t appear to have any fresh cuts. The tension inside me eased.
Good thing Battle Barrier could be placed on other people too.
Battle Barrier LV 1
By draining MP, this skill creates a mana barrier around the target. (Note: The strength and duration of the effect changes according to skill level.)
Cooldown time: 60 seconds.
Like the skill description said, I had to choose a target. It didn’t have to be me. The first thing I’d done when I arrived was activate it on her. Once Yanagi and I had our little chat and used up the sixty-second cooldown, I activated it on myself.
I wish I could’ve done more to prevent him targeting her in the first place, but until the very end, Yanagi fought with the feral craftiness of a cornered animal. I shuddered as I realized anew how difficult an opponent he really was.
“Hey, oniichan?” Hana said, breaking up my thoughts.
“Hm?”
“You’re a lot stronger than I thought you were.”
I winced. “Sorry for hiding that.”
“You don’t need to apologize. I get why you did it, because that’s what I chose too. You had your reasons, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. Once we get home, I’ll give you the run-down.”
“Good!”
There was no point in hiding it anymore, and Hana deserved the full story. I was just glad she was safe. There was no greater gift.