John had a dazed look. The sudden change took him by surprise, and true to what Fellelone said, his method might not work at all. He swallowed excessively, waiting patiently for the verdict to come. Deep down, he prayed it was something good.

John sighed in relief. Despite the massive cut down, he still earned his keep. It would be a pity if he didn’t get anything after all Fellelone gave to him. ‘That almost gave me a heart attack.’

Calming down, John opened his arcane menu.

John widened his eyes. Three innate spells in one go was a big surprise. This reward was more than just bountiful. He checked them further one by one, and as his Sensei always said, ‘never forget to revise what you learn before a fight.’

His mouth fell upon. John couldn’t believe what he was reading. ‘Isn’t this a bit too overpowered?’ He questioned whether this was real or not. But as his eyes landed on his bloodline spell, he could feel his heart ached. ‘King Lilium…’ he shook his head. ‘…no, it’s Queen Lilium, she’s the one who gave me all of this.’

John was grateful but at the same time, he longed for this person who gave half of her heart to him. It was no wonder why Fellelone was powerful, she was at the peak of the hierarchy, the Queen of the Lilium alraune. And now he had a part of her in him.

‘I won’t let you down, babe,’ he promised himself and to her. His gaze was strong as he declared. ‘I will be stronger than you and everyone else.’

He removed his clothes and dried them near the window. With only his brief, he slept through the night, alone in that queen-sized bed.

***

The sound of a ringing phone echoed. John scowled as his eyes were barely open. His hand scrambled, searching for that noisy piece of…

He found it.

“Hello?” he sounded groggy followed by a wide yawn.

“John, is that you?” it was the familiar voice on the phone since who else would call him in this world.

“Who else,” he answered.

“What do you see? Are the mountains behind you?” she asked a strange question.

“What the heck are you talking about? I’m on a bed, in some saloon slash inn, I guess,” he said.

“Wait, you mean you survived the Forbidden Lilium, that Lilium?” there was a hint of shock in her voice as what John did was not possible.

Hearing someone mentioned her name soured his morning mood. The scowl just got even worse. “Well, I’m here, ain’t I?”

“But how?!” her iconic high-pitch shout rang in his ear. While John was getting more irritated.

“Does it even matter? Isn’t it enough that I survived,” he tried to let the topic died.

“No, it’s not. You don’t know what kind of monster she is,” her choice of words was getting more unpleasant in his ears. And the reason for his scowl changed to a different matter.

“What you did is fucking incredible. You successfully escaped from the hidden boss of Crown Deer Forest, the Queen of Lilium, the Forbidden Flower, you–” her voice was gone.

John hung up as he couldn’t take it anymore. He couldn’t listen to someone referring to Fellelone like she was some kind of mindless beast. John felt her in mind and body, and nothing would change the fact that he loved her. For someone who fell too easy, his devotion knew no bound.

The devoted man got off the bed. He went straight to the door and came out with only his brief. The morning sun shone the saloon in a different light. It was calmer and the ambiance felt like he was in a well-preserved old house.

“Sir Creed, it’s good to…see you?” the Master was already up, standing behind the counter. But John’s appearance left him confused.

John found himself in front of the Master as his arching gaze landed upon the man with the handlebar mustache.

“I need to know where the weapon shop is, and I also need to know where I can find monsters,” John said.

“There’s one a few blocks down the road, but I don’t think Hakeem would open this early,” the Master said.

Yet John’s unrelenting gaze sent a different message to him. As if he wouldn’t take no as an answer.

“But I do have a spare sword and a set of leather armor that I once used. Despite my appearance, I was once an aspiring–”

“Where is it?” John cut the little small talk. He didn’t have the time for that.

“Follow me then,” the Master took John to his personal storage room. He fitted John in the leather armor that covered the torso and his legs. The leather arm guards wrapped nicely around his forearm. Then it was the sword, a standard steel broadsword. The edge was still sharp like it was brand new.

“You took good care of it,” said John. He could see the effort in the blade.

“Thank you for the compliment, Sir Creed. Wouldn’t want to let fond memories to rust like that,” the Master said. They returned back to the counter as the Master briefed John on the direction of where monsters were usually seen.

“A drink before you go?” the Master asked.

John nodded.

“What would you have, sir? I do have a new barrel at the back. Would you–”

“Plain water,” John replied.

“Eh? I mean excuse me? You mean water, water?” the Master never heard of someone asking for that.

“Of course, who would drink this early in the morning?” John got his water and swigged it down in an instant. He left the saloon while still half-naked under his leather armor. But why would he care? Right now all he wanted was to shed some blood.

He exited the town through the north gate and sprinted towards the forest northwest of town. John ran to his fullest ability as his speed was unlike before. If he got chase again by that four-horned goat, he had confidence that he would outrun it. Hell, was there even a need for him to run? He might as well killed it with his sword and blasted it with every spell he had at his disposal.

The wind blew against him, ruffling his dark brown hair. He felt his leg muscles being strained to the limit as he pushed himself to cleave against the wind. Yet his breath was still stable and he hardly broke a sweat. At the corner of his eyes, a window displayed his SP bar, declining at a slow rate, one by one. Despite the frustration he was feeling, this little sprint made him feel great.

He only gave a brief glance and continued his run. In time, he reached the woods where the Master spoke. It was different from Crown Deer Forest. It was undoubtedly brighter, the trees were sparse with a considerable distance from each other. Their light brown trunk and thin branches were a stark difference from the one he was used to. Nonetheless, he trod further.

Dry leaves and twigs snapped under the sole of his vine sandals. He had no intention of masking his presence as it was better for them to find him. For once during his time here in this world, John was fearless.

Despite that, he wasn’t a fool. He didn’t shout and scream like an attention-seeking whore. Even with the new skills and heightened status, John was still gauging his ability in a fight. It wouldn’t do if he was swarmed by beasts at every angle.

‘For a brightly lit forest, it’s pretty quiet,’ John noticed the lack of noises in the background. The only thing he heard was the rustling leaves on the treetop. He didn’t even see any critters running around on the forest floor.

‘Wait, what’s that?’ he narrowed his eyes, trying to get a good look at the thing in the distance. It was walking on two feet, and to John, it looked like a person. It seemed he wasn’t the only one going out for an early hunt.

By chance, their eyes met.

‘Is he running towards me?’ the figure at the distance was getting closer and closer. ‘Wait, is that kid? And is he sick? Why is his skin look so green? Another alraune perhaps or it might be…’ then it dawned on him, ‘…shit, it’s a monster.’

John readied himself in a stance. His fingers loosely grasped the hilt of his sword, hanging by the sword belt. While his stance was becoming lower, stabilizing his center of gravity. And his eyes never left the sight of the rushing enemy.

John let out a long breath, calming down his nerve. The words of his Sensei rang in his mind. ‘Focus and strike them down!’

The humanoid creature was clear in John’s eyes. It was bald, green, and had a crooked nose. Those defining features pointed to only one thing that John knew. ‘It’s a goblin.’

Knowing what it was made it easier for John. Their ill reputation was known back on earth even though they didn’t even exist there. They were a species known for pillaging innocent villagers and raping their unfortunate victims. For something like it, there was no need for John to show mercy.

The distance became closer as the goblin cackled over its newfound prey. Drooling over him as if John was a piece of meat. Its claws were readied to shed blood and so did John.

Unknowingly, the goblin took its final step.

It entered John’s range and the quick draw flashed. The shimmering steel flew like lightning. Drawing an arc upwards, cutting flesh without any semblance of resistance.

A whole arm was sent flying in the air and the goblin was too late to realize it. It dropped to its knees as the pain finally registered. It screamed, staring at its missing arm. Blood spilled like a dam flowing out with no sign of stopping.

But John’s motion had not finished yet. His blade was up high in the air and his free hand grasped the hilt. With two hands joined together, John sent down the final strike.

‘Hikimi.’

From the shoulder down to the flank, the steel blade cut the goblin in two. John flicked his sword and sheathed it back in his scabbard. The clink of the crossguard against the scabbard marked the end of his technique. He exhaled slowly, easing his beating heart. As he had thought, if he had this range, he wouldn’t have been stabbed in the heart on that night by that psychotic woman.

John looked at what he had done. Guts were spilling between the two halves and blood pooling underneath them. It was a messy sight, and the stench penetrated through his nostrils.

‘Fuck,’ his body folded as retching noises filled the silent woods. He got back up and wiped off the gastric juice on his mouth. Again, he watched the thing he just killed. It was his second kill, but it felt like it was his first. The humanoid appearance wasn’t making it any easier for him even though he knew it was a goblin.

“Fuh, I need to get used to this,” he sighed, and then came the blue windows.

The sign of him getting stronger was right in front of his eyes. People called it instant gratification, but to him, it motivated him to do better.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “I really need to get used to this fast.”