Here we go with a somewhat anticlimactic fight. Itsuki will use his most used skill for the first time here, and I just needed to show how overpowered it truly is. He'll honestly only have a major deal of trouble once I have him dealing with A and S rank opponents. He'll at most struggle a little from B rank. Decapitation is the future of all C rank and below! Enjoy.

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A stalemate resulted from the clashing of sword and claw. Itsuki and the Alpha Wolf disengaged from each other and readied themselves for the next contact.

Itsuki: “Excuse me Mr. Mercenary, but please move. I need to focus on this little wolf here, and I don’t wish for you to get hurt.”

Wordlessly, the man picked himself up and moved a safe distance away, relieved that his life was currently spared. Meanwhile, Veri began to mentally give advice to Itsuki.

Veri: “Itsuki, your reaction time, speed, and power are on the same level as this Alpha Wolf. Usually, this means both it and you have an equal chance of winning this fight. However, you are a conductor. Read his rhythm and break his stance. Good luck.”

Itsuki: “Thanks Veri.”

Focusing all of his concentration on the wolf before him, Itsuki breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. His incredible state of concentration was a byproduct of Veri’s hellish training, and entering the state of mind was a simple matter to him now. When the wolf leapt to slash Itsuki to death, Itsuki activated his skill Rhythm Break.

The wolf’s fighting pattern and rhythm was quite simplistic and easy for Itsuki to read: it merely ran and charged at the opponent. Despite the simplicity, its movements were as ferocious as a waterfall, exhibiting a sense of harmony. However, with a simple change in Itsuki’s center of gravity, the wolf’s attack lost all of its force, and Itsuki parried it immediately. With the momentum on his side, he rained slashes on the wolf’s defenseless body, allowing no resistance and leaving deep gashes in its fore limbs and eye. Wounded, the wolf glared at Itsuki powerlessly.

Itsuki: “I’m sorry, but if I don’t kill you, these kind people I just met will get hurt. I grant you peace from the pain in death.”

Itsuki gathered all of his strength into his arms and proceeded to pierce the Alpha Wolf’s heart. With that, the fight was over.

Despite the ease at which Itsuki ended the life of this Alpha Wolf, the wolf was not weak. It could be said that Itsuki’s Rhythm Break skill was just too overpowered when used properly. All living things, whether they are humans or monsters, train in some fashion in order to hit better or move more efficiently. For example, human swordsmen swing their sword until they feel one with their sword. Their polished swordsmanship, considered a strength normally, is actually a weakness in the presence of Itsuki’s Rhythm Break.

That ingrained pattern can be sensed as a musical bar by Itsuki. When playing a musical piece, a wrong note can be heard easily due to its cacophony. No matter how experienced a musician is, his mind will then momentarily focus on the noticeable mistake. Similarly, after years of training, a true warrior can immediately notice a bad swing instinctively because it just feels wrong. This realization will create an unavoidable moment of hesitation in the fighter.

Therefore, Itsuki’s Rhythm Break is actually very simple but complex to do. He can read the pattern of the attacker and force the attack slightly off-key, pushing the attacker into a frozen state. How does one get an experienced pianist to miss a key and hit an off-sounding sharp instead? You merely warp the keys. Itsuki’s Rhythm Break alters his own center of gravity by such a small margin that no one can detect it. However, this causes the incoming attack to deviate, resulting in dissonance for the attacker. With the instinctive and momentary hesitation, Itsuki can easily parry the blow that’s lost its strength and counterattack. Even if the opponent is extremely skilled and experienced in fighting, those frozen moments begin to pile up, forcing the opponent into an overwhelming disadvantage.

Veri: “Every time you use it, it is quite stunning how much of an advantage it gives you.”

Itsuki sarcastically responded: “It sure never worked against you though.”

Veri began to make noises in Itsuki’s head, oddly reminiscent of a child stick their tongue out and blowing raspberries.

Veri: “All of my abilities are considered in the S rank. Even if you get a moment’s hesitation out of me, my pure speed and power can respond quickly enough to stop you. Even though your speed and power have been strengthened considerably, in the face of overwhelming power, you can easily lose. Never forget that.”

Itsuki: “Yea, I definitely won’t.”

Veri: “I will admit though, you are not someone anyone wishes to have a battle of attrition with. With that technique and my training, you really could be considered a monster to creatures of the B rank or below. Good work on the wolf. Skin it and scavenge it for meat. I don’t want to hear your whining about meat this or meat that later.”

Itsuki: “How exciting! I wonder though, what does wolf meat taste like?”

Itsuki began to dismantle the Alpha Wolf’s corpse until loud cheering could be heard behind him. In fact, the cheers were so loud that he almost dropped his sword in the process of skinning the creature. Once the cheering died down, the adrenaline keeping everyone standing disappeared, resulting in many of the passengers to collapse onto their knees.

Due to the mental exhaustion everyone in the caravan had from the unexpected B ranked monster attack, it was decided that everyone would stop here for the night to recuperate.

Huge flocks of people flooded to Itsuki to offer their gratitude on his vanquishing of the Alpha Wolf. They all realized that had he not been there, they would be dead. Some women, however, talked to him with amorous gazes in their eyes, seeing his skill and handsome looks. In fact, many had to be carried back to their wagon as the combination of exhaustion and handsome man was too much for them to physically handle. After everyone finally settled down and returned to their wagons, a campfire was started next to Bruno’s wagon. Itsuki began to roast the meat of the Alpha Wolf, and he shared them with Bruno and Hina as he cooked them.

Hina: “Wow! This is super yummy! This is way better than the beans we kept eating!”

Bruno: “I had no idea that you could cook Itsuki! True, the meat of the Alpha Wolf is superb, but your skills made this meat taste even better.”

Itsuki: “You’re giving me too much credit. I just added some of your spices and cooked it. It’s no big deal. But man, this is good! I haven’t had meat in so long, but it’s so juicy and amazing.”

Within his mind, Veri stared greedily at the pieces of meat. Despite the fact that she knew she should continue hiding, her desire for meat overwhelmed her. Her reasoning, however, broke as she decided to quit hiding. She fluttered out of Itsuki’s mind and began to devour the meat that Itsuki had.

Bruno: “My word! Is that a pixie? Those are quite rare!”

Hina: “Hahaha, she’s so pretty! And she eats a lot of meat!”

Itsuki: “Her name is Veri, and yes she is a pixie. HOLD ON! Veri, stop eating all my meat!”

Veri: “Pleased to*nom nom* meet you. *Gulp* Sorry…it’s just too good. I can’t help myself!”

The meat was quickly torn apart by the three hungry people and one ravenous pixie. Once dinner was over, Bruno and Hina began to excitedly speak to Itsuki about his fight with the Alpha Wolf.

Bruno: “By heavens! That was the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen!”

Hina: “Big brother Itsuki is so cool! I want to be that strong someday!”

Veri: “Hmph. I could’ve beaten that little wolf instantly.”

Itsuki: “Haha, thanks. I’m glad I beat it before it hurt you guys. I owe y’all a lot you know? Taking in a stranger like me and giving me a ride. Veri, actually, I don’t doubt you could at all haha.”

Bruno: “Think nothing of it. In fact, you’re an adventurer right? My wife owns an inn, so please stay there with us for free. Of course, you as well Veri.”

Hina: “Yea, yea! That’d be awesome! Big brother Itsuki is gonna stay with us! Veri too!”

Without even waiting for a reply, Hina began to dance around the campfire gleefully.

Itsuki: “Well then, allow us to impose on your hospitality.”

Veri: “Great! We finally get to sleep in a bed! Your head is sorta comfy Itsuki, but nothing beats a bonafide bed. Sure, being linked is convenient since I can talk with you mentally and stay in your head, but I sure do enjoy being out and about. I think I’ll just stay out from now on unless a god shows up.”

Bruno: “Good good. Anyway, Itsuki, are you a master swordsman? Your skill with the blade was impeccable.”

Itsuki: “Ah, I trust you Bruno, as well as you Hina. Please don’t tell anyone else other than perhaps your family since I’m currently trying to remain hidden from prying eyes. I am not a master swordsman. Rather, I am a conductor.”

Bruno had just put a pouch of water to his mouth until Itsuki’s words caused him to spit it up immediately.

Bruno: “*cough cough cough* You’re a conductor? But…that’s impossible! There hasn’t been a conductor since the Lost Sound!”

Itsuki: “All I can say is that I’m speaking the truth. I’m the only one alive right now, and it seems I have a mission of sorts that I need to learn about.”

Hina: “Grandpa, what’s a conductor? Is it connected to big brother’s eye and hand mark?”

Bruno: “Hina, a conductor is a person blessed by Apollo, possessing powerful skills as a fighter, strategist, and musician. They were considered some of the strongest in the world! Every kingdom dreamed of having one. When I was very young, I watched one in the Classica Kingdom conduct a symphony more beautiful than any other. Right after his performance, he took charge of a battle that resulted in the Classica Kingdom’s complete victory! They are incredible people. Itsuki, is the birthmark on your hand and eye connected to Apollo?”

Itsuki: “Yes, indeed it is. This is my mark as a conductor of Apollo.”

Veri: “I understand it must be difficult to think this clueless looking guy is a conductor, but it is the truth.”

Veri exaggeratedly shook her head and shrugged her shoulders to mock Itsuki.

Itsuki: “Oi Veri! You don’t have to say it like that you know!”

Bruno: “Hahaha. Marvelous. Absolutely marvelous. You continue to surprise me. I swear to keep your secret Itsuki. Rest assured! To think I could not only see a new conductor after 40 years but also be saved by him, I truly am blessed. I do not know what your destiny could be, but perhaps the Temple of Artemis that we have in the Renaissance kingdom could shed some light on it. In two days, we’ll arrive at the kingdom. I’ll take you there myself after we settle into the inn.”

Hina: “Hina promises too!”

Bruno radiated an aura of sincerity as he swore to assist Itsuki as best as he could. His straightforward attitude made Itsuki quite happy because there was no sign of deception or desire evident in him.

Itsuki: “I appreciate it, Bruno. You too, Hina. For now, let’s rest up. Our journey is almost over.”

Bruno: “Indeed we should. Hina! It’s time for bed.”

Hina immediately hugged Itsuki’s neck and laughed.

Hina: “Let’s get to bed, Big Brother! If not, you’ll oversleep tomorrow!”

Itsuki: “Ah this girl! You know that you're the one that loves to oversleep!”

Hina pulled Itsuki along to the mat in the wagon and plopped herself on his right arm. With a quick goodnight to her grandfather, Veri, and Itsuki, she fell asleep, completely exhausted from the day’s ordeal. Veri floated herself onto Itsuki’s chest, curled up into a ball, and began to sleep as well. Itsuki wore a wry smile as he saw the two girls fast asleep, and he rubbed Hina’s head gently until he too descended into the land of dreams.

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I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It was much longer than I expected since I needed to fully explain Rhythm Break. Any thoughts on your favorite character so far? Hermes, Itsuki, Veri, Anna, Hina, Bruno, and Demeter I think are the main people that have been fleshed out enough so far. I like Veri since she's really spunky. Leave comments and constructive criticisms if you want! Until next time.