Erana was just hiding in her room, and talking to her family. She didn't step out at all. Then, after a few days, someone knocked on her door so she opened it.

" Fight me." Hatz asked.

"No." Eran replied. After a while, someone knocked again. She opened the door.

"Fight me. " Anaak asked.

"No." Eran answered. Then she shut the door.

"Fight me!" Rak demanded.

"No~" Eran sang.

"Fight me!!" Endorsi yelled.

"..." She said nothing. By then, Eran was already very tired having the four of them badgering her for a battle. Every. Single. Day.

"Fine! Fine! So stop asking me!!!"

"Yay! Blue turtle's method worked!" Rak cheered, while Eran simply sobbed in a corner.

"ERAN AGREED TO A FIGHT!!" Rak shouted to the world the moment she agreed.

Eran curled up into a smaller ball. And sobbed louder.

...

"Let's get this over and done with." Eran said, and her demeanor changed suddenly. Her eyes became shaper, and there wasn't any hint of underestimating her enemies in her posture.

They drew quite a large audience, with the regulars, as well as Quant and Hansung. Khun looked at the two rankers with visible doubt, but turned back to analyse the battle.

This time, Eran took out a fishing rod.

"Where's your sword, small turtle?" Rak asked.

Eran did not answer.

With piercing focus,

Eran breathed. One inhale, one exhale. Then, she disappeared.

"Get ready everyone!" Endorsi warned. All the four of them were grinning, excited to pit themselves against this very strong girl.

Don't kill them. We don't kill friends.

The first person Eran went for was Hatz. That's because, out of the four of them, he would be the easiest to get rid of.

Sometimes, it's harder to not kill your opponent.

Hatz, realising this, has always been on the defensive. As such, when various swings of a rod hit him, he didn't go flying immediately.

"A sword that isn't sharp is merely a club." Eran said. "A sword that is too sharp will hurt it's owner..."

"Try and figure out the balance yourself." Eran said, she hooked his feet. "And anything, including yourself, can become a weapon."

"Ah." Then, Hatz flew. "Ah!!!"

"Now then..." Eran faced the trio. ""

Immediately, large layers of dark semi-translucent cloth can be seen fluttering around her, obscuring her face. It was just a small piece of cloth that she had.

"So that's the irritating thing I fought with when I met you." Endorsi clicked her tongue. "That cloth is practically indestructible. I can't cut through it no matter how hard I try."

Eran raised her left hand, the hand that isn't holding onto the rod.

"" Eran said.

Immediately, a hand made of darkness slammed down at them from the ceiling. They tried to dodge, but immediately, another hand would strike them.

"." Eran said, and immediately, the black hands melted and trapped all three of the regulars sesperately into a ball.

"" Eran ordered, as she compressed shinsu to form a small ball. She placed it directly above each of their ball. Then, she gave it the qualities of the sun.

Shinsu is what all of us use to live and breathe. Shinsu can come in many forms.

"Like that, I could have killed you by, either stabbing you to death with the shadows, or burning you to death." Eran said, before releasing all of them.

"Wanna try again?" Eran smiled happily as she suggested.

"RAAAAA!" Rak shouted, before he hurled his spear at her. Anaak and Endorsi also dashed towards me. Hatz also swung his blade at her.

"Hahaha!" Eran laughed cheerfully, as she fought them as well. As this was also a sparring match, Eran made sure to point out any flaws in their swordsmanship, or and weak spots they leave themselves vulnerable to.

While crossing blades with Endorsi and Anaak, Eran carefully guided the path of their weapon into it's most optimal state. She also made sure to attack any part of their posture that she thought was making them weaker.

Naturally, all of them figured out she was helping them. Whenever she made a correction, they would try their best to follow and remember it.

But it was extremely tiring. Even for monsters like Anaak and Endorsi, they couldn't last more than an hour under her training. The moment they let up by even a little, they would be sent flying immediately.

Eran, too was learning. She was controlling her strength, and trying to teach her friends through a single battle. It was a lesson without words.

"Eran..." Endorsi grumbled. "Why are you so strong?!" Endorsi was panting on the floor, with her arms and feet spread wide.

"Hahaha!" Eran merely laughed. "But you're improving, no?"

"Well... Yes..." Endorsi said. "But it's so tiring!"

Eran would spar with them once every week or two. Or whenever they asked. Sometimes, other regulars would also join. That was how all of them improved.

Sometimes Bam would also join. Eran often confided her conflicting feelings for the boy with her brother and Jahad.

"It's fine." Jahad reassured her once again. "I'm not angry anymore."

And so, Eran would fight with Bam without apprehension too.

...

"Eran... Show us some more of your abilities!" Endorsi nagged. "We have to do our best just to not be defeated by you, but you're not taking this seriously at all!"

"I am though." Eran shrugged her shoulders. She was confused.

"I want to see your battle style! Not something that you've shown us before, nor something you just copied from someone else!"

"Hm..." Eran was in deep thought.

I think it'll be fine.

"Okay." Eran replied. "I'll show you something I've been working on for a while."

"Yay!" Endorsi cheered.

Then, the normal gang of people crowed at the side, as per Eran's instructions. Now, Eran was the only one standing, there was no opponent before her.

" Eran spoke.

What? Everyone thought, yet they said nothing. At first, nothing was happening, then all at once, they felt

Something, that wasn't there before, was there now.

The regulars could feel , but cannot see .

Then, in front of their eyes, a being of pure darkness materialised in front of them. It took the form of a small human child, but it often flickered and waned. His eyes, were of an even darker shade of itself. It's gaze could pull in the regular's soul, if they stared in it for too long. Rather than strength radiating off him in waves, it quietly spread.

Quiet, undeniable strength.

Hansung was trembling in excitement. He wanted to fight that being at once. So did Quant. Yet, they could feel that the being in front of them was highly dangerous.

"" Eran said. "How are you? My friends wanted to see you."

The being, El, slowly cocked his head, and his gaze quickly swept the group.

"" El said. "."

" Alright." Eran said gently. El picked up Eran's hand, and carefully pressed it against his cheek. Then, he dissolved back into the darkness.

The room was silent.

"Happy now?" Eran smiled. "That was one of my friends, that sister gave me."

Endorsi gave Eran a thumbs up. "That was cool. Thanks Eran."

"No problem, Endorsi."