Sitting down on the couch in the lobby, I took off my shirt and jacket and examined my wound more carefully.

This wound really stings.

Lifting up my clothes, it was covered in blood and a hole that showcased the location my coat and shirt had been stabbed through.

No… I just got these clothes. Damn it.

Lowering the clothes, I found that Rin had awoken and was standing in the doorway.

Rin stepped toward me and observed my wound, her expression hadn’t changed. Her eyes, though, portrayed her anger.

“What happened?” Rin questioned, her voice cold as an arctic winter.

“Shadow souls. Presumably summoned by the maniac who attacked me earlier today.” I explained, moving aside on the couch to allow Rin to sit down.

Rin began medical treatment, cleaning off the wound with water and a towel, “Attacked earlier?”

“When I captured that merchant. There was someone beside him with super-speed.“ I said before taking time to summarize my encounter with the maniac and the other information about him I’d gained from the merchant.

Rin clenched her fists in anger, “You didn’t mention it earlier.”

Ah… Rin was annoyed with me.

“I didn’t think it was particularly important.” I explained.

“Someone attacked you and you didn’t think it was important to mention it to me?” Rin asked, sadness and slight anger could be heard in her voice.

I put my hand on her head and comforted, “Relax, I can handle myself.”

“No, you can’t!” Rin shouted on the verge of breaking down into tears, “That’s exactly why I can never tell you about anything that happens in the future. You always go off on your own and do stupid things. While casually dismissing any of my complaints by saying that I can reload.”

“And… you eventually die.” Rin whispered in a crackly and barely audible voice.

Rin voice seemed mixed between sorrow and anger, “Why... why can’t you understand my perspective? Do you know what it feels like to watch you die or to cry over your dead body?”

“That…” I couldn’t really find the words to speak.

I knew she was right. I would enter dangerous temples and heritages if had information about them… I don’t have a choice. There’s no safe method of growing powerful anymore because I gave my basilisk manual to Kara.

Even earlier, when fighting that maniac, I took a riskier course of action because I knew that Rin would utilize her save/load power to save me if I messed up.

I might’ve made the same decision to use him as a stepping stone without knowing about Rin’s power… but I definitely would’ve used my petrifying eyes on him as he left. That would’ve prevented any chance of revenge.

I let him go because I thought he would be a good training partner and Rin could save me if he managed to successfully ambush me.

I’m trash, trash who is taking advantage of Rin’s love and goodwill.

“I’m sorry.” I apologized, looking down at the floor in guilt.

“No… you’re not.” Rin sighed, “We’ve had this conversation before. You wouldn't continue taking risks if you were sorry. You have no idea what it feels like to be the cause of your death because I was unable to keep my mouth shut.”

I knew deep down that Rin was right. If I was truly sorry, I wouldn’t be willing to do it again… but, even now, I will probably make a similar decision again.

That’s probably the first time I’ve lied to her.… and it feels terrible.

“It’s necessary to take risks to become more powerful.” I said in a poor attempt to justify my actions, which sounded terrible even to my own ears.

“Shut up, Tobias.” She shouted, knocking my hand off her head clearly extremely frustrated, “I don’t need you powerful. I need you alive.”

Clenching my fist, I banged against the couch. “We need power to stay alive. We don’t have time to grow up safely.”

“Don’t you dare say that excuse again.” Rin’s eyes seemed ready to sprout fire, “You don’t get to say that when you’ve never even tried to grow stronger safely.”

Her words pierced through me and I deflated into the couch.

Rin is right. She’s always right. If I trained my techniques everyday and insisted with physical strength training, my regenerative abilities alone would allow me to grow powerful relatively safely.

I would be far weaker than if I took risks… yet, it would be far safer.

That’s probably the reason Rin is planning on using a guild. To avoid putting me in any more danger. She’s attempting to find a safe way to grow our overall strength.

“Fine. We’ll do it your way.” I relented, if she that worried there's no reason to avoid trying it. “No more unnecessary risks.”

Rin eyes dilated and expression turned perplexed. Although surprised by my declaration, she quickly accepted it and ordered. “Good… stay here.”

Rin disappeared off into another room, presumably to acquire medicinal herbs from her stash.

While she had disappeared, I investigated my wound. She hadn’t used medicine, but during our conversation, Rin cleaned and bandaged the wound.

The pain had completely disappeared, and my arm strength had returned.

While waiting for Rin to return, I took the opportunity to wipe the blood off my clothes.

I should probably buy another pair before leaving. We don’t have the luxury of space while traveling, but my bag should barely be able to carry another pair.

Life would be much easier if spatial artifacts existed. Sadly, they don’t.

Well, technically, they can exist… but nobody would bother creating them. Unless there’s some technological advancement, spatial artifacts require an impossible amount of mana to maintain and would collapse from pressure after about a month of use.

Thus, unless we find ourselves traveling with someone that has a storage ability, we’re carrying everything ourselves.

Suddenly, a foreboding feeling filled the atmosphere around me. My instincts began ringing and kicked into overdrive.

‘Something’s wrong. There’s danger around me, I’m forgetting something important. ‘

That’s what my instincts were telling me… Yet, searching the surroundings or through my memories brought no results.

Rin returned, fully outfitted in her combat gear. The foreboding feeling didn’t lessen.

I forced myself to calm down. If I’m in danger, the best option is to stay alert.

I don’t see any danger in the immediate surroundings, if that helps.

It does, let me know if you find anything.

Looking at Rin who seemed prepared for war, I asked. “Where are the herbs for my wound?”

Rin shook her head in response, “You don’t need any. You will be fine in a couple of hours.”

“No… Something feels strange, I have a ominous feeling.” I warned, standing up to examine the surroundings.

My words seemed to catch Rin’s attention.

She immediately relocated next to toward me with her weapon draw. Tightening her grip on her sword, she questioned, “Where exactly is it focused?”

I was curious about her reaction, but I decided my curiosity could wait.

I carefully tried to focus on the ominous feeling, but it was too vague. “I don’t know, everywhere?”

“Close your eyes and focus, Tobias. Where is it coming from?” Rin commanded, ears perked for noise and her body in a combat stance.

Listening to her advice, I closed my eyes and focused on the feeling.

Breathe in and out.

Focus on my instincts… Why are my instincts screaming danger? Where is coming from?

Knock… Knock…

Before I could properly focus, someone knocked on our door. I nearly jumped in surprise, but quickly calmed down.

My barrier had been broken. I hadn’t noticed. The maniac had broken it in a shorter time than I expected.

“Don’t open it.” I cautioned, looked toward Rin.

Rin promptly nodded in return. Keeping close to me with her sword drawn.

I heard an unfamiliar male voice call through the door, “Are you sure that you don’t want to open up? A friend of yours would like to speak with you.”

I replied immediately, “Screw off. You can go ahead and kill him, that merchant is no friend of mine.”

“Hmm... you don’t mind if I kill her then?” The unfamiliar male voice inquired, pretending to be disappointed.

Her? It can’t be…

My fears were soon confirmed, I heard Sidney’s voice yell. “Get your shadowy hands off me, you creep!”

Shaking from anger, I tightly gripped God-hunter in my hand.

How dare he… How DARE he… NOBODY touches my disciples.

“Let her go this instant you maniac!” I immediately bellowed, and rushed toward the door.

Rin easily stopped me before I could reach it and preventing me from opening it. She repeated the words I’d said moments before, “No more unnecessary risks.”

I calmed down slightly from her intervention, still I believed fighting was the correct course of action and plainly stated. “This is a necessary risk.”

Rin shook her head and disagreed. “Stay inside. I will fight him.”

I opened the door for Rin and saw the unfamiliar man standing outside.

Twenty different shadows surrounded the presumed shapeshifter. Sidney was trapped between one of the shadow’s arms, constantly releasing corruption that the shadow was regenerating from.

“Hmm? Who are you?” The maniac asked as Rin began to walk toward him.

Rather than letting Rin answer, I immediately used petrifying gaze on him.

The maniac seemed surprised, but he immediately shapeshifted into the man I met earlier superhuman speed and the petrification receded.

When he changed, the shadows around him disappeared. The shapeshifter frowned. “Rude.”

Rin ignored his speech and took the opportunity to attack.

Using his speed, he managed to easily escape her initial attack. However, the occasional offensive attack he got was easily deflected and Rin kept her momentum forcing him to continuously retreat.

“Sidney, get over here. Leave Rin to deal with him.” I shouted toward her, which also got the attention of the shapeshifter.

“Damn, this trip might be a loss.” The shapeshifter backed out of the fight with superhuman speed. He began shapeshift back into the man from a few minutes earlier and the petrification on his body returned.

Soon, the shadow souls reappeared in their respectively locations and soon captured Sidney again.

I stared at the shapeshifter’s half-petrified body in surprise. Interesting… so damage and status conditions are retained to an extent if he swaps back?

Behind you!

God-hunter’s warning appeared too late and I felt unimaginable pain in my chest.

Feeling feeble, I collapsed onto my knees.

Looking down at my chest, I found the tip of a shadow dagger had run through my heart.

Impossible… How?

Barely turning my head around, I found a shadow soul had somehow appeared behind me inside the house.

That’s not possible.

It came out of your shadow. You need to pull the dagger out, right now. Otherwise, even without any anti-regenerative properties, it would prevent your heart from regenerating.

Pain filled my chest and my vision turned fuzzy, I called out toward Rin but my voice was barely audible, “Help.”

Focus Tobias, to have even a small chance of survival, you need to pull the dagger out now. Before you lose consciousness.

Struggling to stay awake, I followed God-hunter’s instructions and reached behind toward my back to pull out the dagger.

When I finally grabbed the dagger, massive pain shot through my barely conscious body.

Coughing, I tasted blood in my mouth. An unpleasant iron taste.

Am I going to die here? I… I don’t want to die.

I tightened my grip on the dagger and, with sheer force of will, I yanked it out.

Collapsing onto the floor, I faced the ceiling apartment.

Through my blurring vision, I saw Rin leaning over me.

Am I going to die?

At least…at least Rin’s here.

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