Nomad and my attack clashed roughly, causing sparks to fly between us. Even though we were fighting it felt like he wasn’t seriously fighting me. “That should do it.” The sparks of a flurry of strikes fly past, but Nomad suddenly comes to a halt. I stop too, looking at him in confusion, wondering what he was talking about.
He cracks his shoulders lazily and turns back to his client, Claude. “There we go. Was that to your satisfaction, boss? That was a tougher fight than I expected. Any longer, and it would’ve gotten serious.” I was looking at Nomad confused as he spoke casually to Claude, who had an excited look on his face as he looked at us.
“Hehe. . . Hahaha! Good. . .Very good! What we have here is an unpolished gem! Such fortitude! Such severity! You have exceeded our expectations. How invigorating! We thank you for such a wonderful demonstration!” I could feel my eyebrow twitching in irritation, once I realized I was being played with. ‘So he pissed me off on purpose. I have a feeling someone could have figured this out but I was too distracted by how he was insulting Kengo. . .’
“Oh, come on. . . I was being tested by you, wasn’t I?” I could only rub my head in frustration and tried to ignore the smiling Claude who seemed to be getting happier by the second.
“The boss just wanted to see the two of us fight up close.” Nomad had a tired expression on his face as he said this, probably used to Claude doing something like this. I felt bad for fighting him because his boss pissed me off.
“Hahaha. You saw right through us. Well done, Nomad. You are a dependable bodyguard.” Claude nodded his head, satisfied, toward Nomad who just let out a heavy sigh, rubbing behind his neck.
“Don’t give me that. You had no intention of hiding it in the first place. You were grinning ear to ear throughout the battle with that creepy smile of yours. And to think you made that cheap taut just to make my fight harder. I’m charging you extra for this!” Nomad pointed angrily toward Claude who just smiled at his anger like it wasn’t anything he was concerned about.
“We shall grant your request. We will tell Snow to see to it.” I could feel my eye twitch at how easily he threw his money around. I mean he is the Guild Master of this guild and when he was bragging about himself he did mention that he was rich. ‘Rich handsome dick. . .’
“I’ll say this one more time. . . As your bodyguard, I’m a member of the Berserkers by default. But I never agreed to be a tool for your entertainment. Make no mistake of that.” Nomad rub at his forehead, trying to get rid of the irritation he was feeling due to Claude.
“You were quite wonderful! It was a brief but thrilling battle.” Claude's cheeks grew red as he remembered the fight from a few moments ago and I couldn’t help but wonder if he enjoyed watching people fight that much. . .
“You jest. Unlike the others here, I’m no battle junkie. To be honest, I can’t keep up with your style. I have no other goals. This happens to be a convenient means to that end.” Nomad eyes grew sharp when he said “goals” making me wonder if there was something more to him than just being a bodyguard for hire.
“That said, Nomad, your lifelong pursuit of vengeance is extremely similar to the life we Berserkers lead.” Claude had his hands together in front of him as he stared at Nomad, who just let out another heavy sigh.
“Even if the result is the same, the motive is completely different. I think that’s an important distinction.” I wonder if it was okay for me to be listening in on a rather personal conversation about vengeance. ‘This is like a movie! What type of vengeance is it? For a lover? For his family? For being betrayed?! I am so curious!’
“Such a waste. It is truly a waste, Nomad. In the end. The world is but an ephemeral stage. Why not enjoy the battles and the revenge? It is such a waste not to. Yes, like our Colosseum’s top contender, you would do better to enjoy the cage that has been given you.” I felt my eyebrow raised at what Claude said about a cage. ‘Is it a literal cage or a figurative cage?’
“I am in no way like him. Just because you’re my client doesn’t mean you can say whatever you want to me. . . Ugh! You were just trying to get a rise out of me again. I hate this.” Nomad messed up his hair, feeling annoyed with himself, and turned towards me. “Anyway, I’m sorry for attacking you earlier. Take it up with my idiot boss if you have a problem.”
“Masato, allow us to welcome you once more. And congratulations on your admission to the domain of the Rankers. From today, you stand with the Berserkers, the chosen ones worthy of that name.” I looked at Claude suspiciously, wondering if he was planning to do something else to me. It couldn’t be that easy to get to the Ranker level.
“You sure it should be this easy? Shouldn’t it be more difficult or something like that?” I feel like everything that was happening to me seemed way too good to be true. I feel like it should be totally harder than what Claude is doing.
“It is never too early for punishment or reward. We have seen that your abilities are sufficient. After all , you defeated Taurus Mask. He, too, was originally a Ranker. After a number of Ranker battles, he mysteriously dropped down to Unranked of his own accord. As the Guild Master, we have a high estimate of his power. You should be proud to have beaten him. And now we have seen your true strength with our own eyes. There is no reason for us to hesitate to promote you.” I felt myself relax somewhat but not fully and stared at Claude for a long time in silence before I decided just to go along with what was happening. I came here for one reason anyway.
“Well, if you’ll let me meet with Kengo, I’m cool with it.” I crossed my arms in front of me, hoping it would make me appear more serious than I actually was. I tried to ignore the amused look in Claude's eyes as he looked at me do this.
“We told you, did we not? You are now a Ranker. You will be able to meet one another very soon. Masato, you are hereby bestowed with the title of No. 10 Ranker. Bask in the thrilling ecstasy of the battle! We shall provide you with everything you need to glut yourself thus. Now, someone must guide you to the sanctuary of the Berserkers.” Claude glances at Nomad, but he quickly looks away. I couldn’t help but feel bad for how tired Nomad looks right now.
“Boss, I’m sick of these errands. Besides, I don’t fully understand the system here. Oh, yeah. . . That reminds me. In the last battle, No. 9 was watching right next to me. He seemed pretty interested. . .” I looked at Nomad, interested in knowing who No. 9 was. Actually I realize I never figured out what Kengo Rank was. Is he No. 9?
“How about it, boss? Let him be the guide.” Nomad was practically begging Claude who closed his eyes for a second before he opened them with a look in them that I didn’t like at all. ‘Ugh. . . Please don’t tell me you are planning something again. There is a limit to how much time I can fight.’
“Ah, yes. Indeed. Very well then, Nomad. You are to inform him of his task.” Nomad let out a sigh of relief before nodding toward Claude. I still didn’t trust Claude not to have anything planned with this mysterious No. 9 person.
“Roger that, boss. I just need to bring ‘em to him, right? I don’t mind that kind of errand.” Nomad gestures for me to follow me and I follow after him, looking quickly over my shoulder to see Claude watching me leave with a smile on his face.
After we left the room with Claude, we were in the hallway with each other. It was quiet for a while before Nomad cleared his throat to get my attention. I looked at him curiously, wondering what he wanted to talk about.
“Sorry about earlier.” I was confused about what he was talking about and he must have seen it on my face since he continued speaking. “You seem confused. I’m talking about the battle my boss forced us into.”
“You were going easy on me.” Even though I was pretty pissed at Claude and trying to get past Nomad to get a hit in, I couldn’t help but notice he wasn’t really fighting me as seriously as I thought. I felt pretty guilty about not realizing something was up based on how Nomad was fighting me.
“Oh, you knew? But the same goes for you. Neither of us are court jesters, you know? I don’t ever want to dance like someone’s circus monkey again. Oh, I haven’t actually introduced myself. The name’s Nomad. Right now I work as a bodyguard for the boss, but before that I was a real jack-of-all-trades, doing PI work and the like. If you run into any trouble in Shinjuku or Ikebukuro, give me a call. I’ll give you a discount on the first job as an apology. If you have no money, then trade me information. Of course, that might be a greater cost to you in some cases.” Nomad hands me a business card with his contact information. I take it and put it away in my uniform jacket pocket.
“It’s kinda sad that I’m best known as a bodyguard, even though my other work is my main gig. I guess it’s only natural, since my reaction time is flawless in any ambush, even one that’s already begun. I showed you some of my abilities in our little fight earlier, but that’s not all I can do. As I said, my main job is as a private detective of sorts, but I rarely get that kind of work. A detective that can’t even find his own target. . . What a joke, right?” Nomad got an upset expression on his face and the air kind of got gloomy around us.
“Um. . . Are you for hire at night? You know, when it’s time for bed. . .” I gave what I hope was a flirty wink, it probably wasn’t good but I couldn’t handle how gloomy the air got between us so I had to get embarrassed for this.
“What? Can’t sleep alone? I guess you’re still a kid, after all. No problem. I’ve done babysitting gigs, too. I said I was a jack-of-all-trades, didn’t I? Call me if you miss your mommy at night. I can stroke your back until you fall asleep.” I felt my confidence at flirting sink a bit, with Nomad basically not getting my meaning. But I guess getting stroke on the back to fall asleep is as good as anything. ‘Kind of a dumbass but he got a good heart.’
“But you know, you remind me of someone I know. . . I really can’t tell how old kids of this world are anymore. When I first came here, I got terribly beat up by someone I thought was a small kid. So I’ve got a warning for you: never underestimate the people here. Be prepared for anything, even if they might look weak. That’s the trick to surviving here and anywhere else in Tokyo.” I nod my head at what Nomad said but wasn’t fully listening, distracted by saying I remind him of someone. ‘I wonder if we knew each other? No. . . doubtful. He would have recognized me if we did meet before.’
“We’re almost there. This is where you’ll find the one who will guide you through this den of battle junkies.” I was glancing at Nomad with a nervous expression, worried that something will happen to me. “Oh, don’t look so nervous. You’ve got nothing to worry about. They’re not a battle junkie like the others. Actually, even in this crazy place, there really aren’t that many who are totally obsessed with fighting. Only about, say. . . 70% of them.” Nomad said that with a casual expression but I could only look at him, totally shocked at how it was basically everyone obsessed with fighting.
“That’s a lot” I felt like he should be more concerned about how many people that was. Wasn’t that basically most of their guild? ‘There are only 30% of them that are normal! That isn’t a lot in my mind!’
“I honestly don’t know if you can call this one normal. . . He’s quite fond of people, so he’ll be harmless to you, at least. Seriously, though, he’s a good guy. One might even say a friend. He’s about the only one that treats me like a human around here, despite my looks. He’s a real good guy.” I gave him a confused look when he said that No. 9 treated him like a human. . . I mean he isn’t exactly a human. . .
“Yeah, I used to be human. I’m from another world, sure, but I still used to be the same as you. Some stuff happened that turned me into what I am now. The rest of the story is only for my regulars, though. You’ll have to hire me if you want to learn more.” I felt my mouth about to drop open in shock but I had to force myself not to be surprised. ‘He can’t just tell me he used to be human and not go deeper into what happened to make him look like a fluffy tiger! That has to be something interesting, right?!’
“There he is. Hey, Horkeukamui!” As I was still shocked by what I just heard I felt my face grow hotter when I saw a barely clothed Wolf Therian. I was wondering if he didn’t feel cold with just cloth that didn’t fully cover his legs, just in between them. Also I found it strange he just had a uniform jacket on his shoulders, not even wearing it.
“Nomad. . .” Horkeukamui nodded towards Nomad in greeting but was just staring at me with intense eyes. I felt awkward, not fully knowing where I could look at without getting more embarrassed than I am.
“Let me introduce you. Meet the new No. 10, Masato. Boss wants him to be shown around the Ranker’s area. Can you help?” Horkeukamui nodded at Nomad's question, making him let out a sigh of relief at not having to do anymore errands.
“Not a problem. I already heard from Snow and agreed to it.” I couldn’t understand why but it seemed like Horkeukamui felt the need to keep looking straight at me as he spoke to Nomad. I couldn’t understand why, I mean he didn’t seem mad at me but it felt embarrassing to just be stared at by an attractive person.
“Wait, the manager was listening in? Well, I guess he saved me the trouble of asking. Well then I’ll let you take care of things from here. If I leave my client alone too long, it’ll be bad for my reputation as a bodyguard. If anything happens to my client, the manager will come for my head. Sorry to head off so quickly. See you later Horkeukamui! Take care, Masato!” Nomad gave a quick nod to us before he turned around to go back to where Claude was.
“I remain indebted to you, my friend. As long as I draw breath, we shall meet again. Farewell.” I looked at Horkeukamui confused. Why did it sound like he probably wouldn’t see Nomad again? He is a rather serious person. Nomad stopped looking to look at him with a raised eyebrow.
“Chill man, it’s just goodbye for now. Then again, I kinda like that about you.” Nomad nodded his head again before leaving once more. After he was far from our sight everything became rather quiet. It was so quiet that I was starting to feel nervous.
When I look toward Horkeukamui I almost trip over my feet. He was just staring at me with such intense eyes that scared the shit out of me. “T-That’s a real intense stare you got going there . . .” I just want to play it off like I wasn’t nervous but I was really nervous. I mean I have no idea why he is just staring at me without saying anything.
“First, let me ask you this, dear human. Do you idolize the title of hero, or are you aspiring to actually become one?” Horkeukamui took a step closer to me, basically towering over me. I felt confused and nervous at the same time, not understanding what is happening. ‘U-Um. . . Is this something I should be worried about?’
“What kind of question is that?” I could feel my eyes spinning as I tried to figure out what to say to the intense looking Horkeukamui, who hadn't let off with his intense staring at all. His expression grew upset at my lack of an answer.
“Are you one of the powerless masses who cling to heroes, devouring their souls until they fizzle out and die? Or do you desire to become a tyrant and exploit the masses? I wish to hear your answer, child of man.” I could feel my mind finally calm down as I thought about what he was asking me. ‘I mean he is basically asking me if I am a hero or not. . . I guess that is simple to answer?’
“Well. . . Obviously I’m a hero, when you put it like that.” I put my hands on my hips as I stared back at Horkeukamui with a smile on my face. Horkeukamui stopped leaning over me causing my tense shoulders to relax finally.
“So that’s how it is. . . Understood. . .” Horkeukamui looked away for a second with a sad expression on his face before he looked back toward me with a serious expression on his face, causing me to wonder what he was thinking about at the current moment.
“Ah, fledgling hero Masato. You have chosen the most dangerous path, dear child of man. The road forward will be lined with thorns. The strongest heroes stand at the very bottom of the food chain. Heroes always die untimely deaths, whether they are aware of their fates or not. They must endure the greatest pain and still remain strong. They get the short end of the stick and attract the unseemly. I don’t mean to speak ill of the masses. All people feed off of others in order to live. Someone must act as sustenance for the weak. That is the way of the world. And that is. . . And that. . . is the role of the hero. I have witnessed countless heroes from my home in the heavens. I have seen the ends of those heroes with my own eyes. They lived as objects of desire for the masses. As I could not help but watch them, I swore on my lifeblood. I would descend to the earth and use my body as the shield and the sheath to protect them. I swore to aid the heroes who remain in solitude even as they sacrifice themselves for the masses.” I could see how Horkeukamui was passionate about protecting heroes. He seemed really serious about it and I could see why Nomad liked being around him. He is genuinely a good person.
“You must really love humans.” I gave him a smile and Horkeukamui stared at me for a while before turning around, gesturing for me to follow him. I do that as I wonder where he wanted to take me.
“Now, let’s begin, fledgling hero. Prove your resolve to me through battle. Rankers must always accept challenges from Unranked. As the new No.10, many will wish to face you. There are also the Ranker Battles, in which Rankers face off against one other. By battling strong opponents, you’ll brave the jaws of death and take yet another step closer to becoming a hero. I’ve asked Snow to arrange four battles to start. First, defeat three Unranked. Then, you will face me in a Ranker Battle.” As he said that I stopped walking behind him, giving him a shock look. Horkeukamui stopped walking too and looked at me with a confused expression.
“Hm. . . Perhaps I am going too easy on you.” Horkeukamui put a hand under his chin, pondering that and I quickly waved my hands in front of me, hoping that would convince him not to add onto the battles.
“Do I at least get a break between battles?” I am not ashamed to admit this but I may die if I don’t get a break during each battle. I have been fighting so much today and haven’t gotten a time to relax fully.
“Do not worry, fledgling hero. When the App battle ends, all but your experience will revert back to its status before the battle. Your very body will be restored. Your fatigue , your wounds, and even your death will be undone. If you feel fatigue after an App battle, it is because you are still not accustomed to the separation of your mind and body. It is a symptom of your mind’s fatigue being wrongly interpreted by your body. That is all. Once you grow accustomed to it, you can clear a thousand battles without breaking a sweat.” Horkeukamui was looking at me with a happy smile on his face and I couldn’t just say no to him now. I decided to put away my common sense and just keep on fighting until I get to my goal.
“I wouldn’t mind a bit of a reward. . . Since I am going to be fighting so many battles.” I was looking at Horkeukamui, hoping he could read my mind and hear me begging him to hug me after I finish all the fighting.
“A reward? Hmm. A reward. I see. It is logical to have a reward of some sort in order to motivate training. However, I lack knowledge of what makes humans happy. Teach me your ways, fledgling hero, once our training is over. Tell me that you desire and what I can do to make you happy. I pledge with this very body and soul to uphold whatever request.” I could feel myself beaming with excitement, thinking of the hug for the reward after going through all the battles.
“Now, let us proceed to the arena, fledgling hero. Allow me to see the splendor of your soul. I hope for you to become my hero one day. Horkeukamui prepares for battles!” Horkeukamui started to walk towards the place where all my fight will take place and I followed after him not being happy about fighting again but I have to go through it for my goal.
‘Ahh. . . I wonder if Kengo knows how much trouble I am going through just to me him? I may pass out from all this fighting. . .’ I let out a tired sigh as I continue to follow after Horkeukamui.
