The closer we approached the more details became clearer, small heads were hidden behind the top of the walls.

I could see bows on their hands and part of the quivers on their backs.

“Archers?” The word that I immediately thought of came out loud accidentally.

Angelica made a brief sound with her mouth closed, not surprised about my knowledge, “they are the lookouts for any enemy that may try to disrupt this place.”

“This must be very important then...”

“Of course! It is the base foundation of our army for our divine conquest!”

Without knowing what to say, I looked to the sides, realizing the forest had been cut into a square shape around this small wooden fortress. The trees made it look natural and their greenery kept this base camouflaged. It’d be a different story if an enemy saw it from above, such an open square would be easily spotted from the sky.

“Let’s go inside.”

“Sure,” I allowed her to pass in front of me, causing two pieces of juicy meat to sway to the sides with each step she took toward the entrance. Thankfully, I wasn’t fully animal, so I didn’t foam from my mouth, nor did I get in the heat of her sexy thighs.

‘When I grow up...’ with the passing years, it wouldn’t be bad at all if I managed to get on her physique level. My age was eight, which meant I needed to get a little older for that to happen. I hoped to live long enough to reach such a goal.

The wooden gate opened halfway. It looked heavy enough to require some sort of engine and manpower to get it moving, meaning the people inside were strong to a certain extent. 

‘Maybe it’s the work of other spirits,’ thanks to my short height I went through without issues. Angelica, however, had to bend a tad to avoid hitting her head on the gate.

There was a crowd, and also two lines of silhouettes divided into humans and spirits. It seemed everyone was waiting for her return.

‘Just how important is she?’ I dared not look at her at that moment out of embarrassment. Instead, my feet stood still on that spot behind her as she was greeted by everyone, “welcome back Angelica!”

“Thank you, my dear followers!” Her arm extended to the side, causing the magic particles to surge and my information to be divulged for their eyes to take sight of.

Mio | level: 1 | Age: 8 | Race: Kitsune
Strength: 1 | Vitality: 3 | Stamina: 1
Agility: 2 | Dexterity: 1
Intelligence: 4 | Wisdom: 4
Innate Ability: Communication.
Trait: Death Sense.
Endless potential: Swordsmanship.
Blessing: Beauty
Curse: The Dark Mirror [Cycle 3]

The following moment they knelt while faced to me, whispering a certain title repeatedly to which I didn’t know its meaning, “swordmaster, swordmaster, swordmaster.”

“Swordmaster, one who has mastered a sword,” Angelica explained briefly in a low tone next to me.

“Mio did?”

“Exactly!”

With this unprecedented situation, I placed my hands on my back, clenching my fingers against one another, and holding my feelings deep inside. This seemed a really important situation, and I was smart enough to at least know that it was not wise to add unnecessary words in such a situation. 

Angelica, on the other hand, seemed to have a silver tongue, an eloquent quality to get them to listen and follow her.

“Our prayers have finally been heard. From today onwards, we’ll protect master Mio and help her grow into the strongest spirit this world has ever seen!”

Their heads raised, and their eyes struck me. They evaluated me as their most important figure, even more so than Angelica seemed to be.

The nervousness in me spiked further, causing my ears to twitch and my heartbeat to speed up. I could also feel a hint of sweat between my fingers, causing them to become slightly slippery.

“From this day onwards, the powerful spirits that we have contracted with may initiate the trials.”

I could feel the pressure increase with her words.

“Come Mio. I’ll show you where you’ll live and train.”

I followed her silently, unable to utter a word, doing my very best to suppress the shaking of my body, unable to do anything about the wagging of my tail that caught the attention of many. It made me wonder if they would judge me in some manner or think about the reason why it moved.

‘I hope not,’ my heart was more sensitive than I thought. There were a couple of things that were too much for me other than the typical things. Crowds, for one, had been one of my greatest enemies when I tried to make a presentation for my class. The embarrassment would make my cheeks red and words come out rather shaky. 

To be the protagonist was not something I considered myself worthy of being. It was not a task my mind could accept, but it seemed that in this cycle, I had been given quite a big role to play.

At the very least, I wanted to become stronger, “will you teach me how to use a sword?”

“Of course. I’ll teach you everything I know and that which I don’t, someone else will.”

My hands returned single to the front, allowing the condensed heat to dissipate. “Thank you. I’ll do my best.”

“I’m sure you will, otherwise, we’ll all die.”

Instantly, I gulped at her dramatic words. Why would we die? This was the question I wanted to make but became unable to, because of the door of the lengthy wooden house opening in front of us.

“Welcome ma’am!”

“Jordan, show her the way and introduce the rules.”

“Right away,” he welcomed me with a brief gesture of a hand, pulling me inside. His dark hair and eyes made him look quite handsome despite the scary black armor and weapon by his waistline. It looked like a hammer of sorts.

“Ten floors, meaning that the higher you live in, the stronger you are. That’s how everyone here is ranked. Of course, that raw power is not the only thing that matters.”

“Thank you for the explanation.”

“You’re welcome. Though this means you are classified to live on the ground floor, next to all the new spirits.”

“That’s fine. I was just summoned by Angelica.”

“Yes. All of you are. Now come along,” I followed his back toward the closest hall.