Skill Hunter -Kill Monsters, Acquire Skills, Ascend to the Highest Rank!

The sun hadn't yet risen. A full night had not passed, merely a few hours. Ike sprinted through the scorched woods toward the place Mag had pointed to. He didn't try to be stealthy or subtle. No one from the castle could keep up with him, and he didn't care if the old man knew he was coming; he'd fight him all the same, one way or the other.

He dodged through the woods, closing in on the location. A figure loomed out of the woods. The old man turned, then harrumphed when he saw Ike. "I expected such uncouth behavior from you."

"Oh yeah?" Ike asked, slowing.

"Indeed. A poor, uneducated fool like yourself would naturally seek revenge, like the pathetic lower class swine you are," the old man sneered, looking down at Ike in disgust.

"I'm poor?" Ike asked, touching the collar of his white-and-gold robes.

"Clearly. Wearing such gaudy robes? It's a clear sign that you're faking wealth, trying to appear wealthy. The fact that you wore such unsuitable fine robes into a trial shows that you have no other robes, proving that you are in fact poor. It's so obvious I could laugh."

Ike glanced at his newly-organized storage ring and chuckled. "You and your weird-ass preconceptions. I'm…" He paused. "Poor. I'm poor."

"As I deduced," the old man declared haughtily. He drew a sparkling sword, forged from some mysterious material, and beckoned Ike with his other hand. "Now come."

Ike charged in. He didn't activate any of his skills, but simply attacked the man with the River-Splitting Sword's ordinary swordplay. The old man's sword met his, and his eyes widened. He jumped back, jerking his sword away.

"Noticed, did you? The extraordinary properties of a truly powerful weapon. Yes, that's right. This is a blade that can eat other blades. With every sword it eats, it grows stronger, sharper and harder, more resilient."

Ike glanced at his sword. There was a thin slash where they'd met, so that he couldn't be sure if it had merely been cut by the man's sword, or if the old man's sword had actually 'eaten' his sword.

The old man laughed. "Now then, come at me once more. Let's see how long that cheap equipment of yours can hold up."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm poor. I know it," Ike said. Rather than empower himself with his skills, he lifted his sword again. He hadn't honed River-Splitting Sword in a long time. He'd miss his sword, but he had more swords in his inventory, and once he killed the old man, he'd have yet another sword. He grinned to himself.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

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Their swords clashed. They fought back and forth, each of them striking to kill. Smoke billowed through the forest, and large shapes loomed nearby. Mid-strike, Ike activated Storm Clad. Lighting crackled over his body and his sword, and his blow grew stronger and faster. That's right. As much as I want to play around and hone my skills, there's a real battle going on here. I can't waste time with this man.

"Ha!" The old man's eyes glowed with green light. His body bulged, and Rank 4 power emanated from his body. He met Ike's strike and matched him, blow for blow. If anything, the man slightly pressured Ike, his blows stronger.

But at the same time, the fizzling numbness from Ike's lightning wore on the man. He gritted his teeth more and more as the battle wore on, flinching away from Ike's hits ever-so-slightly.

Now! Ike shifted his hand on his sword grip, feathering his fingers over the storage ring. As he struck, he unleashed a half-dozen fire talismans at the man.

The man stared. There was no time to retreat, not with Ike's blade bearing down on him. The talismans struck him and blasted off, throwing his body forcibly back.

"But how? You're poor…!" the old man gasped.

"And talismans are expensive, I know. It's almost like you're wrong, dumbass," Ike said. He slashed upward, cutting the old man's chest open. Blood poured out.

"I refuse!" the old man snarled. He jumped toward Ike, swinging with all his might. His sword didn't reach Ike, but it didn't have to. Blade energy surged out, cutting through the air toward Ike.

Ike cut upward as the blade energy approached him. His sword caught the blow and resisted it, but it fought against him. He grimaced and put his hand against the blade of his sword, pushing it against the sword energy. A thousand tiny marks marred his sword where it had met the old man's. Even a flat-on-flat touch left his sword scarred. Now, it hummed, the whole thing trembling. Metal grated on metal.

Ike's sword broke. The slash burst through and cut into his abdomen. Some of its energy had been worn off from the clash, and more dissipated when it met Storm Clad, but it still cut deep into his ribs. Ike stumbled back.

The old man charged in. "You fool. Now die!"

"Nah." Ike's hand flashed. A fresh sword appeared in his grip. He blocked the blow as the wound on his chest knitted shut. Pushing his mana into the blade, he sent as large a blast of lightning through their touching blades as he could. The old man's eyes rolled back in his head. He trembled, stunned.

"You fool, die," Ike mocked the man.

He kicked the man in the chest, sending him to the ground. His sword spun away, knocked out of his hand. The man tried to rise, only to stumble and fall back down. "No, please."

Stepping forward, Ike raised his sword. "Would you stop if I begged?"

A shadow appeared behind Ike. Rufus walked forward, drawing his sword. He lifted it over Ike's back.

Without turning, Ike laughed. "Choose right now. Live your entire life as a puppet, or be reborn from this day as your own man."

The man stared up at Rufus. He reached out to him. "Rufus, my child. Since your father was assassinated, I raised you like my own. Please. Save me! Strike down this fool."

Rufus' eyes darted from one to another. The old man, prone on the ground. Ike, standing over him. His hand tensed on the sword.

The old man crawled toward him. "Rufus, please. My child…"

Abruptly, Rufus leaped forward, striking out.