____
Time passed quickly—another week had gone by.
I don't know why it feels that way, but maybe it's because of this monotonous life filled with the same repeating routines I've been doing in this world.
Basically, all I do is sleep, train, take quests, and sleep again.
And I've been doing that ever since I became an adventurer.
I started to wonder, "Will this really be okay?"
I mean, I'm living in a world completely different from my own.
If I don't change, wouldn't that make everything meaningless?
"Hey, Clement. What are you thinking about?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
"It's nothing," I answered as usual.
"So, shall we start?"
"Yeah, sure. Get ready," I said, pointing my wooden sword at her.
"You can attack first."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Without hesitation, I dashed toward her.
As everyone knows, the one who attacks first usually has the advantage.
I swung my wooden sword at her.
She blocked it easily.
I attacked again, and she blocked it again.
Damn it.
"Can you stop blocking all my attacks? You know, it feels kind of insulting."
"Alright, if that's what you want," she said with a smile.
She lunged toward me.
Fast—there's no other word that could describe it.
In the blink of an eye, she had already closed the distance.
And with incredible speed, she slashed at me.
Luckily, I could still see the path of her strike.
And since I could see it, that meant I could dodge it—thanks to my skill «Dodge».
A very useful skill, if I do say so myself.
She attacked again, but I dodged once more.
It went on like that for a while, and the result was always the same—I managed to avoid every single attack.
As long as I still have stamina, «Dodge» can be used continuously.
And I've been training my stamina for exactly this reason.
"Can you stop dodging? If you're a man, face my attacks head-on!" she said, clearly frustrated that she hadn't landed a single hit.
"Huh? Isn't that just a matter of skill?" I replied.
The air shifted instantly.
Crap—what's this?
She started attacking more aggressively, faster than before.
Not just one strike, but a flurry of them—each faster than the last.
Even though I managed to avoid them, it was only a matter of time before I ran out of breath.
Haa… haa… haa…
And just as I expected, my stamina began to run out.
But at that moment, I noticed she was tired too, so—
I activated «Intuition», and threads of light began to appear, stretching from her body.
Those lines guided me, showing me her weak points—where to strike.
Without hesitation, I rushed toward her.
Even if I wasn't as fast, I had to try, right?
As I got closer, she stood still… then suddenly kicked me, knocking me back.
While I was off-balance, she swung her sword at me.
It didn't hit my head, thankfully—but I still lost.
Even after two weeks of training with her, I never once managed to match her.
Well, it's obvious—she's far more experienced than a beginner like me.
"I win. Looks like you still need a lot more training, Clement-san."
"Shut up! You cheated. This was supposed to be sword training—how could kicking be allowed?"
"You know, that's exactly what a loser would say."
Damn it. She really pisses me off.
"... "
Every morning, I train with Viola as usual.
Even though I lose most of the time, I don't really mind.
After all, it's rare for someone to spend time with me.
That alone makes me happy.
Oh right—it's been about two weeks since I arrived in this world.
Thinking about that made me smile a little."So fast… it feels like I just got here yesterday."
"Eh? What's wrong, Clement-san?"
"Nothing. Just talking to myself."
I stood up, brushing dust off my clothes.
"Viola, I'll see you later," I said while walking away.
"Eh? Already? You were only here for a few hours!" Do you know how long I waited for you to wake up?
"Yeah, but I have to prepare my gear. I plan to take on some quests today, as usual."
"Oh, I see. Alright then, see you later."
"Yeah. I'm heading off now."
After that, I walked back toward my inn.
You might ask—why not just live with her like most isekai protagonists do?
Well, I've said this before: I'm not that kind of protagonist.
Besides, I'd feel bad if I kept troubling her.
On the street, shops were opening, and people were heading off to work.
"Strange, isn't it? Even in another world, people still follow the same routines."
After a few minutes, I reached the inn.
I entered my room and started getting ready—putting on my vest, grabbing my dagger, and of course, my pouch.
After that, I went downstairs for breakfast.
I sat at one of the tables, and soon a waitress approached me.
"So, Sir Clement, will you be having the usual?" she asked.
"Yes."
After eating, I headed for the guild.
The streets were already bustling with people.
And that strange loneliness I always feel in crowds—it was still there.
Even surrounded by noise and laughter, somehow, I always feel alone.
Before long, I arrived at the guild.
Inside, it was already packed with adventurers.
I walked up to the quest board.
Since I'm still E-rank, I had to find something appropriate.
Most were simple gathering quests—herbs, mostly.
But then I spotted a hunting quest: Hunt three horned rabbits.
After picking it up, I went to the reception desk.
"Hello, can I help you with something?"
"Yes, I'd like to take this request," I said, showing her the paper.
Once that was done, I left the guild and headed toward the city gates.
Luckily, the guild's location was close to the exit, making it easier for adventurers like me to travel.
After passing through the gate, I walked out toward the grasslands nearby.
Outside the city felt… peaceful.
A few carriages passed by, but I didn't mind.
Out here, I felt free—like I could go anywhere.
Soon enough, I reached the fields.
The grass wasn't too tall—no more than a meter high.
The plains were dotted with plants, flowers, and the occasional tree.
And, of course, this was where the horned rabbits lived.
So I started searching.
They were small and fast—hard to find, and even harder to catch.
"…"
I had been searching for quite a while, and not a single one showed up.
I decided to sit down and rest for a bit.
The wind here was strong, but gentle—it made me feel strangely at peace.
Moments like this make me realize how simple life can still feel meaningful.
As I relaxed, I noticed a white silhouette a few meters ahead.
When I focused, I realized—it was my target.
"There it is."
I crept toward the rabbit, thinking about how to take it down without letting it escape.
I wasn't fast enough for a direct strike, not skilled enough to catch it, and not clever enough to trap it.
How useless.
Then I remembered—a basic skill Viola had taught me: «Throw».
She taught it to me because my fighting style resembled a thief's more than a swordsman's.
Maybe I could use it here.
Yeah… this might work. I've trained enough for it.
I activated «Intuition» to predict its movement.
Maybe I haven't mentioned it before, but «Intuition» has two functions.
The first is to reveal weak points using those thread-like lines, and the second is prediction—it lets me foresee an enemy's movement.
But it only works if the opponent is weaker than me.
Why? Because I've already tried it on Viola, and it didn't work at all.
So I took my stance, and as the lines appeared, I used «Throw» to hurl my dagger.
It hit.
I didn't expect that. But it was… a kind of satisfaction I hadn't felt before.
"So, two more to go, huh?" I said, looking up at the blue sky.
And at that moment, a thought crossed my mind.
"Am I starting to change?"
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