Re:of life-Chapter 40: The Bonds We Forge

1

A new day, and we're out here once again. This time, I've already taken down two of those mountain wolves. Farren and Ronan have, of course, been doing their best—well, Ronan has at least been supporting me, staying ready to jump in if needed. Farren, on the other hand, seems to be watching most fights like it's some damn shonen battle.

While watching Ronan fight, though, I got an idea that's helped me a lot. When he throws his daggers, it's always the smallest, sharpest point of the blade that hits the target. So I thought—what if I could do the same with my water ball? If I can compress it as much as possible, making it smaller and more focused, I might be able to launch it in a way that pierces straight through the wolf's flesh.

So I tried. It takes a bit more mana, but using three of them really makes a difference. If I were to use more than that, I'd probably collapse from exhaustion, so I'll try not to overdo it.

It's a powerful move that's actually been helping a lot. It only makes a small, precise hole, but if I hit the right spot, I can slow the beast down by striking its weak points. Still, I wish I had more mana—it's annoying only being able to launch three per fight. I'd also like to learn other spells. When I figured out how to control and compress my water ball, it felt amazing. Working so hard on something and finally seeing progress is really rewarding. And for the first time, I don't feel like my magic is weak anymore. Before, I could barely scratch the enemy, but now, I can basically kill one with magic alone... if I use it right, that is.

Farren actually gave me a compliment when he first saw my attack, and coming from him, that felt good to hear. Of course, Ronan also praised my idea of compressing my magic. It's nice, being recognized for something you worked hard to achieve.

Once we're done with this quest, we'll head back, turn it in, get the money, and later tonight, we'll hit the hot spring. I'm excited for that...

I heard the others—Orin, Sela, and Althea—are out earning money as well. Though, I bet they're taking on higher-ranked quests. They'll definitely be making more than us at this rate, but it's not a competition. As long as we all get enough for the hot springs, that's what matters. Which we should be able to. Actually, I think we already have enough... though I can't say for sure if Orin and the others do.

Since we have enough money after this quest, we'll head back to the inn and relax for a while. We might take on one more later for some extra practice, but that's not set in stone yet. we'll see how things go.

Then again, even if we have enough, we might still have to go back out later. If I know Farren, he'll end up getting himself some ale. And if that happens, Ronan will definitely join him... and there goes our money.

I'll try my best to keep them away from it, though. I have an idea for how to keep Ronan from drinking, but Farren? No clue... Maybe Ronan has a trick to stop him.

"Shit—!"

"Close call! You still got it, though! Recover and go in for an attack!" Ronan shouts from behind after I slip up, nearly getting bitten to pieces.

A close call for sure...

Well, let's listen to the expert, right?

With that, I push forward, regain my speed, and jump in for an attack—aiming for its neck. I've learned that's a weak spot on the wolf; the flesh is thinner there, and a solid hit can leave it badly injured. The problem is, it's always on guard, protecting its neck.

But after missing one of its leaps for a bite, it leaves itself wide open—perfect for an attack.

I slice my blade through its neck, leaving a deep, bleeding wound. The wolf growls in rage and lunges toward me. As it does, I swiftly sidestep, reaching out with my dagger. As it rushes past, I carve a long scar across its face. Without wasting a second, I drive my other dagger into its stomach, leaving it to bleed out.

And then, it's just a matter of time before it collapses, lifeless, onto the frozen ground. This makes it my fifth kill in total, and with each one, it gets easier. Still, I'm nowhere near ready to take on these quests alone. I can handle one wolf at a time, but more than that? No way—I'd never survive against a whole pack.

"Good job, Kaito! That was a great fight—much better than before! And you didn't even have to use magic this time!" Ronan shouts, running over to me with a grin, raising his hand for a high five.

"Yeah, that was actually pretty good," Farren admits, crossing his arms. "Still, you can't take on a pack by yourself yet. You'll need a lot more training before that. But... good job."

That's the first time he's given me a direct compliment so far.

"Thank you, Ronan and Farren! I feel like I'm finally getting the hang of these daggers. They feel nice to fight with—thank you for lending them to me, Ronan." I reply, slapping my hand against his in a high five.

"Yeah, I can tell. And no worries, I've got a bunch of those. They aren't really expensive." Ronan shrugs. "I do have two pricier ones, though—these."

He pulls out the pair of daggers he always fights with but never throws. They're different from the others, with a red pattern etched into the metal. They look sharper, deadlier, and definitely fancier.

"I see. Yeah, those are your main blades, right?" I say, holding up the ones I borrowed, inspecting them. "So these are the cheaper ones?"

"Yep. They're pretty basic, nothing special. I keep at least five on me when I head into battle."

"Alright, alright." I nod.

"Yeah, yeah, but my beauties are on another level." Farren chimes in, smirking as he unsheathes his twin blades. Their jet-black metal is smooth as the night sky, contrasted by the gleaming white edge. They truly are magnificent.

"Yeah, sure, they're cool... might even be cooler than mine. But you never paid for them—that's gotta be cheating." Ronan groans, his tone casual, like this is a regular thing.

"Those really do look amazing. Where did you even get them?" I ask, still staring at the craftsmanship in awe.

Farren spins one blade in his hand before resting it on his shoulder, his smirk deepening. "I know, right? They're fantastic. Got them from a blacksmith—having the right connections always helps. I asked, and I received. No payment involved."

His tone is proud—almost too much so. Like he's putting on a show. Something about the way he says it... it feels like there's more to the story than he's letting on. Like he's hiding something. Or maybe... he just doesn't want to bring something up?

2

"We've got enough coins for ale! Let's drink, Ronan! You too, Kaito! Let's drink!" Farren exclaims, raising his fist in the air, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

He already drank last night—using up most of our money. I didn't blame him then, since he mainly took on quests just to earn drinking money. But now? He can't just blow all our funds on ale again... Come on!

"Ronan, remember—you won't have enough for the hot springs if you drink now. Think about it. Hot springs or ale?"

Unlike Farren, Ronan isn't an ale monster, so he should have some common sense and choose the hot springs instead. Yeah... definitely.

"True... But we haven't been drinking for so long..." He hesitates. "I know we had some yesterday, but that wasn't much... Farren used up all the coins for himself."

He seems to struggle with the choice, but then it clicks. "Alright... I'll control myself. Let's hit the hot springs instead. Farren, you should control yourself too, man. Come on, let's save our funds for the hot spring. Please."

"...Ugh, fine... I'll just get one. That's okay, right? But tomorrow—you're both ready for a drinking contest, got it?!" He grins, practically challenging Ronan a day in advance.

"Ugh, sure. And yeah—only one ale, alright? Not any more!" Ronan warns, shaking his head.

"And now I get dragged into a drinking contest you say!? No thank you, un like you two I know what is best, and I'll choice not to drink." I exlame, tryingto get out of the "And now I'm getting dragged into a drinking contest too?! No, thank you! Unlike you two, I actually know what's best, and I choose not to drink." I exclaim, trying to escape the situation with everything I've got.

"Come on, you don't get a say in this. You're the one who took away my chance to drink today, remember? So you're joining—whether you like it or not, Kaito." Farren grins before continuing his ridiculous logic. "And what do you mean 'unlike you two, I know better than to drink'? Do you hear yourself? Are you saying ale is bad or something? Ale is just bad water, and water is good, meaning ale is just a slightly worse version of water. So no—we're teaching you how to drink!"

He rambles on, twisting his words into something that makes no sense at all... Yet somehow, I already know I won't be able to escape this stupid drinking contest.

"Sometimes you really sound like an idiot... Fine, I'll join your stupid drinking contest, you little addict."

"You call me dumb, huh? Calling me dumb while you're out here saying ale is bad—do you even hear yourself right now?" Farren steps forward, facing me head-on.

"Yeah, you heard me. And no, you sound dumb. Ale isn't some great thing, you alcoholic addict!" I step closer too, standing my ground.

Being called stupid by an idiot? Yeah, that's not something I'm just gonna let slide.

Ronan steps in between us, gently pushing us aside. "Hey, you two, come on, let's not get heated over some alcohol, alright?" Ronan's trying to play the peacemaker, but what he doesn't get is how ridiculous Farren sounds right now!

"Shut up!" Farren and I shout in unison, leaving Ronan utterly speechless.

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