7 Forbidden technique

As Kai described his experience to Vara and Oni they looked on in shook.

The table shook as Oni slammed his palm onto it.

"Damn it! He really employed a gifted human, how much wealth does this bastard have!"

"You said his aura was sharp right? Aura's indicate what type of power gifted humans have. He's seems to be related to sharp weapons. Direct confrontation will lead us to our graves." Vara said as collected as ever.

"Even when I was sneaking around he seemed to sense me. How will I get past him?" Kai questioned.

"Of course you were found, aura has many uses and one of course is aura detection. Supposedly you can even feel the shift if a blade of grass using it. The only way to avoid it is to use powerful skills and abilities that disrupt detection." Vara sighed.

"I can teach you something of that manner. It's an advanced assassin technique called Deadly Mirage, it creates multiple afterimages of the users body through a varying movement of steps." Oni replied.

"Great, you should teach him in the tavern's cellar." Vara encouraged them.

Oni and Kai ventured down into the tavern's cellar undisturbed. The tavern owner felt a deep sense of unease when they were around. He knew they were not normal, so he left them to do whatever they wanted as long as it didn't affect the business.

When they arrived they stood face to face. The dimly lit cellar contained a mystifying glow as which seemed to stem from Oni as he began to walk towards Kai. The air around them rippled with each step he took and a mirror image of himself was left behind. The clones themselves started to walk around Kai enclosing him in a baffling encirclement.

"Deadly Mirage" They said in unison. "An advanced application of silent echo, used by master assassins to confuse and easily assassinate their targets."

As they finished speaking One of the Oni dashed toward Kai brandishing a blade. As they connected Oni vanished and Kai felt a blade press dangerously against his head. A fake, Kai realized. The Oni that dashed to attack him was merely a clone and the real one was behind him all along waiting for the right moment to strike like a hunter in the fields.

"Incredible" Kai mumbled.

"This what what I'll be teaching you but before that you'll need to learn silent echo, which this technique is derived from."

"And what is Silent echo?"

"An assassination art using rhythmic movements to walk or run without making a sound. I'm so proficient in it I use it subconsciously all the time, have you ever heard me making a sound?"

Now that he thought about it Oni has never made a sound when he walked or even ran. This ability would be extremely useful in any situation.

"Normally to learn Silent echo you would need at least a year of consistent training. Deadly mirage would take even longer, just breaking into the basic levels would take 4-5 years but to truly master the technique could take decades."

"So how am I going to learn this if it takes so long." Kai said puzzled, they had a short deadline to complete this mission. If it wasn't done by then they would immediately be disqualified."

"I'm going to use a forbidden technique by transfuse energy into you so you can learn the deadly mirage faster. We will use the rest of the remaining month training, so you can master Silent echo and branch into the beginner levels of of Deadly mirage."

'What is the catch" Kai said cautiously, forbidden techniques demanded heavy fees.

"Well, only ten years of your life span, and you might receive deadly internal injuries from the technique." Oni awkwardly grinned.

Kai's mouth dropped in shook and his eyebrows raised.

"But think about, if you can become a gifted human you usually get an increase in lifespan as you cultivate. Also, some gifted humans have even been known to achieve immortality! Whether through their own cultivation, magical pills, legendary beats, and ect. " Oni quickly said, when he realized he might have scared off Kai.

Kai thought about and sighed. All of this was for his dream of becoming a gourmet hunter. Traveling the world and discovering new flavors to satisfy his voracious taste buds.

"What is life if it isn't filled with risk?" Kai chuckled 'It is the only path to success."

Oni nodded and came closer to Kai. He raised his hand and the clones disappeared from view. He laid his hands upon Kai's chest and looked in concentration.

"One more thing" Oni mentioned. "There will be excruciating pain"

Kai began to frown as a wave of pain cascaded into his body. Beads of sweat dripped from his body as he howled. A bolt of terror ripped through him as he wondered if he was going to die.

As Kai's sense of time seemed to proliferate the treatment ended. He felt as if soul was drained from his body. His eyes looked empty and his exhausted face had noticeably aged.

"We will need to do this everyday for the next month, otherwise you will not learn the techniques in a short time." Oni said apologetically.

Kai gasped in fear, but he would not stop. The only way he could accomplish his dreams would be by going through this agonizing experience.