It's So Hard to Say Goodbye (Not Really)

Third-person POV

The sun starts to rise, bringing its warmth to the forest. Its light bathes everything under it, telling everyone it's a new day. It even hits a loan cabin in the woods. Shining through the window. Perfectly hitting the couch where a figure sleeps. What does our dear protagonist do with this sudden warmth? Let me tell you.

Placing a pillow over his, Odr lets out a groan: "Someone turn out the bloody light," as if the sun heard him, and to spite him, it practically made the light stronger. As if it's telling him 'to get your lazy ass out of bed and start your day'. With that, Odr Practical realizes he won't be able to go back to sleep and gets up. He walked to the window and looked up at the sun. He can practically see the sun's smug smile taunting him and saying, 'Looks who's finally up'. What does Odr have to say to that?

He promptly lifted his right hand and raised his middle finger. "Fuck you, you big ball of gas," and promptly closes the blinds. Walking towards the kitchen to make breakfast while grumbling a couple curses to all the sun gods and goddesses.

Odr Pov

"Stupid ball of light acting all smug; one day it's going to explode. We'll see who's going to have the last laugh, gas ball," completely ignoring the fact that I'll probably be dead by then.

I start to stretch when I make it to the kitchen. If I'm right, Rudra should be out by now and back soon. I start to make breakfast with what we have. I looked around the cabinets, and all I saw was some salt, pepper, an onion, leftover bread, and two bottles of milk. "That stingy bastard could at least afford more options or at least get more ingredients. With his freakishly strength, he can probably kill a bear with his bare hands, so we have some meat at least. A boar would have been nice. I would kill for some bacon."

I just sighed, disappointed, and grabbed the ingredients. I walked over to his stove to start cooking. "Whatever, I'll make something simple, I guess."

Grabbing a pan and lighting a fire on the stove, I dropped some oil that was available and let it warm up. Also, a pot of water to boil. Now the ingredients: First, chop the onion into small pieces, and when the oil is hot, throw them in and stir-fry them until golden brown.

Next, I take the bread and, ripping it into pieces, throw it into the boiling water. Afterwards, I watch until they soften while stirring, then add a bottle of milk and the fried onions. Now to finish it with some seasoning, such as salt and pepper.

I look at my finished dish, 'a savory and warm bread porridge', and can't help but do a chef's kiss. "I'm so glad I watched all those YouTube tutorials and binge-watched Hell's Kitchens, Master Chef, and all those cooking shows. Let's not forget the holy grail of food shows and books." I clap my hands to make a small prayer: "Thank you, almighty Food Wars; your teachings won't go to waste." If only later on I can make food so delicious that it actually blows girls clothes away, I'll be happy.

After wasting my time praising the greatest anime culture in food, I set the table up with some bowls and spoons. Just as I finish, I can hear the door opening, and in comes my old shitty mentor/torturer.

I see Rudra putting away his equipment but stopping to smell the air. He looks to the kitchen and the table and asks, "Already cooked breakfast; good, I'm starving." I couldn't help but grumble. Where's my thanks?

He takes a seat at the table. I placed the pot filled with porridge on the table. He leans over to look, but clicks his teeth. "What, no meat? Is this all we're having? Also, it doesn't look that appealing." This is ungrateful bastard.

I can't help but complain back "If someone hadn't polished off all our supply of meat yesterday, I could have made something better. It's not my fault you didn't catch anything beforehand. Also be grateful I was able to make anything with the shit we had left over. So far, you haven't complained about my cooking, so can you just eat what I made? Even if it doesn't look appealing, by now, you should know my food is delicious." I take a ladle and pour him a helping of porridge, sliding it over.

He takes a spoon and takes a taste. "Not bad. It's been almost a month, and I'm still surprised you're able to cook so well. Like I said before, if adventuring doesn't work out for you,you should just quit and become a chef. Who knows, you might open a restaurant and rival one of my favorite bars in Orario."He's starts to dig in and doesn't notice my reaction to that comment.

My eyebrow couldn't help but twitch when he mentioned his favorite bar. The bar he's talking about is that god-forsaken hostess of fertility, a place I'm planning to avoid at all costs. I don't need to be on Mama Mia's shit list by challenging her business. If anything, she probably kidnapped me and forced me to cook for her. Let's not even talk about Syr/Freya.

Even if I want to open a restaurant, I will make sure it's as far away as possible, literally on the other side of the city, if I have to. However, I still want to build up my strength and magic before I do anything else. I let out a helpless sigh and just took my seat at the table. I'll worry about that later. I also pour myself a helping of porridge.

Before eating, I can't help but respond back to him, "I don't know how many times I told you; I'll worry about my retirement choices later. I still want to get the falna. Also, I don't need you to keep acting surprised, like I'm incapable of cooking. I literally saw you gorge yourself on all my dishes after you made me cook the first time." I started eating, and I couldn't help but praise my cooking. I could have done better if I had more ingredients.

"I'm just saying you have a talent; don't let it go to waste. You want to make sure you're still able to cook, but if you go to the dungeon, you may lose a limb, which will make it difficult for you."

I snort "You know, for someone who says he's so young, you sure do act like a dad or a grandpa. It is kind of hard for me to see you as one instead of just an old man who beats me black and blue on a daily basis." I look up at him "Look, I get it. This is your way of showing concern, but I need to do this. Hell, if I get successful enough and actually do open a restaurant, I'll make sure to give you a discount, a senior citizen discount." I let out a laugh at my joke at the end.

Suddenly, I'm hit with something warm and hot on my face. "God, my eyes." I start to rub my face clean, and I look over to see he flicked my fucking porridge onto my face. "Was that fucking necessary?"

He just hmphs and goes back to eating. "Who are you calling a grandpa? If I had a grandkid like you, I would have made sure you didn't talk back to me like you do. And what the hell is a senior discount? You better fucking give me meals for free for all the work I put in."

"Hell No! The way you eat, I would probably be out of business the first week. The best I can offer is the first 5 meals free and the rest at a 25% discount."

"Little shit, my time should have been worth even more. 100 meals free and a 90% discount."

"Are you senile? I clearly remembered you enjoying beating the shit out of me every day; that should have been enough of a payment. 10 meals free, 30% off."

He waves his hand. "This and that are two different matters. 50 meals free and 70%"

"15 meals and 35%"

"1000 meals free and 100% discount"

"Motherfucker, you're going in the wrong direction. The final offer is 20 meals for free and a 50% discount. Also, for every five meals you buy, I'll throw in a free one. Now can we stop negotiating a deal with my non-existent restaurant?"

"Fine, fine deal, but remember your words: if you do one day open a place that serves food, I'll come to collect, and you better not regret it. Now let's push past this already. You know what today is, don't you?" He says it seriously, with a face that says no more jokes.

I put down my spoon. "Of course I know; I'm not an idiot." I see him make a face and can't help but say, "Stop making that face, like you don't believe me. I know today is the day I set off."

"Are you ready, though? It's not going to be easy. It's a long way to Orario on foot—almost a week or two. Maybe less if you hitch a ride. I trained you for the past month to the best of my abilities. I gave you a basic understanding of survival tactics and how to be aware at all times. With the constant beating you received from me, I think you can take on monsters from the surface, probably some goblins or kobold one on one. Never engage them though; if you have a chance to escape, do it.

I nod my head, agreeing with him. "Trust me, after all this training, I know what to watch out for. I got hunted by a level 3 adventurer non-stop day by day, and I experienced what it means to fear for my life. Hell, I literally experienced death three times because of you, so I think I got a good sense of danger by now."

He starts to chuckle. "First off, near death, you experienced near death; you didn't actually die. Second, won't you ever let it go? It's been a long time already."

I deadpan "Old man, the last one was a week ago. Also, I will never let it go, till the day I actually literally die for real and reach that sweet paradise filled with babes. I will hold this grudge and let it nurture itself. Hopefully, if I'm lucky, it will turn into a skill that I'll later use to kick your ass."

He laughs at "Good luck with that. I'll be waiting. However, do you want to hear something funny?"

I just resumed eating because it's probably something stupid "What?" without looking at him.

"It's truly a pity, you know; you not having falna now," he says, smirking.

I look up at him, confused. "What why?"

He finished his bowl of food and prepared to get up. "Imagine, if you did have it, how much excelia you could have gotten from our training. Hell from just your near-death experience alone should give quite a lot. You could have probably gotten a skill or two from it. Fun fact: You don't only have to kill monsters to get Excelia. Doing certain things actually gives it as well. How do you think people with magic improve their magic? Probably not as much as slaying monsters, but still, at least you would have gotten something valuable instead of trauma. What a waste." He finished while stretching.

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I slowly put down my spoon down again and pushed the bowl to the side. I put my elbows on the table, interlocked my fingers, and rested my forehead on it. I sit there, just taking it in.

Rudra leaves the table but says one last thing before he goes: "While you come to terms with this, I'm going to get everything ready for your trip. Remember, I promise to give you a gift for doing well, and I also have two favors to ask."

I don't say anything to him. I just heard the door closing. I wait a bit, just letting the feeling sink in—the missed opportunity,the skills, my precious excelia, everything. I take one deep breath and look straight up to the roof while leaning back on my chair.

.

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I opened my mouth and

RUDRA Pov

As I walk away to my shed behind the cabin, I suddenly start counting down in my head the time it takes him to come to terms with what I said.

5

4

3

2

1

"FUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCKKKKKK," I hear him screaming from my home. Ahhh, music to my ears. There is nothing better than sweet karma. That's what you get for all the old-age comments.

I couldn't help chuckle opening the shed's door, while listening to the brat curse and wine about how unfair life is. "Huh, a small part of me is honestly going to miss that's snot nose brat. Even if it's only been a month, it's been fun." Just a small part, not like the idiot is ever going to hear it. I grab a bag from the floor and begin packing it.

I stopped for a bit. "Hmmm, where is that old thing?" I look left and right. I see a couple boxes in the corner. I moved some aside. "There you are." I pick it up and wipe some dust off of it. I look at it with a little regret. "The kid better be grateful and use this properly. If not, he's getting a foot up his ass." I go back to finishing his bag.

Timeskip a Couple Hours

Odr Pov

After I wasted a couple hours going through the five stages of grief and once again cursing the gods of misfortune. I get my shit together, ans focus on whats important getting ready to leave. I look at the map Rudra left me, planning my course. If I spend two days walking after leaving the forest, I can probably reach town the next day. I could try to see if there's any merchant going to Orario, and if I'm lucky, I'll hitch a ride.

After I make a rough sketch on the map for my route, I hear the door opening. I turn around and see Rudra carrying some kind of backpack you see campers usually wear. "Not that I mind all the stuff you're giving me, but isn't this a little much?

He drops the bag on the floor. "It's just some extra stuff I got over the years from adventuring. It was just gathering dust anyway. I thought, Why not get rid of it now with you, my personal garbage disposal?"

"Wow, thanks. I really appreciate it. I'm glad I can be of service." I say being sarcastic as possible. I start to look at what seems like a basic backpack with a couple of zippers and pockets. I'm not going to take the shit out; I trust the old man enough to give me stuff that's important. He even gave me a bedroom, how kind of him

I looked up when I noticed he put something on the table, but he turned around and started to talk. "You don't need to look through it. It just has basic survival gear stuffed to camp out with. Camping tools and sleeping essentials. I also left a tiny bag of Valis, enough to get you a day or two in an inn, nothing fancy, and properly banter for a ride to Orario. And this is not a handout; this is loan. Next time I see you, you better pay me back, everyone single Valis." (100 valis is $1 for this story like Japanese yen)

I'm a little speechless." I honestly don't know what to say." I turn towards him and bow 90 degrees. "Thank you for all the help you have given me, and I appreciate this gift. I promise you, on my name, Odr Friggs, and on the almighty Fujino Omori, I'll pay back this kindess." Despite all I've been through the last month, and I'm actually grateful even after all the beatings.

He just looks down on me with a troubled expression, not used to me being respectful and all. "Get up; you're embarrassing yourself, and I'm getting itchy just looking at you. I still don't understand who the hell Fujino Omori is or why you pray to him, but if it gets you motivated to pay me back, who am I to judge? Also, all of this" he points to the travel bag" is not your actual gift; like I said, it's just trash I'm throwing away. Which includes one of my old iron swords and a dagger, make sure you put them to good use. Your actual gift is on the table here." He gesture to the box on the table. "However, we'll get to that later. I have two favors to ask of you. I won't force it, but this is just a request." He took a seat at his desk and gestured for me to take a seat on the couch. Which I did.

"I mean, after you are practically giving me free stuff like camping gear and some weapons, with whatevers on the table, how can I say no? However, please be reasonable with what you are asking me. At least let it be something I'm capable of doing."

"Don't worry, it's two simple things. One is a letter I want you to deliver on my behalf. It's towards my old patron god, who gave me my falna."

My eyes widen in surprise. "Are you finally going to tell me, after all this time, whos familia you were part of?" I can't help but keep the eagerness out of my voice. I've been quite curious to learn which crazy god had this sadistic dwarf in they're Familia.

He just snorts in my eager face, "Calm down before I smack you." Then his face turned awfully serious, and from what can I see, regretful? "I usually don't like talking about my past, but for context, I used to be part of the god Miach's Familia." I stop myself from letting my jaw hit the floor in surprise. This sadist is or was part of that nice God's familia. No way. 

He just continued speaking. "I used to be part of his familia before I retired. However, I didn't leave on good terms, which I regret now. The Miach Familia home is known as the Blue Pharmacy, where we focused on potion making, be it for health, magic, or antidotes for poison, etc. And before you ask, no, I wasn't the one to make potions; I was part of the group that went to the dungeon on a regular basis to get ingredients. Hell, the Miach Familia used to be a middle-ranking family until a certain incident. On one expedition about five years ago, we faced a monster party, and a lot of our members got injured; however, there was one who I won't name that got the worst of it. Heavily wounded during the accident, losing all their limbs however we were able to recover and reattach all except their right arm. Last I heard, they were left with a trauma of monsters and don't go into the dungeon anymore."

He stops to take a breath and continues his story. "However, at this point, is what led to the downfall of my familia. After that our most kind god Miach went begging to the Dian Cecht Familia, our rival at the time in potion making but also a health clinic for the injured, to ask them to make a prosthetic arm for the one who lost their right arm. The price led to our family incurring a large debt, which caused nearly all members other than the one who got the prosthetic to leave the familia, including me. Miach, despite the hurt from our leaving, was still kind and considerate to us. Letting us keep our falna open so we could transfer to a different God or, in my case, retire."

I keep my face neutral, not giving anything away. "Do you really leave your God just to avoid helping a debt? I get it. Your God threw a heavy burden on all of you, just for one member. Weren't you a mid-rank family? You guys could probably work together to cover it if you tried. I don't know how big the debt was or how many members you guys had, but if you honestly worked together, you could have overcome it. Your god was willing to throw away their pride to beg another god from a rival familia for help, just for a single member of his familia. Shows how much he cared for you guys. Then for all of you to abandon him, in his time of need after everything he gave you. Even I can't help but feel sorry for him. To have a God who would be willing to lower himself for another, I thought that would be the type of God most people would love to follow. I won't judge you, Rudra; I'm just asking if that was all the only reason you left, because I can't help but feel that can't be it. You, the man who took me in, helped heal me, gave me food, and literally spent your time helping me get stronger. To me you don't seem like a person who would run away just because of a debt his God got them into. Sure, you probably would have bitched, moaned, and harassed him, but I thought of you as the type of person who would at least stick to it and help out."

Rudra just sits there, letting my words sink in. Afterwards, he just sags into his chair, finally letting his age catch up to him. "You're right, it wasn't only the debt. I don't know what the other members of my old familia reason for leaving was; however, mine wasn't just because of the debt. Years before the incidents—I don't know if you heard of it—Orario went through what we called the Dark Ages. It was a time when the whole city was fighting against a terrorist group called Evilus. To keep it short, a lot of families came together to fight them, and I lost a lot of comrades during that time. After dealing with and driving Evilus out, all of Orario began recovering. At the time, I had already decided I wanted to retire. I was tired of losing people; I wanted to actually explore the world instead of staying trapped in the city, where I lost people precious to me, even my wife and son. My God was kind and understanding and even told me it was fine. I held back on my grief and didn't leave right away. I just wanted to make sure my familia was settled before I went. So I stayed for a couple more years, but then the incident happened and we were in debt. I was already grieving; I just couldn't handle this burden at the time. I didn't leave right away; I was one of the last few members to stay." He let out a sad chuckle, and I finally realized how much pain this man must have gone through.

"You know, I was even willing to stay and help with debt for awhile, but my God pulled me aside and told me I didn't have to. He even told me I had done enough for him. With that god-awful smile of his, I just didn't have the strength at the time to fight it, and I just left. It's probably one of my greatest regrets. I know. After all this time, why didn't I just go back? I just don't want to, honestly, even if it's something shallow. I just really don't like Orario, the place where I lost the love of my life and my child. This is why I keep telling you this place is not for the light of heart; you can lose everything at any time."

I lean on the back of the couch. I sigh. "I honestly don't know what to say. You were not in the wrong to want to leave; you have the right to grieve. People are allowed to be selfish. I can't speak about your other members, but from what I went through in the last month alone, I know you're actually a kind person deep down. Still a sadist, though. I have no right to criticize or judge you. I think you already did that enough on your own, seeing as you live alone. I really think you punished yourself enough, but I won't force you to come to grips with your guilt. You're on a strong adventurer. I know one day you'll overcome it and probably, in your own shitty way, make amends." I said, while sitting straight, just so I could look him in the eye. "As great as it was, to hear your tragic backstory. Can we go back to the favor? Does it have something to do with your old Familia?"

"Well, thanks for not judging me, I guess, and yes, the favor has to do with that. Just because I haven't been to Orario in years doesn't mean I don't have other ways to get information or news about what's happening. Currently, my familia still only has two members and is still struggling with the debt." He turns around toward his desk, grabbing two of the three envelopes. "My favor is simply this: I wrote a letter from my previous God and would be very grateful if you could deliver it to him. It's just some words I want him to know. I won't ask you to join his familia; I mean, who would want to after knowing they have such a large debt to go through? However, in the second envelope is a recommendation letter, if by some miracle or you are letting your masochist tendencies control you, leads you to join them. I wrote a letter vouching for you" He lets out a small chuckle here. "Honestly, I don't even think the recommendation is necessary since they're probably desperate enough to take anyone, and Miach is kind enough not to reject you. The letter is just a formality." he finishes by handing me the two envelopes; one has the words 'For My God Miach, From Rudra Wolfgang', and the second says 'If the idiot decides to join'

I can't help getting a tick mark reading the second one, "First off, I am not a fucking masochist, and second, putting the debt aside. He seems like a wonderful God to have if he's willing to go the length just for one member alone. Even willing to let you go just so you can have time to get over your grief, even if it meant he had to struggle more. I'll save my judgment when I actually meet him; if I actually like him, I wouldn't mind joining his familia and helping him with his debt." I don't know for sure if I'm going to join him, but it doesn't hurt to actually talk to the guy, since he's one of the kindest gods/goddesses in Orario. I looked back up and asked, "If joining the familia wasn't your second favor, what was it?"

"Oh no biggie, this one's actually a lot easier. You remember that bar I kept talking to you about?" My eyes happen to widen. Oh, Omori, no. "I just have a letter for you to deliver to my old friend Mia. It's not that hard. I haven't spoken to her in a while, and I felt like, since I have the chance, just telling her I'm doing well." He picks up the envelope and gives it to me; it has the word 'For Mia from Rudra' on it. For a couple seconds, I don't take it. Rudra raised an eyebrow and said, "Is everything fine, kid? Compared to the first favor, I don't think this one is that hard."

Says you. This literally brings me closer to the one person I want to avoid at all costs. It's like the world is out to get me. I just couldn't help but sigh, reluctantly taking the letter. "Don't worry, it's not that hard," Lying through my teeth. I'll worry about it later; it's not like I have to deliver it right away. I'll figure something out, I guess. If anything, I'll leave it to the guild and see if they can deliver it. However, what I didn't know at the time was that the contents of that letter would literally fuck me over in the future, in more ways than one.

I just sit there, thinking of different ways I can ditch the responsibility onto someone else when I hear coughing. I look up to see Rudra coughing into his fist. "If you're quite done doing whatever you're doing, It's time for the gift I promised you." I watched him walk to the table to get the box and sit back down. He looks at it with a sad smile. "You know this was originally supposed to go to my son before he died. I don't know why I kept it all these years and just let it build dust instead of getting rid of it. Maybe a part of me just couldn't let it go. Now, however, I think I can finally part with it." He slowly opens the box. "I know we haven't known each other long, and I hated it when you called me old, but I've grown to admire your determination. Never giving in, regardless of how much pain I caused you. I thought to myself after all that: I want to see how far you can go; I want to see if you can go to a distance like you said. And with this, I think it will help you on your journey." He hands me the open box.

I take the box and check what's inside. My eyes open wide, and I'm left speechless. I gently take out an old, worn book, carefully lifting it out of the box and caressing the cover. I shakily lift my head up and ask, "Is this a grimoire?" I am dumbfounded.

"I'm glad you at least know what it is, and I don't have to explain. Yes, it's a grimoire that's able to give anyone a magic spell when opened and read. Only works if you have the falna." Yet he explained anyway.

I just keep looking back at him and the grimoire. I carefully put it back in the box and held my hands out to give it back. He looks confused, and I say, "I'm grateful and all, but this right here, is too much. From what I heard, this thing costs like millions of valis; there is no way I can take it." No matter how much I want to hug this book and start dancing, I'm not going to be that greedy.

He looks down at the book and then shakes his head. "I already decided, kid, it's better with you than building dust. You're taking it; that's the end of the discussion. If you try to give it back, I'll just rip it up and shove each page down your throat. Do you hear me?" Well, when he puts it like that, I can't refuse, now can I?

I placed the grimoire on my lap and had to ask, "Why didn't you just use it for yourself? Hell, if you weren't going to use it, why not sell it? You could have given the Valis to your familia to help with the debt."

"Like I said, it was the last gift I was going to give my son; it meant a lot to me, and I couldn't feel right using it for myself even if I had magic slots left. And you're right, I could probably sell it, but at the time, I didn't want to give it away. Maybe it was selfish, but it was something for which I worked hard to make my child happy. The only reason I'm giving it to you is because you kind of remind me of him. That strong drive that pushes you nonstop, even when you face unbelievable amounts of pain. Watching you work so hard to reach your goals takes me back to better days. Don't get me wrong, your way uglier than my kid used to be." I couldn't help but feel annoyed at the last bit. "So yes, I just have this feeling that it should go to you. I don't know why. I just know it can be of great help to you. I already wasted a month working on you. I don't want you to die quite yet. I want to see you old and wrinkly so I can make fun of your old ass."

I mumble, "hypocrite." I looked at the book one last time and just set it on the side of the couch. "What do you think I should do with it?"

He waved me off like it wasn't his concern anymore. "Do what the hell you want with it; I don't care. Use it to get some magic that can be useful in the dungeon. Sell it for a lot of Valis, to buy weapons and equipment to raise your chances of survival. Hell, use some of it in the pleasure district. It's your now. So, do whatever you want with it; I don't care. But if you do join Miach Familia, just know you don't have to feel pressured to sell it to help with the debt. This grimoire is to help you. If you still want to help them, that's your choice, but you can be greedy and use it for yourself. I mean, the stronger you are, the more likely you are to earn more Valis." He stops for a second, but he then releases a bit of killing intent that I'm used to. "What I won't stand for, is if you lose it, get it stolen, ripped off on the price, or blow all your valis in the casino. That also includes the pleasure district. I know I said you can use it there; just don't waste it all at once. If I find out any of that happened, I don't care about my grudge against Orario. I'll come; I'll find you, and I will hurt you. I will make whatever I did last month seem like child's play compared to what I did to you then. Do you understand?"

"Trust me, if any of that actually happens, I will gladly take that ass kicking proudly because I'd probably want to kick my own ass too if I were in your shoes."

"Well, that's that, I guess. I have given you everything you need—the letters and the gift. Let's have lunch one last time, okay? So get cooking. chop chop," clapping his hands. I can't help but laugh. I take the letters and the grimoire and put them inside my new backpack at the bottom to be safe. I head to the kitchen to cook my last meal with the old man. Thank God he at least brought in some rabbits; it's not bacon, but it'll do.

Convenient Place Time Skip

We're both standing outside the cabin. I have the backpack secured on my back, the sword tied to my left side, and the dagger on my right. I turn one last time to face Rudra. "I guess this is it. I know I said it before, but I'll say it one more time. Thank you for everything, from the first save to the training, and for all of this." I pat my backpack.

"Don't worry about it; you brought some entertainment into my life, and I'm grateful. I remember the days before, when I used to train new Familia members. I miss the joy of beating the shit out of arrogant little assholes like you back in the day."

"I can't believe you were ever married; I bet your son was one hell of a monster having you as a father."

"Damn right, he was one tough little bastard. And honest to you, my wife was more sadistic than I ever was."

"I call bull."

"No joke; she used to give me this stare that terrified me more than any monster could ever could."

We just spent the next couple minutes talking about some stuff.

He suddenly flicks my forehead. I grab it and rub it, and it doesn't hurt as much as before. "ow, what was that for?"

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing; stop wasting your time and get going already. I'm not into this mushy shit we're doing. Be a man already, set off, and start your journey. Have yourself one hell of an adventure. Pop in once in awhile so I can see how much you progress. Now get going before I literally kick your ass to get you started."

I can't help but smile; that's probably the nicest thing he ever said to me. I turn around and start walking, but suddenly I stop.

"What? What is it now?"

I walk back up to Rudra and stare him right in the eye. I hold out my right fist. He looks confused, so I just grab his left and raise it. "Where I'm from, we have this way of greeting and saying goodbye; it's called a fist bump. It's the most manly of gestures. So let's say goodbye properly." I bumped my fist into his "To a Grand Adventure."

He smirks, getting the idea while still keeping his fist bump to mine: "Where you find everything you desire and more."

No more words need to be said, so I start heading out. However, as the smartass that I am, I just can't help but say one last thing. Without looking back. I scream, "YO, Rudra."

"Oh, for the love of, what now?" He is clearly done with my shit.

"You better be alive when I get back and not have died of old age. I can't kick your ass if you're six feet under." I started running.

.

.

.

.

"YOU LITTLE SHIT, YOU BETTER RUN. I PROMISE YOU THE NEXT TIME I SEE YOU. I WONT HOLD BACK ANY MORE. LET SEE YOU SURVIVE THAN. SO YOU BETTER BE A LEVEL 2 AT LEAST, YOU HEAR ME."

"I GOT IT!" I yelled back while laughing.

Rudra Pov

I take deep breaths to calm down. I snort and turn around to walk back into my home. "Stupid brat, he couldn't just leave well enough alone. He had to ruin it. I can say for sure I won't miss that or his brand of craziness. I am going to miss his cooking, though." I stop for a second and turn around. I say one last thing, even if he can't hear me. "Good luck, kid; you're going to need it. Next time I hear your name, I better hear it as a successful adventurer." I walk back inside my cabin, praying for his safe journey.

Odr Pov

After 30 minutes of running, I slow down to a casual walk. A part of me is going to miss that old timer. I suddenly feel something on my cheek. I left my finger to wipe it. "Huh, I'm crying." I can't help but laugh. I think I got so used to the constant banter. I wonder if this is what it's like to have a dad. I just couldn't help but find it funny. I wonder if the constant beating did something to my brain.

Oh well, no point in worrying about it now. I rub my arm on my eyes, wiping the tears away. I grab the straps on my backpack, and I start to walk a little faster. "Well, Orario, wait for me; I'll be there soon."

Training Arc is done. Next stop, Dungeon City.

A/N

Close to (7000 words) people

The Odr training arc is finally over. All that's left is reaching Orario now. Weeks of constant beatings and near-death experiences paid off. I think?

Not only is he leaving more ready than when he came into the world, he even got himself a freaking grimoire. A grimoire!!! The challenge now is not to lose it before he can use it.

Not only did he get a gift so valuable that he's practically calling it his precious (Gollum Noises), he's left with two favors to fulfill, one easier than the other. Let's not even talk about the hassle the second favor is right now. The first seems simple enough.

He even got a recommendation letter to join a somewhat reasonable familia. If you exclude the massive debt, the question is: should he join or try his luck elsewhere?

Let's stay tuned to find out.

Bonus

How do you guys like the small cooking segment?

Did any of you find it interesting?

Do you think I should add more, less, or none at all?

What did you guys think about Rudra backstory?

Also the tiny detail at the end about Odr's past.

Let me hear what you think.