33 Elisha
Rin's whole body was aching as he exited the Dungeon.
He raised his gaze towards the night sky.
'Fight like a Hero, huh? I wonder if I can...'
Apart from the sounds of leaves being swayed by the wind and the occasional howls of ferocious wolves, the forest was calm.
Rin walked.
And the more he did, the more annoyed he felt.
'A wolf? No... It's too discreet to be one...'
He knew that he was being followed.
Rin continued walking, acting like he had no idea.
'My Endurance is pretty low. Thanks to Accelerated Mana Regeneration, my Mana Points are doing well... I don't have to worry about anything weaker than a bear.'
Still, he did not let his guard down.
Rin focused on his different senses, so that no attack from behind could land.
'Only saw wolves, bears and smaller Monsters here... This level of stealth isn't bad, although-'
The sound of leaves being walked on interrupted Rin's thoughts.
'Mmm... Yeah. A complete amateur. They got potential though. Their presence is really hard to notice. Still, it's strange...'
Rin came to a full stop.
'... They're following me and yet, I sense no hostility.'
He continued walking after shrugging his shoulders.
Branches being broken, leaves being pushed out of the way, the sounds indicating something's presence became more and more present.
'This is getting seriously annoying. If they want something they should just...'
Rin couldn't help but sigh.
Still, his senses were focused more and more on the follower.
So much so, that a third party approached without him realizing it.
Rin continued walking for a bit before turning suddenly.
"HEY! If you're going to keep following me-"
But what he was met by was...
ROAR-
A large bear standing on its two back legs growled loudly.
It seemed like the Beast had found its prey.
A surprised expression appeared on Rin's face as he quickly stepped back.
'You mean a bear was tailing me? How the hell didn't I...' He thought as he stared at the Beast.
Drool was going down the bear's mouth as it roared.
The next second,
"AH... AHH... AAAAAAHHHH!!!" Someone screamed.
Rin could hear the sound of the bear's heavy paws hit the ground.
"WHAT?? A BEAR!!" The person who had been following him screamed.
'Ugh... F#ck it. With that level of stealth, I'm sure you'll be alright.' Rin thought as he turned around, ready to sprint away.
The stalker's back fell on a bush as they stepped back into a tree root.
Their fear was nearly enough to stop their beating heart.
The bear did not miss its prey's blunder and started moving towards it.
"Please...Ugh..." A desperate voice called out.
The bear's moist breath was being released in front of its prey's face, their eyes shut.
'I should go... I should, right? If I get injured or let my Endurance Points go any lower, I won't be able to clear the Hidden Dungeon before the Fourth Floor opens up... Plus this guy was following me so...' Rin thought as he started walking away.
The person's whole body was shaking as they tried their best not to scream.
The Beast's nose traveled across the prey's face and shoulders, looking for who knows what.
"UGH...." The person struggled to stay still.
The huge brown bear rose its head.
Its nose laid in front of the person's hair.
"AH... AAAAHHH!! HELP ME!!!" The person shouted as soon as they opened their eyes, unable to contain their horror as they were greeted by the bear's sharp fangs and dripping mouth.
Rin suddenly turned around.
Thanks to high Sense Stat, he could clearly see the bear moving back to stand on its back legs.
He couldn't see the person lying on the bush as clearly though.
But one thing was certain, that person was about to get crushed.
"COME OUT, PLEASE!!"
[Your Passive Skill "Night Vision[E]" is activating.]
Only then could he see the person, their eyes covered in tears.
Rin's feet immediately left the ground.
The person lying on the bush screamed as they looked up at the Beast that was about to decapitate them with its extremely strong paws.
"RUN AWAY. NOW!" Rin shouted.
He had plunged in between the bear and that person to protect them.
Rin opened his arms.
In between them, was a child.
That child, was Elisha.
A young boy that must have been 12 years of age.
He looked very skinny and weak, but Rin did not have the time to even look at him.
Upon realizing that it was a child, he instinctively jumped in.
"Help me..." The child whispered with a weak voice.
ROARR-
Rin pushed the child aside and stood up to face the Beast.
"Run away. Sword Of Flame." He said and the weapon appeared in his right hand.
The boy immediately stepped back before positioning himself behind Rin.
'My Endurance Points are still a bit low, but... The problem is...'
His entire back was bleeding as the Brown Bear's claws had slashed it the instant he tried to protect the child.
The boy could only stare at that bleeding back as his legs trembled.
ROARR-
The Brown Bear immediately stood on its back legs and approached Rin, attempting to sink its teeth into his neck.
***
It didn't take long for Rin to take care of the Beast.
After all, he had defeated a Great Tiger sometime earlier.
[You have defeated 1 Brown Bear.]
[You have gained 500 Experience Points!]
'Alright...' Rin turned around, ready to make his way back into the Great City Of Vana, when,
"THAT WAS AMAZING!" The child shouted with shiny eyes.
Rin immediately froze in place.
"YOU WERE ALL WOOSH, FYOUU, FAWW, SLASHH. THAT BEAR COULDN'T DO A THING!!!"
"What are you... First, stop shouting. There are other Beasts around. What are you doing here? I told you to run."
"I... Well, I couldn't just leave you. Your back is bleeding and..." The child said.
Rin massaged his forehead with his left hand as he put his weapon back into his Inventory.
"Alright. Now, go away. The city is that way." He said as he pointed in the city's direction.
The expression on the boy's face changed immediately.
Thanks to his newly-acquired "Night Vision" Passive Skill, Rin could see that change perfectly.
The child was scared, very scared.
Rin felt anxious as he scratched his neck.
Dealing with children wasn't his forte.
Actually, it wasn't something he had done a lot in his life, despite its great length.
Rin turned away from the child.
'I guess I want to help but...' He started walking. '...I can't afford to waste time. Ugh-'
Just as Rin was about to collapse from the bloodloss, the boy used all his strength to keep him standing.
"You... You need help?" The boy asked candidly as he supported Rin's side.
"Agh... I guess."
"I'll help you get to the city." The boy said.
Rin felt a mix of anxiety and awkwardness as the boy supported part of his weight.
"I'll help you, but you gotta help me in exchange." The boy exclaimed.
Rin couldn't help but laugh a the ridiculous request.
"I've already helped. That bear, remember-"
Before he could finish his sentence, the boy stopped supporting Rin, making him lose his balance.
The boy ran in front of Rin and turned to face him.
"I'll help you, but you gotta help me get strong. I want to be able to fight too." The child demanded.
'That's why kids are so annoying...' Rin thought as he sighed.
He walked forward using his Iron Sword as a cane.
"Go away. I don't have time."
"You're strong, aren't you? Why won't you help me? I really want to become strong, like you!" The boy said as he followed Rin.
'I'll ignore him.' The latter thought.
"Please. Come on, please." The child begged.
But Rin didn't care.
"Oh, come on, please!!"
"Go away, will you?"
The child kept following and pestering Rin until both arrived at the city's entrance.
"Come on, you're the strongest guy I've seen. Please!"
Rin's annoyance was starting to turn into anger.
"You want my help? Fine. You want to get stronger? Fine. Run around the city a hundred times. Once you're done, maybe I'll help." Rin said before entering the city.
The boy's eyes lit up.
"O-OK! My name is Elisha, but you can call me Eli. You better remember it, okay? A hundred times huh, I'll do it. Watch me!" Elisha shouted.
The boy started running around the tall walls that encircled and protected the city.
Twenty minutes later, sweat was falling down his face when he came to a stop.
"Wait... How will I find him again? The city is huge... AHHHHH!!!!"
Meanwhile, Rin entered his room in the Silver Plateau Inn.
'Finally got rid of him... Dumb kid.' Rin chuckled as he took his bloody clothes off.
Images flowed through his mind.
"Still, his Stealth isn't bad. And he's got guts... A bit at least." Rin whispered. "He could make a good Assassin. Judging from the stealth he displayed earlier... Yeah, maybe he could become even better than I was."
