Interlude: The Student

…

Weak.

Incapable.

Powerless.

Over and over, I heard those words, just said differently to me.

Soon enough, I began to encounter them in life as well.

Too weak to enter a Familia.

Too incapable to take up other work.

Too powerless to convince people otherwise.

Until Hestia-sama came along.

My Kami-sama, the goddess who I owed everything and more. The first god I met and the only one I can imagine belonging to.

I finally had a Familia. A person who I was connected to. The only person to care for me after my grandfather died.

My Kami-sama gave me her Blessing, a roof over my head, and food to eat.

No matter how much food I needed, I received it. When I needed rest, she made sure I had it. When I needed armor, she purchased it.

A goddess worked at a stall, selling food, just for me.

Acceptance, care, and love… from a person who met me mere months ago. I didn't know what Kami-sama saw in me. What could she have gained from someone who didn't have a penny to his name, no family to help him, or a skill besides tending crops?

However, she did do all that, and she only asked me to stay by her side forever.

What a silly thing to ask. Kami-sama could've asked me to do anything, and she simply asked me to never leave her alone.

That's the first mistake I made.

I didn't change. I hadn't changed.

I was still everything I was before my Kami-sama took me in.

As Sensei said, the only person who could change you is you.

Ah, Sensei, another person I took for granted.

When I first met him, I believed Eina. That Sensei was only someone who looked for ways to quickly gather money. However, I still took his offer because he looked strong… and I was still afraid.

As I had met my goddess when I had no Familia to turn to, I met Sensei after the first time I nearly died.

Sensei taught me everything I knew. If I didn't know, he would tell me. If I couldn't understand, he'd explain it to me. If I was incapable, he'd patiently guide me through the movements. We went at a rapid pace, Sensei never showed pity or hesitation, and so I grew as I was taught by him.

My Sensei and my Kami-sama. The two of them are the most selfless people I know, and I've been taking them for granted all this time.

As… as that adventurer had said in the tavern, I was a weakling.

What have I done besides take blessings and follow instructions? Everything I needed simply fell in place.

I never changed. Everything just changed for me.

I was as weak, incapable, and powerless as when I began.

I could never reach Aiz Wallenstein if I didn't change. I would never have the power to kill a Minotaur in a single strike. Never will I be able to make my Kami-sama proud and happy to have me as her Familia. I could never have fellows who trusted and confided in me, who could make Kami-sama even happier.

When Sensei had asked me to change, I didn't.

I refused to.

I refused until Sensei was forced to finally confront me.

I refused until Sensei needed to hurt himself by saying things he knew I would remember, so that I could finally understand.

What Aiz's teammate… mate… whatever he was… was right.

I was a weakling.

That would never change.

Not until I commited myself to the life I have chosen.

I needed to be strong, so that the Familia I now have can be more than just me and Kami-sama.

I wanted to be skilled because I never wanted to be turned away because I was incapable of anything.

I must have power to reach the side of the woman who saved my life.

Those thoughts in mind, I launched myself into the Dungeon.

Sensei, I'm sorry for running off so suddenly, but I have lessons from you that I have yet to complete.

…

Kobold. Attacks mainly in charges. When near death; mouth foams. Gains extra speed and bite becomes poisonous. Kick when incoming. Embed knife into neck, eye, or heart.

Goblin. Uses claws to swipe. Pounces. Very organized when with companions. When near death; summons four goblins. Blunt force to stun. Crush when possible. Apply edge when necessary. Stay upright.

Dungeon lizard. Slow pursuer, but quick to bite and use tail. Slow to turn, but large and well-armored. When near death; scales become stronger and sharper. Lure to corner, stun with heel-kick, flip, and embed knife in center of third segment from throat. Elbow or knee strike are also acceptable.

Frog Shooter. Quick, long ranged attack with poisonous tongue. Slimy hide, but physically weak. When near death, begins to spit poison. Always croaks before attacking, step to left or right when croak is heard. Tongue sticks to wall. Separate tongue from monster. Poison rapidly kills monster as it enters its own mouth wound.

War Shadow. Skilled, human-like adaptability, and intelligence. Telegraphs attacks, always avoid. When near death; claws covered by viscous, red liquid that causes clothing and armor to stick. Attempt to make strikes collide with Dungeon wall or pillar. Dispatch with fast blow to neck.

Killer Ant… Killer Ant…

I shook my head.

Tired already, I needed to rest. Rest and stamina very important. Sensei said so.

No.

First… need head start on tomorrow's lesson.

Focus.

Attacks with forward pincers. Body is well armored, save for legs and segments between chest, head, and lower body.

Dispatch method? Strike to neck?

…Works.

Still seems alive after neck is struck. Good. Head start on near-death skill.

Ignore for moment, dispatch incoming monsters.

One… two… three...

Ten… seventeen… twenty-eight…

Thirty-five… fifty-one

So many killed already… dozens more coming… so tired…

Still no sign of near-death skill from original monster.

Need to stay… until monster shows skill.

Can't leave until then.

A bite on my arm goes through my jacket. Worse than all the others I allowed to hit me.

I can't feel or move my arm. I drop my knife and grip the wound as hard as I could manage. Need to make a tourniquet.

Bleeding, I still manage to kill the monster with a kick, and I turn to run.

The exit's blocked.

More of them.

There must be hundreds. They have crept on the ceiling.

…I'm trapped.

"Bring Ruin, Fulmination of Heaven." Even with the chittering of dozens of Killer Ants, I heard his voice. I had to train myself to listen to him. He almost never raised his voice, so I always had to. However, this was the first time I'd ever heard Sensei chant for a magic spell. Even then, there was still no glory or wonder in his voice. "Continuous Chain Lighting."

Arcs of white, barely traceable, magic erupted from the doorway from where I entered the room. A single strand killed a Killer Ant before impossibly jumping onto another and sending it flying. When that one died, the same energy leapt and crippled another. I've seen the spell cast by mages before, but with only two or three arcs killing entire groups of monsters.

Sensei didn't send out that few, he sent out dozens. Sets flew towards the ceiling, the walls, and the tunnels that led into the room.

Briefly, I feared he was risking everything to save me, but as soon as he walked in, I fell against the wall with relief.

As I should've expected, he was still bored out of his mind. Even with the continuous stream of power that emitted from the palm of his gloved hand, his eyes were as dull as ever.

Sensei strode into the room with heavy foot-falls, his ankle-length, heavy coat immaculate despite having pursued me through seven floors. His high collar hid his low mask and his broad hat cast a shadow on what the mask didn't hide. Everything he wore was in a shade of black or gray. People stared as he passed by.

He said he used the hat and mask to keep himself clean of monster blood and parts, but I knew that he just thought they were cool. Kami-sama imitated him by scrunching her eyes, covering her face, and making a hat's brim on her forehead. Ryuu-san told me that he was hiding something, but I knew that she was as curious as I was on how he looked.

Though he took his hat off to eat, just as he did when he carried me, he somehow managed to eat with his lower-mask on!

"Oi, brat, what's with that grin you have on your face?" Sensei's eyes, always so bored and dull, locked onto mine. However, after spending so much time with him, I could see amusement in them. There was a little worry in there as well, but it vanished quickly. I noticed that the skin around one of his eyes was differently colored than the rest. "Hmph, if I knew that a few insults would get you this wound up, I'd have said a few more."

"You're… terrible, S-sensei." I winced as my laugh jostled my arm. A part of me wanted to look at my limb, but I remembered Sensei's words. If you think you'll be panicked by looking at it, just ignore it. I laughed at the advice, but now I was sure that I kept calm because of it. "W-what happened to your face?"

"Hmmm? Oh this? Just part of a little payment for me defending my student." Sensei gave a quick chant, too fast for me to follow, and he pressed his hands against me. With a muttered 'Mend,' I felt aches and scratches fade away. I felt my arm again, and it worked perfectly. After a moment, he started another chant, and said 'Nourish.' Upon completiong, I wasn't struggling to stay awake anymore. "You're welcome."

"Sensei…thank you-." I marveled at how easy it was to move. I'd just killed almost a hundred monsters, and I felt as though I'd just woken up! Then, however, a thought occurred to me. "Wait, why don't you always do this for me!?"

"…tolerating mild discomfort builds character." Sensei spouted his usual philosophy before quickly standing and walking towards the exit. You… You… I don't know what to call you! I felt so embarrassed having to ride on your back! So many people laughed and giggled at me! An old lady thought I was a girl and offered me advice! Do you like carrying me on your back. Lazy-sensei!? "C'mon, brat, let's get out of here before Hestia-sama gets worried."

"…Sensei, what do you mean by defending your student." I tried to ignore it. When Sensei didn't want to talk about something, he quickly concluded things or distracted people. Still, I remembered everything he told me about adventurers. That it was best to always be civil to people higher level than you. "You… didn't attack the Level 5 Loki Familia member, did you?"

"You aren't going to stop pestering me if I don't tell you, aren't you, brat?" Sensei gave a sigh and shook his head. He stuffed his gloved hands into his large coat's pockets. Since he always walked oddly, with his entire body moving with the leg that went forward, the action exaggerated his movements. I'm sure he'll explain why he does it someday, but for now it only looked odd to me. "I simply got Loga-san to punch me in the face and through a window."

Ah, that made sense.

…No, it didn't!

"Sensei!" I was shocked to the point that I stood still. The hair on my arms rose, and a shiver crept up my spine. I was afraid. More so than when I was alone with dozens of monsters, earlier. "Why would you do that! He's Level 5! You told me that-."

"Yeah, I know what I said. Calm down, brat." Sensei grunted, and continued walking. A hand left a pocket, and he idly scratched his cheek. He looked over his shoulder and levelled his gaze at me. His blackened eye was filled with satisfaction. The edges of his mask were curled up with the outline of his creepy smile. "Look, there are times when rules don't matter, alright? Those times are when you know you can win, when you can completely destroy your opponent with minimal damage to yourself. That is still a victory."

I took in my Sensei's words, and after that, despite the fact he couldn't have possibly hurt Loga-sama, I felt pity for the drunken werewolf. If Sensei could smile like that at something he did, that meant he must have done something truly and completely vile to someone else. I'm sorry drunken Loga-sama, even if you made it so I finally committed myself to changing, you have experienced a terrible fate.

"Besides, brat, I would've broken another, more important rule if I didn't do anything." Sensei's words shook me from my thoughts, and I hurriedly walked to his side. As soon as I reached his side, he gave me a thoughtful nod. "The only one allowed to insult a student is their teacher, and only when the student really needs to hear it. Remember that, okay? Everyone's insults towards you are worthless, except for mine. So, don't do something stupid like this again, alright?"

I had worried him. Even if Sensei didn't say it aloud, he had really been worried by what I did. Sure, his words were harsh, he ignored the fact I almost died, he made jokes at my expense, and… wow I can go on for a long time, can't I?

Despite all of that, he had still worried about me.

"Thank you, Sensei." The words were hollow, but I had every intention of showing Sensei my gratitude. "I swear that I'll do as you say, from now on."

"Shitty brat." Sensei gave a grunt, but I could see his eyes curl upward. "You were supposed to be doing that already."

If I didn't stray from the path Sensei guided me on, I'm sure that I will truly become strong.