Heavenly Dog

[Quest: The Warrior's Path]

[Your training will begin]

[Go to the forest]

"Interesting."

He stood up and looked around to make sure no one was following him. There was no one awake, only the sound of wood crackling in the campfire. Alexander walked to the forest, a considerable distance but enough not to get lost. A strange smell filled the air, at once like a perfume reminiscent of peaches, but also a strong smell of iron mixed in. He followed the scent, paying careful attention to his surroundings in the forest, and after a few minutes, he reached a more open space, the ground was made of stone with some moss, relatively flat, but what surprised him was what was in the middle of this open space.

A sword stuck in the ground, a samurai katana exuding strange energy, a white aura coming off it like vapor. As he got closer, the smell of iron and peach grew stronger, to the point where Alexander had to cover his nose. He stood in front of the sword, just observing.

"This sword doesn't seem like a good thing, I've seen too many horror movies to know not to touch the magical object," he said, eyeing the sword suspiciously.

A true Japanese katana, the hilt was brown with red details. The silver-colored blade was shiny, the work of an exceptional blacksmith. A system message appeared.

[Player has reached the training location]

[Remove the sword from the ground to continue your training]

Alexander's suspicion didn't leave him.

"The system is asking to pick up the sword... It better not be cursed or something," he said, a bit tense, grabbing the hilt with both hands and pulling it from the ground at once. "Done, now what?"

The blade of the katana began to shine, a white light incredibly powerful, forcing Alexander to cover his eyes. After a few seconds, the light dimmed and then ceased.

"For God's sake, this will attract everyone here," he complained, looking at the blade.

"Do not worry, young master, no one will interrupt us during your training."

A deep voice said cheerfully, coming from behind Alexander. He turned quickly, pointing the sword at whoever spoke.

"Who's there?" he shouted, holding the sword with both hands.

The figure had a somewhat human silhouette, a tall and strong human of the same height as Alexander. Dressed in clothes reminiscent of a traditional Buddhist priest, black in color, but also reminiscent of noble garments, with beige and red parts. His skin was red like blood, his long face resembling a human but also a type of goblin, a very long nose, and below the nose, a black mustache and beard filled his face. He wore traditional Japanese wooden sandals, the getas, tall and red.

"Who are you... Or what are you?" Alexander asked, visibly tense.

"Calm down, young master, you can lower that sword. My name is Hakuri, and I am a Tengu, a spirit of the mountains and forests. I serve the great gods of the heavens and have come at their request," explained the red-skinned creature in a relatively calm tone.

"A tengu... Wait, you said a spirit that serves the gods? Why did they send you here?"

"Why, to train you of course! How do you expect to become a conqueror, young Shura?"

This worried Alexander.

"You know my name?"

"Of course, I know everything about you, young Shura. I am here to teach you the way of the warrior, or rather, the sword." Hakuri clapped his hands once, and a sword materialized, stuck in the ground, only for the tengu to pick it up. "I will teach you the tengu fighting style that was taught to us by the gods themselves, the celestial style!"

Alexander relaxed a bit, lowering his guard.

"So you're going to be my teacher, huh? But that doesn't explain much, why am I here, why do these gods who sent you want to help me?" he questioned.

"What you asked would fit into what you mortals from the other world call a 'spoiler.' You don't need to know why the gods are helping you now, the only thing you need to know is that you must become strong, both in body and mind and everything will be revealed in due time. You must strengthen your body using the player support system and your spirit by strengthening your aura," Hakuri explained enthusiastically. "Keep these goals in mind, in a few days you will go to Urazaki, but the sword skills that Genichiro will teach you will be child's play compared to what I will teach you, so see it as an opportunity to cultivate your aura and learn command skills. You must learn to fight, to lead, and to conquer."

Hakuri pointed his sword at Alexander.

"Reveal your aura."

The voice now no longer showed the same enthusiasm as before, it was serious. His voice carried a supernatural intensity, enough to give Alexander goosebumps. He revealed his aura, the color a strong red like blood and the intensity resembling the flames of a fierce fire. Holding the sword with both hands, staring into the tengu's eyes, those large shining eyes, the pupils yellow like gold.

"Your posture isn't bad, but it's not the best either," Hakuri said. "Come, attack me."

"Are you sure about this, Hakuri?"

"You can call me Mr. Hakuri, young Shura. And don't worry, I'm flattered that you care about me, it shows that even with your cold nature you have a good heart," he laughed. "Attack me with all you've got, I will assess your current skill."

"As you wish."

Alexander charged with superhuman speed, faster than an elite Olympic athlete sprinting towards the Tengu. Holding the sword firmly, he attacked Hakuri, who dodged with supernatural ease and fluidity. Alexander didn't stop, continuing his relentless attacks; every time the Tengu dodged, Alexander attacked again.

"Attacks without precision or fluidity but with strength and intent to kill, it could be worse, but they are still sloppy and weak."

Alexander was getting tired, but his attacks didn't cease: direct slashes from top to bottom, side cuts, upward slashes, thrusts like a spear, nothing hit.

"You have spirit, young Shura. But how do you react when put on the defensive?" asked Hakuri. With unmatched speed, he attacked Alexander with his sword. In a split second, no, less than that, Alexander managed to defend in time. A seemingly simple strike hit him with such force that it sent him flying, definitely stronger than the demon ogre. Alexander was dragged across the ground by the force of the blow until he hit a tree trunk.

"What was that... I thought my body was going to fall apart." He tried to regain his stance; his hand was weak, his whole body trembling from the impact. But there was no time because he saw the Tengu advancing, jumping from foot to foot in leaps that nearly surpassed two meters in height as if it were nothing as if he weighed less than a tree leaf.

"I've concluded: your martial skill is garbage. You can handle weak demons, but that demon ogre you killed was pure luck. I'm sure the gods gave you a little help in that task. You have the dedication to learn, young Shura, or rather, the obsession to learn and master things that interest you," said Hakuri. "Do you want to learn to fight like a Tengu?"

Alexander fell to his knees on the ground, and Hakuri walked until he was right in front of him.

"We Tengus are the mystics who taught the samurais and warriors of the great clans their combat styles based on magical beasts. A long time ago, we did this, but we did not teach the true celestial style because no elf was worthy of it." He pointed his sword at Alexander's face, lifting his chin with the tip of the blade. Hakuri looked the young elf in the eyes, with his golden, supernatural spirit eyes, he stared into the eyes of that boy, eyes red as fire and burning with ambition. "I don't like using this term to refer to myself or my compatriots, may the gods forgive me, but the celestial style is truly beyond this world. Common mortals only dream of the power that the celestial style can provide; it's what you mortals call 'fighting like demons,' but even the most powerful demons tremble before the celestial style. I'll ask you once more, do you want to fight like a Tengu?"

Now he placed his blade on Alexander's neck, just the light touch of its edge making a drop of blood trickle down. Alexander remained silent, his eyes shining with strength and determination, his aura becoming more powerful, turbulent like fire enraged by gasoline.

He grabbed the Tengu's blade, squeezing it hard, making blood run down his fingers.

"It seems I have your answer. Stand up, young Shura, your training will begin."