Chapter 20 - Hidden Ability

I woke up that morning feeling anxious. Despite knowing that my life was ensured were anything to go wrong, I still had a bad feeling about my quest. I got out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom to get dressed. I was the first one to wake up this time.

"Ah, man, I'm extra nervous for some reason. I've never fought a monster solo before, if I die, then what? Does this world have some kind of respawn mechanic or something?"

I was thinking rapid thoughts as I gazed into the mirror and washed my face. Thinking of all the possible scenarios at once. My mind was cluttered, and I was slightly panicking. Then, I heard footsteps approaching from behind me.

"Quit yelling, it's messing me up..."

"Oh, sorry Ambrosia. Wait, can't you just leave my mind?"

"I told you, when I'm not focusing, it's hard to disregard the voices... I'm still half asleep, but now that I'm somewhat awake, good morning Yuki." said Ambrosia, yawning. Her hair was a bit disheveled, and she was rubbing her eye. It was adorable. She was wearing a thin silver nightdress.

"Good morning. How much of my thoughts did you hear?"

"I started hearing them when you said, "respawn mechanic". If you're wondering about life after death, nobody knows. Are you worried you'll die?"

"A little bit. If I do die, perhaps I'll have some kind of weird respawning ability or something, like they do in TV shows."

"Doubtful. Reincarnation hasn't ever been officially documented in Etheria. If you die, I'm pretty sure that's game over. But not to worry, the Hero Camp will make sure you don't die during your quest. There's never been a death during a test before, only during level-up quests, and even then, they're few and far between."

"Though, there's one guy who can resurrect himself, but that doesn't count as reincarnation..."

"Well, I guess I better go prepare for my quest then. Mayumi is letting me borrow her sword for this quest. It's the same sword she used to kill the tiger frog that almost got me a week and a half ago…"

"That's really nice of her. When I took my quest, I just used my mind to kill the monster. I wasn't that great back then, but I managed to do it. I believe in you, Yuki."

"Thanks, your words are very calming. There's some kind of charm to them," said Yukio, relaxing. Ambrosia's words flowed easily and loosened the tension overpowering Yukio.

"Well, I possess an ability in the Hero Camp known as Calm Mind, which basically means I have an influence on the feelings of others and am able to take control of situations easily."

Yukio gave Ambrosia a confused look. "Wait, you mention it like there's an official chart of abilities or something. Is this the case?"

"Yeah, in the Hero Camp, there are abilities that you can learn, which are officially documented on your Hero Profile. Some are more common than others. Calm Mind is one of those abilities."

"I see… I'm eager to find out what they label as my abilities."

Ambrosia sighed, "To be honest, I wouldn't get your hopes up. Other than your potential cosmic-level strength, I sense nothing else inside you. If there was a hidden ability, then it's been hidden so well, that not even I can feel it."

Yukio then looked into the mirror, and smacked his own cheeks, waking himself up.

"Well, regardless, I'm going to give it my all… I'll make you, and everyone else here proud," said Yukio, as Ambrosia broke into a smile. She was confident, and so was he.

"It's almost 9:00. You should eat some breakfast, and prepare yourself. Your quest is scheduled for 2:00 right?"

"Yeah, it is. I'll go warm up this morning before going in. I'll do some exercises, stretches, and practice my swordwork."

"Sounds good, if you need anything, just think about me and I'll be there."

Ambrosia walked into the bathroom and hugged me. Then, she turned around and exited the room, returning to her bed, where she sat down, and began to read from her black book. It was still so mysterious to me, what could it possibly say?

I finished getting dressed, and exited the hotel room, waving to Ambrosia as I left. I stopped by Kondo to pick up some breakfast, before heading to the administration building. I remembered that they had training facilities, and thought I might be able to warm up there. I entered, and Hiroki, as usual, was at the front desk.

"Ah, Yukio! You're here early, your test isn't scheduled until 2:00!"

"Yeah, but I thought I'd warm up for a little. Are the training rooms open?"

"They sure are! Which kind of training would you like to do?"

"Sword Training, if possible."

"Alright, follow me to the melee room! Also, good luck on your test today, Scatterwolves are pretty dangerous, but I have faith in you!"

"I'm a little nervous myself, but I'll give it my all!"

"Alright, here's the room! Warm-up all you need. Just remember to come back at 2:00 for the quest."

"Thanks, Hiroki!"

I trained there for a good 2 hours, sharpening my skills with the sword. Mayumi had taught me numerous different stances, as well as ways to grip and swing the sword. I practiced on their dummies, maneuvering around them and swinging at their weak spots with my wooden practice sword.

"If this Scatterwolf is different than the monsters Mayumi showed me, I might be in some trouble. I better prepare all kinds of tactics..." I said as I continued to practice.

I tried out all of their different machines, from their training dummies to their simulations, to more maneuvering practice. I was going to fully prepare myself for whatever was to come my way.

When I had finished my warmup, it was nearing 11:00. I decided to pack up and leave to rest before my real battle. I left the building, waving to Hiroki as I left, and I exited through the main doors, walking back into the city.

There were fewer people every day, as more people were transferring back out to camp before the deadline, which was still 10 days away. However, most stayed less than that, because they wanted to ensure that they would be transferred with their friends and comrades.

I continued to walk, but then suddenly, a man came out from an alley and bumped into me, almost like he had planned it. He then turned around, looked at me, and gave me an annoyed look.

"Hey, watch where you're going, you should always be alert of your surroundings, especially in times like these, when there are monsters about..."

"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there!"

The man who spoke to me was about my height and wore a gray jacket with a white undershirt, and black pants. He had silver hair and black eyes.

"Hm, you don't look like you're from here. Where are you from?" asked the mysterious man. I was now put into another situation. I decided to rely on my usual lie to get out of it.

"I come from somewhere far away. It's complicated."

"As do I..."

Yukio looked up at the man, confused. He gazed into his jet black eyes, they seemed to have a ring of gold separating his iris from the rest of his eye. He looked strange and gave Yukio weird vibes.

"Who are you anyway?" asked Yukio.

"Hm... my name might not be of importance to you." said the man, analyzing Yukio intensely, with his hand on his chin.

"...I'm sensing a strange familiarity coming out of you...could you be Capricorn?" asked the man.

"Uhh, I don't think so, I was born in December, so maybe?"

"I see... we will be meeting again, young man. Remember, blessed be the way of the creature." said the man, before walking away. Yukio was left utterly confused. Why did the man want to know his zodiac sign?

"That was odd... but no matter, it's probably nothing. I should just go relax before my quest takes place..." said Yukio, walking away. He made his way back to the hotel room and entered the room. Ambrosia had left, and Mayumi and Yui were inside chatting.

"I mean he's cute and all, but I just don't trust him and Es-OH Yukio! How long have you been here?"

"I just walked in, what were you two talking about?"

"Oh, nothing. Just girl stuff.." said Yui, Mayumi started giggling.

"Heh, sure sounds like a fun time. Anyway, My quest is in a few hours, so I'm going to chill here for a while until it gets close to 2:00."

"Okay, Yukio! We'll just be here with you."

I stayed in the hotel room, relaxing, and talking with Yui and Mayumi for a few hours. I told them about my encounter with that strange man outside, but neither of them knew what I was talking about.

It seemed to me like the man was hiding amongst the shadows, surveying the town, and collecting info. The way he was dressed, and where he was at. It screamed "suspicious".

"So you two don't know of any weird people walking around here? He asked if I was Capricorn, which is kind of an odd thing to ask someone..."

"Unfortunately no. But, if you see him again, perhaps try asking him what he meant. You got me curious!" said Yui. I continued chatting with them for a while.

As the time approached 1:30, I decided to leave for my quest. I still didn't know where Ambrosia was. She hadn't returned and wasn't communicating with me. Perhaps she was out with some friends of hers.

I notified the group that I was leaving and grabbed my knight's coat and my necklace that Yui had given me. Speaking of Yui, she ran over to me before I left to tell me something.

"Yukio! Yukio!"

"Yeah? What's up Yui?"

"...good luck. If you get hurt, you come to me right away, okay? I'll heal you!"

"Absolutely. I'm counting on you if anything goes wrong," said Yukio, putting on the necklace. Yui smiled and hugged me before I left to go complete my quest. I left the hotel room and made my way back to the administration building. Hiroki greeted me.

"Welcome, Yukio! It's almost time for your test. If you would, please follow me."

"Sure thing. I think I'm ready."

I followed Hiroki out back to a large field. We had exited out of the South Gate of Camp Alpha. In the distance, was a very large wolf with red eyes. I assumed this was the Scatterwolf that I would have to defeat. It was being held captive by 2 level 6 heroes who looked to be very powerful.

I stepped into the middle of the field and drew my sword. The time reached 2:00 PM, and Hiroki began to speak.

"Okay, Yukio Sazuke. When you are ready to begin, swing your sword in the air, and we will release the monster. If you need help, your safe word is "RETREAT" do you understand?"

"Yes sir...let's do this..." said Yukio, holding his sword in the air. Then, he raised it into the air, took one final deep breath, and swung his sword to the ground, initiating the quest.

"RELEASE THE SCATTERWOLF!" shouted Hiroki.

The Scatterwolf was released from its cage and stepped out. The two level 6 heroes immediately retreated to higher ground, leaving only me and the wolf on the field. I got into my stance and prepared myself for the wolf to charge at me.

The wolf growled at me, and kicked its back legs a few times, before suddenly charging toward me at a high speed. Saying that I panicked at the moment, would be an understatement. This wolf was FAST, much quicker than I expected it to be.

When it approached me, I dodged out of the way. Its movements were predictable, except for one thing. It always attacked from a distance. I understood now why they were called Scatterwolves. They scattered to a distance, before charging. In packs, they would be terrifying to deal with.

The wolf charged at me once more, and I lept to the side, slashing it with my sword, putting a gash in its arm. It shrieked, turned around, and lunged at me. I decided at this moment to slide under it and slice down the middle of its torso, in hopes of killing it quickly.

However, upon sliding under it, although I managed to slice its torso slightly, I was caught by its left foot and kicked to the ground. Its claw put a gash in my leg, and I began to bleed a lot.

"AH, Shit, that hurts a lot. Damn you wolf!" I yelled, slashing away at the leg that had just kicked me. For this monster being rated a 3, it seemed easier than I thought it was going to be. But then.

"GRAAAAAH!" The monster roared, running towards me. When I swung at it, it counter-attacked with its paw, hitting my hand, and knocking the sword out of my hands. I was now defenseless. I was knocked to the ground, and gazed up at the wolf standing over me.

Its eyes were glowing red, as it moved its head down toward me. Hiroki then yelled out to me. "Remember the safe word!" he said as the monster continued to sniff me. It was smelling the fresh blood coming from my leg. I assumed a soulless expression, as my life was now in danger.

The monster then raised his head into the air, and I managed to slip my way out of its grasp before it could bite down on me. I ran for my sword and grabbed it. I then turned around and ran toward the Scatterwolf.

It turned towards me, opened its mouth, and attempted to eat me. However, I dodged. It bit the dirt, and its head got stuck in the ground. I then proceeded to hit it multiple times with my sword. The monster shrieked and eventually broke free from the ground. It quickly looked at me and attempted to bite my arm. I dodged, but the sword was knocked out of my hands once more.

"Argh, Damn, this is harder than I thought, I take back what I said earlier... what do I do now?"

This time, however, the monster stepped on the sword, preventing me from reaching it. Then, it gazed at me, growled, and lunged towards me. I was defenseless once again, my leg was bleeding tremendously, and I had bruises all over my body... I was truly afraid. It was at that moment, that I noticed that strange man from earlier, in the far distance, observing my battle.

"What? Why is he here? He's smiling? What's going on? OH SHIT, THE WOLF!"

The wolf was running towards me at full speed. I had no other options. I was too slow to dodge it. I was going to be killed unless I yelled the safe word. But I had forgotten what it was, due to my intense panic. Instead, I yelled something else... I raised my hand into the air, towards the monster, and yelled.

"STOP!"

. . . . . . .

The monster immediately ceased its movement, coming to a grinding halt on the grass...it seemed to have understood what I had just said? Hiroki panicked.

"Wait, what is it doing? YUKIO, are you alright down there?"

I was in an intense focus. For some reason, I felt an immense weight on my shoulders. I moved my hand to the ground, and the monster followed, crouching to the ground. Then I pointed to my right, and the Scatterwolf walked to the right.

"Yukio? What the hell are you doing!?" yelled Hiroki. It was then, that the mysterious man on the hill in the far distance spoke to himself, admiring what he was seeing...

"Heh, so you really are Capricorn after all..."