Chapter 16: Jura Forest [Part 2]

Chronoa POV:

As I secretly watched Cale from a distance, I noticed that his swordsmanship was better than in the last timeline.

Interesting. So while he is physically weaker compared to the last time, his fighting skills are much better.

'He still has a long way to go before he masters swordsmanship," Came the voice of my companion.

'Yeah, I know, but for a kid, he is good,' I replied with a chuckle.

But what surprised me the most was the shadow-like creatures that he made after the tiger's death. For a moment, I thought he would use bugs to reanimate them like that time...

Please don't use bugs again!

---

Cale Valentine POV:

As time passed, I noticed that it was getting late, and I still hadn't come across any Magic Beasts in the forest. I did, however, stumble upon a few goblin villages. Despite being tempted to attack them, I chose to let them be as they were instead of going full-on Goblin Slayer due to only being E-Class monsters and wouldn't provide much EXP.

I was about to head back to camp when I sensed the presence of several strong monsters up ahead. Their signatures were stronger than the tigers I had previously encountered. So obviously, I grinned, thinking of the EXP and Magicules I could earn from them as I walked towards the signatures.

As I arrived close to the Magicule signatures, I found what looked like a spider den.

I decided to lure the monster to me by flaring my Magicules to alert them, and in no time, about twenty Knight Spiders appeared from it.

The Knight Spiders have an exoskeleton that is harder than steel and can protect almost every part of their body except their joints, and if I remember correctly, each leg is as sharp as the sharpest blade.

As I unsheathed my sword, I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins. The giant spiders loomed over me, their multiple eyes almost glowing at the thought of eating me.

I was quick on my feet, dodging their attacks and striking back with my sword. My sword sliced through their thick exoskeletons, and their blood dripped onto the grass.

Despite their size, the spiders were surprisingly nimble, and I had to stay alert to avoid their attacks. I fought on, my sword clashing with the spider's sharp fangs and legs.

The sounds of battle could be heard through the forest as I fought them. In my past life, I would have been terrified to face something like this, but now I feel nothing but excitement.

At this moment, I didn't think about anything else but to kill my opponent and win this battle.

And finally, after about an hour of fighting, the last spider fell to the ground with a thud as I brought the popup screen up again.

[4,800EXP for killing 16x(Knight Spider)]

[Magicules increased by 4,800]

[You leveled up x2]

[All attributes increased by two.]

"Nice two extra levels." I said, then turned towards the spiders, "Arise."

---

As the sun was setting, I arrived back at the campsite and spotted Chronoa cooking by the fireplace. The aroma of the food made my mouth water.

"Here," she offered me a skewer of what appeared to be monster meat.

I still needed to eat food. Not as much as a normal human would, but I would still need to eat at least once a week, "Thank you." I took the skewer and starter munching on it. The meat was tender and seasoned slightly.

After a while, Chronoa inquired, "How was your first day?"

"It was alright. I encountered some Blade Tigers and Knight Spiders, but I didn't come across many Magic Beasts," I responded between bites.

"I'm glad to see that you're being more cautious in this timeline. I was worried that you would challenge Veldora again," she said, sounding relieved.

"I would never do something like that," I reassured her.

"..." However, she looked at me and didn't respond.

"Please tell me it was just a joke. I didn't do something that stupid in another timeline, did I?"

"Only twice," she replied.

"That's two too many!" I yelled, asking myself if I was that stupid. I have done a few stupid things in the past few months, but nothing on the level of challenging a walking calamity.

"If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for doing it." She said and continued eating through the mask.

Once we finished our meal, she stood up and gestured for me to follow. We walked towards a larger open space before she spoke, "You were able to defeat a few monsters, but I'd like to see how your swordsmanship is against intelligent opponents."

I nodded and drew my sword, feeling excited to spar with her. My wide grin showed my enthusiasm.

I knew that I had to be careful if I didn't want to lose the spar in the first few minutes. I tightened my grip on the hilt of my sword and took a deep breath.

She lunged towards me, and I quickly moved to the side, narrowly avoiding her attack. I countered with a swift swipe of my own sword, but our blades clashed in a shower of sparks.

She made a move, and I quickly parried it, but her strength was overwhelming. She pushed me back, and I struggled to regain my balance. It wasn't like she was going all out, but enough to be slightly stronger than me.

We continued to spar, and I started to lose track of time. Her speed started increasing, and I could barely keep track of her movements. I was forced to activate Thought Acceleration; otherwise, I wouldn't be able to react in time. But even if my mind could keep up with her attacks, my body couldn't.

I started to get completely exhausted, something I hadn't felt for months now. But then, I fell for a feint, and my sword was struck with enough force to send it flying out of my hand.

"Your swordsmanship is good but could be polished." She said, "It's getting late. You should rest. Starting tomorrow, we will spar each time you return from monster hunting."

And so, as we walked back to our camp, I knew that I had lost, but it still felt amazing to spar against someone with so much experience.

During the night, instead of instantly falling asleep, I went through our spar in my mind. Thanks to my memory and when focused on that specific memory, I could remember it to the smallest detail.

I analyzed her movements and my movements, thinking of ways I could have fought differently. But in the end, there wasn't much I could do to change the outcome. She has more experience and is much stronger than me.

But it didn't discourage me at all. Quite the opposite, it made me more eager to get stronger so I could fight her on an equal footing.

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Authors Note:

Thank you for reading this chapter.

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