Chapter 6

"Although the pain vanishes with the food, just remembering the beating I got would make me feel it again."

Sam lay on his bed while eating some cake. He exhaled a long sigh. Other than getting his ass beaten by a wooden stick — yes, the wording hurt more than the actual beating — he had improved dramatically in his swordsmanship.

Sam was lying there, thinking of doing something to pass the time.

He remembered that he'd received a mystery box from the system. However, Makima's appearance and Himeno knocking on his door as soon as he woke up the next day made him forget to open it.

[Ding + Devil Effect Inhibitor Candy. (Epic)]

[While having this candy in your mouth, you're immune to any effects from devils, be it fear, possession, or anything. Lasts for two hours.]

A candy appeared in Sam's hand. Sighing, he put it back in his pocket.

Then he opened his eyes widely.

Hold on. This candy would make him immune to any devilish effects. It meant that even Makima couldn't control his brain while he had that candy in his mouth. No devil would be able to turn him into a zombie or anything else.

But it would only last for two hours, meaning that he would have to put it in his mouth at the right time.

-x-X-x-

Two weeks passed.

[Swordsmanship +300 XP]

[Swordsmanship up to level 6 (100/30,000)]

"Okay, you got me, kid. You might have an AI within you," said Sai as he looked at Sam, who was lying down with some beating marks on him.

Sam slowly stood up. "I can still do more."

During the last two weeks, he had been training restlessly. And by restlessly, he meant it literally. There was nothing to do at home, so he did some basic workouts such as push-ups, squats, and sit-ups. Then, he would play with the wooden sword. In the morning, he would go to the dojo, and he would get his ass kicked.

The dojo master skipped the basic movements and footwork since Sam mastered them instantly. Even after being tested, Sam showed that he didn't need to be taught twice.

After that, Sai trained Sam through sparring and extreme workouts such as holding a horse stance for a few hours. After Sam seemed to be getting tired, he would get a huge meal. Apparently, Himeno told Sai to feed Sam and then continue to train him.

Sam ended up earning an extra 2 strength points and one extra agility point.

"Get your food. We'll spar next," Sai said. "With a body like yours, it would be a shame to not keep training."

"Yeah." Sam walked over to a table full of food.

As he started eating, he checked his stats.

[Stats.

Name: Sam Lee

Level: 3

Class: Devil Hunter

MP: 100/100

HP: 50/140

Age: 17

SP: 1 (Skill Point)

AP: 0 (Affinity Point)

Skills:

Devil Sense (Passive)

Devil Aura (Passive)

Wind Footwork - Level 2 (99/200)

Swordsmanship - Level 6 (100/30,000)

Affinities:

-Strength: 7

-Agility: 11

-Wisdom: 5]

[HP +10]

[HP +20] [HP….]

Once he finished eating his food, his health bar was restored to full. With such a cheat healing ability, his teacher had abused it to train him. Well, he was quite satisfied with the results, however, that was it.

There were a few skills that he could unlock, but alas, he didn't have the requirements to do so.

One skill caught his attention.

[Air-Slash

Requirements:

*Swordsmanship Level 6

*Strength: 16

*Agility: 10

*Wisdom: 7]

He needed to level up a few levels if he wanted to get such a ranged skill. Fighting demons and devils was a scary thing for a human like him. Ever since he transmigrated to this world, he had forgotten about having good thoughts before sleep. Nightmares had become a regular thing for him.

Having a ranged skill that would allow him to avoid close combat was a big turn-on for him. But alas, he needed to fulfill the requirements first. To do that, he needed to gain levels. To gain levels, he'd have to complete quests or defeat some devils.

'What a pain,' Sam thought as he put the last piece of food in his mouth.

"If you're done, come over here," Sai said. "And bring your katana."

"Hey. Isn't it too sharp?" Sam replied.

"Do as I tell you."

"Whatever." Sam said. As a devil hunter, he needed to have his weapon with him at all times. So, he used to bring it with him to training sessions. He grabbed it from the sword basket and went over to Sai.

"Your final lesson will start now," Sai said. Sam noticed that his teacher was holding a real sword. "We're going to duel with real ones."

Sam unsheathed his sword, and so did Sai.

Sam slowly approached, finding that he had a problem getting near. The ancient part of his mind was keeping his legs from approaching.

He swung his sword. Sai didn't move, and Sam didn't hit his target either.

"Have you noticed yet? My killing intent," Sai said. "Your reptile brain seems to have noticed the difference between training and a real fight."

Sam noticed that the distance was unusually wide. "So, you mean..."

"All the things you learned are useless unless you can control your instincts. Your mindful mind must be in control. Your reptile brain only knows two things: fight or flight. In my experience, in the face of a real devil, the response should always be flight. And when the prey runs from the hunter, nothing good happens to the prey." Sai sheathed his sword. "With experience, you'll learn. Don't rush your death."

"Sensie. What is the reptile mind?"

"Your ancient caveman brain, whose job is to protect you. Kid, do you even watch documentaries?"

"So, your lesson was simply to scare me enough." Sam mocked. He knew what the teacher was talking about, but being sarcastic was his way of dealing with fear.

"It's to teach you about fear." Sai exhaled a long sigh.

"Don't worry, I'm a fast runner. Devils can kiss my ass." Sam smiled.

"Still, you can't run from your fate." Sai said.

Sam's skin prickled. He looked at his arm. "Oh. The goosebumps."

"Your last lesson is over. Get the hell out of the dojo." Sai sat down and waved his hand.

"Hey. After all we've been through, you're kicking me out like that?" Sam displayed his unwillingness. "I've never imagined myself saying this to an old man, but I'm very disappointed in you. At least throw me a farewell party."

Sai slowly unsheathed his katana, glaring at Sam. "I think it's time for your manners to stop crying in shame."

"Joking, just joking. Thanks for everything." Sam said, but Sai was still unsheathing his sword, forcing Sam to hasten his pace out of the dojo.

-x-X-x-

Sam was at his house, back in the push-up stance again.

"The devils never rest, and neither does the grind." He said to himself as he pushed. "Hey, that's a good quote. It works for my single ass." He had already lost count of how many he was able to do, but he didn't care. As long as he didn't fall, he wouldn't stop.

[HP -8]

He fell. As he was about to get ready, his phone rang. He'd gotten a phone to work.

Too bad it wasn't a smartphone.

Apparently, this world was somehow stuck in the early 2000s.

It was very sad to him since he couldn't play good games or watch some funny videos.

"No wonder Playboy magazine was popular at that time." He stood up, walked to his phone, and picked up the call.

"Who is it?"

"Your boss," said a cheerful voice, quite loud. It couldn't be Makima, so it must be Himeno.

"Oh. Hey. Listen. I still can't pay you back yet."

"I didn't call for that. We are going for a stroll. Wear your outfit and get your ass down."

"Isn't it quite late?"

"Devils are mostly active at this time. So get your ass up. I'll be waiting in front of your house."

"We're going to work, now!?" Sam looked at his clock. It was 3 AM.

"Yes. I heard you finished your training, so you have no problem." She said, hanging up the call. She didn't even give him a chance to complain.

His heart beat louder as he went to his closet, picked up a black suit, and put it on. After wearing it, he took his sword and went out.

"Guess it's time to finally level up."