Guidance

Early Morning.

"So, you want me to teach you how to fight?" Scarlet asked, her gaze filled with contemplation.

I nodded my head, eagerly anticipating her response.

She lets out a soft sigh and casts a contemplative glance in my direction. "Honestly, it feels like everything was part of your plan. It seems that you want to join my squad to receive my guidance, am I right?"

My face froze momentarily, and then I scratched my cheek, acknowledging her observation. "Is it that obvious?"

-Sigh..

Scarlet relented, her hand clutching her head. "Alright, I will become your mentor, but that is until the war begins. After that, our paths diverge."

Immediately, I nodded my head as fast as I could, since this was one of the goals I had been aiming for.

"Scarl.." before I could finish my sentence, Scarlet interrupted me with a single word.

"Call me leader." my words caught in my throat, as she declared with authority.

My mouth opened and closed, my mind racing to find the right words, but I found myself unable to speak. I sighed once more and asked the girl in front of me.

"Leader.. what are we gonna do now?"

She cast a glance at me and started walking deeper into the forest.

"For now, I'll be your mentor and assess your capabilities."

"Afterward, we'll be searching for people," she instructed.

I nodded in understanding, falling into step behind her as we ventured further into the forest.

...

Silence enveloped us as we continued exploring deeper into the forest, with the distant sound of rustling bushes reaching our ears.

I gazed at her back in silence, my mind lost in deep contemplation. 

Ever since obtaining this Soul Link, I have attempted to utilize my [ ■ Sight ] in every possible scenario. However, it became apparent that there were certain conditions under which I couldn't access or gather information about others.

During the previous encounter with the boar, I was able to perceive its information, but that didn't extend to its attributes

Furthermore, I realized that even accessing my attributes seemed to be locked, leaving me puzzled and uncertain about the reasons behind it.

'Is it because I am in a trial?' 

I had never come across anyone discussing their attributes before, and even Evelyn hadn't provided much explanation about them.

It was one of the questions lingering in my mind, something I had intended to ask Evelyn. However, it seemed that I had somehow forgotten to ask her about it.

"Hey, what's your name?" Her voice rang out abruptly, interrupting my train of thought.

"Call me Robin," I answered casually.

"Robin," Scarlet mumbled to herself, coming to a sudden halt as she fell into deep contemplation.

"Are we stopping?" I asked, puzzled by her sudden pause.

She shook her head and replied, "No, I just heard that name from somewhere."

I glanced at her, surprised by her response. "Hmm? You may be thinking of a different Robin altogether."

Scarlet nodded in agreement, placing her hands on her chin. "Perhaps that's the case."

"Enough of that, let me see what you've got," she said, casting a glance towards the distance, where a wild boar lay sleeping in the grassy plains.

I reached out for my broken sword, realizing that the scabbard was nowhere to be found.

The once long worn-out blade was now broken in half, leaving me with a mere fragment of its former self. It resembled more of a dagger than a proper sword, a half-length piece of iron that had seen its better days.

Scarlet glanced at my broken sword, her expression rendered speechless as she looked at me with a bewildered gaze.

"How did you even manage to kill the boar with that broken sword?" she asked incredulously.

I rolled my eyes and responded, "I made use of what I had, luring it into a trap and taking it down."

She nodded, understanding my resourcefulness, and threw her long, sturdy sword towards me. "Use this for now, no tricks, just pure combat."

I nodded my head, as I glanced at the wild boar in front of me.

'Here we go again.' I thought to myself, gazing down at the long and sturdy sword now in my hands.

'This time, however, I have a proper weapon.'

===

Bind: Stinger's blade

Type: Weapon 

Rank: F-

- A weapon of mysterious origin, this finely crafted blade was forged by an unknown blacksmith by using Ariginite, a metal renowned for its exceptional durability. Its intrinsic design bears a striking resemblance to that of a Tang Dao.

Effect - N/A

---

[Hidden Details]

- Weapon Efficiency: 10

- Attack increase: 5%

- Defense Penetration: 5%

- Duration: 1442/2000

===

"..." I found myself momentarily speechless, taken aback by the stingy numbers before me.

"Could this truly be an F-ranked sword?" I wondered, my initial hopes for a weapon boasting double-digit numbers shattered. I had never fathomed the numbers would be so dishearteningly low.

'I still don't know how much I can do, so I would need to test it.' 

Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I directed my attention towards the boar standing before me. Adopting a poised sword stance, I prepared to make my move. However, just as I was about to act, a voice resonated from behind me.

"Remember, no tricks," she declared loudly, causing the boar to snap into a defensive posture.

Frustration welled up inside me as I silently cursed the restriction preventing me from utilizing strategic tactics such as ambushing against the boar.

Nevertheless, I acknowledged the importance of confronting situations where sheer strength outweighed the effectiveness of strategy.

Once again, I tightened my grip around the sword, feeling its solid presence in my hand, as a transparent panel materialized before my eyes.

'Finally, it appeared.'

===

Rookie: Wild boar

Core rank: Novice [ - ]

- Just a wild boar, one of the weakest hostile animals in the forest.

---

Soul Link: N/A

---

Soul Bane : 

(When dealing damage to it's neck, it inflicts an additional 350% weakness damage)

---

[Hidden Details]

Health points: 50/50

Strength: 11

Defense: 8

Agility: 12

Perception: 7

==

Glancing at the transparent panel for a moment, I positioned myself toward the wild boar.

-oomph..

The boar also positioned itself, stomping its legs in preparation to charge at me, while I walked in a circle, attempting to disrupt its charging direction.

Silence settled between us, accompanied by the rustle of the wind blowing past the two of us.

I sprinted toward the wild boar, provoking its reaction as it charged in my direction.

With a calculated movement, I faked my movement, sidestepping its headbutt. Simultaneously, I swiftly repositioned myself and slashed at its neck.

-50!1

The slash felt clean, leaving a deep cut that appeared on the boar's neck. It lay down lifelessly, as blood gushed out from its wound.

"Insta-killed..." I murmured in a daze, staring at its corpse. I wondered if it had been that easy to kill the boar or if it was due to the sword I wielded.

I didn't have much knowledge myself, but the information about its weaknesses must have played a significant role in bringing down the boar.

"Not bad," Scarlet's voice rang out behind me as I shifted my gaze toward her, eagerly awaiting her next instructions.

"You're not as bad as I initially thought, but that's only because you're using my sword," she stated as she came closer to me.

"However, what if you can't kill the boar with one clean hit to the neck?"

I fell into deep thought as I continued to listen to her.

"I can't judge your battle since you technically did everything accordingly within the lower ranks, at least."

"However, if you're fighting against something stronger than you, then you might find yourself in a difficult situation."

I looked at her in confusion, unable to understand what she meant by finding myself in a difficult situation.

She continued her explanation and teachings. "You're too passive when it comes to a fight, more specifically, you're always deep in your thoughts while mid-fighting."

"I've noticed that you consistently allow the enemy time to think about their next course of action because you act too passively, focusing on developing a strategy to defeat your opponent."

"While it's important to strategize during a fight, it only works if the enemy isn't foolish. If your opponent is smart enough, they will attack you before you even have a chance to think."

I stared at her and responded, "So my mistake was that I acted too passively in a fight?"

She nodded her head. "Think about it, if you're too passive when it comes to a fight?"

I pondered for a moment, reflecting on the encounters with both the walker and the boar.

"You had the element of surprise before, yet you tried to let the enemy act first to find an opening. But what if that opening is exactly what the opponent wants you to think is there?"

'Right... the counterattack I did to the walker before,' I recalled the incident when I fell for the walker's trap as it slashed at my chest as an apparent opening on itself.

She pulled out the white pouch from her pockets and began retrieving the corpse. "It is good to strategize in a fight, but it's best not to get lost in your thoughts when facing an enemy."

I nodded in understanding, my gaze fixed on her retreating figure.

"You still need some practice, especially with your swordsmanship," she stated as she made her way deeper into the forest.

"Too passive in a fight, huh.." I showed a bitter smile, acknowledging the accuracy of her words.

 ~~~~

'Although he is clumsy in fights, he is at least smart.' Scarlet thought to herself as she walked deeper into the forest.

Robin followed her from behind, unaware of what he is currently thinking,

"Robin, for the next hour, you will be sparring with me," Scarlet spoke abruptly.

Robin replied, his lips twitching as he forced a smile. "Am I just going to be your punching bag?"

Scarlet glanced at him with amusement. "Kinda, but I'll hold back my strength."