Kingdom of battles ✓

Chapter 32

Everything around me was completely quiet and I was standing there, wrapping my fingers around the handle of my sword and keeping it lowered. My other arm was raised a little and my eyes were carefully scanning my surroundings. I was trying to calm down my breathing, but it was still quick and raspy. I just couldn't chase away and forget about the slight nervousness that tried to stop me from thinking normally. But I already knew this was going to happen.

A little bit more then a day passed since I woke up, alive again. After I met Riku again in the cells I asked him why did he even come, apparently two members of the guild that went on a walk around the base, to check if there was anything suspicious nearby, found him unconscious, completely covered with blood, laying on a rock near our hideout. Riku said that he left the headquarters of the Hellforce the moment Hikari told him the message that I had for him - 'code white' and that the reason that he was so beaten up was Rin. Different from Riku, Rin didn't instantly believe that I was still on their side and thought that I was trying to trick Riku. He tried to stop him, he almost killed my best friend, but at the end, Riku managed to escape level Hirasawa. After I explained to him everything that happened he instantly decided that he was on our side, without hesitation. I realised that he was still too naive at that, but I was also glad that he was here. That was probably because I didn't have to listen to him anymore after I told him everything in the cells, because there he fainted because of blood loss and Kei called someone to carry him in the infirmary.

A funny thing about Kei and Riku was that they didn't like each other. It was because Riku irritated him with Kei with his stupidity and Riku also didn't like him because he thought that he was mean for no reason. I found all of this really amusing to watch.

For the rest of the day I was just sitting in my room and staring somewhere with an empty look on my face. I was trying to figure out what was going on, to come up with a resolution for all my problems. Somewhere in the meantime I began crying when I first remembered Hikari's judging eyes at the headquarters of the Knights of the Kingdom and Arashi, both that clearly showed me that they didn't trust me any more. On top of that there was also Karoku that told me that he hated me now.

I quickly realised that crying wasn't a good thing to do so I preferred to leave my room, in the middle of the night. I didn't sleep, for different reasons anyway and I easily found the insomniac that I was looking for. Korumi, a middle-aged woman that was stuck in this video game because she bought it for her son's birthday, but she wanted to check it out first to see if it was really safe and proper for him. She was also a magician that wielded Earth magic perfectly. The reason that I was looking for her was because I wanted to help me train. I managed to drag her from the dark and empty dining room where she was drinking coffee and distantly humming the rhythm of a song in to our training arena that was actually just a huge cave.

'' Are you ready? '' she grumbled, leaning on a nearby wall. She yawned and sighed, staring at me with faded green eyes. The reason she had problems with sleeping was because she always had nightmares and couldn't stop worrying about her son that was alone now, considering that she was a single mother.

I slowly narrowed my eyes and scanned my surroundings again. '' Thank you for helping me. ''

Korumi just waved it of and yawned again. '' The type of training that you want will keep getting harder through levels. I suggest that you tell me when it'll get too difficult for you, I don't want to hurt you, specially not now... After you came back Kei acts like you're going to disappear again just if someone'll touch you. He'll kill me if I make you end up in the hospital... ''

'' Don't you worry about me, '' I seriously murmured. '' I'll be fine. ''

'' Maybe you'll even reach Tsukimo's level. '' Korumi wasn't an actual fighter. Her job in the guild was mostly helping other players train. Sometimes she helped in the kitchen too, went out together with one of the legions that were specialised in collecting food, money or items or just guarded the headquarters. '' We went all the way to level 81 with her. Let's see if you actually have any talent. '' Korumi also wasn't the person to sugar-coat anything, she always said things exactly as they were, even if she sounded mean. '' If you're actually worth the trouble that you're causing. '' She stretched her arms then and shook them, taking a deep breath. Then she placed herself in a similar fighting position as I did. '' Level 1, starting... Now! ''