I watched the S-rank hero curiously. How strong is he? I had never fought someone of his level before, so I had no idea. I had only slain beasts at his level. Plenty of them, at that.

  “So, you’re the one who’s caused us so much trouble.”

  I couldn’t help but smile. The guy looked genuinely pissed. His brown eyes practically burned with hatred, and his entire body trembled. He seemed to be struggling to keep his composure.

  I tapped my finger thoughtfully against my mask. “I must say, I’m disappointed. You’re more beast than man,” I taunted with a sneer.

  Apparently, that was enough to shatter his restraint completely. “You maggot! I’ll crush you and scatter your guts across the street!”

  In the distance, I spotted a small crowd gathering. They murmured amongst themselves about the commotion.

  “Isn’t that Rodrick?”

  “You mean the S-rank?”

  “Yeah, that’s him. But who’s his opponent?”

  “Never seen him before. There probably won’t even be a few body cells left of him.”

  “Should we cheer for Rodrick?”

  In my opinion, the only thing special about Rodrick was his muscle mass. “Do you even fit through doorways?”

  My friendly question didn’t seem to sit well with him. He charged forward, a fist flying at me.

  “Like a rabid animal,” I commented on his attack.

  I reached out to block it but suddenly jumped back.

  Boom.

  One of the ugly buildings next to me collapsed. Rodrick flashed me a wicked grin.

  “You should brush your teeth more often. And that breath, ugh, disgusting.”

  His grin disappeared.

  Interesting. His attack got much stronger at the last second. If I’d taken it head-on...

  He stomped down hard. His body surged forward with tremendous force. Another punch, even more powerful than before. I leaned to the side just in time to avoid it.

  I spun back around, and my sword struck out immediately. Rodrick raised his arm with a grin. A loud clash rang out.

  With a graceful step, I jumped back. His arm didn’t even have a scratch.

  “Is that all?” he called out to me, his eyes glowing with confidence. “Your sword can’t do a thing to me.”

  "Is that so?" I raised my sword toward the heavens, as if I were the sole ruler of the world.

  "His hardened arms mean the atoms are tightly compressed. That just means I need to add the concept of cutting to my attack. Even a dull blade can slice if it displaces atoms in the process."

  He charged forward, laughing loudly. A simple punch followed. At the last moment, my blade slashed downward.

  A massive shockwave pushed the spectators back. Surrounding buildings crumbled, and a cloud of dust billowed into the sky.

  A loud groan made the onlookers swallow nervously. It was unmistakably Rodrick’s voice.

  I looked at my opponent with disappointment. He was clutching the stump of his right arm.

  “What the hell is that ability? I thought it was tied to elemental attacks,” he growled.

  “You’re only half right.” I sheathed my sword, then raised both hands. A small tornado formed in my left palm. A cheerful flame danced in my right.

  The shock in his eyes fueled me. It felt incredible. Finally, I could show them. The once-arrogant enemy now stood before me. Uncertain, lost, weak.

  "Calm down. Don’t let your power go to your head," I warned myself. I had to be careful. One wrong step, and I would be walking a flat, dark path. Then there would be no difference between me and them.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  "How can you use so many different abilities?" he shouted, still in shock.

  His expression made me smile cheerfully. "That’s because my ability is Imagination."

  My words hung ominously in the air. Then, the entire area transformed into a sea of flames. I had decided to burn down the entire red-light district.

  They deserved it. Only by doing this could I grant Mayla a peaceful life. I conjured a windstorm that fed the fire even more. Even the stone buildings were consumed by the endless flames.

  A cacophony of screams echoed around me. It left me cold. Why should I feel pity for them? There was no reason for it. I doubted any of them had ever helped anyone else.

  I turned away and left the burning square behind.

  Everything felt so dark and meaningless. Was death really such a terrible thing? Or did it exist to punish injustice? If so, death must have been grateful today. Because I had done my work well. I had wiped out an entire area with a radius of one mile. No one survived.

  A few minutes later, I stood in front of my wooden hut. The familiar sight calmed my heart. The well-kept wooden planks, the old-fashioned thatched roof. Everything gave me a deceptive sense of peace.

  Slowly, I stretched out my hand to the door handle. Just as I touched it, the door flew open on its own. Mayla stumbled outside and ran straight into me.

  She staggered, and I instinctively grabbed her to keep her from falling. Only then did I realize how close we stood. I could feel her breath on my skin.

  I immediately let go of her arm and took a step back. “Uncomfortable.”

  “Are you alright?”

  She stepped closer, her gaze scanning me. Her eyes lingered briefly on a burnt patch.

  “It’s just my coat,” I reassured her. “Damn, my coat,” I cursed. It had such a beautiful black color. Not a single stain. Once. But now...

  “Those bastards. They ruined it.” I wanted to burn them all down again. They had broken the most sacred rule. Cleanliness!

  “Seems like you showed some sense after all. Running away was the right choice.”

  “Run away?” I asked, a hint of confusion in my voice.

  “Yes, you ran off.”

  “Huh? Why would I?”

  “Wait… you didn’t run away? But that would mean…” Her eyes widened. Like two round ovals.

  “If you keep staring like that, your eyes might fall out,” I joked casually.

  Admittedly, I felt great. My training hadn’t been in vain. So many years of suffering.

  “Really nice to see.” All that time had helped me. All those hours, all that solitude. It had finally made sense.

  “But what do I do now?” I wondered uncertainly.

  “So you’re claiming you killed an S-rank hero?”

  “No…”

  “Then it’s not true,” she interrupted, trembling.

  I wasn’t done. “It’s not a claim, it’s a fact. Well, you don’t have to believe me. You’ll find out tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, tomorrow’s Sunday. We’ll head back then. At least for you two. You’re safe now.”

  Her legs began to tremble more violently. So much that she could barely hold herself up. All the stress of the past days seemed to catch up with her now.

  “Or break down. Not really my area,” I added to myself. But that didn’t matter.

  “Are we... really safe?”

  “A bit of an awkward phrasing, but overall, yes.”

  “What do you mean by ‘overall’?”

  “It’s just the wording,” I explained. My voice sounded just like a teacher’s. “You’re safe from them. But that doesn’t mean a brick couldn’t fall on your head, right?”

  “Seriously? Can’t you be a bit more serious?”

  “Huh?” I furrowed my brow, confused. “Why? It’s true.”

  She just shook her head, a sympathetic tone creeping into her voice. “You’ve been living alone for a while, haven’t you?”

  “Yes, but what...”

  “And you don’t have a girlfriend?”

  “Right, how do you know that?”

  “Ouch. You should interact with people more.”

  “Not interested.”

  "Sister, what's going on here?" A third voice joined the conversation.

  I slowly began to get a headache. "Talking is really exhausting. Everyone wants something. So annoying."

  While I was philosophizing, Mayla answered, "Wait, stay down. I'll come."

  Without giving me another look, she stumbled off.

  "Forget it, I'm going to train," I decided. After all, the weekend was meant for fun. Plus, there was a village full of nightwalkers I wanted to take down. One had to spend their time wisely.

  There was no room for wasting time. Wasting time was abhorrent. After all, the body only needed four things: food, drink, sleep, and training. Everything else was unnecessary luxury.

  Just the thought of taking a break made my stomach churn. "Disgusting."

  "Ah, I almost forgot." I walked to the back of my camp. There stood a massive wardrobe. It resembled a giant iron block.

  Through my imagination, a door opened where there shouldn't have been one.

  A soft expression settled on my face. "Well, my dear ones. How are you?" Of course, there was no answer. After all, swords couldn’t speak.

  The beautiful gleam of their blades made my heart race.

  First, I took out my longsword. Then, I began to tenderly care for it. First cleaning, then sharpening, and finally polishing.

  The voices of the two women faded into the background. I was so focused on my task.

  "Done." I looked at the finished result with satisfaction. It gleamed beautifully. The silver shine filled my heart with joy.

  Carefully, I placed it on a rose-colored velvet cushion. "Which one should I take now?" My thoughts drifted to my opponents.

  Nightwalkers mastered the art of fighting with sword and dagger. What stood out most was their speed.

  My gaze fell on a slightly curved sword, its elegance and simplicity both impressive. It lacked a traditional handguard; only a slender, gently curved guard wrapped around the base of the blade, etched with a delicate engraving that wound like fine vines over the metal.

  The blade itself was so narrow that it almost seemed fragile, as if forged from the finest glass, yet it held deadly precision.

  Like all my weapons, this sword also had its own name – Azrog. A name that echoed in the silence, as if it captured the essence of night and storm.

  The blade was barely longer than my arm, yet its presence filled the room. The blackness along the edge gleamed with a menacing sparkle, while the rest of the metal glowed with a deep, dark blue light, like the gentle glow of a cloudless sky.

  Along the edge was a simple, barely visible engraving, which, upon closer inspection, resembled lightning or waves, as if the blade itself was under tension.

  "Alright, it's time to get started," I murmured, excitement building within me.