The man stood across from Karl, looking at him with trembling eyes. The knife in his hand was swaying from up to down. However, the man held his ground, no matter how shaky his confidence was.

"D-Don’t come any closer. I'll have t-to stab you if you come any closer. I swear, I will do it. I'm not joking."

The man pointed the small blade towards Karl.

Although Karl looked directly at the blade, his mind could not register it as a threat. Because at this moment, his vision and decision was being clouded by resentment and a craving for revenge.

Wordlessly he rushed at the man standing across from him, recklessly putting his life on the line.

In mere seconds he was able to get close to the man, almost being able to touch him, but the man in turn swung his knife, cutting Karl's cheek.

The blood spurted out from the sudden cut, painting Karl's face a red color.

"You see!! Stay away!!"

He waved the Crimson layered small blade at Karl. The blade wavered in the air, much like his user, but somehow it seemed calmer than before.

"If you come, I won't hesitate. I'll kill you. You understand."

After a second of peace, Karl rushed at him again blindlessly. Running in like an enraged wild boar, without worrying about the consequences.

He clenched his fist tightly and swung it at the man's face with the full force of his emotions behind him.

However, the enemy saw it coming and was ready. He easily avoided the fist heading towards him, and without a single moment of hesitation, he swung his blood covered weapon.

He managed to cut Karl into the arm before he jumped back and evaded the attack.

Ignoring the pain, he had just suffered under, Karl launched forward yet again.

This continued on several times with Karl just attacking recklessly, blinded by his uncontrollable anger. However, every time he leapt forward the result, he achieved was the same. He would inevitably miss his target and have to jump back to evade.

A stalemate it turned out to be. But with every passing action Karl was getting closer and closer to losing the ongoing battle. This was because he had been cut several times whilst attacking. And even though the cuts weren't necessarily deep, due to the sheer number of them, Karl was constantly losing blood. If it continued like this, Karl would inevitably lose the battle.

"Y-You can still stand?! How! I have cut you so many times already, why won't you just go down!!"

The man readjusted his stance, ready to finish the fight during the next attack. He gripped his blade tighter, walled his feet and raised his shoulders higher.

Even though he had been nervous only moments prior, he managed to gather his wits and calm himself.

Karl just looked forward aimlessly, only searching for the next opportunity to strike. He was like a wild beast hungering. The only difference being in the sharpness of their claws. Whilst an unleashed beast was deadly with its razor sharp claws, Karl's claws were more like that of declawed animal , a harmless animal throwing a hissy fit.

As soon as he saw his next opportunity he rushed in full speed, aiming for the enemies head once again.

But this time it was different. The man stayed calm and waited for the perfect opportunity to strike.

As Karl was close enough, the man evaded the fist flying towards his head and aimed at Karl's chest. If only he could hit the chest once. It could be game over, if he landed a successful strike.

The pain would make any human give up and surrender, the man thought as his knife headed towards Karl's chest.

But to his surprise Karl suddenly stopped.

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The guy that had been recklessly charging in with no regard for his life, had suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Karl just stood there in silence.

Moments passed in silence as the man tried figuring out what was happening. But he couldn't come to a conclusion and just stood there, dumbfounded about what to do next.

"If you continue on like this you will perish."

The voice inside of Karl's head spoke to him, informing him of the future that awaited him.

"Shut up!!! I'll prove that you're wrong. How dare you call me a coward. I'll prove you wrong right here, right now."

Karl was ready to run in once again, but the next words from the Voice stopped him.

"The next time you charge forward, will be your last. A cowardly move that will only prove my observations of you to be right."

Karl gave up on running in this instant, but he demanded answers from the voice.

"What do you mean by that! I demand an explanation!!!"

Without hesitation the voice spoke freely of what the actions would mean.

"If you rush forward, like you have been doing, you will forfeit your life. And with that put an end to your troubles as well as the contract we had made. A mark of a true coward. Running away when things get too tough to handle."

And with that Karl blanked out. His rage disappeared, replaced with a feeling of sorrow.

".... T-Then what should I do?"

Clenching his fists he pleaded with the voice in his head.

"Listen to me!!!" the voice screamed. "All you need to do is listen and follow my instructions."

"You'll help me?" Karl asked.

"That's what the contract was made for. I help you achieve your goal and in return you help me achieve my goal."

Karl stod there speechless, finally understanding what the contract meant.

"Honestly, failing to figure even that out. Are you perhaps an Idiot?"

Karl could do nothing but stand there in silence.

"I understand. I'll calm down for now.... So, what should I do?"

Clenching his fist and looking forward at his opponent, Karl listened to his instructions intently.

"Will that really be possible? I don't know, I don't feel like I am capable of that."

"You are. Cease your worrying you are my host, a chosen human, a special someone capable of miracles."

Even though the voice was praising him, Karl was still unsure about the contents of the praise or the validity of it.

"OK. Here goes nothing."

In a moment of concentration Karl focused his eyes in his target and hastily leapt forward. His movements were more accurate. His steps seemed larger and his path more calculated.

'What is this? What happened to him?' the man thought to himself as Karl approached.

The man struck his blade downward, aiming at Karl's face.

However instead of striking Karl's face the blade cut at the air, falling downwards quickly.

Suddenly the man felt a strange pain coming over his jaw as he flew backwards.

His face conveyed everything, confusion, pain and most of all fear. He had been struck in the jaw, and the immense burning he felt was real.

In a split second the situation had completely changed. The hunter and prey had changed roles finally.

"H-How dare you. I'll kill you!!" the man screamed whilst rushing forward.

His muscles contracted as he strained his fists to harness his full power and punch Karl.

Yet, like last time, instead of pummeling Karl's face, he was the one that got knocked back. Only this time the burning was happening on his cheek.

"Ahhhhh" he screamed as he held his face. The man could not help but feel the liquid build up in his mouth. He had to spit some of it out as it became harder to breathe.

The spit and blood mixture that came out terrified the man.

This was the first time he had bled from inside his mouth.

"How dare you!! You'll pay for this!!"

"I wouldn't come here if I were you."

Karl pointed at the object at his feet. It was the Crimson painted blade, that the man had dropped whilst flying backwards.

The man's eyes became uneasy. The realization of what Karl wanted to say sank in and he began to waver.

His legs did not want to move forward and furthermore his hearth advised him to retreat.

"You'll pay for this. Don't think we won't get to you."

The man ran off in the other direction without looking back once.

Karl looked at the man running away and sighed out of relief.

He had done it. He had managed to survive.

"I guess you were right. I was able to see the knife as it was coming. But how could you know I would be able to do that?"

" It's because you have acquired my ability 'quick progression'."

The voice proceeded to explain the ability to Karl.

Quick progression was an ability which allowed its users body and mind to develop and progress at an unbelievable speed. I'm other words the user was able to quickly raise his stats just by doing one particular thing over and over.

Karl had managed to raise his reflexes and his observational skills in the matter of this one battle.

"Wow....is this a real ability?!"

Karl questioned himself as he looked at his arms.

"So, I'll be able to get stronger much faster than anybody else, just by fighting?"

"Simply put, yes."

Karl could not believe the words that were entering his mind. His face and eyes both shot up accidentally out of surprise and happiness.

He had finally gotten the strength to fight, to get his revenge on those who had wronged him.

After about a minute of just standing around and discussing the newly acquired ability, Karl picked up the knife and was ready to go home.

The Knife however had strange symbols on it, as Karl noticed.

The knife had a Crimson colored symbol of a three headed dragon painted on it by its hilt. Well Karl taught it was a dragon. Though in reality it resembled more the likes of a Hydra.

"What a cool symbol."

After admiring it for a while, Karl decided to take the knife to the police in the morning, not wanting to explain where he had gotten it, now when he was tired.

The young man proceeded to walk home hastily and went straight to his slumber.