Michael spoke, his voice steady but filled with a hint of disbelief,

"You are not real."

The mysterious man tilted his head slightly,

"It seems we are in a cave that uses auditory and visual hallucinations to manifest people and memories in physical form. It draws its energy from both magical and spiritual forces, feeding off the consciousness of the forms that appear. So yes, you are partially correct. It is not real in the traditional sense."

Michael's brow furrowed as he processed the words. "Spiritual energy combined with magic... So, I assume it's your consciousness speaking to me now?"

The man replied.

"Maybe, maybe not. I could be controlling my consciousness, or perhaps it's a false sensation. No one truly knows, Michael. Not here."

There was a long pause, then, the man continued, his voice becoming more deliberate. "But let me ask you something."

"Hmm?"

The man took a step closer, his eyes never leaving Michael's.

"What was the first rule I taught you?"

Michael didn’t hesitate. His answer was firm, almost automatic.

"Eliminate any potential threat or obstacle that endangers your mission or life."

The mysterious man nodded,

"Correct. Now, if you understand that, why am I still standing here? Why haven’t you attacked the potential threat in front of you?"

Michael’s muscles tensed. The challenge was clear.

"Yes, sir. I understand."

Without another word, Michael launched himself into motion, drawing his daggers with swift precision, aiming for a fiery, lightning-fast assault. But the man, almost casually, raised his staff which was a normal staff not a magical one and blocked the attack with ease, as if he had already anticipated every movement.

"Good moves," the man said, his voice calm and composed.

"But you need more than that. Add more power, and target multiple vital points in a single strike."

Before Michael could react, the man threw a small dagger with surprising speed. Michael dodged it with a fluid motion, then Michael attacked again The claymore came down in a heavy arc, fiery energy crackling along the blade.

"Well done," the man said, acknowledging the effort, but his voice remained dispassionate. "But your magic is lacking. Add more energy. Don't hold back."

As he spoke, fire slashes seemingly coming from nowhere ripped through the air. Michael’s senses screamed, but the man effortlessly danced around the attacks, avoiding each one with uncanny precision.

"Exactly like that," the man continued, his movements so fluid they seemed almost a part of the air itself.

"Don’t give your opponent a chance to breathe. Keep them on the defensive. The moment you hesitate, you lose."

The man paused, taking a slow drag from a cigar he had conjured out of thin air, and casually adjusted his hat.

"Speed is the key for a Professional killer. In the end, not all opponents are strong. Even the strongest have weaknesses. But you won’t be able to exploit those unless you move faster than they can react."

Michael’s pulse quickened. He knew the truth of it speed was the difference between life and death

The air around him seemed to shift, the wind changing direction. Then, a faint glow began to form around Michael, an aura of concentrated energy. With a single side step, he vanished in an instant.

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"Blood Hunter thats it," the man whispered.

In the blink of an eye, Michael reappeared in front of him. The world seemed to slow as Michael struck with deadly precision, his daggers cutting through the air in three brutal strikes, aimed at the man’s vital organs. He withdrew just as quickly, leaving no room for retaliation.

The man stood motionless for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then, as the body began to crack and shatter, returning to the shape of the cave’s monstrous inhabitants.

"You could have avoided that, couldn’t you?" Michael asked, watching the body crumble.

"Listen closely, Michael. There are two things I want you to remember. First, never hesitate when you attack. The moment you commit, you’ve made a decision. You cannot retreat once you’ve begun. Second, never let your hand tremble when you hold a weapon. Doubt is a killer in itself."

As the body continued to break apart and fade into the air, the man’s spiritual aura began to dissipate as well.

"Fight for yourself, Michael. Think of yourself, not the world. Don’t let it deceive you with its lies of cooperation and self-sacrifice."

Michael’s face was expressionless, but his voice was clear.

"Yes, Master. I understand."

The man gave him a final nod, his figure slowly dissolving as the cave’s atmosphere began to grow still again. "Alright. I suppose our time here is up. We’ll meet again... one day."

And with that, the man’s aura vanished entirely, leaving Michael alone in the quiet of the cave.

At that moment, Lala was desperately searching for Michael and Alfred.

"My sensory ability is distorted. I can't locate Alfred or Michael. This is a problem."

After some time, she began to notice a group of villagers lying on the ground, injured.

She ran toward the source of the screams, only to be taken by surprise when she reached them.

"Lala, run! The pirates are coming!"

"What’s going on here? I need to calm down. It’s clear these are illusions from the cave."

Suddenly, an explosive attack from a fiery arrow struck, and she found herself surrounded by a group of pirates.

"I know you’re not real, but you’ll pay for this."

Meanwhile, elsewhere…

"You've finally arrived."

"I apologize, Captain. It took us longer than expected to locate your position due to the interference in the cave."

The knight, waiting for his two companions who had been assisting him in the mission, answered,

"It doesn't matter. Did you collect the necessary amount of blood from the hallucination beasts into the blood jar?"

"We gathered most of it. Only a little remains."

"Good. I think the anti-magic armor was a great idea, even in a cave like this."

"Yes, sir. It blocked most of the magical energy causing the hallucinations. However, our tracking spells were slightly affected, though not significantly."

"Shhh… Look over there!" The knight interrupted.

"It's the target, Michael, sir."

"Yes. Now, go and collect the remaining blood. I’ll stay here and keep an eye on Michael."

"Understood, sir."

The two knights departed to complete their task.

Back to Lala…

Lala was panting heavily after defeating the pirates using her ice powers.

"Are you satisfied now, you filthy pirates?"

"Heh, hello there, little girl."

Lala turned around, immediately recognizing the voice.

"It’s you! The pirate from that day."

A wave of intense anger surged within her, and without thinking, she launched a direct blizzard attack. However, the pirate woman countered with even stronger tornado magic. In an instant, she struck Lala with a powerful punch.

Lala fell to the ground, staring up at the pirate, who had now transformed into the terrifying form of the cave’s beasts. The pirate sneered and said,

"You'll be joining your family and village in two days."

Then, the remaining monsters around them disintegrated into ashes and blood, just like the ones that had spoken to Alfred earlier.

The cave began to spin wildly, and Lala lost consciousness.