So as long as I could survive the situations that I go through, I have the chance to become even stronger. Mr. Book do you have the ability to know when I will face these trials?

NO, YOU MAY NOT KNOW THIS BUT MY POWERS OF WISH GRANTING DON’T STEM FROM ME. I AM A BEING THAT WORKS FOR A DEITY OF TRICKERY. YOU COULD SAY IT IS ABOVE MY PAY GRADE TO KNOW HOW YOUR WISH WILL BE FULFILLED.

Gods are real? I was never really a religious person, but if they existed I might want to start praying. Not that I was planning on dropping dead anytime soon, but if I can gain a god’s favor it couldn’t hurt.

HEHE, I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE THINKING. DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME, THE GODS HAVE LONG SINCE STOPPED INTERVENING IN THE LIVES OF MANKIND.

But aren’t they fulfilling my wish?

 NOT INTENTIONALLY. THINK OF GODS AS CONCEPTS. THE GOD OF TRICKERY IS TRICKERY IT SELF. 

Well shit, what happens when you die?

SIMPLE, REINCARNATION. THERE USED TO BE ALL SORTS OF AFTERLIFE DIMENSIONS, BUT THE GODS GOT TIRED OF MAINTAINING THEM SO ALMOST ALL OF THEM OPT TO REINCARNATE THEIR FOLLOWERS, GOOD AND BAD.

Geez, that is depressing.

NOT AS DEPRESSING AS BEING CALLED MR. BOOK. WHY HAVEN’T YOU ASKED FOR MY NAME YET? I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW IN MY PRIME, I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RISE AND FALL OF EMPIRES.

No offense, but I feel like the less I know about your personal situation the better. Plus from what I know, djinn are a branch of demonic beings. Calling you Mr. Book helps me to think less about your origins.

WAY TO BE RACIST. I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT BEING A DEMON IS NOTHING TO SCORN. YOU’VE JUST BEEN BRAINWASHED BY HUMAN RELIGION.

Yeah whatever you say. I want to focus on meditation now if you don’t mind. Let me know when you are able to possess me again so I can give you control.

I ended the conversation partially because I wanted to start collecting more mana, and to escape from that awkward conversation. Being scared of demons is racist? Never really thought of it that way. Well I had only really met one demon, and he seemed to be an alright guy. I guess I should at least be open to new beliefs.

Sitting down on a flat rock, I took in a deep breath and started to meditate.

-------------

The end of the second day was nearing, and there was still no sign of Mr. Suzuki. By now both me and Rurika had similar lost expressions. I believed in Rurika’s confidence that her grandfather would come and pick us up. However, it was impossible to ignore the lurking fear that I had shoved to the back of my mind.

From our short time together it was apparent that the old man was an elite among magicians. Whether it was his ability to create an item that turns normal humans into magicians or the noble bearing of his granddaughter, there were plenty of clues as to the weight of his true identity. For someone like him to lose a fight was inconceivable. 

"But if he did," I muttered under my breath with my head in my hands.

"What did you say?" asked Rurika. 

“Rurika, what should we do? Do you want to wait an extra day?”

Pacing back and forth, Rurika seemed to be be trying to plan out our next course of action in the event of the worst case scenario. “No, we can’t stay here even if we wanted to. The mana in the spell formation is running out, and there is no way to input extra mana.”

A shiver went up my spine as I stared at the blocked exits. Soon there would be nothing between me and the monsters that lurked beyond. No, that wasn't true. With Rurika here, even if the chances are slim, surviving was still possible.

“So I guess we don’t really have a choice.” I sighed as I sat back down to get some extra meditation in before we left.

Over the course of these two days, my progress has increased by leaps and bounds. I could now use Drunkard’s Breath three times and Confusion Palm twice before being completely out of mana. I even figured out how to increase the area of affect that Drunkard’s breath has by increasing the mana and manipulating the mana flow.

Not to brag, but I felt confident that I could handle some goblins as long as it was a short fight. After all, goblins are well known for being one of the weakest mob characters in any fantasy story. That is, if they really resembled the lore I knew.

Time seemed to pass by very quickly, and before I knew it, the stone walls that blocked the exits started to lower.

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Opening my eyes, I jumped to my feet and collected my belongings. All I really had were the clothes on my back and my school bag, which only had unfinished homework and my magic books. The only extra addition was a jagged rock that I found when I was randomly walking around the cavern at some point during the start of the second day.

The rock as mostly oval in shape with the exception of one end being cracked with many teeth like protrusions. While the sharpness left something to be desired, if one used enough force, it should be possible to break someones skull. Not that I plan to bash any brains, but I wanted a back up should my magical abilities prove not to be enough.

Staring at my pathetic excuse of a weapon, I let out a sigh. Even a caveman would laugh at me. Still, I am willing to take any advantage I can get my hands on. If I can avoid a conflict I will, but when push comes to shove, I will act accordingly in self-defense. 

“Remember to stay close to me Yuta.” Said Rurika as she stretched her long legs. “In the event that we get seperated, don’t stop or try to back track. Your best bet is to keep moving forward.”

“Okay.”

“Well not that it will matter what you do if you get lost. You’d probably die in under an hour.”

If it had been any other time I would have been ticked off, but I could hear the certainty in her tone. She was dead serious. This was not her trying to belittle me, she was giving me advice and a warning. 

“I understand,” I said as I wiped my sweaty palms against my pants.

CREAK

The walls let out a hair raising screech as they completely went back into the ground. Without wasting even a second, Rurika began to run down one of the tunnels with me right behind her. She was moving at a pace that was slower than a few days ago. Probably so that I could keep up, and so she could be more aware of her surroundings.

After several twists and turns, Rurika stopped and signaled me to be quiet. She than crept towards an intersection where she peeked her head out ever so slightly.

At first I was confused as to why we stopped. There were no signs of any potential threats from what I could tell.

LOOK AT THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE WALL NEAR YOUR FRIEND.

I was so surprised by Mr. Book’s sudden comment that I almost let out a scream. It was creepy how he could understand my thoughts and speak directly into my mind without anyone hearing.

Turning my attention to the part of the wall where Rurika was standing, I noticed faint claw marks. They were so obscure that I had thought that they were shadows created by the fluorescent moss. What was so strange is how there were traces from the floor allthe way up.

“SCREEE”

A shrill cry echoed in my ears as three small green creatures fell from the ceiling. They were all around three and a half feet tall, and naked with the exception of a brown linen cloth wrapped around their wastes.

“Goblins!” I yelled in fright. "Above us, Rurika!"

I had never expected them to drop down from above. This could only mean that we walked straight into a trap. Based on where they landed. I would have to face one while Rurika had to fight two.

“Drunkard’s Breath.”

I decided to choose a ranged spell since I had no idea about the abilities of my enemy. Plus the damn thing was holding onto a rusty sword. If I used Confusion Palm, there was no guarantee that I would still have two hands at the end of the fight.

The stream of purple mist smashed right into the goblin’s face. Almost immediately it teetered back and forth in a drunken stupor with flushed cheeks.

“Kill it!” commanded Rurika.

She had already downed her opponents and by the looks of it they were dead. I mean if they could survive being turned into char good for them.

My body moved on her words as I rushed towards the goblin. I raised the stone above my head, and smashed the jagged part square on its head. Like a puppet with its strings cut, the goblin collapsed onto the ground.

I raised the rock again in preparation for my next strike when I heard a whimper. It was pitiful, almost like a puppy that had just been kicked. Looking down, I stared at the small green humanoid that was huddled in a fetal position at my feet. 

Wait, this was completely crazy? How could I kill something so defenseless. Even if it is a goblin, unless I was forced to by the circumstances, I would do my best to keep myself from becoming a murderer.

"It's already incapacitated," I mumbled. "Let's just get out of here."

“Fine I will do it. Fire Lotus!”

Without warning, Rurika launched a spell. It was a floating mass of fire that was in the shape of a lotus flower. It spun rapidly until it drilled into the last goblin’s chest. Another charred body fell to the ground.

“Why did you have to kill it?” I said in hysteria. Didn't this mean I assisted in murder? A strong desire to puke arose as I glanced at the gblin's burning flesh.

This was the first time I had seen something so human like killed right in front of me. I was more shaken than I thought I’d be. Just a few seconds ago I was confident that I would be filling to take down whatever got in my way, but it turned out my determination was hollow. I was all bark and no bite.

“Listen to yourself. This isn’t some field trip. This is a life or death struggle. Those goblins knew that we would be here. We need to keep moving before more arrive. Remember one more live goblin means one more enemy that can stop your heart.”

I know! I knew her words were right. I did not have the luxury t be merciful. If I remained hesitant I could end up getting both of us killed, but despite being green and ugly, they resembled humans so much. However, she was right. I needed to get over my prior beliefs in valuing the life of others. If Rurika is correct, I might even have to kill an actual person before this is all over.

I reached down and picked up a spear from one of the goblins that Rurika killed. It was the least rusted weapon out of all of them, and had the longest reach. Plus, even someone like me with no martial arts background could do a simple thrust.

“I’m sorry Rurika, you’re right. From now on I promise I won’t get cold feet.” I said while testing the weight of the spear. Compared to a spear a human would use it was kind of short, but would serve its purpose.

For a second I could have sworn that I saw a look of approval from Ruria’s face, but it disappeared as fast as it came. “Glad to hear, now let’s go.”

And with that we continued our journey to the neutral zone.