An unsettling silence reigns over the once bright room that now lay under a dim haze, illuminated only by the faint light slipping through the windows. With no moon to cast its glow, shadows thickened, smothering what little visibility remained.

But a Hunter’s eye was not to be underestimated. Alfred’s gaze was sharp, cutting through the darkness with practiced ease. He wasn’t blind—at least, not entirely. Though seeing far proved difficult, his instincts stayed keen, always aware of the faintest shifts. Tracking the quick-footed Kaiser in this environment like a beast he played with in the wilderness was challenging. Still, Alfred felt confident he could restrain him in this state. Though, it's harder than expected, because although Kaiser’s swordsmanship was raw, sloppy even. He couldn’t deny the boy’s cunningness, beneath that rough exterior lay an intelligence he’d be a fool to ignore.

Furthermore, the Hunter can't help but feel a sense of dread in the young man's eyes. Because those pairs of eyes stared at him without hesitation to kill, he knew what a gaze of a killer looked like.

Alfred steadied his stance, knife in hand, lowered yet poised, ready for the slightest hint of movement and blocking any blade with his impenetrable defense. His breathing was calm, his senses razor-sharp. Then he sensed it—a faint shift in the shadows. He turned, eyes narrowing. A flicker caught his attention elsewhere, prompting him to pivot again. But no one came.

In the darkness some distance away, Kaiser silently clicked his tongue as he watched the tough prey with a calculating gaze. His vision was sharper and more attuned in the darkness thanks to Zara’s inheritance, granting him an edge over Alfred’s inhumane instincts. Although, the Hunter strength is greater than average, - wherever that came from - his power up seemed to be distributed evenly in every aspect. On the other hand, Kaiser's beastial ability focused on agility, flexibility and adaptability like a feral Beast in a wild environment. Making his other aspects superior but at the same time, inferior to the Hunter. Such as strength, it wasn’t his advantage, more so with Alfred’s trained power at play, so close combat was out of the question.

Having already failed multiple times, Kai needed a new approach, something the Hunter wouldn’t expect.

Kaiser paused for a while, assessing Alfred’s stance and his every movement. A typical strike-and-flee wouldn’t do. He needed something different... After a few more moments, a faint smile crossed his lips as an idea sparked.

With a sudden movement, Kaiser grabbed a chair and flung it across the room, sending it crashing to the ground. Alfred’s head snapped toward the noise, his stance shifting, eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of attack.

Kaiser was done hiding. It was only a matter of time before Alfred would lose track of him entirely.

In the next instant, Kaiser sent another chair flying toward Alfred, who handled it professionally by dodging smoothly Instead of blocking, aware that someone could sneak at him if he focused on the projectile rather than the enemy. An amateur would have fallen for it, but a veteran? Alfred waited, expecting any of any ambush lurking in the dark.

But Kaiser didn’t strike. Instead, the steady clamor of more wooden crashes filled the room, building tension with each sound, forcing Alfred’s senses to chase movement after movement in the shadows, pushing him closer to a breaking point.

Then, another was thrown.

As Alfred evaded the chair, a dark silhouette lunged at him from the shadows. The glint of a blade caught his eye, clashing with his dagger in a familiar, brutal dance. But just as he deflected Kaiser’s sword, another dagger shot forward, quick and deadly. Startled and caught off-guard, Alfred could only watch as it sliced past his guard and grazed his side. Kaiser’s grin widened in satisfaction as he melted back into the shadows, already preparing to launch another barrage of unexpected strikes.

'Sending the dagger first before creating a distraction yourself. You're getting creative.'

More chairs flew through the air, forcing Alfred into evasive maneuvers that weakened his guard. Kaiser was relentless, each assault testing the limits of Alfred’s defenses. With his attention caught in evading the annoying chairs, cuts eventually began to show across Alfred’s skin, reminders of how spiteful his opponent could be. Barely evading a slash to his ankle, he felt the sting of a shallow wound and looked down to see his pants torn where the blade had nicked him.

He already regretted attempting to harm Kaiser's companions deep in his heart, but apparently, an apology won't satisfy the young man's vengeful heart. Even daring to challenge him, the Hunter's head and considered as the strongest man in the village to a lethal duel and manage to balance the battle despite his lacking skills through mischievous tricks. Which is acceptable in his view, after all, a real battle is never about sportsmanship, kindness and honor. It's all about victory, that's decided through the combatants skill, luck and resourcefulness to decide the victor or survivor.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Thinking how feral he already is, Alfred could only imagine the havoc Kaiser might unleash if he had actually harmed those dear to him. Right now, Alfred was struggling, even without Kaiser’s full wrath. And if the young man’s thirst for revenge truly boiled over… Alfred didn’t want to picture the outcome. The entire village might really be in danger if that happens.

Then, suddenly, silence fell over the room. Alfred took a shaky breath, grateful for the brief reprieve. But that silence was short-lived. A deep creak of wood sounded, drawing his senses into high alert. This time, the noise didn’t come from his sides but from above.

And as it turns out, an entire table hurtled through the air, threthening to crash at him. However, in the face of a veteran, such obstacles are too easy to avoid.

Alfred took a quick step back, bracing himself for the follow up. If he predicted correctly, Kaiser would be using the loud sound of crashing to either strike at his sides or back, which are the only available spots. But when he shifted his stance to guard his sides and back, he was caught off-guard by Kaiser’s next move. Just as the table crashed down, Kaiser who was riding the table's tummy to hide himself from view pounced from it, lunging at Alfred with feral intensity.

His blade arced through the air, primed to land a decisive blow on the Hunter's capacious back. Kai could already taste the sweetness of victory. Slashing Alfred's back would surely leave a big scar to remember his mistake, a bloody wound big enough to quench his thirst for vengeance.

However, as the edge draws dangerously near, in one fluid motion, Alfred spun, dodging the blade that would have cut deep. Kaiser’s weapon sliced through empty air, and his momentum threw him momentarily off balance. To his horror, before he could regain his footing, Alfred’s hand shot out in a swift grab, his iron grip unrelenting. The transition between evasion to attack was too fast and fluid without delay. But that's fine, his quick enough to escape...

Or so, he thought. Kai strained his muscles, only to realize its lacking speed and power. No, his lacking the previous intensity of rage to power it up. His a naturally composed individual to the point that angering him is difficult. His brimming rage had already began dwindling after knowing Ariella and Cia are safe and was further reduce as his brain fought for more decisiveness rather than feral charges. Kai had already lost the wrath burning in his eyes as his hated opponent bleed and was completely extinguished by that last moment of expected triumph, thus, robbing him of his former wildness.

Without it, Kaiser couldn’t escape.

Alfred’s massive hand clamped down on Kaiser’s chest, slamming him into the floor with a resounding thud. Kaiser lay pinned beneath the older Hunter’s weight, his body heaving with exhaustion. The battle was over, and despite his tactical prowess, Kaiser had lost.

Alfred’s breathing was steady, though a glint of weariness shone in his eyes. Kaiser struggled for freedom, but Alfred’s strength was unyielding, pressing him firmly down.

What Alfred said next took him by surprise.

“It seems I was right, your strength depends on your emotions.”

Kaiser froze, his gaze shifting to meet Alfred’s with a mix of anguish and indifference, his eyes narrowed as realization struck him.

Apparently, the Hunter had purposely let himself be wounded after noticing his emotions connection to the speed and lethality he displayed, causing him to weaken and eventually lost. Truly, veteran fighters are another level, they don't only swing swords, but also apply their minds in battles. Every fight is a clash of not only the strongest, but also the wisest. Zara and the Bandit boss battle were probably a combat of wits too, Kaiser doesn't have much comprehension in the art of fighting back then, so he failed to analyze deeper. But if memory serves him right, the Bandits Boss failed against the beastial lady's cunningness and skills proficiency that close the large disadvantageous gap between them.

His fight with the veteran Hunter was similarly complex, making him feel a bit proud of himself in lasting quite long in advance duels despite his sloppy handling. However, Kai doubted he'll do well in a real death clash against Alfred.

‘There’s still a long way to go,’

“It’s over,” Alfred declared in calm triumph, prompting Kai to surrender and forgive. Their meaningless throes had lasted long enough.

Yet despite their obvious stand, the young man remained defiant, staring up at Alfred without a shred of fear not signs of wavering. His always been against the thought of defeat, for it indirectly suggest they could cross his line and walk out safely if they win. Perhaps, they could try again and just beat Kaiser once more to fix it.

Kai refuses to accept defeat. He didn't lost yet...

Kaiser stayed silent for a while, then turned his head to the side, looking somewhere else, his voice low. “Hey… where's your men?”

Alfred doesn't seem to listen, but frown upon realizing his men are indeed strangely absent. In their heated fray, not a hint of them appeared in the inn which is undeniably odd. Why would all his men not appear?

Something is wrong!

Alfred’s expression shifted as he followed the young man's gaze outside.

And that split-second distraction was all Kaiser needed.

In an instant, Kaiser’s hand moved like lightning, the tip of his blade pressing into Alfred’s neck, drawing a trickle of blood.

“You sneaky brat,” Alfred muttered.

Though, the Hunter isn't slow either. In that instant, He only has one free hand, aware that letting go of his dagger and stopping Kaiser's blade will take too long and do him harm, he decided on a quicker option by simply placing his dagger sharp edge above Kai's throat, threatening Kai's life at the moment he threatened his. They were at a standstill, each weapon poised to end the other.

But as Alfred looked into Kaiser’s eyes, he sensed something unnerving. Even with a dagger to his throat, Kaiser’s gaze remained eerily calm, devoid of any fear. Alfred had faced countless opponents and recognized fear instinctively. Yet here, in the face of death, this young man was utterly unshaken... Something gave him the feeling that his in an utter disadvantage for his opponent doesn't fear death. Dread began to touch his tough heart.

Reading Kaiser's intentions, Alfred sighed.

"I loss." He admitted as his dagger dropped, mostly because his pride is less important than the lives of his men outside. Who knows what is happening to them.

Only then did Kai smile and remove his ominous glare. He would have loved to kill Alfred here and then, fortunately, his smart enough to see the bigger picture.

"I'm not an idiot, so I'll partially let this go, but don't think I'll forget this sh*t. So remember this well: if you or anyone else lays a hand on my friends... I swear, I'll kill every last one of you in every way imaginable." Even though it came from a teenager, those words held a chilling finality and sinister vibe that differed it from an empty threat. Furthermore, that... That doesn't sound like a joke at all.

Alfred's expression was grim as he stood up, before offering the young man a hand.

"Then I'll make sure that won’t happen. You have my word."

Now... Where did everyone go?