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Jin 5th, 984.

The eventful two months that kickstarted my life in Velatya eventually gave way to two years of relative monotony following my adherence to Melyn's wishes.

My hands were tied when it came to matters related to the Church.

As the months went by though, the intractable Ashen Thief's constant refusal in potentially angering the religious body only exacerbated the slum dweller drug crisis.

The Nixie peddlers and manufacturers around Yarzon, which had previously operated separately, converged into a single faction—a cartel, backed by crime syndicates from neighboring cities.

Imagine my surprise, or lack thereof, upon learning they were largely concentrated in the Lakua District and Kayn District.

Someone was exploiting the absence of retaliation within the passive districts, and it frustrated me to no end.

The raid incident two years ago was nothing more than a footnote in their schemes.

Fwoop! Thwoop! Twack!

That being said, I wasn't completely inactive during this lengthy period of respite.

「C'mon ya ninny! Ya can beat 'er!」

The village children watched and cheered as Melyn and I clashed cudgels. There was a clear divide in the young audience.

The original Lakua Village children rooted for Melyn, while the Yarzon orphans had their money on me. You could easily infer where their allegiances lay.

Since their quarters were directly outside the training chamber, they'd frequently stop by to watch us spar or exercise.

This newfound attention bothered me for the first few months, but I gradually got used to it.

Twack! Clack! Fwoop!

I had two years to improve my combat capabilities. And in those two years, I saw a significant change in my speed and strength—plugging along with my brutal training had paid off.

So much so, that I could keep up with the once unbeatable Melyn.

Ten minutes in and I miraculously had her on the ropes.

「What's wrong Mel?! Getting tired of avoiding my attacks?!」

「Hah! In your dreams Zozo! You're the one wasting your energy!」

Every blow had a purpose—I wasn't swinging randomly anymore. Months of training with Lia had led up to this moment.

It was now a battle of attrition, and I had the upper hand. The thief girl could only duck and weave my flurry of bludgeons.

Am I actually going to beat her?!

As my certainty grew, so did my energy. I was determined to settle our score once and for all.

「Lorenzo come on! You can do it!」

Oleena's words spurred me on.

「Ye're so close ya ninny! Don't give up now!」

Thonvir's words spurred me further.

「L-L-Lorenzo! F-fight on!」

Hearing the typically-timid Ysolva scream her lungs out in support of me was the final push.

Melyn's movements were quick but predictable. I recognized the instant she would block upwards.

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With all my might I struck her cudgel.

Thwack!

「H-huh?!」

It went flying out of her hands. She was absolutely stunned.

As she staggered backward from the force, I recuperated my form and moved in for the final wallop.

Given my position... the best place to hit for a knockout would be...

The back of the ear.

Melyn had her head tilted at an angle, exposing that vital spot full of nerves. A clean hit would result in a total knockout, ensuring my victory.

Sure... this was a 17-year-old girl we were talking about. But years of having my ass handed to me by this cheeky spider monkey had turned me into a vengeful spirit.

I wasn't going to hold back. Mercy was not an option.

So, I took aim and swiftly swung at her.

「I got you now—!」

Crunch!

Instead, I collapsed onto the ground. Defeated.

The sole celebrators of Melyn's win were the Lakua Village kids—her friends basically.

My supporters looked on in disappointment as I thrashed around in pain and held onto my groin.

「M-Mel! T-that was a cheap shot, asshole!」

「What? There's nothing against using special moves right? I won fair and square! Use everything at your disposal to win Zozo! Bleeeh!」

She stuck her tongue out and skipped over to her adoring fans.

Damn that Mel... I'll definitely get her next time...

I lay on the ground, gasping for air. Even as a 14-year-old, my strength was no match for a longtime student of the Ashen Thief.

「I-it's okay Lorenzo! I thought you did great! I've never seen you move like that before!」

Oleena walked over and solaced me. It wasn't her consolation that numbed the suffering, rather the sight of her cascading curls.

They'd grown ridiculously long since our first meeting.

「Oi Oleena, praisin' him like that'll only amplify his frustration ya know? Lorenzo, ya got greedy with th' offense. That's how she did ya in. Don't listen t' that lovestruck idiot!」

「Oh? Maybe I should try Mel's special move on you then?」

「D-do yer worst...」

Thonvir's shaky bravado wasn't fooling anyone. He took cover behind his sister as he always did when confronting Oleena.

I chuckled at their exchange. The older boy put up no resistance against the girl one year his junior.

「Heeey! What's with all the laughing over here?! Shouldn't today's sore loser be sulking...」

Melyn had joined the crowd without us realizing it. I wasn't the only one who grew in these couple of years—she was on track to mastering the Xi breathing technique.

The thief girl was finally living up to her title.

「Listen here you cheater—」

「That was a good match you two. And Lorenzo, you've certainly improved haven't you?」

「W-wait... Lia..?」

My trainer was typically absent around this time. Her duties had increased tenfold following the drug base raid incident.

Despite everything, she still found the time to properly train me. Her dedication to improving my skills was admirable. It was no easy feat.

My lockpicking, sneaking, pickpocketing, and combat proficiency received a major boost with her guidance.

I trained my breathing techniques by myself though. The results were... not as efficient...

Put it simply, I grinded like a bitch and leveled up considerably—it was a run-of-the-mill endeavor for an MMORPG maestro such as myself.

「Oi don't forget 'bout me kid, hahaha!」

「Asthos! You too?!」

Another welcome surprise.

Asthos served as my secondary mentor, specializing in the usage of the ballistette. Gone were the days when I'd completely miss every shot and empty my bolt pouch.

I mean... my crappy aim hadn't magically cured itself, but I was working on it.

Lia offered her hand and pulled me up.

「I thought I'd stop by and watch your match. I almost didn't recognize you Lorenzo, with your aggressive fighting style. You look more like a man now...」

Her sudden compliment had me blushing to my core. I wasn't used to hearing praise from the whip-cracking demon.

「O-oh really..? Well... I could've never gotten into the groove without your training, Lia... So, thank you. For everything.」

She displayed a rare smile and shook my hand.

「You've truly done me proud. I wish you luck in next week's match.」

「Uh, by the way, is something up today? It's rare to see your evening freed up.」

「A-ah... we've been asked to stay from the city for a while. Nothing to worry about, we'll be back by the end of the week.」

「I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and say it's the Church. They've been active recently right?」

She gave me a quiet look. I was used to this silent response though.

The Sentinels were undoubtedly on edge around me. They saw me as a potential hell-raiser—a problem child the Ashen Thief begrudgingly took under his wing.

Going out on a limb and contradicting Rysef's orders had earned me an unfavorable reputation among the protectors of the Lakua District. No amount of good deeds could change that.

Asthos, noticing the tense lull in our talk, changed the subject.

「Lorenzo! Let's head t' th' springs! Clean some o' that sweat off eh?」

Oleena grabbed Thonvir by the collar and brought him between us.

「Bring Thonvir while you're at it. He's been smelling like a wet dog since yesterday!」

「Haaah?! N-no I don't!」

His cheeks grew ruddier as he felt everyone's stares.

Melyn also saw this as an opportunity to distract me. She jumped on my back and hanged off my shoulders.

I could feel her sniffs vacuuming me from behind.

「Yeah you do stink a bit, Zozo. Though Virvir stinks a lot more.」

「Ahaha! You said it Mel!」

「Right Leena?! These boys stiiink!」

I shook her off my back as everyone around us laughed. It was humiliating being the laughing stock. Yet, I reckoned any more colloquy about the Church would make things more awkward.

I was loath to drop the conversation but did so out of common courtesy. Social cues were something I still took note of... contrary to popular belief.

Ignoring the problem doesn't make it go away though... I should visit Yarzon and figure out what the Church is up to.

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