Levi karate-chopped his neck to stop the tingling sensation. He had slept like a caterpillar coiled on a leaf, and now his body had to suffer.

*Crack.*

He cracked two eggs and started frying them without putting any seasonings on them. Eating only eggs for now was enough; he didn't want to get a stomach ache from training too much. Wearing his tracksuit, he took off his earrings and wristband. These items were going to break soon, and he would need new and better ones.

One month had gone by since Seiko became Levi, but for him, it felt like a decade. So many things had happened, and still, he didn't get a proper day of rest. He wore the torn-out sports shoes and headed to the training centre.

Once he reached there, he could see Yuki wearing the same tracksuit as his, and her shoes were also worn out. The only difference was that hers were pink.

The staff was the same height as Yuki, and it looked like she was clinging to the pole after falling down and actually was clutching onto it. Yesterday, she accepted Levi's offer but regretted it immediately after coming home.

'Curse that ice cream. It let my guard down. I am never having that chocolate ice cream again….I swear.'

Like a drug addict promising never to touch a needle, Yuki vowed to steer away from ice cream. She almost didn't want to come, but the greed for money outweighed the fear in her heart.

Seeing Levi walk towards her made her legs weaker and weaker, and looking at his pretty face didn't help.

'Even the moon is pretty until it decides to fall down on my house.'

Levi waved at her and gave her a smile

"Good morning."

Yuki didn't greet back and aggressively nodded. She could see Levi taking something out of his pocket. Thinking it would be a knife, Yuki slowly started to mutter a barrier spell. But unlike how she imagined, a note with the number 500 written and a portrait of a dragon, came out of the pocket.

Levi passed it to Yuki, who couldn't believe she actually received the money. The fresh smell and the cracking of the note made her feel the richest in the world.

Seeing how she got happy, Levi didn't waste any time and went to the point.

"As I promised, I gave you the money, now you need to fulfil the part of your deal."

Yuki neatly kept the money in her jacket pocket and pointed at the ground.

"Ca-Can you sit here?"

Levi did as he was told, and Yuki went behind him and sat in seiza pose.

"If I teach you the theory of magic right now, it would take a lot of your time. That wouldn't be efficient for the money that you have given me, so I will try and engrave the feeling of moving your mana on an elementary level. If you practice it on your own daily, then your mana flow will be better, and your magic circle will not break easily."

Even though Yuki didn't like the idea of helping him, she still thought of a way to help Levi and didn't want to rip him off his money. So she decided to read some books on the best way to teach mana flow, and this proved to be the best way. With nervousness choking her throat, her voice became even worse for what she was about to ask.

"Can I touch your back?"

"Go on."

Levi gave her permission, and Yuki did so. Slowly, he felt a hot stream of air pass through his internal body.

"Remember the sensation."

Yuki's words rang in her ears, and they did so for one hour straight. After the training ended, Levi and Yuki were sweating, especially Yuki. At first, she decided to go slow on Levi, but as time passed, he quickly caught on to it and kept matching her speed. Though it wasn't something extraordinary, it managed to impress her.

"You quickly adapted to the mana flow and probably figured out what was missing."

Levi realized the mana flow was getting better, and a newfound strength in his mana core as well. His mana capacity and regeneration speed had also increased. Just a simple thing made such a huge difference in his mana. But he did manage it not because of his trait and [Essence] but only because of how good of a teacher Yuki was.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

'No offence to Irina, but she throws me around like a gorilla.'

On the other hand, Yuki, who started at the same level as him, understood his weakness.

"Thanks, Yuki. You really are a good teacher."

Yuki scoffed, trying not to feel proud, but her grinning didn't hide it. Even though the one hour ended, Yuki still advised Levi to read books focusing on his range of attacks and defences. However, she couldn't help but wonder, and in the end, she mustered up the courage to ask him.

"Why are you try-trying to learn magic spells when you are an archer?"

An archer could learn magic, but it would mostly be to assist their archery skills. Levi was trying to learn a whole new level of concept that an archer wouldn't need.

Levi too knew that focusing on two different things could put a stunt on his overall progress, but he knew that simple archery skills wouldn't get him anywhere, and getting another high-rank archery art would be near impossible. That is why learning magic would be the best.

"I just want to get stronger, that's all."

A simple but confusing answer. Yuki didn't ask more as she left the arena first. As Levi was about to walk away, he felt a stinging sensation on his back. He activated the Sense Skill and noticed an aura directed right at him. Turning his head to the left, he tried to see who it was, and he could see Flynn, avoiding his gaze and training.

'Did I do something wrong, or does the past Levi have some business to settle with him as well?'

Levi sighed and left the room, hoping his theory would be wrong.

******

"Boss, someone is here to see you-"

"Tell them I am busy. Make any excuse but don't let them near me."

"Captain, it's that boy."

John's pirate was pulling the blanket off Jack's, under his desk, cowering and shaking in terror. But once he knew who was there, the shaking stopped. Instead, he almost fainted thinking about what would happen if he let that boy in and if he rejected that boy.

"Let him in."

The parrot got out from the small hole in the window, and after a minute, the creaking door opened. Levi didn't understand if this was the same room he entered a few days ago. Books were scattered on the floor, all the shelves broken into pieces, and the paintings and decorations on the wall too had been shattered. The only thing intact was the expensive table with the golden map and diamond glass covering it.

The parrot landed on Levi's shoulder just beside the central eye, who felt a bit annoyed that someone else was in his spot. In a squeaky voice, the parrot muttered.

"He has been like this since the day you left. Everything is going south after that."

Levi walked towards the table and pulled the blanket off.

"Yahhhh."

John let out a deafening scream, trying to snatch back the blanket. Levi just booted him in the nuts and sat on the chair. The pirate held his intact groin and looked at Levi.

"Wh-Why are you here?"

"To kill you."

John almost lost his consciousness, but Levi booted him in the nuts once more. John again held onto his groins, laughing and crying at the same time like a maniac. The previous John Levi had known was nowhere to be seen. His usual calm, haughty, and rowdy behaviour seemed nonexistent. He was so conscious of his looks that he always wore his pirate outfit while meeting others, but now he was in pajamas with cute bear prints on them.

Levi knew the reason for such a change in his behaviour. Just by looking at John's stats, he could tell the misery he was going through.

'No matter how I look at it, the curse this time is stronger than in the game.'

John's stats were miserable. His A-rank attributes had diminished to that of an E-rank. Even his art had a major downgrade. Out of all those attributes, his luck stats stood out the most.

'There is a question mark on his Luck stat.'

[Luck:??]

Even Levi had a lack of G rank that would often get him into trouble if he wasn't careful enough. Last time, John's Luck stat was C, and now it wasn't incomprehensible. And the reason behind this was a title or the curse stuck on him.

[==Title==

The Cursed One Of Rivera (??) ]

The Pirate Of River was now the cursed one.

Levi couldn't see the description of the curse, but he knew John wouldn't live for long if the curse didn't end. Observing the state of the room, he precisely assumed what had happened here. Every time John moved, everything around him, even non-living things, moved on its own to kill him.

The books and decorations on their own flung at John's legs, and the shelves would fly around the room. The pens would float out from the drawers and cups, trying to put holes in his body. And the worst part, this was the safest room where he could stay. His home had swords, spears, and other weapons decorated on the wall, so he avoided going to his house too.

Levi patted John on the back until he stopped crying. Putting his hand out, Levi smiled. "Stand up, John. You can't stay like this cramped under a table like a rat. A pirate like you is meant to conquer the world, not hide away from it."

John shook his head, refusing to stand up, and again crawled under the table. Levi looked at the parrot and just frowned.

"Grab my hand and get up, John, you know you cannot stay like this forever."

The coward pirate John still didn't move, shaking his head.

"No, I can stay like this forever. I will build a toilet beneath me and ask my assistant to pass food through a teleportation circle to this room. I can survive this, yes, I can really do it."

John, now drowned in the madness he had experienced, didn't even know what he said didn't make any sense. Levi dropped down and said.

"Listen, you can't stay like a rat for the rest of your life. The curse will get to you. You need to stop, and I can help as well. You too know that you won't survive this for any longer."

John knew about it very clearly, but facing it was completely different. He looked at Levi still reaching out his hand and determination in him.

'Maybe... just maybe he can do something. After all, he killed two B-ranks.'

Grabbing Levi's hand, he crawled out from under the table. When he tried standing up, the pens on the floor rolled right below his footing, causing him to lose his balance, resulting in a successful split.

This time probably damaging his groins. The curse really wasn't going to let him live easily from now on.