Too much Talent

Alice keeps firing the arrows from all the direction. She keeps her arrows focused in its joints and other soft muscles were she had easy time penetrating.

Savage Bear struggles. It was unable to find the location of creature that keeps firing these annoying sticks. It roars and roars again but it only earns it more arrows. It was not start charging around mindlessly and slam itself into walls of the cave but it still didn't earn him any result.

Arrows kept accumulating all over the body and before long it look a porcupine. It was not too long before it stopped moving on a spot by covering its head with his arms and silently took all the beating.

Alice noticed it passiveness and fired few more arrows on its limbs and switch to explosive ones. She brought out the explosive arrows and charges it with her mana. She fired it in all her joints of the limbs. Arrows explode but they were unable to detach its limbs but it didn't matter as all she need is just a opening for final attack.

Alice travels through and jumped out from the shadows on ceiling and lands on the shoulder of the bear. She pulled the bowstring and charged the arrows with as much as mana. She just need to fire it inside and arrow will pierce through its ear and explosion will burn its brain. Alice put all her focus into the arrow which resulted in letting her guard in the final moment.

Bear suddenly raised his head and there is dread-filling killing intent in its eyes. It suddenly raised twisted its body and slammed its paw into Alice. Alice was still charging the arrow to make it count but suddenly felt a huge force into her side. She gritted her teeth in pain and frustration. She was just one step away from killing it. She took too much time!

She rushed to the wall like a bullet and slammed into it. Her eyes rolled back in pain. Bear show no mercy and charge toward her right at the drop of the hat. It slammed its head into her chest and her eyes roll back as numb feeling penetrated her head.

She groaned in pain and she tried to roll away but her back ached in the middle, making her roll clumsy. Her eyes caught sight of two red eyes in the dust smoke. Savage bear jumped out of dust smoke and roared in front of her lying figure. It slammed its paw right over chest that choke the air out of lungs.

Her eyes roll back in shock. She was unable to defend herself as bear attacked her with savagery and lost all the resistance against it. Savage Bear opened its huge mouth and bite down on her. Alice tried to block it with her arm but its mouth was wide enough to bite her shoulder along with her arm. Alice was unable to think properly as her mind became mess by pain. She can only pain from all part of her body and nothing else. Any resistance against it only results in more pain. She closed her eyes as she was unable to take this feeling continuously.

"…I detest your eyes."

Bang.

A cold voice and loud bang resounded in the cave. Savage Bear was looked normal besides and empty socket on one of its eyes but its back of the head was opened up with a large hemisphere part of it missing from its back-head.

Thud.

Ethan suddenly fell to his side as his body was tired beyond reasoning. He needs to rest but he still came to check out of curiosity and cautiousness and he was glad he did. He hid his presence and slowly moved toward Savage Bear when it was attacking Alice and he put the barrel right in front of its eyes and fired when it bit on her shoulder. It was unable to pay attention to him due to his Art aspect and its attention primarily being focused on Alice.

Gasp.

He was breathing heavily as he was facing the ceiling of the cave. Today, He actually killed 3 E-Rank monsters. Isn't he just too talented?!

He was indulged in his self-praising when he heard a groan. He turned around and saw Alice who was lying on the blood of her own pool.

"…Alice! Are you fine?! No, Probably not…"

He gave up on talking to her as she doesn't seem to be in condition to do so and lay her head on the ground. He hurriedly brought out his potions and thrust it in her. He also pulls the mid-rank ones. Ethan looked at her wounds that seem to be healing slowly even after all the medicine. He was genuinely worried as his wounds heal faster on potions effect. His hands move above her in panic as he tried to think of something that can help her but Alice grabs his hand by her hand and stops him.

"…I am… fine, just need rest."

Ethan calms down and helps her to sit with her back on cave wall. He looked at her, waiting for her to heal enough to leave this dungeon as soon as possible. They have already suffered too much in it. He understands why all experts continuously warn newbies to not be careless in dungeon. This place is as unpredictable as it can. Being careless or relax will only result in dead and nothing more!

His eyes move toward the corpse of Savage Bear. An E-Rank monster corpse! Just how much did he earn today?! He looked at Alice who seems to close her eyes in fatigue. He hurriedly stands up and went to corpse. He separated the core out of it and put the corpse and core both in his storage.

He went back, only to found Alice staring at him with cold and narrowed eyes. She extended her hand weakly in his direction.

"…Give them to me."

"…Half-Half, right…?"

"No, everything…"

"Why would I do that…?! I killed it! It's natural for me to keep it!"

Alice didn't say anything but release something from her on ground. An empty syringe rolls to his feet and struck his shoes. He picked it up from the ground and looked at it silently. Ethan can recognize it even with closed eyes. It's an empty advance potion. Ethan does know that his injuries were serious last time but did she really use it? Ethan doesn't know how to feel about it.

An advance potion! Does she really spend it on him? Ethan looked at her with eyes with gratitude but Alice careless about his gratitude which she proves by her next words.

"…Don't even think about it… you are going to payback every curro of it…"

Ethan looked at her while trying hard to keep his expression. Isn't she supposed to be a big person and forget about it?

"I saved your life now, how about we call it even?"

"…Kill me now… but remember to send money to my parents."

"…Discount?"

"…-90%..."

"Forget I ask…"

Ethan laid his back on the same wall and sit besides her. Seriously, he is wondering if he survived for such a stupid reason. Now what? Is he going to spend his rest of his life on his debt? Ethan wonder if another bear is going to come but knowing his luck, it's unlikely.

Both of them sit silently besides each other. Alice focuses on her recovery while Ethan tried to regain his mana. Alice opens her sometimes as her wound finally close and skin color return to normal. She looked at Ethan was sitting with his eyes closed.

She really wonders what is going on. She was saved by his guy first. Not once or twice but thrice and then she used her one of her most prized possession to save him. It left a bitter feeling on her but she is also glad she did as she lived thanks to that.

She relaxes her body and looked up at the cave and fell asleep before she knew it.

Alice was having a dream. A black hair kid was sitting on the ground while hugging his knees. She went closer to kid and asked him.

"…Are you fine?"

Kid didn't say anything and kept looking down on his lap while hugging his knees. Alice stretched her hand to pat his head but black haired kid suddenly grabbed her hand and smiled terrifyingly at her.

She backed off hurriedly and her eyes opened wide and she sits up and looks around as sleep inertia hits her. She looked around and noticed that she was sitting on a bench. It was dusk already and orange sky spread from the horizon. Sleep inertia was still there so she was unable to think straight at that moment.

"…Alice?"

She looked back and saw Ethan staring at her with a nervous and worried look. She look down at his lap and understand that she was sleeping there. A headache hits her as she closed her eyes in pain.

"…Are you fine?"

Ethan shifted closer and looked around her but Alice just show her hand to stop him. Alice looked around and spots the park trails and trees. It finally hits her that she is not in dungeon but outside of it.

"…You were sleeping so I carried you out."

Ethan remembered how guard was looking at him with suspicious and piercing gaze. He didn't even understand his fault!

Alice ignored him and stands up to stretch her limbs. Her limbs seem fine and unhindered. She removes her blazer and unbuttons her shirt to check her wounds. Ethan hurriedly brings his hand to cover his eyes but he left a gap between his fingers to peek on her.

Wounds had healed and there were few scars which she can heal with some scar-removing potions. There were holes on her clothes but she was not too worried about it. LIFE covers the uniform damage fees, it's not worth worrying. She turned to look at Ethan who is looking at her with the gap between his fingers. She just remembered something crucial.

"…How did you do that?"

"What…?"

"How did you bring me out of dungeon?"

"…By carrying you on my back…"

Ethan was telling her when his eyes suddenly widen and he backed off while showing his hands on defense.

"Hear me out, Alice. I swear I didn't touch you like that…it was not my intention at least…I didn't have any place to grab so…Alice, it was inevitable so please try to understand-"

"…That's not it. How did you avoid monsters?"

"…That's…"

Ethan relaxed as he was not beaten for molesting but next problem doesn't seems to be any good. There is no way he is going to tell her about his otherworldly Movement Art but it doesn't seem like she will give up without knowing it. Ethan felt troubled by his situation. He doesn't understand how he is going to explain it to her without exposing anything.

"…You don't actually need to tell me about it. I just want to know if you can move around the dungeon unhindered or not?"

"…to some extent but…I can do that."

Alice smiles as her plan just got perfected. If things went her way then she will have no trouble winning this class test with flying colours. Ethan looked at her who seems to look like a witch brewing a dangerous potion. She turned her head slowly toward him and smiles sweetly… at the least, it looks like sweet but Ethan felt a bad premonition from it.

Alice slid toward him and rested her hands on both of his shoulder. Ethan tried to back off but she tightened her grip.

"…Ethan…"

She called him sweetly.

"…Let's clear the class test together. Shall we?"

Ethan just meekly nodded his head. He understands that his situation is no different than a moth trapped in spider web…