Chapter 6: Hunting part 1

Shoun found himself on one of the streets of the Mirror World, in an area resembling a residential zone, filled with small buildings no taller than five meters and two-story houses. The young man was scanning his surroundings, extremely alert. It wasn't until Kaze landed beside him that Shoun allowed himself to relax.

After leaving the safe zone, Kaze had shown him how to navigate the area. The masked man usually used his agility and ability to climb buildings, allowing him to move safely and keep watch. But Shoun wasn't Kaze. He couldn't keep up with his pace or climb buildings like him. To scale even a small building, Shoun needed to expend half of his core's energy to compensate for his lack of technique.

Seeing that following Kaze's usual style was useless in this situation, they decided that Kaze would use his height advantage to scout for enemies as usual, but then they would both move quickly on foot to avoid further complications.

—We have some ideal targets nearby, but we need to move fast to catch them by surprise from an ideal position.— After saying this, Kaze started running through the streets without waiting for a response from Shoun. By now, Shoun was starting to get used to his companion's eccentricities, so he didn't mind too much.

—What kind of Vestiges are they?

—Kind?

—...You don't know about the different types of Vestiges?

—Well, let's just say... not really.— At that moment, Kaze stopped and looked at Shoun, who had already stopped beforehand.

—An Apprentice who doesn't know the types of Vestiges... unbelievable.— This time, Shoun didn't hold back his disdainful comment. His patience for dealing with people had been worn thin by Kaze a long time ago, so he stopped trying to be polite.— Okay, look, there are three types of Vestiges: physical, magical, and spectral.

—How do they differ?

—I'm getting to that. Don't interrupt me. Physical Vestiges, as the name suggests, have very strong, fast, and resilient bodies. The last two Vestiges we've seen fall into that category. Magical Vestiges don't focus as much on their physical strength—they're even weak in that regard—but they have powerful abilities, almost like magic. And finally, spectral Vestiges... it's hard to describe them without having seen one, as is my case, but from what I've been told, they can't be touched unless you interact with them using spiritual energy.

—Hmm... in hindsight, the characteristics of each type of Vestige are kind of obvious based on their names.

—I guess that was the point... but they really didn't put much effort into naming them. Anyway, what are we up against this time?

—It's hard to tell just by looking at them. They're definitely not spectral—I'm sure of that. At first glance, I'd say they're physical, but based on certain characteristics, I think they're some kind of magical Vestiges.

—Sigh... alright. Let's just get there, and we can come up with a better plan once I see them.

—Alright.— Without another word, Kaze started running, and Shoun followed. The latter was becoming more and more surprised by his new companion. First, Kaze didn't know the types of Vestiges despite being an Apprentice—that was basic knowledge anyone who went to school would know, and even those who didn't would likely be aware of it. Another thing that surprised him was how Kaze listened attentively and respectfully. Sure, he still spoke in a monotone voice and was rude at times, but he always listened carefully to Shoun's suggestions and treated him as an equal, even though Kaze was clearly stronger and held a higher rank.

—(Maybe he really does see me as a companion...)— Shoun wanted to believe that thought, but he couldn't. After all, it was obvious that Kaze was hiding information about who he was. One way to lie was by omitting information, and a relationship built on lies was destined to fail. So, Shoun decided to take everything Kaze said with a grain of salt.

—We're here.— Kaze whispered as he peeked around an alley. Shoun joined him and saw that, two streets ahead, there was a group of Vestiges. They all resembled deer, with completely white bodies. Their heads were strange and grotesque—they looked like skulls with no flesh, long fangs, and bulging eyes. Their antlers were enormous, each a meter long, but twisted in impossible ways for a normal deer.

—They're definitely magical types. You can tell by their bodies. If they were physical, they'd look much more muscular... There are four Grunts, four Wretches, and one... Is that what I think it is?— Shoun whispered the last question as he pointed to a larger deer among the group.

—Yes, that big one is definitely an Alpha.— Shoun was more surprised that Kaze actually knew what an Alpha was than the fact that they had to face one. An Alpha was an especially strong Vestige known for commanding others of its weaker kind. This one, in particular, was a Wretch, just like the other deer but much larger. Its legs were a golden color, making it look... fascinating.

—So... what's the plan?

—Can't you just shoot a lightning bolt at the Alpha from here and take out the biggest threat?

—I don't trust my aim from this distance. It would be pure luck if I hit it from more than two meters away, and even if I did, that wouldn't take care of the other eight Vestiges that would come after us.

—Alright... then we'll just have to take them by surprise. You go in first, draw the attention of the Grunts, and I'll handle the Wretches.

—What if the Alpha joins the fight right away when we start the attack?

—It'll prioritize me. Since I'm stronger, it'll ignore you until it deals with me.

—Hmm... well, we don't have much of a choice.— After agreeing on the plan, they both took their positions. The group of Vestiges was at the end of a closed-off street. On the more open side were the eight Vestiges, grouped in fours, and further back was the Alpha.

Shoun found himself watching them from a nearby alley. He looked across the street and saw Kaze. They exchanged a signal, and the masked man activated his Wind Cloak, disappearing from Shoun's sight.

—Alright... let's start this plan before I change my mind.— At that moment, Shoun pushed aside his fear. He was determined to get out of this place, and the first step was to grow stronger. This group of Vestiges wasn't going to stop him from achieving his goal.

The young man enhanced himself, channeling 5% of his core's capacity into each limb. With his weapon in hand, he dashed toward one of the Grunts and aimed for one of its bulging eyes, driving his dagger deep into it. The Codex sent a notification, which Shoun ignored, and he quickly moved to the next Grunt. From his peripheral vision, he could see that the Wretches had also risen, but they were busy with the invisible enemy harassing them.

This time, Shoun didn't allow himself to be distracted and focused on his fight. He saw that the other three Grunts had already risen and were lowering their heads in his direction, as if bowing. But that was far from the truth. From their antlers, several fireballs formed and shot rapidly toward Shoun. The young man saw the projectiles coming and quickly dodged to the side, avoiding them all.

But before he even finished landing, the Vestiges were already charging more fireballs. With no other option, Shoun charged forward. When they fired another coordinated volley of fireballs, he simply increased the electricity flowing to his legs. With his newfound speed, he easily closed the distance to the three Vestiges. He approached the one on the far right first, quickly stabbing it in the eye. But Shoun knew exactly that the Vestige in the center would attack him as soon as it had the chance, so he used his free left hand to touch the middle deer while stabbing the one on the right, delivering a powerful shock that paralyzed the middle Vestige. Meanwhile, the Vestige on the left tried to attack, but Shoun used the middle one as a meat shield.

Shoun pulled the dagger from the right Vestige and stabbed it into the eye of the middle one. With a quick motion, he removed the dagger and threw the middle Vestige onto the left one. As the remaining Vestige tried to avoid the corpse of its companion, it didn't see Shoun coming to finish it off the same way he had killed the others.

—Haaah... haaah…

After pulling his dagger from the last Vestige, Shoun stood still for a moment to catch his breath. Less than a minute had passed since the battle began, but he had already killed four Vestiges and exhausted half of his core's electricity. The worst part was that the battle wasn't over yet.

As he wiped the sweat from his forehead, he glanced over to see how Kaze was doing. Surprisingly, Kaze was faring worse than Shoun had expected.

Two Wretches were already decapitated and disintegrating on the ground, while Kaze was still fighting the other two.

The masked man was invisible to Shoun and the Wretches. Kaze was fast—very fast—but at the same time, he wielded his katana with elegance and precision, even though he was invisible to everyone else.

To the Vestiges, it was as if the wind itself was fighting them. Every time a gust of wind passed, more and more cuts appeared on the completely white bodies of the Vestiges. But at that moment, something changed on the battlefield.

Only a minute had passed, and they had already killed six Vestiges. But they hadn't faced the most dangerous one yet. Shoun felt a chill run down his spine. The Alpha Vestige, with its snow-white skin, golden antlers, and the characteristic static of the beasts, finally rose to join the battle.