Training A Fellow E Class Mortal I

The sound of Ryuen's footsteps echoed through the palace halls due to his boots, breaking the silence.

His hands were in his pocket, his eyes closed as usual, while his mind was like a chamber, with scattered thoughts.

Most of all, he couldn't stop thinking about the changes—the curse, the system, and the revelation that one of his students had a blessing.

It still felt unbelievable, yet Ryuen found himself liking it.

A world where he had freedom.

No obligations.

No need to worry about being summoned for another dangerous job, that would end with him recieving millions.

Good deals, but he hated every bit of it.

His thoughts drifted to the time he'd cut his hair short in an attempt to hide from the organization.

They'd still found him. They always did.

Left with no choice, he fled Korea and settled in Japan.

But that was the past. Now, he had something better ahead.

Even so, it wasn't enough.

With no goal to pursue or something to act as driving force, aside from protecting the princess and his students.

He had nothing else to pursue.

And it was frustrating.

"Boring," he muttered under his breath, turning into the hall that led to where his students were

The peace grated on his nerves so much it made him want to throw up..

Minutes dragged on, slow and annoying.

The only thing stopping him from retreating to his room and soaking in a hot bath was the upcoming battle.

Training Yuta, and the strange message on the screen that he'd dismissed earlier.

Ryuen let out a long sigh.

"Might as well check it out."

As soon as he spoke, the blue holographic screen popped up before him, appearing with a faint whoosh sound.

[You Have Two Notifications ]

[Do you wish to open?]

"Yes," he mumbled, brushing back a strand of hair that had fallen over his eyes.

The screen expanded, and Ryuen's brows curved slightly. He was both annoyed and surprised at what he saw.

[System Update: Pending]

[Updates Includes: Daily Tasks, Random Missions]

[Specifical Tasks included Yokai Taiji: Exclusive Missions ]

His eyes widened as soon as realization hit him.

If there was a feeling stronger than shock, that was what he felt now.

'Yokai Taiji?'

He stopped walking, his mind managed to piece things together using the little amount of knowledge from books he had read before.

"Ehhh…"

"Why on earth would I be assigned Yokai Taiji?" He asked calmly.

"I'm human, for crying out loud!" he ranted, standing at the middle of the hall.

He struggled to accept the fact that the system—or whoever controlled it—would hand him such a task.

A task that seemed not just difficult but nearly impossible.

A task that would have to to with subjugating or suppressing a yokai.

Which indirectly meant battles with yokai of any kind and any class.

The fact that the system specifically used the Japanese term only made it more concerning.

Demons and beings of all kinds... and the ones he was familiar with were among the most brutal.

Yuki-onna, the spirit of snow, that froze people to death with her cold breath.

Kappa, goblin looking creatures with beak like mouths and turtle shells on their backs.

Tengu, a strange looking humanoid birds with wings and long noses.

Tsukumogami, a spirit known for possessing and animating inanimate objects. Often appearing in a dolls body.

Gashadokuro, a larger creature, compared to the others. With a skeleton form, known for roaming forests and mountains.

And a common one—a kitsune, like Erina, but different types, far more vicious.

Ryuen ruffled his hair in frustration and closed the screen with a wave of his hand.

Annoyed he placed his hands over his face and groaned.

"Arrrg."

"This is seriously unfair."

"I'm human, damn it. Who gives a human tasks this absurd?"

He continued ranting to himself, completely oblivious to the worried gaze fixed on him.

When Ryuen finally finished ranting, he exhaled sharply and raised his head.

Only to find himself staring into sky-blue eyes filled with worry, confusion, and…

Pity?

"Yuta?" Ryuen uttered, his voice was barely above a whisper.

Embarrassment quickly replaced his annoyance, and he averted his gaze and straightened himself up.

Yuta glanced down the hall and behind him before crossing his arms. "You good?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Just a little…" Ryuen trailed off, shifting his gaze back to Yuta, who smiled nervously and let out a short nervous laugh.

"You got your voice back?"

He nodded, and Ryuen responded with a satisfied chuckle.

"So, how many words this time?"

"One thousand," Yuta replied, lowering his gaze. "But it came with something."

"Which is?"

Yuta dipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small black bottle. "This appeared."

Ryuen's eyes narrowed as he studied the bottle.

He tried to guess its contents, but the only thought that came to mind was…

"Cough medicine?"

"What? No!" Yuta exclaimed, looking slightly offended. "It's a remedy for when I forcefully exceed my speech limit."

"It's still medicine, though," Ryuen said flatly.

Yuta rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess."

"Well....that's rather strange," Ryuen said, stepping closer to Yuta with a few strides.

He slowly looked Yuta over from head to toe before chuckling softly.

"It granted a gift for being obedient," he said, pausing to stroke his beardless jaw, "Probably the result of being blessed."

Yuta's eyes lit up, and a smiled appeared on his face—a smile Ryuen didn't fail to mirror.

Yet, deep down, Ryuen felt uncomfortable. Something about this didn't sit right with him.

From the moment Yuta had mentioned being blessed, Ryuen had known something was off.

How could the Arbiter grant a blessing after disappearing?

The question repeated in his mind, but he held himself back from saying it out.

Instead, he patted Yuta's shoulder and turned around, already walking ahead.

"Can you use a sword?"

Yuta followed behind him, shaking his head. "Not really."

"A dagger?"

"No."

"A staff?"

"Yes," Yuta replied. "My father taught me tai chi with it."

"That's wonderful," Ryuen said, slowing his pace to let Yuta catch up.

"You're going to use what you learned in tai chi to fight me."