Chapter 4: That Sword—Give It To Me

"We should have used a cab," Selene said, sweat running down her face.

The three of them were standing in front of a rundown big building.

Ezra exclaimed, "A cab? Transport is fucking expensive, and my house wasn't far from the hospital; just a stone's throw. Aren't we there?"

"A stone's throw?!" Selene and Seraphina exclaimed, staring at him in absolute shock.

"When did a two-hour walk become a stone's throw distance?" Seraphina asked.

"You guys don't throw your stones well," said Ezra as he walked to the house.

Seraphina followed behind while Selene mumbled, "No stone can be thrown such a distance by a normal human, and transport isn't as expensive as he claims," before quickly catching up to them.

They climbed the stairs to get to the third floor.

"Are you sure this house won't collapse?" Seraphina asked, looking around the dilapidated construction with rotten wood in a few places.

Selene was looking around the most but refrained from speaking.

"Don't worry. All these things you are seeing are the metamorphosis of lava to butterfly. It is merely shedding its external covering to be born anew," Ezra said offhandedly while walking ahead.

Seraphina and Selene looked at him in disbelief.

Ezra added, noticing their skepticism, "I can swear on Selene's life that it won't collapse."

Selene's eyes widened in horror. "D-d-don't swear on my life."

Ezra laughed at her fear as he stopped before a wooden door and opened it with the key attached to his wrist.

He gestured at the room after opening the door. "Welcome to my humble abode."

Both girls entered and looked around the room. It just consisted of a bed on one side and a bag in the corner.

"Neat," Seraphina complimented.

"Make yourself comfortable because I want to take my bath, go register at the council association, and practice with my sword to reignite my memory of the training I received at the academy."

"You really got a gear from that wolf?" Selene asked in shock.

Ezra's eyes trembled. "Nope. Miss Aliya gave it to me."

"How?! What did you do for her?!" Selene asked, clearly shocked.

He ignored her, took clothes from the bag in the corner, entered the bathroom, showered, and came out dressed in casual attire. He used his hand to arrange his hair with his fingers as a makeshift comb.

"I will be going to do my things. What will you guys be doing?" Ezra asked, not feeling comfortable leaving his room to strangers.

"We will go do our things and return in the evening," Seraphina said, and Selene quickly nodded as if trying to get away from there.

"Also, when you see the map, don't forget to note all dangerous areas with their prominent landmarks. Do not miss a thing because it might save our lives," Seraphina said sternly before leaving with Selene.

Ezra was left stunned.

'She eavesdropped on my conversation with Ailya? Yeah! She wasn't surprised I have gear. This must have been her goal for recruiting me! I thought it was to use me as a scout and disposable a cannon fodder because that is the only use I can see from her perspective, as she isn't aware of my skills, but it seems I'm wrong. She was after the map,' Ezra thought.

After momentarily standing in silence, he shook his head. 'There is no negative impact. Now I can cooperate with them freely. All I need is to keep the knowledge about the map to myself and only show the necessary parts to maintain my usefulness until I am strong enough, or reach the Haven.'

His stomach grumbled at that moment, and that was his cue to leave.

Ezra took a short walk to a restaurant not too far from his house. It was a medium-sized restaurant. Normally, he wouldn't dare eat there on his wages, but getting a thousand credits and extreme hunger worked the magic.

After eating, he took a long... short walk to the council association to register as a new Elite.

The association building was fenced and not too big, with a large plaque at the entrance reading: "Council Association Des Branch."

After walking around and asking questions, Ezra found the way to the registration point.

***

"Seventeen years and First Order Mortal?" the female receptionist asked in a professional tone, but Ezra could see her eyebrows twitching a bit.

"Yes," Ezra replied without shame.

Nodding, she began typing his details. She asked for other information before passing him his badge when she was done.

"The rules for Elite are stored in the badge. Just press the button behind it to pop out the holographic screen that has the rules written," she said while adjusting her glasses.

Ezra nodded, took the badge, and walked to a training room not too far away. He rented the ordinary room for six hours at the price of 500 credits.

The ordinary training room was merely a large, reinforced room.

The professional training room was too expensive.

Sitting in the wide room while wiping his sweat and panting slightly, Ezra muttered, "...and I'm back to a hundred credits. Thank goodness I'm awakened. At least all of them are not dying of poverty. So, I will be… okay except I'm cursed with poverty."

"First, let's check out my gears."

First, he summoned Shadow Hunter with a thought.

A black bow with a soft, furry wrap in the middle, serving as the handle, suddenly materialized in his hand. The bow's sleek design was highlighted by a vibrant red string, taut and ready for action.

—

[Shadow Hunter]

[Rank: Mortal]

[Order: Second Order]

[Type: Weapon (Bow)] 

[Description:

Night's Fury: Increases the velocity of every arrow shot during nighttime by 400%.

Veil of Silence: Passively cloaks all shot arrows in a shroud of invisibility. 

Warning: Beings with heightened perception may still detect the arrows. ] 

—

Ezra commented, "Cool but useless without an arrow. I thought it would come with an arrow. I should stick with Silver Edge because it would be my primary weapon until I find arrows to use."

He summoned the Silver Edge. It was a black katana.

—

[Silver Edge]

[Rank: Mortal] 

[Order: Third Order] 

[Type: Weapon (Blade)]

[Description:

Flowing Dance: Enhances the speed of each consecutive swing by 2% for every second maintained between strikes.

Crescent Cleave: a powerful slash that channels the power of ten strikes into a single, devastating blow.

Warning: Excessive use of this ability without unsummoning to recover may risk shattering the blade, rendering it unusable!]

—

"Woah! What a good sword. No wonder her assistant's eyes widened. But is it really a good sword? I don't know her rank, so it might be trash to her," he muttered and stood, his lips rising in a broad smile and his eyes gleaming with excitement.

The katana features a stunning black blade, accentuated by a sharp silver edge that glistens in the light. Its sleek design is complemented by a flat, rectangular guard, and a handle wrapped in black with intricate patterns that provide a firm grip.

He gripped the handle and readied his stance before swinging it around without activating the Flowing Dance.

Then he activated the Flowing Dance before swinging the sword. The increase in speed wasn't noticeable until the fifth swing. On the tenth swing, Ezra felt his arm almost pulling out of the socket, losing control of the weapon.

"Damn! I've lost my touch."

All children are required to attend the Basic Academy starting at age ten, with graduation occurring at age fifteen. This system is not viewed as coercive, largely due to the provision of free lunches. The academy serves as a preparatory phase for awakening—an essential transition; but without awakening, that's the end of your aspiration. While public school training is lacking, they do offer some training in weaponry and physical skills.

However, Ezra has only retained a few basic combat moves and has forgotten most of the basic and complex sword moves after two years without practicing with a weapon.

'I should probably check my skills,' he thought.

When he bought his phone, the first thing he did was verify Selene's information about awakened Elites, and he didn't see any lies. It was comprehensive enough. But he also saw the advice to thoroughly understand your skills before entering the plane.

Pulling up his panel, his eyes went down to the skill column, ignoring everything:

–––

[Name]: Ezra

[Class]: Soul Warlock 

[Race]: Human

[Bloodline]: None

[Rank]: Mortal

[Order]: First

[Soul Vitalis]: 1

[Mana]: 0/10

 > Physical: 2

 > Constitution: 1

 > Will: 10

[Skills]: [Bane of Existence], [Soul Reflection], [Stasis], [Ethereal Dominion], [Soul Covenant (Sealed)]

[Gear]: [... Reaper (sealed)], [Shadow Hunter], [Silver Edge]

–––

"I need a living thing for [Bane of Existence]. I have tested [Soul Reflection]. I think [Stasis] is the only skill I can test because [Ethereal Dominion] needs 10 soul vitalis for it to work, and I can only get soul vitalis when I kill things… right? As for [Soul Covenant]... I don't know what to do about it. Life is tough for those of us who have seen a god face-to-face."

Ezra huffed.

—

[Stasis]

[Rank: Mortal]

[Order: Second]

[Description: After experiencing death and witnessing the gates of an underworld, you returned to the realm of the living with a unique ability. This skill allows you to slow your body's activity to an almost complete standstill, reducing your presence and hastening your recovery rate during moments of stillness.

Condition: Only works during stillness.]

—

"I'm going to become a monk!" Ezra mumbled with a slight smile as he crossed his legs before activating [Stasis].

Ezra felt his breath slow until he couldn't feel anything. Even his heartbeat slowed.

Suddenly, he began hearing a soft, muffled drumming noise. It started with a single hit until it became multiple hits.

'Ahh! A drum not to keep me bored.'

The moment he thought that, the door to his training room was forcefully flung open, making Ezra jump in shock. [Stasis] deactivated in the process.

A girl with a cold look entered the room, her eyes piercing and frosty.

"Why didn't you open when I was knocking?" she questioned, her brows creased in a frown.

Ezra thought quickly, 'Oh shit! It wasn't drumming but knocking. [Stasis] must be used with [Soul Reflection] for perfection, or else I will die without knowing it if used in a Plane teeming with beasts.'

Ezra composed himself after this brief musing.

"Sorry, I was lost testing my skill."

However, the girl didn't hear his words, as her eyes were focused on his sword with unhidden desire.

She finally raised her head and stared at Ezra.

"That sword—give it to me," she commanded authoritatively, her voice cold and her eyes gleaming with a sharp light.