Kai leaned back instinctively, narrowly avoiding the tip.
A fraction of a second later, and his neck would've been sliced open.
He fell to the ground in shock, eyes widening in horror.
"Matilda?! Fuck was th—"
"On your feet!"
Matilda charged again, giving no chance for Kai to take a breather. She kept swinging her sword. Each swing is precise and comes from a surprising angle. Her entire body was fluid, trained, and moving far more superior than Kai ever hoped to achieve.
Backed against a tree, Kai's pupils dilated.
His eyes fixed on the shimmering blade, and time seemed to slow down.
It's the last second that stretched before death.
Just then, Bella's face flashed in his mind, and that snapped him out of the dead man's stupor. He leaned forward past the sword's length, into Matilda's reach, then raised his arm to block the attack.
"You've got good instincts," Matilda praised. "But you have no techniques."
Kai raised his eyes to meet hers.
And before he could process what she said, a knee hammered into his stomach.
It forced Kai's body to curl, and using that involuntary reflex, Matilda spun her body and landed a spinning elbow across Kai's face. The sound it made was brutal, and Kai was hurled to the side.
Or at least, he was supposed to be thrown away, but he held on.
He gripped her shoulder, using her as an anchor to keep his center of gravity steady.
Matilda was pleasantly surprised by this, but her forehead creased into a frown when a sudden charge of mana seeped into her body. It came from Kai's hand, and almost in an instant, she felt her muscles relaxing, and her vision blurred.
She saw Kai's muscles contract as he swung a feeble stick in his hand.
It was small, thin, and pointy.
Matilda was confused for a moment as to what Kai was even hoping to do with that.
But seeing his expression, she raised her hand in time to block the stick.
And she made the right decision.
Her eyes widened when she felt a sting from the stick that had slashed her hand. A small cut wound was made, and blood slid down. Considering how strong her body was as a Supernal, this caught her completely off guard.
'It actually cuts me?' She sucked in a cold breath.
Acting on instinct, she shoved Kai away and side-kicked him on the chest.
He was thrown back and groaned in pain.
"Who is your Patron God?" Matilda asked. She was looking down at Kai, still with a sword in hand. "Is it a divine beast?"
"I don't know her name," Kai spat blood to the side and wiped his cherry lips. "Even if I know, I wouldn't tell you. You attacked me."
"You're so dramatic," Matilda put her sword away and turned around. "You're training to become strong, and there's no better training than fighting for real. Come on. I'll meet you back at our base."
Not even waiting for Kai to follow, she leaped across the river and went on ahead.
Kai, on the other hand, lay on the ground weakly.
"How long would it take for her to move like that?" He thought aloud, recalling how Matilda moved fluidly with grace and strength. Every step effortless. Every strike is deadly swift and devastating.
She is well-trained, that's for sure.
Or perhaps it's because she's a Supernal of Athena.
"I can now at least picture how to properly move," Kai sighed. "Also, I learned that."
Just earlier, Kai had used the Deep Slumber on her.
Unlike using it on himself or a corpse that requires little to no mana, using it on others sucked in a lot of mana. Kai could feel more than a quarter of his mana reserve to be used upon activation, and more would be required as it devours Matilda.
This confirms one thing.
He could use Deep Slumber on living things.
"Now the question is, will that give me more exp?" Kai wandered.
Soon, when the team finally clashed with another, there would be a chance for him to find out. Sacrificing others to the House of Night made him feel guilty, as it might be much worse than actually killing them.
But recalling the blood on that scout's hands dispersed that thought instantly.
Everyone wanted to live. If it came down to it, everyone would kill. I don't need to feel guilty.
It took less time for Kai to return to base since he now knew the path back and was more adapted to the environment. Since he now wore clothes, he used the leopard hide as a bag to store the nutrient bars.
On top of that, he also got the bow that the scout left behind and a couple of arrows.
Five arrows to be exact, and all of them are enchanted.
He could feel the mana pulsating from the arrowhead, which made it easy for these arrows to pierce the flesh of new Supernals like them. Nearing the base, Kai decided to hide the bow and arrows.
Others would take things from him, so he wasn't going to risk it.
Upon arriving back at base, he realized that it had changed quite a bit.
As opposed to being out in the open, the others made use of the cave tunnels.
Each cave was used for a different purpose.
One is used for storing resources, some for sleeping, and another for equipment.
Not too far across from the hill, there's a long trench filled with water. The water was surrounded by dirt, but for some reason, it was still sparkling crystal. Someone must have maintained its purity with mana.
"Welcome back," A woman greeted Kai with a polite smile.
Her face is nice to look at because of her beaming, infectious smile. She has a uniquely aqua blue hair that drapes all the way to her back, and she holds a wooden cup with both hands.
Kai remembered her from when Professor Hera was calling them one by one—Abigail.
"You must've suffered out there," She extended the cup. "Here… have a drink."
"Thanks?" Kai accepted the cup.
But it was then that he realized it had been tampered with mana.
"It will boost your mana restoration and clear your exhaustion," Abigail explained, not wanting Kai to mistake her for someone with ill intent. "I'm of Amphitrite, you see. I'm tasked to keep the water supply clean and help others."
So, it was she who kept that water source clean.
Kai shrugged his shoulders and drank the water in big gulps.
He could feel the effect instantly, and it was precisely as Abigail explained.
Amphitrite is the wife of Poseidon, the one who controls the calm sea. Supernals with her bloodline are generally experts in supporting abilities like healing and boosting. Kai doesn't need to worry about her trying to harm him.
"It's great, thank you," Kai thanked, handing back the cup and settling on a secluded spot.
He settled in the right-most cave, and he took his time to observe the team.
He spotted Matilda standing before the resource cave, deep in conversation with two Supernals. Both wore hardened leather armor and carried swords at their hips, guards, if Kai had to guess, to protect the gathered resources.
Staring at her intensely, not too far away, was Rakha and three other Supernals.
His group was further away than the rest.
Kai could feel Rakha's irritation towards Matilda from where he was.
Just then, another Supernal emerged from the forest that caught Kai's attention. A fair woman with broad shoulders. Odd for a woman to have shoulders that wide. She has short, fiery red hair and is limping.
It was her right leg.
Although hidden by her pants, the shape of her right leg was wrong.
As Kai's gaze dropped, he saw it—not a foot, but a dark, cloven hoof of a donkey.
For her appearance to be that different, she must have at least five Divine Locks. But nobody was a High Angel other than Matilda in this team. "A mutation? For her to be limping like that, her Patron God must've refused to acknowledge her."
Even as she returned, nobody spared her a glance.
Just like him, she must also be ostracized.
All who are deemed weak are mostly ignored.
Kat's gaze met with the woman for a second, long enough for him to know her eyes were red like rubies, before she limped her way to another secluded spot. Shit, is this where she normally sat? Did I take her place?
He wanted to ask, but didn't find the courage to do so.
Later that night, Kai closed his eyes and cast the Deep Slumber.
Now that he saw how Matilda fought, he had been training alone in the cave until his body was screaming for exhaustion. He wanted to use the Deep Slumber to replenish his stamina, but found himself pulled deeper into the slumber.
Kai woke up in the House of Night.
He saw the starry and pale sky and immediately knew where he was.
"Yes!" He punched the air, relief flooding through him as he was finally back in the House of Night. "If I remember right, I just need to head that way and hug the wall until I hit Noxian's place. Let's do that again."
Even though the quest told him to find Noxian through the use of exp, he wanted to try finding Noxian without it. Gaining the rest of the exp needed would require at least a few more days.
It would be faster if the first clash happened soon.
But Kai needed Noxian now rather than later.
Matilda could easily beat him like he was nothing, and that made him realize he could really die in the first clash. He needed to get stronger before that clash happened, and the only way to do that was to find Noxian.
For God knows how long, Kai traversed the endless space of the House of Night.
He hugged the wall and walked.
However, he couldn't find Noxian.
"Shit…" Kai stopped—and looked around helplessly. "I thought I would wake up in the exact same place in this space, but I suppose that's not the case. Exp is the only way to find him, huh?"
Kai could try to find another being.
But he was afraid that there were others who might be more hostile towards him.
He didn't know for sure what would happen if he died here, and he didn't want to find out.
At least not now when he's still in a dangerous situation.
Kai left the House of Night. His body turned into shadow before dissolving entirely.
Just as he disappeared, the space where he was earlier rippled.
And from it, a pale figure with glowing sapphire blue eyes dressed in black emerged.
Drifting darkness replaced where her feet should be, a crescent moon glowing mark pointing skyward was branded on her forehead, and her eyes were covered by a black blindfold. She turned her head to look around, as if she could see through the blindfold.
"I thought someone entered my territory, "A frown formed on her face, "Did I sense it wrong…?"