Re:of life-Chapter 39: Bonds in Battle

1

A quest to eliminate a flock of mountain wolves lingering too close to town. Normally, they stay high in the mountains, far from civilization, but for some reason, they've started moving downward. Whether it's hunger, changing seasons, or something else entirely, I have no idea. All I know is that we've been sent to deal with them.

And now, here we are—winding through the narrow paths beneath the mountain ridges. Five wolves. Farren is already locked in battle with two, Ronan handling another pair, which leaves me with one to deal with on my own.

The wolves are smaller than I expected, but their speed makes up for it. Their fur is pure white, blending seamlessly with the snow-dusted terrain. But despite their elegant appearance, there's nothing graceful about them. Their fangs gleam under the dim light, and I know all too well that a single bite could tear through flesh in an instant. One mistake, and it's over.

For me, fighting them feels like vomiting suicide. But for Farren and Ronan? It's a game. Especially Farren—he was the first to charge in, practically laughing as he swung his blade, shouting:

"Come on, you white little cats!"

...A bit disrespectful, honestly.

Meanwhile, I'm standing here, gripping the daggers I borrowed from Ronan, watching as my so-called friends abandon me to fight this thing alone. Alright, fine. I can handle this.

I trained with Yumiko. She moves like this—fast, relentless, and way stronger than me. But I've blocked her before... even if it was just once or twice. That has to count for something.

The wolf circles me, low to the ground, muscles tensed. It's watching, waiting. It knows I'm hesitating.

No more thinking.

I tighten my grip, steady my stance, and focus on the way it moves. A sharp inhale, a split-second pause—it's about to lunge.

The moment it leaps, I push off to the side—"Ugh—!" The wolf's claws graze my shoulder as I barely dodge in time, landing in a staggered stance.

Too close.

I need to counter. My fingers tighten around the daggers as I slash at its exposed side—an easy target.

The blade whistles through the air—but misses.

Only centimeters away.

Damn it. I knew it. These don't feel right in my hands. I've never fought with daggers before. They're too light, too unfamiliar. I'm used to swords, even wooden training ones. These? They feel wrong.

The wolf doesn't give me time to adjust. It's already lunging again.

No time to dodge. I cross my daggers just in time, catching its snapping jaws between the blades, shoving it back with all the strength I can muster. The force nearly knocks me off balance, but I hold firm.

A clean opening—one more chance.

I thrust my hand forward, feeling magic surge through me. Now.

"O spirits of water, heed my call—

Flow and form, a sphere to enthrall!"

The air condenses, a cold sensation crawling up my arm. Moisture gathers in my palm, swirling into a dense, shifting orb of water. I've been training. Not much, but enough. This spell won't be enough to kill, but it might be enough to stagger.

"Waterball!"

The orb fires forward, cutting through the air in a blur.

The wolf, still recovering from my parry, doesn't react in time. The impact slams into its face with a force I hadn't expected, knocking its head back. It staggers, shaking off the water, its eyes momentarily unfocused.

Now.

I lunge.

The first dagger sinks deep into its ribs. The second—straight into its jaw. The beast lets out a strangled growl, its breath heavy, blood seeping into the dirt.

But it still won't die.

It thrashes violently, a last-ditch effort. Before I can react, its body slams into mine.

My grip slips. The world tilts.

Then—pain.

I hit the ground, the impact knocking the air from my lungs. My fingers twitch, reaching for my daggers—but they're gone.

The wolf stares down at me, wounded but still standing. Its breath is ragged, blood dripping from its mouth. But those eyes—sharp, focused—still burn with the intent to kill.

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Shit.

The scent of metal creeps closer. As the beast lunges forward, its wide, bloodstained fangs nearly grazing my face, hesitation flickers in my mind—but at the last moment, I roll to the side, barely escaping a fatal blow by mere centimeters. Snow explodes from the impact, forming a dusty white cloud in the air.

Quickly regaining my footing, I sprint to the side, trying to get behind the beast. Earlier, when I lost my daggers, one fell to the ground while the other remained lodged in its ribs. Right now, my only chance of survival is to retrieve the blade buried in the snow.

I reach for the blood-covered dagger, but I fail to notice the beast already moving behind me. For a brief moment, I assumed it needed time to recover—but instead, it has already launched its next attack. I feel its hot saliva dripping onto my clothes, its fangs inches from sinking into my shoulder—

Then, a sudden rush of wind. Something pierces through the beast, pulling it back. Before I can fully process what happened, a dagger drives straight through its jaw, knocking it to the side and giving me another opening to grab my weapon.

"Hey, Kaito! Be careful! Always keep your guard up! I staggered him for you, but you still gotta finish this yourself, man. You got this!" Ronan shouts from the sidelines, standing there like a damn cheerleader, hyping me up from a safe distance.

Thank you... Thank you, Ronan.

Gripping the blade tightly, I steady myself and charge toward the wounded beast. With Ronan's help, it's weakened—but not done. I close the gap, thrusting my dagger deep into its back before slicing across its flesh, forcing a guttural growl from its throat.

But it's still not enough.

With a furious roar, the beast lashes out, its claws swinging toward me in a blind rage. I barely manage to parry, stepping backward before using the momentum to roll forward and close the distance once again. I stab deep, feeling the resistance of flesh and bone. Ripping the blade free, I brace myself to strike again—

But first, I have to block one more attack from its wrath.

Steadying my stance, I watch the beast's claws coming at me, closing the distance quickly. With a swift motion, I leap to the side just before they make contact, my boots sinking into the snow with each step, leaving prints behind and a soft thud with every footfall. The beast's claws swipe past me, but I use the opening to my advantage, pushing it off balance.

I spring back toward the creature, pressing the edges of my blades into its paw, throwing it aside before leaping for its throat. My dagger bites deep into its thick flesh, leaving a jagged wound. The wolf—now soaked in blood, its once-pure white fur tainted with crimson—staggers back.

With a final, heavy slice, I watch as the wolf loses its balance and collapses into the snow with a dull thud. Blood spills across the ground, staining the white terrain with dark red. The wolf lets out a final, anguished growl—a cry of defeat—before its eyes close. The air goes still around us, a calm settling over the beast, leaving only the rhythm of the wind flowing through its fur.

"I won...! I-I actually beat him..."

As the thought crosses my mind, my legs give out and I collapse to the ground. It's not from the victory, but from exhaustion—my chest pulsing uncontrollably, my breath heavy and rapid, not giving me any time to catch it.

"I—beat him..."

"Hey, great job, Kaito! I knew you could do it. Even if those wolves might be weak, a normal citizen wouldn't stand a chance against a mountain wolf. So, you've definitely been training, huh? That's good! Though, you've still got a long way to go; these ones were really weak," Ronan says, his voice upbeat as he watches me lying there on the ground, a proud smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Well... I almost died. Instead of being a shitty cheerleader, he could've helped... Eh, whatever. I still beat it. Almost by myself.

"Yeah, Kaito! You should be proud of yourself. You did great for your first time, no doubt," Farren adds, his hands behind his head as he looks up at the sky, a pout on his lips. "Though, I wish they were stronger. It got kinda boring fighting those weaklings... At least I landed a few smooth hits, though."

Ronan grins and shakes his head. "Yeah, yeah, we'll tackle tougher quests later. But for now, we're doing the ones Kaito can actually help with."

"Sure... Anyways, Kaito! Come on, get up! No sleeping on the job. Let's take on a new quest. Drinking's not free, you know. We need more money! Splitting quest rewards three ways doesn't leave me with much—at least, not from these weak ones. So hurry up, we've got a lot more to do." Farren turns toward the narrow path leading back to Liora, starting to walk off. Ronan lingers behind, waiting.

"I'll come, give me two seconds..." I groan, still too drained to push myself up. Are we really doing this again? I can feel it—today might be the day I die, whether it's by a wolf's claws or sheer exhaustion. I honestly can't tell which will get me first.

2

"How do you feel? Fighting's pretty good, right? When the adrenaline kicks in and you get lost in the battle, and then surviving those near-death experiences, it sure feels good, doesn't it?" Farren asks, walking beside me, hands behind his head, tugging at his snow-white hair. He talks with an excited yet calm expression, not even bothering to glance at me, his gaze fixed ahead on the surroundings.

Ah, so he likes those near-death experiences? I sure don't. I hate them. Hell, one time I even died. Who likes those? Does he have a screw loose?

"I guess... It felt pretty nice fighting, though the near-death moments? No thanks. I'm not cut out for close combat. I think I'll focus on sharpening my magic so I can stay on the sidelines and support from a distance instead," I reply, my voice trailing off as I think. "Though, winning in close combat does feel pretty good... kind of like I could actually be proud of myself. So I guess it's not too bad after all."

With a slap on my shoulder, Ronan starts speaking, "I get what you mean. I don't like near-death experiences either. They're scary, for sure. But someone... well, he likes them. He's definitely different, a bit hot-headed and dumb, too." Ronan sighs, casting a weirded-out look at Farren before continuing, "As for me, I like close combat. I usually use strategy, though. I only get up close when I know I can land a hit. If I'm not sure, I'll throw a blade to stagger the beast, create an opening, and then move in safely."

Well, at least one of them seems to have a functional brain...

"I see," I say. "I can't throw a dagger accurately. I don't fight with those. I trained with a sword and magic, so I only know how to use a sword... kind of. As for magic, I'm still working on improving that. If you saw that water ball spell, you'd know how weak I still am with it..." I glance at Ronan, imagining a sword in my hand. "Well, I've... had this girl I used to train with. Her name's Yumiko. I think the reason I was able to block and dodge those attacks from the wolf is because of sparring with her. She moves just like a wild animal—both in her movements and in the instinctive aura she gives off. It's definitely scary."

"Sounds like you had a strong chick to spar with, though she sounds like a real pain... Kinda like Althea. I bet she's cute, yeah? No, wait—how you describe her, she's gotta be more of a sexy one. Nice physique, right?" Ronan, of course, gets fixated on Yumiko instead of the actual meaning behind my words... Not that it surprises me.

"You'll get there, no worries. A bit more training, and you'll be taking down those kittens—I mean, wolves—like it's nothing. Trust me. And hey, it's good you got some practice in with Yumiko. Was she also an animal? A cat or something?" Farren chimes in, waving it off at first before adding that last part. He looks dead serious. Seriously, why do you look like you actually believe that? Of course, she wasn't a cat... Though a small, playful grin tugs at his lips as he waits for my response. Maybe he was actually trying to joke for once? I have no clue.

"Just... no. No, Farren, she's not a cat. Trust me, man."

Ronan pats him on the back in pity as Farren throws him a playful glance. "Hey, come on, I was just joking around..." he says with a shrug.

"Anyways..." Did either of them actually respond to what I said in any meaningful way? "...Thanks?" Am I thanking Farren? Did either of them even say anything supportive? Whatever.

"Well, Yumiko was definitely cute... though intense. Scary intense. I mean, if you slip up and say something that makes her just a little mad, you get a punch to the gut. If you spar with her and ask her to go easy on you, she goes twice as hard. If you try to teach her something and tell her 'good job,' she'll pinch your foot. And if you say, 'No, that's wrong,' she'll hit you and say, 'I'm never wrong. Hmph.' So... yeah. She's a tsundere in the flesh."

I ramble on about how much of a pain she can be, but at some point, Ronan seems to catch onto something. Maybe my expression?

"And you still like her?" He smirks. "Your face says it all. You're getting lost in memories—good and bad. And I have a feeling there's more to her than just the bad, huh?"

Before I can react, he suddenly hooks an arm around my neck, grinning wide, eyes glinting mischievously. "So tell me, are you in love?"

"Well... I suppose you're not wrong," I admit. "I do like her. And yeah, I can't lie—I love her. At first, I thought it was just because she was a girl and I liked her, but back then, I think I only saw her as a friend. Now... my feelings for her just keep growing. Maybe it's because I miss her? But she's got this charm, y'know? When she accomplishes something, there's this vibrant awe in her eyes. She jumps with joy, and it's... it's adorable. It's charming. I just end up zoning out, caught in her beauty. She's got long red hair, a bit messy and wild from all the sword training, but sometimes she takes the time to fix it up, and when she does... she looks amazing."

"I see." Ronan chuckles, shaking his head. "So you do love her. Hahaha, nice, man! I hope the best for you. Seriously, I hope you two end up together at some point."

"Yeah, hahaha... Thanks, Ronan. I'll do my best," I say with a small smile.

Farren tilts his head slightly, looking confused. "Tsundere...?"

...Why did I say that as if they'd know what it means?

"Uhm... nothing. Don't worry about it." I reply quickly, brushing it off before he asks anything else.

"Whatever you say, man..." Farren mutters, sinking back into a calm state as he turns forward, scanning the surroundings again. He's probably lost in thought about something... though, since I can't read minds, I have no clue what.

"Farren, you like hot springs too, right? Are you gonna join me and Ronan for some... spying?" I hesitate at first, but once I start speaking, the words just spill out.

Farren sighs. "You really have no shame in disrespecting women either, huh...?" he murmurs, barely audible. But just as quickly as he says it, he shakes his head hastily. "Ah, whatever. Sure, why not? Could be fun. Let me guess, Ronan pulled you into this? He usually drags me into these kinds of things too, hahaha." He laughs, glancing back with a smirk as the wind picks up, making his white hair flow in the gust.

"Knew you had it in you, man. I can't wait for the hot springs..." Ronan says, his eyes glazing over as he imagines the hot springs unfolding in front of him.

"Hahaha, yeah, I know right? I really wanna feel the warm water against my skin so bad..." I respond, mimicking Ronan's action. I close my eyes, imagining the hot springs ahead—steam rising gently from the surface, the water warm and inviting. I can't wait.

"Yeah, fair enough, hot springs are definitely the best! But right now, forget about that. Let's get back to Liora and pick up a new quest. Come on!" Farren shouts, grabbing his pace and moving forward hastily.

3

Here we are again, back in the fray... Standing face to face with another wolf.

Farren and Ronan, having finished their fights with ease, now stand off to the side, watching like it's some damn movie. They're even cheering like a pair of overenthusiastic cheerleaders... At least they seem to be having fun watching me struggle for my life. Though, to be fair, I know they're ready to jump in if things go south—so I guess they're not the worst.

But come on! Sure, I know how to fight it now—somewhat better, at least—but I'm exhausted. I got a bit of rest, but my legs are nearly giving out from all the walking back and forth, not to mention the earlier fight. Would be nice if we could just come back tomorrow, but no... These guys are dead set on torturing me.

"You got this, man!" Ronan shouts from the back, raising his fist in the air, cheering me on.

"Yeah, you got this! Just don't die on us!" Farren mimics Ronan's movement, his voice laced with both encouragement and teasing.

Come on, can these two get any worse?

"I'll try. Thanks for the command," I answer, my voice dripping with sarcasm. Then, under my breath, just low enough so they can't hear— "Idiots..."'

The white beast leaps in, claws slashing toward me. I've seen this attack enough times to know how to block it, but I still can't find an opening. Come on! I can't keep dodging and parrying forever—I'll collapse from exhaustion soon...

The clash of metal and claws rings through the air as I jump to the side, my boots dragging through the snow. The ground is cold and treacherous, and from time to time, I feel like I might slip. But I can't let that happen—not now.

If I slip, I'm done for.

...Wait. If I just give up, Ronan and Farren will have to finish it off, right? I wouldn't have to keep fighting. I could pretend to lose and let them save me...

No. Shut up, Kaito. No running away with your tail between your legs like always. Not this time. This time, I'll fight for something. Maybe I can do this. Maybe...

I consider using Water Ball to throw it off guard, create an opening for a critical hit. But no—I might have enough mana, but I don't have the strength. If I use magic now, I'll collapse for sure.

My only chance is to keep fighting with these two daggers. I'm getting more used to them, but they still feel unnatural in my hands. Ronan could've at least taught me how to wield them properly before throwing me into a death battle with an angry wolf, but nah—he really wanted to put me on the brink of death.

Why am I even here? Did I really think I'd get some sudden power-up? Some OP ability? Plot armor?

Hah. Plot armor... what a joke. Me, with plot armor? Yeah, right.

No. I'll fight with the strength I have right now—however little that might be. I won't gain anything by hoping for a miracle.

As the thoughts race through my mind, the beast lunges again, its jaws snapping open, aiming for a lethal bite. I barely have time to react before it's already mid-air—

If I... yes...

I shift to the side at the last second, angling my dagger upward. As the beast closes in, I stab into its jaw, the blade sinking deep into its flesh. Crimson splashes onto its white fur. The force of the attack stuns it for a split second—just enough time for a follow-up.

I drop low, pushing off the ground as I drive my second dagger into its chest. The blade pierces through thick flesh. If I hit its heart, it's over. If not, it should at least slow the beast down—a lot.

I leave the blade buried in its chest and rip the other one free from its jaw, retreating a few steps, my eyes locked on the beast. If it can still move, I need to be ready.

But no...

A low growl escapes its throat before its body collapses into the snow, staining the white in deep red.

"Ugh... I did it, I killed it..."

"Yo! Nice one, Kaito!" Ronan shouts, sprinting up to my side. "That was way better than last time! You're improving, man—good job!"

Farren walks up more casually, raising his fist toward me with a grin. "Nice job, Kaito."

"Thanks... both of you." I lift my own fist and bump it against Farren's, a smile creeping onto my own face.

"Thanks for what? You're the one who took it on. Though, I suppose Farren and I did set it up so you could go one-on-one with him, so yeah, I'll take that thanks." Ronan replies, cocky but lighthearted, watching me with a smirk while stroking the tip of his nose.

"Yeah, we definitely helped you. I mean, it was the cheering that made you win, right?" Farren adds, flashing me a grin.

The cheering... Nah, I think that distracted me more than anything.

"Yeah, whatever you say, Sir... To be honest, I think it threw me off more than it helped though, hahaha..." I respond lightly, just as Farren casually throws an arm around my shoulders. This again... huh...

"Yeah, yeah, distracting or not—whatever. You're alive, right? You are alive, aren't you?" Farren teases, giving me a light tap on the shoulder.

"I bet my cheering was better than his, right? Has to be, no way I lost." Ronan glances at Farren, as if it's some kind of competition.

"Sure, I'm alive... but I don't know if the cheering is what did it," I say with a small shrug. "As for who was the best? Hmm... you both definitely had your moments, but I think Farren comes out on top. That 'Don't die on us!' really hit different—it was like a command that made it impossible to die." I nod as I speak, playful but selling it like I'm dead serious.

"Huh? So he won...? Damn. I need to step up my game for next time..." Ronan mutters, sounding genuinely disappointed.

"Ha! I won! Beat that, Ronan! You little loser!" Farren bursts out, pointing at him with an exaggerated grin.

"Huh? Loser? Really? Man, you don't gotta rub it in my face," Ronan grumbles.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Mr. Sorry for himself." Farren smirks, keeping up the teasing.

"You don't have to be so harsh on poor Ronan, do you?" I say, throwing Ronan a mock-sympathetic look. "I mean, his hand movements, those dance-like motions—definitely made it easier to focus on the fight." My tone drips with sarcasm, playing into the banter.

"Hey! I was actually hyping the fight up with those moves, no need to go around mocking them..." Ronan defends himself, then turns to Farren with a look of desperation. "Come on, I had some good moves, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, they were great, sure," Farren says, rolling his eyes. "But not exactly helpful for Mister Kaito, were they?"

"Well... thanks. And no, maybe they weren't," Ronan admits. "But hey, a cheerleader's gotta put on a good show too, right? I mean, I'd fight harder if a couple of girls were cheering me on with some good moves from the rear."

He leans back, a lazy grin creeping onto his face as he gets lost in his own fantasy.

"Sure, sure. But you're not a girl, are you? Would you fight better with a pair of guys cheering you on?" Farren smirks.

"Uhm... fair point." Ronan clears his throat. "Well then, we better bring Sela and Althea next time to cheer Sir Kaito on. Maybe they could even cheer me on, be my personal cheerleaders... Now that sounds like a plan." His voice drifts off as the daydream takes hold.

"You sure that'd be a good thing? You don't think you'd get... distracted?" I raise an eyebrow. "Pretty sure I would. I mean... who wouldn't, right?" I mutter, realizing I might've spoken too freely.

"Yeah, true... It'd definitely be hard to focus on anything else," Ronan nods, now looking as if he's seriously considering it.

"Yeah, but I don't know," Farren muses. "Ronan does fight better when a woman's watching him... but watching and cheerleading are two different things. If Sela or Althea were actually cheering him on, doing some moves, calling out how good he is in battle, he'd probably trip over his own feet trying to look cool."

"Oh, shut up," Ronan grumbles, but the look on his face says he knows it's true.

These two might be dorks, but they're actually pretty fun to be around. It's easy to just relax, play around, and let go of everything else for a while. The party's been tense, and I've felt out of place at times, but this... I can live with. They're good people.

Ronan's been there for me from day one, and he's one of the people I feel most at ease with. But Farren? Who knew he could actually be somewhat decent? He has this teasing side to him, acting like a big brother who's always pointing out the smallest things—like how I should go out more, or telling me what not to do, saying stuff like, "Are you too scared to get a girlfriend?"

It's funny, but sometimes I feel like Farren's kind of like that, too—though in a totally different way. He's definitely not my brother from Japan, but... there's something about the way he teases, the way he acts, that reminds me of those days back home. Two totally different people from different worlds... but still, it's hard to ignore the similarities.

"Well, anyway..." Ronan says, trying to brush off the earlier commotion about his perverted mind. "You did great, Kaito. I'm sure if we take on a quest tomorrow, you'll handle it with no trouble at all!"

"Thanks, Ronan! I really hope I can do even better tomorrow," I reply, feeling excited at the thought of taking down another wolf. It felt really good to win, and fighting, honestly, wasn't so bad either.

"I don't know, he did alright... It was a weak wolf, though. Can't really say it was great, man. Sure, you've improved since last time, but you've still got a ways to go. I'm sure you know that, Kaito." Farren chimes in, no hint of a compliment to be found—just straight-up roasting me. Guess he's not one for praising anyone...

"Come on, he did better than expected!" Ronan cuts in, trying to back me up against Farren's tough love.

"Expected? I was expecting him to die," Farren continues without missing a beat. Great, thanks for the support, buddy. Honestly, I'm not sure he'd even try to save me if I was in trouble... he'd probably just scold my lifeless body.

"Oh, come on, don't listen to him, Kaito. Trust me, you did great for your second fight!" Ronan says, turning to me with a supportive grin.

Ronan's definitely a good guy... but Farren? I can't tell— is he pushing me forward with his teasing, or just doing it for his own amusement?