the day Hundred and Damian fell out in training from training, he spotted a thief attempting to rob a young woman in a dark alley between two houses.
At first, he nearly ignored her—but then he remembered what Damian had said: "To get stronger, I might need a real opponent."
Hundred sprinted into the alley and shouted:
— "Hey, you bastard! Leave that woman alone—and come face me!"
The thief froze, then bolted. Hundred chased after him.
He was fast—climbing walls and jumping over fences. But Thousand knew these streets better than the thief. As the thief reached the alley exit, Hundred popped in from a shortcut and blocked his escape.
The thief turned into a dead-end. Hundred crept up behind him and whispered:
— "Got you!"
They stared at each other for a long moment. The thief denied taking anything from the woman and asked why Hundred was chasing him.
Hundred replied coldly that he didn't care about the stolen goods—he only wanted a sword duel.
The thief laughed, calling Hundred foolish for challenging an armed criminal alone.
Hundred, brimming with youthful arrogance, wanted to prove he was becoming stronger—even if he wasn't quite there yet.
The thief drew his sword, and the alley's atmosphere shifted. Hundred knew this was no game. He drew his wooden practice sword instead.
Only the ambient sounds of distant wind and passerby were audible.
The thief attacked first, swinging down with a vertical slash. Hundred dodged, then parried a lateral strike.
He countered and struck the thief in the stomach—but the man barely flinched. He raised his sword again.
Hundred was cornered: too close to dodge sideways, so he retreated—just in time to avoid a blade that grazed his lip, which began bleeding.
Disoriented, he was hit with sand in the eyes and felt a dagger slamming into his chest.
As he fell, the thief kicked him in the face repeatedly. Hundred lay helpless.
Then, two knights burst onto the scene with the woman—the same young woman the thief tried to rob. The thief dropped his sword and was arrested.
The woman rushed to Hundred's side, noticing how badly injured he was. She took him to her home for first aid.
She cleaned his wounds, bandaged them, removed the dagger, and stitched his chest.
Finally, she introduced herself:
— "I'm Aida."
— "Aida… thank you for helping me get patched up."— "Don't mention it. I should be thanking you—you saved my life first."
— "Chasing a criminal alone… that was brave. You risked your life for a stranger. That kind of kindness is rare."— "Sorry if I gave the wrong impression. I didn't go to save you... I just wanted to fight him. I'm not that good."
— "But you still saved me. That is goodness."— "Thank you… but the real hero here is you—for calling the guards and helping someone like me."— "Don't say that. In my eyes, you're not foolish—you're my hero."
— "So… why did you want to duel a villain like that?"
Hundred explained:
— "I'm training to become a knight, but I don't feel like I'm improving. My friend says I'm getting stronger, but I don't really believe him. I had to test myself."
— "When he and I train, I always feel like he holds back so as not to crush me. It's frustrating—I feel like the only one not growing."
Aida nodded gently:
— "That can be hard. But you will get stronger. You just need patience—and stop comparing yourself to him."
— "You're growing too… just maybe slower, because you're different people."
— "Focus only on your own progress—on being stronger than you were yesterday."
Hundred smiled gratefully:
— "Thank you for the advice. I have to get going…"
— "Wait!" Aida jumped up. "You never told me your name."
— "I'm Hundred."
— "Nice to meet you, Hundred. Until next time."
— "Yes… until next time."