Chapter 7: Something Still Went Wrong
After a month of training at the dojo, life had been fulfilling, but Eric still couldn't compare to those two little monsters—Kuina and Zoro. They were human, just like him, but how could they train like perpetual motion machines? Infinite stamina? No, they still got tired and gasped for breath. But Eric just couldn't keep up with their workload.
'In duels, I'm the one with more stamina!' Eric clenched his teeth. It felt like the world had given them cheat codes—training without losing energy.
October 1st
[Ding… You have a new message]
[Monthly Quest #2: Sword Training]
[Objective: Complete 1,000 downward sword swings each day during the 31 days of October.
Reward: 2,000,000 Berries / 1 Achievement Point]
October 3rd
[Achievement Unlocked: "First companion survived one month without dying" – 1 Achievement Point, 1 Bond Point]
[Spent one month with Akame – 1 Bond Point awarded]
'What kind of dumb achievement is this…' Eric complained the moment he read it.
'The system still loves me! That was too easy. I wonder if just completing monthly quests can really make me the strongest?' Eric thought about slacking off and becoming a salted fish.
...
"Kuina! I challenge you to our 2,001st duel! This will be our final match!" Zoro shouted, gripping two real swords. "Let's settle this once and for all—with real blades. You have one too, right?"
'It's happening!' Eric , who was secretly watching, grew excited. "Wait, this duel was supposed to happen at night, wasn't it?" Something felt off. "Oh well, I better call Akame and check things out." He turned to go find her.
"Me?" Kuina asked in surprise, then smiled confidently. "Sure."
They entered the storage room. A katana with a white scabbard rested in the center. Kuina slowly unsheathed a portion of the blade. "Wado Ichimonji..."
On an open field, the two stood five or six meters apart. "Real swords? Those two kids could seriously get hurt!" Akame tried to intervene.
"Wait! Let them fight. If things get dangerous, we'll step in. You can reach them in time, right?" Eric stopped her.
"Okay." Akame reluctantly agreed.
A gentle breeze swept through. Zoro shouted, "Ahhh!" and rushed forward, crouching low, slashing down with the sword in his left hand.
Clang!
Kuina blocked easily. Zoro followed with a horizontal slash using his right hand. Kuina stepped back, dodging it, though a few strands of her hair were sliced and floated to the ground.
Kuina countered with a horizontal slash. Zoro, trained through countless duels, didn't fall for it this time. He blocked it with both blades, and the two locked swords, contesting strength.
Clang! They clashed and separated again. Zoro's blades showed chips, while Wado Ichimonji remained pristine—a testament to its rank among the 21 Great Grade swords.
Clang!Ting!Clang!Ting!
They exchanged blows like a raging storm. It was hard to believe they were just children. After more than ten minutes, the difference in stamina became apparent. Zoro began breathing heavily. Kuina, dripping with sweat, said, "Two swords are heavy, huh? Looks like you still lack stamina."
"Shut up!" Zoro shouted, gritting his teeth.
At that moment, Kuina, still full of energy, closed the gap quickly and struck clang, knocking both of Zoro's swords out of his hands. He flew backward and hit the ground hard. "Hah!" Kuina reversed her grip and thrust downward—Ting!—embedding her sword in the ground right next to Zoro's head.
"My 2,001st victory," Kuina said calmly.
"Why didn't you jump in?" Eric asked Akame. She had been ready to stop them, but when Kuina moved to stab the disarmed Zoro, she did nothing.
"There was no killing intent in her blade," Akame answered.
"Oh…" Eric hadn't experienced enemies so dangerous they exuded murderous intent like ghosts, nor had he witnessed the horrors of bloody battlefields. He wasn't sensitive to it. But the concept intrigued him. Could true killing intent really paralyze someone with fear?
"Akame, what is killing intent exactly? Could you show me what it feels like?" he asked.
"Sure. We'll spar in a bit," Akame replied, eager to help Eric improve his swordsmanship.
"Damn it! I'm so frustrated!" Zoro sobbed, barely able to speak through his tears.
"You're two years younger than me. Maybe when you're older and stronger, the outcome will be different," Kuina comforted him. The two walked back toward the dojo.
'Something's wrong. The timing of the duel is off. Even their dialogue changed. Did I mess up the timeline? Does Kuina still face that fate?' Eric 's mind buzzed with worry.
"They're gone. Let's begin," Akame reminded him. She didn't understand why Eric was zoning out, but she was ready for their agreed duel.
'Whatever. I'll just keep watching over Kuina these next few days.' Eric shrugged it off. "Alright. Show me your swordsmanship and that killing intent of yours!"
Even from ten meters away, although it was broad daylight, Eric couldn't see Akame's facial features clearly—it was as if her face was shrouded in shadow.
'Is it her bangs?' Eric wondered. Akame tilted her head slightly. From within the darkness of her face, her Akame and whites of her eyes glowed like embers.
The image burned into Eric 's retinas and etched itself into his memory. For a moment, he felt as though centuries passed in an instant. Death stood before him in physical form. Murasame's blade was already resting against his neck.
"Gah!" The cold blade and overwhelming bloodlust snapped Eric out of it.
'This is the one-hit kill Murasame! If it cuts your arm, you can throw the arm away. But if it cuts your neck, you can't exactly toss your head aside! I'd turn into a frog or something!'
"E-easy there, Akame… don't let your hand slip," Eric stammered, voice trembling.
Akame sheathed Murasame and asked, "Did you feel it? The killing intent?"
"Yeah… I was so scared I couldn't even move." Eric clutched his chest.
'Feel it? I thought you were gonna kill me!'
"Can I catch up to you, Akame?" he asked. He was tired of feeling weak. He didn't want to be sipping tea in the rear while his crew fought Marines and pirates. That'd make him vulnerable to being sniped by Kizaru's laser: one shot and you're sent flying, two shots and you're dust, three and your ashes are scattered to the wind.
"Yes. With hard training, you'll surpass me one day," Akame replied gently.
Eric tightened his grip on his sword. Moments ago, he hadn't even drawn it—he was too paralyzed by fear. That was disgraceful. A warrior, a man, who couldn't even summon the courage to protect what he cared about. Compared to Akame's life, his past struggles meant nothing.
He clenched his fist. He had to become stronger—to protect what mattered to him!
Just as he was about to strike a heroic pose and say something epic, Eric looked down—and realized his zipper was wide open.
"Shit!" He turned around quickly to zip it up.
'I hope Akame didn't see…' That was his only wish.
"I thought you left it open for fashion," Akame said. "That's why I didn't mention it. Sorry, I should've told you earlier." She casually shattered Eric 's illusion, dignity, and soul.
"I want to die..."
"Let's go back to the dojo," Eric said, remembering Kuina still might face a deadly fate soon.
"Okay." Akame nodded and followed.
...
After five days of taking turns watching over Kuina, Eric finally breathed a sigh of relief. He felt her fate had changed. With peace of mind, he decided to focus on training and make up for the days he had missed.
That evening, the sky burned orange-red with sunset light, casting the same hue across the ground. As Eric and Akame returned to the dojo after practice, they saw a large group of disciples gathered outside.
"Oh no… something happened to Kuina, didn't it?!" Eric turned pale.
"What happened?" Akame asked one of the disciples.
"Kuina went to get the sharpening stone, but the ladder wasn't steady. She fell from it," one of them said, voice low and face somber.
"Damn it!" Eric was full of regret. 'If only I had kept watching her a couple more days!'
"Thankfully, Zoro was standing underneath. Kuina landed on him. Now she's just unconscious," another disciple added.
"Huh?" Eric was shocked again. Unconscious? Not dead?
(END CHAPTER)
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