"Ugh…"
I rubbed my eyes, trying to focus…
Only to see a blond guy puckering his lips, about to land a kiss on me.
"AGHHHHH!!!"
Panic mode: ON. I launched my fist straight into his chin, sending him flying into a water pit.
"UAGH AIGU AGHH!!"
Dude started flailing around like a drowning cat, screaming as if he was about to die.
"Oh crap!"
I rushed over and dragged him out of the water. Both of us gasped for air like we just finished a marathon.
"Mr. Tyler, don't scare me like that!!"
"Scare you? I was just trying to save you with CPR."
"I DON'T WANT A GUY GIVING ME CPR!!!"
"Huh, so you do have some dignity?"
We stood up, scanning our surroundings.
"Where… are we?"
We were inside a weird wooden cabin, with a bookshelf full of dusty books and a small desk.
"Ohhh… this place." Tyler scratched his head.
"You know this place?"
"Yeah, I stopped by here once while exploring. Pretty fun!" Tyler grinned and pointed a finger at me like it was some grand revelation.
…Uh, okay?
He then walked to the desk, pulled open a drawer, and—
"Oh hey! It's still intact! Nice!"
Tyler pulled out a skull, dusted it off, and stuffed it into his pocket like it was a collectible keychain.
"…What are you doing?"
"Oh? Nothing much, just picking up a guide. Right, Mr. Skull?"
Silence.
"…"
I don't wanna be here anymore. This dude's mentally gone.
"Forget it! Let's just get out of here."
Tyler grabbed the skull, smashed the door open like it was made of cardboard, and happily skipped outside.
Kai hesitated but followed, warily checking the surroundings.
Then—
A giant lizard lunged at him.
"AGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Kai shrieked and slashed his knife at it.
CLANG!
Kai stared at his broken knife. Then at the lizard.
"What the actual f— how the hell is this thing so tough?!"
The lizard spat venom at him. Kai panicked.
Suddenly, a skull flew in, blocking the venom attack.
The lizard flinched, looking around—
SQUASH!
The lizard got crushed under Tyler's boot.
Kai gawked at the lizard's flattened corpse, then at Tyler.
"Damn! This would've made a good meal. Oh well, no time for that—let's go, Kai!"
"Uhhh okay…"
They continued forward.
"Which floor are we on?"
"That lizard was weak, so probably the second floor. We're close to the first."
Tyler casually kicked the skull into a wasp nest.
BOOM.
Dead wasps everywhere.
"…"
…This guy might be a bit too strong??
Kai gulped. Yeah, Tyler wasn't bluffing when he said he was strong.
The skull floated back into Tyler's hand. He started mumbling to it, smiling.
Okay. Strong, but also a bit terrifying.
After a while, they ran into a big-ass monster feasting on another creature.
"Ohhh! Finally!" Tyler clapped excitedly.
He patted Kai's shoulder.
"I wanna see you fight, kiddo."
"Heh?"
Before Kai could react, Tyler shoved him forward—hard enough to launch him straight into the monster.
"OWW!! THE HELL, OLD MAN?!"
A hot breath loomed behind Kai. He turned around…
And came face-to-face with an ogre.
"Kai! Show me what you've got! Give it your all! I'll save you if things go south!" Tyler cheered, waving.
Both Kai and the ogre turned to look at him. Then at each other.
"Ugah."
The ogre muttered. It apologized.
Then swung a massive club down.
Kai glanced at the spot where it was about to land. Then back at the ogre.
"…Y'know, human meat actually tastes pretty bad."
WHOOSH!
"AGHHH!!"
Kai barely dodged as the club smashed into the ground, sending rocks flying everywhere.
One rock hit the back of his head.
"SON OF A—"
He clutched his head, dizzy.
The ogre raised its club again.
Kai hadn't recovered yet—
A skull suddenly flew in, smashing straight through the ogre's head.
Blood splattered all over Kai's face as the ogre collapsed beside him.
Kai stared at the headless corpse, then at Tyler, who stood there, hand on his chin.
"You're too weak."
Oh. Thanks.
"But no worries! I know just the right training for you. Perfect timing, too!"
Tyler grinned.
Kai, meanwhile, was dying inside.
'No wonder this guy is a villain…'
Kai hadn't even recovered when Tyler grabbed his collar and yanked him up.
"No time to rest, kid. Now I'll teach you how to fight!"
"Are you serious?! There are no weapons here, nothing to train with!"
Tyler raised an eyebrow, go somewhere and picked up a rock, threw it straight at Kai's head.
SMACK!
"OWW! WHAT THE HELL?!" Kai clutched his head, glaring at him.
"Use what you have. No swords or some shit, but there are rocks. That's enough."
Then, Tyler bent down and picked up a sharper rock.
"Here, your weapon."
Kai stared at the rock in his hand, then at Tyler.
"You're joking, right?"
"What do you think I killed that monster with? A silver blade?"
"No… you used a skull."
"Exactly! And it wasn't even intact. So you don't get to complain."
Kai pouted but reluctantly gripped the rock.
Suddenly, Tyler kicked a pebble toward Kai—he barely managed to dodge it in time.
"See? Your reflexes aren't bad."
"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!"
"If I were, you'd be dead already." Tyler shrugged, then pointed at a nearby monster corpse.
"Cut a piece of its flesh."
"What?!"
"Do it. Use your rock."
Kai grimaced but tried. He pressed the rock against the monster's skin, attempting to slice through.
It wasn't easy—its hide was ridiculously thick, and the rock was small and dull.
"This would take forever!"
Tyler didn't reply. He simply picked up a rock, flicked his fingers, and snapped—the rock shot forward, tearing through the monster's hide like a bullet.
Kai's eyes widened.
"What the hell—"
"Force. Angle. Speed. If you scratch at it like a kitten, you'll get nowhere. You have to turn the rock into a real weapon."
Tyler bent down, grabbed another rock, and rolled it between his fingers.
"Watch this."
Just then, a small monster crawled out from a crack in the wall.
Tyler flicked the rock up with his foot, caught it with his knee, then bounced it off his elbow, sending it flying at insane speed.
THWACK!
The rock pierced straight into the monster's eye, killing it instantly.
Kai's jaw dropped.
Tyler grinned.
"See? Easy!"
Kai hadn't even caught his breath when Tyler tossed another rock at him.
"Now practice."
"Practice what?" Kai gawked.
"Throw. Strike. Kick. Use everything around you. If you don't have skill, at least have strength."
"But what if I don't have the potential—"
Tyler raised a hand, cutting him off.
"You might not have potential. But strength doesn't need potential."
Kai fell silent.
"If you're weak, you die. If you're slow, you die. If you don't train, you also die." Tyler shrugged. "Simple as that."
"..."
Tyler pointed at the dead monster nearby.
"See that? It died because it was weaker than us. If you don't want to end up like it then start training right now."
Kai looked down at the rock in his hand, then back at Tyler.
"...You're not gonna let me rest, are you?"
Tyler grinned and clapped him on the shoulder—so hard it nearly knocked the wind out of him.
"You're my student, so yea."