Toolbox’s first attempt at exercising was not going well. First, she didn’t know the movements. Push-ups were the weirdest thing and planking was also stupid. And second, she was a bit too good at it.

  “How many… how many was that?” Machua asked her, all tuckered out.

  “I kind of just kept going…” Toolbox trailed off.

  “Turns out when you’ve evolved, your body’s in the shape you want it to be,” Machia reckoned.

  “I didn’t ask earlier, but she really is an Egotist, correct? She eats people?” Mikoko asked for confirmation.

  “She might not,” Machia responded.

  “What does that mean?”

  “I ate human meat once but I’ve already broken the record for longest time without eating human.”

  “I… see.”

  Mikoko stood up and grabbed a towel. “That said, it seems things have changed since I was last with you all.”

  Mikoko gestured to the glaring Carmine on the other side of the room. She, and Rasa who she dragged along and who was already tuckered out, were off exercising by themselves.

  “I made Carmine angry with me. She doesn’t have an issue with anyone else,” Machia responded.

  “Believable.”

  Machua, who was finally standing, had to ask, “What is your deal with Machi anyway?”

  “He followed me out of the movies and then complained to me about his own behaviour with you. Unsolicited.”

  “Yeesh. Keep that up and you’ll make Kalina hate you too.”

  “She kind of… already does,” Machia admitted.

  “…”

  Machia couldn’t bear the silence of the two women staring at him. “I exaggerated, our relationship’s uneasy.”

  “… That doesn’t make it any better.”

  “It doesn’t.”

  “…”

  “Man, you’re bad with women. You fall in love easily and then you make them angry at you. Your love life’s a mess.”

  “Fall in love…?” Mikoko wondered with unease.

  “Please stop… Before you permanently throw my reputation into the bottom of the ocean…” Machia begged.

  “Ugh, anyway. I have been meaning to ask. Machia, would you spar with me?” Mikoko asked.

  Those words rung through the entire room. It didn’t even need to be said what his response was. The group moved to a training room and the two got into their battle gear. Machua, Plue, and Toolbox sat on the sidelines, watching eagerly. Even Carmine was eager. Rasa was not as excited on account of being on the verge of passing out but looked forward to it.

  “Light contact. You’re skilled enough to do that, aren’t you?” Mikoko asked while she spun her staff.

  “Of course,” Machia answered as he hopped up and down.

  “Machia!” Carmine called out. “Not gonna pull out your knives?”

  “It’s a spar, Carmine! I’m not here to draw blood. And anyway, I don’t want her lightning channelling through my knives.”

  “Tch.” Carmine rolled her eyes. She couldn’t say anything. He had an actual reason.

  The two combatants stared each other down. This was a very freeform spar. No rules were set on when to start or when to end. There was a tacit understanding to give it their all and not to go too far, but that was it. It was a casual spar.

  Mikoko suddenly jabbed her staff at his head. Machia swung his head under it, giving it a wide berth. Purple lightning shot out from it, which he expertly dodged.

  “Woah!” Machua exclaimed.

  Machia descended to the ground and allowed his feet to shoot upwards. He shoved the sole of his shoe into Mikoko’s staff, sending it sideways. In the same motion, he hand-sprung up and sent his other foot at Mikoko’s face. She had barely enough reaction time to back away.

  ‘Fast! I could barely tell what he was doing!’ Mikoko quickly thought.

  It was Machia’s time on the offensive. He lunged forward, springing off of the air. He sent a flying side kick her way, which she was able to block. But then, he twisted himself in the air, and knocked it away again. Upside down, in the air, mana built up into his palm.

  [External Palm Destruction]

  Mana shot out of his palm in devastating force. Mikoko, whose staff was out of place, could only drop it and block the strike with her hands.

  “Rrgh!” She grunted as she impacted the wall.

  Machia had already picked up her staff with his foot and spun it around before entering into a martial arts stance.

  “I wouldn’t actually use your staff against you. I’d store it if it weren’t Engraved. So in a real fight, I’d toss it as far away as I could or hide it.”

  “It’s my loss.” Mikoko approached Machia.

  “Don’t want to go another round?” He asked.

  “My staff was knocked off-centre twice without any difficulty. Clearly, I need more training,” Mikoko stated with an underlying tone of frustration.

  “We could still…” Machia’s words trailed off. “You’re right.”

  ‘Our skill level’s too far apart now… If we kept going, it wouldn’t help her in the long run,’ Machia lamented. ‘I’d be teaching her rather than sparring with her.’

  “You’re skilled, I can’t deny that. And you know how to fight staff users. I’d have to use my magic more to fight you, but now isn’t the time for that.”

  Machia glanced at Carmine, who was watching the fight intently. They, and everyone else here, was well aware that was just the tip of the iceberg. And only he knew how deep it really went.

  Only he knew…

  “I think I’m done exercising for today. Besides, I won’t be there to fight Toolbox’s parents. At least, hopefully. Feel free to shoot me a message if you want to discuss strategy though.”

  Machia waved goodbye with a wry smile.

  ———————————————————————

  He couldn’t believe it. The next day. The very next day? Really? She couldn’t wait until after the operation or something?

  Machia tapped the tip of his shoe on the floor impatiently. He had a meeting to go to and a package to pick up after this. And that meeting was in an hour from now.

  “So what’re the rules for this duel?” He asked.

  “Till one of us goes down,” Carmine proclaimed. “That’s all.”

  Machia rolled his eyes and took out a single knife. Carmine’s stance was different this time. Instead of an open stance ready to swing, she held a more defensive stance. She knew he was quick and she needed to learn his movements. Still, this was a duel, not a spar.

  So, Machia didn’t feel the need to let her off easy.

  One step. One step was all it took for her to react. Blood flowed out of her and shot out, forming into a translucent wall.

  “I win.”

  Machia was already behind Carmine. She held her throat, which had a thin slit. Blood slowly dripped out of it.

  “There. I destroyed yo-“ Machia’s nonchalant tone stopped when Carmine swung behind her.

  ‘Fucking!’

  “Hey! Duel’s over!” Machia clashed with her axe swings.

  “Until one of us goes down, right? Not my fault you’re a pussy,” Carmine snarled with a nasty grin.

  “If you want to act like that then fine!”

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  Machia rushed into the middle of her swings. Instinctively, she tried to bring back her axes, but he placed his hands onto the ground, and spun. His legs met the axes, knocking them away.

  Quickly, he righted himself and in a practiced motion, he punched Carmine in the gut. Carmine smashed into her own crystal blood wall. Machia did not let up.

  He swung, jabbed, and punched her all over. Her gut, her arms, her neck, anything that would attempt to bring her resistance. The sounds of cracking intensified as his flurry did the same. Finally, he sent her flying through her own crystal wall with a palm thrust. Followed by a jump, where he landed right on top of her with a foot placed on her shoulder.

  “There. I destroyed you,” he repeated. Did that feel good for you?”

  “Kakh! Hagh… Sure did,” Carmine spat with the same grin.

  “Masochist.”

  Machia considered whether to step off of her at this point. To be honest, she deserved a little stomping.

  “So, did you get what you wanted?” He questioned.

  Carmine’s tone unexpectedly shifted to become gentler. “… You’re a bit more like me than I expected.”

  ‘Right.’

  “I get what you’re saying. You’re a hypocrite too.”

  Carmine chuckled at the pointed statement.

  “I hate you sometimes. Doing things for other people without ever asking them to understand,” Machia blurted out.

  “…”

  He stepped off of her.

  “It’s a real problem you know. You should be more straightforward with these things.”

  “Shut up,” Carmine’s tone took a downturn again. She looked to the ground bitterly.

  When she looked back up, she saw Machia’s arm, outstretched towards her.

  “Take my hand. I’m trying to help,” he stated flatly, making no attempt to be gentle.

  “Condescending bastard,” Carmine gripped his hand and he pulled her up.

  “Okay. Now I’m going to do the same thing you did for me. You can let out all your frustrations,” Machia said. “Hit me.”

  Carmine launched a full throttle gut punch the instant he finished his sentence. Machia gritted his teeth, fully expecting this.

  Carmine did not hold back. She absolutely wailed on him, with as much ferocity as he did on her. Machia was shifting his mana around, protecting his organs and sensitive parts as much as possible. Still, some of her strikes got through.

  Carmine’s face was filled with glee. The only thing she could think of at this moment was beating into him more. More and more and more.

  “That’s enough,” Machia grunted. He grabbed a fist she was about to drive into his chest.

  “One more.”

  “Hah… Oka-“

  In an instant, Carmine’s other hand flew up and slapped his face with a resounding thwack!

  “Hahaha!” Carmine laughed with glee.

  The force of the slap, combined with the total unexpectedness of it, sent Machia reeling back. For a second, everything started to ring. His brain was incapable of processing anything. He staggered back and almost fell to the ground if it were not for Carmine.

  “Got you!”

  “B-bitch…” Machia uncharacteristically muttered.

  “Heeheehee~ Couldn’t predict that one~”

  “I hate you so much.”

  ———————————————————————

  Machua’s heart was beating a bit fast. It had been for the past day actually. Big mission. A Rank operation. First mission with Lemuel. Machia won’t be there.

  He wouldn’t be there…

  ‘I mean, he wasn’t there for Dalan…’

  Machua couldn’t really figure out the logic behind her emotions. Maybe she was plain scared? Or anxious? Probably both. Maybe more. There was probably some excitement in there.

  ‘Once the elevator doors open it should be right ahead of you,’ Machua recited the instructions the EPG receptionist told her.

  Lemuel had called her, and only her, to his office for a meeting. She wasn’t sure what it was about but she could hazard a guess. Multiple guesses. Most of which were bad.

  After pumping herself up, Machua knocked on the door. Lemuel told her to come in.

  “Excuse me,” she said as she slowly entered the room.

  “You’re excused,” Lemuel joked.

  “Oh, haha…” Machua scratched her cheek.

  “Take a seat,” Lemuel rummaged in his desk. “Oh, and don’t feel nervous. This is a good meeting. The kind where you get a raise or a promotion. Kind of.”

  ‘It feels like he’s talking to Plu.’

  Machua made herself comfortable in the chair opposite his. Lemuel’s office was pretty large, with a few desks and terminals located inside it. Clearly, it was meant for several people to occupy, probably for long periods at a time. There were several bookshelves, and a nice window view of Erelier. She noticed that on one of the walls were several awards and trophies that were hung up, alongside several photographs. The biggest photos were of a younger Erebus squad. A younger Lemuel, Galas, and Reina smiled for the photo. Their captain, a younger Sienna, not that Machua knew what she looked like nowadays, was the only one who wasn’t smiling. She had a flat look on her face, though maybe one of the corners of her lips were upturned?

  “That one was after Operation Spiral of Erebos,” Lemuel stated.

  “Eh? The big mission that got you guys your name?”

  Machua recalled the day the news of their success was broadcasted. It was only 10 years ago, and she was living with her mother in another City. When her mother saw the news, she told her that the next time they move, it would be for good. In a sense, Erebus was responsible for her moving here.

  “Uh-huh. It was the most difficult mission we ever had to do. We had only been a squad for a few months, and Sienna was still getting used to her new role as captain. Back then, Erelier was a mess.”

  “Mami told me a bit about it. She moved out when she was a teenager cause her parents died. They got caught up in a big crime or something.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Lemuel softly apologised.

  “It’s alright, it’s alright. Continue, I wanna hear about the Spiral more.”

  Lemuel nodded his head. “At the time, Erelier was plagued by earthquakes. That, and monsters had been crawling up from the lower layers of Erebos. Both had been growing in intensity day by day and people were convinced that it would destroy the entire City. Everyone could guess the source of the problem. But no one wanted to delve into the depths of Erebos to find out for sure.”

  Lemuel paused, wondering what to say next. “Tell me, do you know what Erebos means?”

  “It’s…” Machua mumbled. She tried her best to recall the knowledge. Yoona might have mentioned it to her one day, but she struggled to remember. “We took it from some ancient legend right?”

  “Right. People called it the underworld, the place where souls go after they die. Our Erebos was only a massive monster nest, but the first hunters who descended it found it so horrifying they named it after the underworld.”

  “Ahhh, I see.”

  “It’s an entire ecosystem down there the likes you wouldn’t believe. For the longest times, its lowermost levels were left alone, too dangerous to consider clearing, but we had no choice. So, we descended. As deep as we could. All the way to the very bottom.”

  “Ooh, what did you find there?” Machua asked.

  She had read over the public record of the operation numerous times, she had even made a presentation about it, but this was first-hand information from the Lemuel. He could tell her something only he knew.

  “A giant monster, to put it lightly. And it had a horde of other monsters with it. We killed it, but we realised that the only way to stop the earthquakes was either to clear Erebos of all its monsters, or to seal the lowest levels off. With our current firepower, the first idea was impossible, so we chose to go with the second. Since then, we’ve been trying to monitor Erebos as much as possible.”

  “Wow, I can’t imagine,” Machua exclaimed. “I mean, you guys didn’t really know each other than right? It was only a few months, and then you had to do such a big mission.”

  Lemuel raised an eyebrow. “We did. Galas and I are childhood friends. Sienna’s his older sister so I knew her too. The only odd one out was Reina. But we actually had been working together for years before the formation of the squad that would become Erebus.”

  “O-oh aha… I forgot.“

  “That’s alright. Sienna’s family hadn’t adopted Galas by the time I left, so I didn’t know they were siblings until I came back.” Lemuel had an awkward pause there. When he noticed it, he mentally prepared himself to explain it.

  He continued, not waiting for Machua to ask. “As a kid, I also got caught up in something. It was related to my Trait, so when we first met, I thought you were involved in it too somehow.”

  “Your Trait?” Machua wondered.

  “I wasn’t born with the Blockade Trait. I had a Standard Trait, just like everyone else.”

  Machua’s face turned serious. “Then how…?”

  “I was experimented on by a mad group of scientists,” Lemuel bitterly recounted. “Erelier Hunters rescued me a few years after I disappeared, so I was able to return for high school.”

  “That’s terrible…”

  Lemuel turned a picture frame he had on his desk around. On it was a photo of him, Elize, Rollo, and a fourth woman. She looked to be the youngest of them all and she had silver hair, alongside cat ears and a cat tail.

  “5 years ago, when Erebus unofficially split up, I joined the EPG and put together a specialist squad to clean up that whole mess. That was me, Elize, Rollo, and Sybel.”

  “But I’ve never seen a Sybel around here though?”

  “She was an outside contractor. She had to quit her job here to take care of her niece back home a couple of years back.”

  “I hope I get to meet her someday.”

  “When we visit Paradiso, I’ll be sure to introduce you all to her,” Lemuel promised. “Come to think of it, her niece is Plu’s age.”

  Lemuel glanced at the time. He had gotten too into reminiscing. He wondered briefly why this happened. Maybe it was because of what he originally called her here for. Maybe it was her World Trait, which made her feel so natural. Maybe it was cause he felt a kinship with her, as someone who also struggled with magic.

  “Alright, it’s time to talk about what I called you here for,” he announced.

  “Yessir.”

  Lemuel reached down below his desk. Machua leaned forward, hoping to sneak a peek, but it turned out to be a big briefcase.

  ‘That’s a bit too big to just be a briefcase for paper, actually…’

  Lemuel, with a bit of a grin, placed it on his desk and turned it around. He opened it up, revealing that what was inside were tonfas. Smaller than the ones he used but shaped like them. They looked like large rectangular blocks with a handle attached to them.

  “Here you are. I designed these and Engraved them myself. It’s my gift to you, Machua.”

  “For me?” Machua pointed at herself. Lemuel nodded.

  “I know your regular tonfas aren’t cutting it, so I built you tonfas that use my barriers. The Engraving is a simple impact barrier, but I can guarantee it’s strong. If it fails, the material it’s made of is a very durable metal. It should still be able to protect you.”

  Machua wordlessly took them into her hands. They were hefty. Way heavier than the tonfas she’d been using. They were tonfas built entirely to be durable. Straightforward offence and defence. Completely unlike the versatility normal tonfas had, where multiple grips could be utilised to redirect attacks.

  “So, these are block tonfas…” Machua muttered.

  “Flow your mana through it,” Lemuel instructed.

  Machua followed the order. She sent her mana into the block tonfas and she felt it rumble slightly as its inner workings activated. She raised it in a defensive stance and the outer half of the block tonfa split apart to cover a wider area behind it. The block tonfa then emanated a strong orange-ish translucent barrier that Machua could tell was damn strong.

  “You’ll have to keep flowing your mana through it to keep it activated, but it has a mana storage built into it too.”

  “Wow… Thanks, captain!” Machua couldn’t help but try to spin it. The heft of the block tonfa made it more difficult but she got the hang of it after a while.

  “Machua,” Lemuel began with a serious tone.

  When she heard that, Machua stopped spinning her brand new tonfas and set them back onto the table. She sat back down too, recognising this wasn’t something to brush off.

  “You are the acting vice-captain of both my squad and Galas’ squad. For the upcoming operation, I am appointing you to the official position of vice-captain.”

  Machua’s eyes widened a little.

  “This is an official operation, and we have no room for an acting vice-captain. Machua, you are my number one choice. You’ve demonstrated emotional intelligence and have the ability to bring the squad together. And you also make good use of their capabilities,” Lemuel explained. “Ignoring a certain someone, of course.”

  “Ahaha…” Machua awkwardly laughed. “It’s just that I’m always watching people, so…”

  “Don’t be embarrassed. That’s a strength. You’re my number one choice for a reason.”

  “Th-thank you…” Machua sheepishly said.

  “I thought you’d protest and suggest appointing your brother instead,” Lemuel stated.

  Machua paused to think about her answer. “I think I can do it now. I might be getting overconfident, but I also want this role because it doesn’t feel right to leave Toolbox in someone else’s hands. So no, I wasn’t going to suggest Machi. I want to be vice-captain.”

  “This trip really did help you,” Lemuel remarked.

  Machua nodded with a soft smile.

  “Good. Now remember. This is a deadly and serious operation. You aren’t alone with your squad. A lot of other people are relying on you too. If you mess up, it won’t just be the people you can see who get hurt,” Lemuel began.

  “This is your first actual mission with me. So, I want to lay down this rule now. Whatever I say, you must follow without hesitation. Stick to the plan, but if it all goes to shit, then don’t be afraid to burn it all down.”

  Machua watched as Lemuel placed his fist onto her chest. She could almost feel her heart react to it, beating harder.

  “Most importantly, when you don’t know what to do, believe in your own heart. Your drive and determination will push you forward.”

  “… Right!” Machua exclaimed.

  ———————————————————————

  “What took you so long?” Machua’s brother asked her. He had been waiting in her apartment for a while now.

  “I was…” Machua began with a singsong tone, but when she noticed something was up, she stopped. “Is that…”

  “Does it-“

  “That’s a lot of concealer,” Machua pointed out. She took a closer look at his face. He never wore this much makeup around her.

  Machia flinched. “It’s nothing. Anyway.”

  “I can see the handprint.”

  “Ignore that,” Machia said quickly.

  “Aw, you made a girl angry and she slapped you? Not gonna tell me who it was?”

  Machia deeply sighed. “If you must know, it was Carmine. We had our duel.”

  “I thought she wanted me as a referee.”

  Machia shrugged. “Wouldn’t surprise me if she wanted to force another duel on me cause you weren’t around. Anyway. You’re late.”

  “Sorry, sorry.”

  “Does it have something to do with the big briefcase you have now?” He pointed to it.

  “It’s a surprise-“

  “They’re block tonfas from Lemuel.”

  “Aw man, why’re you so good at this?” Machua gave up and placed the briefcase on a table. She opened it up to reveal the block tonfas.

  “They’re strong,” he remarked.

  “Of course they are.”

  “You’ll have to actually carry these around, you know? You’ll have to go get a custom fitted belt so you can holster these on your hip. Or you could carry the big briefcase everywhere.”

  “Way to be negative.”

  “On a related note…” Machia reached down to grab his own box. “I got you these.”

  Machia placed the box on the table. It was lavishly designed, with intricate art of roses on the cover. At the top was the brand name: Walestein.

  “Oh! You got me my own pair!”

  Machua excitedly opened up the shoebox to find a very fashionable pair of Walestein shoes. Inside the box, she found that there was a notecard as well. The notecard was handwritten and addressed to ‘My loyal customer.’

  “To my loyal customer, I thank you for your many purchases of our products. Rarely do I come across someone such as you who enjoy-“

  “Oh, that’s probably for me,” Machia reached out and grabbed the notecard.

  Machua didn’t let go though. “If time is kind to both of us…”

  “Hey, that’s private!”

  “I would be happy to meet you personally to express my thanks…”

  “Machu!”

  “With sincerity and devotion, Rose Walestein,” Machua finished, finally letting go.

  “You must really love this brand to get a personal invitation to meet its owner,” Machua teased.

  “A man can have a shoe collection,” Machia defended.

  “So, you gonna go meet this Rose Walestein then hm…?”

  “Stop.”

  “Okay, okay. Thanks for the gift, Machi. I’ll make sure to wear it lots.”

  “You better. It’s battle equipment. Walestein’s expensive exactly cause it’s suitable for battle and fashionable. I made sure to pick a design that doesn’t stand out, but should still fit with your tastes,” Machia went on with his explanation as usual.

  “I get it, I get it. Let’s go make some dinner already.”

  Machia chuckled at her exasperation. The two quickly got to work. It was a spaghetti and pizza night for them, so one of them got busy making the pasta and the other made the pizza. It didn’t take long for them to be finished. And it also didn’t take long for them to finish the food.

  “Do you have everything planned out?” Machia asked.

  “Yeah. We have the pairings done and we trained together as duos today. That’s why it went so late,” Machua said as she munched on the crust of a pizza. “You know, Rasa and Miko have surprising synergy.”

  “Wait, if they’re paired up, I know you’re pairing with Toolbox, then,” Machia squeezed his eyes. “You can’t have paired Plu up with Carmine.”

  “I thought that was gonna be trouble too, but they actually make it work. Mostly cause Plu doesn’t let herself fall behind. She’s had to push herself a lot,” Machua spoke with pride. “I think she’s still making some specialty bug summons right now.”

  “Tomorrow’s gonna be another important training session, so she better get a good night’s sleep,” Machia advised.

  “Her pa’s Lemuel, he’ll make sure she goes to bed on time.”

  “Really? Workaholic Lemuel?” He repeated the words of someone they both knew.

  “Point taken.” Machua quickly texted Plue with a reminder not to sleep too late.

  “Oh, right,” Machua began nonchalantly. “I’m thinking of introducing you to my friends tomorrow.”

  Machia nearly spat out his drink.

  “What’s the problem?”

  “The day before the big operation…?” Machia forced out amidst some choking noises.

  “Yeah.”

  “That’s… awfully fast to spring on me. And them.” Machia almost couldn’t believe it.

  “I want to get it handled quickly. You should go and talk to Suka and Jingyun too, you know.”

  Machia closed his eyes in thought. “Maybe you’re right.”

  “It’ll be fine. Don’t be scared of them. They’re still the same Yoona and Naiya you know.”

  “… I’m sure they are.”