"Huh?" Joker's eyebrows raised, his eyes clouded in disbelief. Sweat began to break out on his forehead as he tried to absorb the information. ”You… fell for me?”
“…”
Jarek nodded silently. Her cheeks were red, her dog ears were folded back and her hand was holding the tail wrapped around her waist. She looked away to avoid Joker's surprised eyes.
“…Are you sure you weren't given a drug or spell by someone?” Joker looked straight at Jarek's face, he also snorted and sniffed to see if there was any suspicious smell.
“N-no, not at all!” The Shapechanger girl shook her head vigorously. “It's purely my feelings!”
“…You are definitely someone widely known and not often hated.” The black haired boy widened his eyes and didn't understand the logic behind this. “How the hell would you like someone as antisocial, weird, and annoying as me?”
“Um… please calm down!” Jarek's dog ears perked up, she raised her arms forward, hoping the Joker would calm down.
" I need an explain." Joker took a deep breath and leaned his back against the wall again.
“Actually… I admired your determination and kindness from the beginning. Courage, responsibility, desire to change yourself, help those who see it in front of you. Not caring about fame, fortune, money, or love, so mature but also heavy for someone so young..." Jarek looked at his own hands clasped together in embarrassment. “Also… knowing that you are an immortal, it makes me want to be with you even more.”
“…Thank you for being honest with me.”
Joker stroked his forehead as he tried to consume information. By now, he understood Jarek's motives. From her moving in to be his neighbor, from changing her appearance to suit his preferences, to always trying to teach him, giving him gifts and being close to him. All of that is because he wants to win trust and love from Joker.
“Being close to someone with a short lifespan like a bug, a mouse, or a dog or cat, that would be a tragedy.” Joker draws parallels to what Jarek encountered. “…For someone who has certainly lived a long life, they will have to encounter many moments of separation… I can somewhat understand that feeling.”
"…So?" Jarek looked up, her dog ears perked up, waiting for the boy's answer.
“…If you're that serious, I have to respond seriously too. After all, I still owe you, and I want to avoid something like that with Yong happening again.” The black-haired boy looked straight into his opponent's golden eyes. “I may disappoint you, but I will do everything I can, because I'm still just a kid not yet 20 years old. Even so, will you still wait?”
“It's okay ~.” Hearing that, Jarek showed a relieved smile. She wiped away the tears that flowed from the corner of her eyes. “So… where should we start?”
“I'm not an expert on this.” Joker closed his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows. ”And I don't think that fantasy love story knowledge will really work.”
“Fantasy is a lie to tell the truth.” Jarek smiled, she gently leaned forward and took the boy's hand. "Your heart knows what to do, don't let worry and low self-esteem weigh on your heart."
" … Really." The black-haired boy took a deep breath to clear his thoughts. ”And you chose a teenage boy with strange tastes.”
“Heheh, you will soon become a great man~.” the Shapechanger giggled. ”And I will do my best to receive your love~.”
“So… should we start by getting to know each other and going on a date?” Joker scratched his cheek and suggested the simplest method.
“Or if you have any needs, I can help~.”
Jarek excitedly approached. She lifted Joker's hand and placed it on her chest, her other hand created a rope connecting to the pet's collar. Her dog's tail once again seemed to come to life and wiggled continuously.
"…Huh?" Joker blinked a few times in confusion again.
“This is the simplest way to strengthen relationships. Even Bonobos do this to resolve conflicts and greet each other ~.” The Shapechanger girl spoke out her discovery with a very innocent smile. In theory, this should work.
“…We should start with a healthier relationship than just physical…”
Joker withdrew his hand, he sighed heavily but also somewhat relieved. Jarek actually approached him not for any dangerous reason but simply because he wanted to build a relationship. But now, a problem arose. For someone as cautious and aloof as the Joker, this strange connection is an emotional maze, a battlefield that he has never encountered before.
--- Noon, a few hours ago in London, England---
In the middle of a room full of extremely sturdy one-way mirrors was an iron human-shaped object. Under the bright light of the room, Allan was standing a distance away from the iron figure. He was already in his armor, his back straight, his gaze focused on the doll and waiting.
[Okay, let's control the target!]
The speaker announced a man's voice. The iron doll now comes to life and begins to move. It stomped its feet on the cold floor, causing the ground to shake. His heavy body rushed towards Allan, like an unstoppable tank. The iron fist was raised, ready to crush the iron-armored British boy.
Boom
With amazing reflexes, Allan leaned to the side, avoiding the attack that hit his chest. In just a blink of an eye, he locked the doll to the floor, not giving it a chance to resist. The young man's strong arm pressed tightly against the back of his opponent's neck, his knee pressed against his back, and his other hand twisted the iron arm back.
[It's okay! Now retreat 10 meters.]
The loudspeaker announced again, the doll was completely motionless. Following the command, Allan stood up and took a few steps back. The steamy sound of mechanical and electronic equipment rang out, and a metal wall with shooting targets rose from the floor. It was twice as tall as Allan, and its shiny metal layer made it look much sturdier than the robot doll just now!
[Let's accurately attack the stele -]
Bang bang bang
As soon as the announcement ended, Allan created a stun gun in his hand. He raised it and pulled the trigger, three shots causing three electric bolts to accurately hit the bull's eye of the shooting target! The sound of cold metal breaking rang out, followed by a hole in the stele, and a hole in the wall.
[Okay, now comes the final test.]
The man announced again. At this moment, the wall sank into the floor, and then rising from that place was a mechanical spider as tall as the wall before. It began to lift its pointed leg a few steps, the sound of metal scraping against the floor was extremely creepy. The whole floor also made vibrations from every step of that robot, the soles of Allan's feet could clearly feel the floor shaking! Its body flashed a red light as if warning of the danger it would bring. Behind the creature was a metal figure now bound by chains.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
[Final test, neutralize the spider or safely escape this room with the tied doll.] The man announced through the loudspeaker again.
Bang bang bang
Like before, Allan used the gun to fire a series of pre-emptive shots to suppress the spider robot. However, three bullets bounced off when they hit the target's shell.
Boom
The spider lunged forward and grabbed its front limbs. Although stronger than the previous Slime monster, the spider robot is not as fast. Because of that, Allan easily avoided the sharp, thorny legs. In his eyes, dodging them was much easier than dodging bullets in an FPS game. Successfully dodging six consecutive shots, the boy rushed towards the metal doll tied behind the spider. He lifted the doll onto one shoulder very gently, using the other hand to use the gun. Allan shot back and ran to the door of this training room entrance! The bullet didn't actually damage the spider, but it was enough to distract the target for a moment!
Boom
“Ugh!”
Allan suddenly fell to the ground. One of his legs was stabbed by a spider's leg and stuck to the floor. The attack did not cause too much damage to the boy's leg, but it was still not something that was easy to escape. Allan raised his gun to shoot back, the bullets were still not really effective, the robot spider did not budge no matter how many bullets he shot! Worse, now it was about to use its other leg to crush him or the doll!
“If the gun isn't enough, then add this!”
Kong
Allan used all his strength to bend his other leg and kick. Sparks flashed as the two metals collided, the sharp sound echoing throughout the room. The spider's legs were deflected away from its prey, and Allan was free. The boy stomped his feet to gain momentum to stand up and rush away at the same time. When the gun is no longer effective, all you can do now is run at full speed!
BAM
Quickly, the boy slammed the door open and closed it. Even though the spider couldn't get through a place much smaller than it, he still reflexively closed the door.
[The test is over.]
The loudspeaker announced the end of the test as Allan arrived at a smaller practice room. He placed the doll next to the wall, and he sat down and breathed a sigh of relief. Although it wasn't actual combat, this was only the third time Allan put on the armor and fought.
In an observation room beyond the one-way mirror, an Earthling man was sitting at a table with a Dwarf standing next to him. The two of them observed Allan throughout the examination.
“I heard you tell him to take the hardest test. At first I thought you were crazy, who would have thought this would be the result.” The Earthling man wearing glasses rubbed his chin and commented.
“This guy fought something crazier yesterday.” The bearded Dwarf man in police uniform, who had met Allan before, commented.
“Someone like that I've never heard of, it's like he suddenly appeared out of nowhere.” The male examiner looked at his colleague and commented. And the fact that he has the ability to fight the spider, but prioritizes saving people first. Temperament and qualities are both very good.”
"Right." The police officer took a can of soda from the refrigerator underneath. Inside it was half filled with beer cans.
“You're so young and you have to hold so much power. I wonder if this is a blessing or a burden?” The judge's shoulders sagged slightly, his gaze directed down to the computer screen on the table. He looked at the form with Allan's picture on it.
“We don't have much choice.” The Dwarf man drank the can of soda in one gulp and then coughed. ”Monster started appearing more on the streets. Some people have gone missing without a cause being found. And now, there are more and more people with unusually high strength and amount of Raw Magic. Signs of instability appear more frequently than in the past decade."
“What do you mean…” the Earthling man narrowed his eyebrows and adjusted his glasses.
"Right." The bearded policeman placed the empty drink can on the table, so hard that it made the tabletop vibrate. He pursed his lips tightly, making it difficult for him to express the feelings weighing heavily in his heart. "This could be a sign that the disaster of two decades ago may happen again..."
“…It's too bad that we have to let the young people shoulder such heavy responsibility.” Looking at Allan on the other side of the screen who had stood up, the judge's chest was weighed down by guilt. He rubbed his miserable face, but didn't know what solution to offer.
“We all have to do everything we can.” The Dwarf man placed his hands on the table. He looked at the person on the other side of the screen. The light reflected off the screen, perhaps hope appeared in his eyes. “Furthermore, I believe in the future that will be brought about by the hands of people like this guy.”
--- In the waiting room---
In the rows of chairs waiting with the test takers, Allan was sitting there in his usual clothes, with a pair of headphones playing music on his head. In front of him was a female employee in an office suit. She gave the boy a piece of paper and a card.
“ …Eh, Level 10?” Holding the paper in his hand, Allan couldn't help but close his mouth. He took off his headphones, blinked a few times and reread the words on the paper several times. He looked up and asked the female employee. "There's no mistake at all!"
"No problem." The female employee smiled. ”Once again, congratulations on becoming a Hunter. I hope your work will go smoothly from here on out.”
"…Thank."
Allan nodded slightly, and then the female employee returned to her desk. Staring at the paper and Hunter's diploma card in his hand, he was bewildered in silence for a moment. Just received the test today and now you are considered among the strongest people in the world. This feeling made the British boy both extremely excited and at the same time find it too unreal! If this were a game, it would be absurd to just enter and reach the maximum level! Even so, when remembering yesterday's battle, Allan wondered if level 10 was really enough?
[Unlike the cowardly god Gruumsh who controls our powers. That god recognized and revealed it to me, and helped me unlock my power!]
The Slime monster's words echoed in Allan's mind. His terrifying development made the young man doubt what he had taken for granted. He wondered how much of that Monster's words were true?
“Mr. Allan ~.” From the direction of the hallway leading to the previous inspection room, Yona ran out and waved.
“Yona!” Allan stood up startled when he saw the presence of his robot sister. “Why are you here?”
“I came here to take the test like you!” Yona smiled brightly. The girl said it like she was doing something she was extremely proud of.
“Are you done checking?” Elina walked over from the staff reception desk.
“Eh, Elina too?” Allan turned around, he almost dropped both the paper and the Hunter diploma.
“Uhm, I just went to get ID cards for myself and Yona.” Elina looked at the paper and diploma in the boy's hand, she smiled understandingly. ”And congratulations on passing the test.”
“Ah… thank you.” The British boy looked at Elina and then at Yona, his heart filled with confusion. Unable to contain his overwhelming confusion, he asked Elina. “But… I thought… you didn't want Yona to fight anymore?”
“Mr. Allan?” Yona blinked a few times at her brother's complicated expression.
“It's true… it would be nice if Yona didn't have to fight or be in danger anymore.” Elina laughed bitterly.
“Don't worry, Allan! Even though I'm not the strongest robot, I will do my best to stand by your side!” Yona held Allan's hand tightly. The girl looked up and smiled, her smile was as bright as the sun. “As long as we are together, I believe we can overcome all difficulties!”
Yona is not that confident person. But standing before Allan, that robot girl, with all the courage in her heart, spoke sincere words. From a younger sister who needed protection, Yona is now strong, like a lighthouse in Allan's heart.
“Yona doesn't want to lose her beloved brother. I don't want my family to slip out of my hands again." The female doctor placed her hand on Allan's shoulder and stroked Yona's hair. “Regnall was certainly a wonderful gentleman, he raised a fine person like you. I can't replace him, but I can protect you with Yona, Allan."
“Yona… sister Elina…”
Allan's lips trembled slightly. Elina became the torchbearer to help him cross the dark forest of fear. The invisible weight in the boy's chest has been removed. The image of him having to walk alone on a long and difficult road has now changed. Next to him at this time were the silhouettes of a little girl and a young woman.
“Hah, if you both say so…” Allan flashed a toothy smile. Although there were a few tears in the corners of his eyes, his face was filled with happiness. “From now on we will help each other as a team, Yona, Elina!”
Both of them smiled back, as a way to celebrate with Allan. The name Slime was probably true, but that didn't matter anymore. Allan's heart was now burning with more determination than ever. It overwhelmed the cloud of doubt surrounding his mind. The desire to protect the family is much greater than the invisible and unfounded fear.
