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Now, many would think that he was being naive for trusting someone so unconditionally. But, for him, there is always a type of people in this world that you can be certain they will never do low-handed stuff like snitching or betrayal. Their auras, demeanor, characters, and everything about them make you believe that they are not people to do that.

Elise was one of that kinds, she was an honest, straightforward, and very frank person who doesn\'t care about how people see her. She just does what she thinks is right and moves on, not looking back and only gazing forward.

She was very prideful and someone who doesn\'t resort to scummy moves just to get what she wanted. That\'s why she turned out to be an extremely capable person who excelled in many areas. He was sure that if she ever ended up in a situation where betraying him would benefit her, she would never do that. Not because Rin was that important to her but because that will be an insult to her pride.

That\'s why, telling her his thoughts was like throwing them in a deep well, never to be seen again by anyone else.

After a long time, Rin finally finished what happened and then sighed and looked up at the bright moon with a complicated gaze.

"I was this close to death… this close! And all I can do is childish things like that. If whatever happened didn\'t happen, you won\'t be talking to me right now. It pisses me off how easily I can be sent to my grave no matter how much I try to become stronger. All it takes is a swing of a sword or a hit from a magic attack and I\'m done for."

Clenching his fists, he continued.

"I don\'t want to be a hindrance to anyone, especially you. It frustrates me to think I can bring trouble to the ones around me without even being able to try and properly fix it. It\'s stupid. That\'s why I came here just to try and vent some of my frustration. It\'s a cowardly move, I know. But, I was boiling inside and I knew that if I stayed like that, I would be still having dark thoughts."

Finally, after ending his long monologue, he waited for Elise to reply. But, she didn\'t speak instantly, instead, silence took over the place.

He was ready for all kinds of criticisms and he frankly wanted to hear that just to feel that he was right. He wanted someone to say \'Yes, you are weak, you lack what it takes. But, you have to keep working harder to overcome that weakness\' or something along those lines.

But, what Elise said next was completely different from what he was anticipating.

"You are really stupid, Rin."

"... huh?" He couldn\'t stop a weird sound from escaping his mouth. He was just that confused by her words.

"You sometimes amaze me by how idiotic you could be. It\'s a talent." She said with a flat tone.

\'I\'m stupid?\' Rin didn\'t know whether to laugh or cry at that moment.

"The fact that you are blaming yourself for something like this is idiotic. Why do you think we reached this place and we are sitting here, in the middle of a beast-filled forest, and talking normally even though a monster could attack us at any second and kill us?"

"..."

"It\'s called \'progress\'. In the time we spent here, we progressed from being completely powerless to some people capable of defeating creatures tens of times our size with ease. We worked hard and gained strength and that strength translated into real-life results. That\'s what we did and that\'s how it should be. We progress, step by step to reach a new milestone before aiming for another milestone. We can\'t get instant strength to decimate a world, we get it through time and dedication. We can\'t win against anything in a moment, we have to walk to the top and face troubles before doing so."

Then, she pointed her finger at Rin.

"But, what you are doing right now is called \'greed\'. I frankly hate that word because it was one of the reasons I lost everything at some point. You are being greedy." She said with a clear frown on her mesmerizing face.

"Fear of being a hindrance to others? I will tell you this. If you were a hindrance, I won\'t be letting you into my plans at all. I am not someone who tolerates useless weight."

Rubbing her temples, she shook her head as if she was disappointed by something.

However, instead of feeling insulted, Rin was just purely impressed and also ashamed. Elise had pointed out his flawed thinking so easily and so decisively that he could only look at his old self and have the urge to slap him across the face and then spit on him. He was just caught in that dramatic moment and he continued along with it.

It was indeed stupid to think that being weak right now is a mistake. He was working hard and getting stronger quickly. However, until he becomes strong enough, meeting stronger people is only a given, and getting his ass handed to him is also a given.

\'I\'m such a dramatic idiot.\' He chuckled.

"I\'m sorry. I was maybe caught in the moment and ended up blaming myself for all of this."

"The contrast between your smart thinking and the occasional idiotic ideas you come up with is something worthy of contemplating. Let me ask you a question… Who is stronger, me or you?" She asked.

"... I have no idea." He said after thinking for a moment.

Rin had never really fought Elise before so he could only give a vague answer. He also knew that Elise was extremely strong.

"Well, you have no idea because we never sparred before. So how about this, me and you, let\'s fight, right here, right now."

"Now?" He asked.

"Yes, a clean fight, no abilities, no weapons, nothing. Just raw strength and technique."

\'Why is she doing this?\' Rin asked himself as he looked at her suspiciously.

However, it was sometimes really hard to determine what Elise was thinking so he quickly gave up and nodded his head.

"Fine… I don\'t know what you are trying to do but I don\'t mind." He said as he stood up.

The two then stood face to face with a small distance between them.

"We don\'t need to make our attacks connect. If a punch was aimed straight to a vital or a weak point and one of us couldn\'t defend it, that\'s the end of the fight as it\'s a loss."

"I understand."

After that, Rin took a fighting pose and focused on Elise. The latter also took a stance. Taking the opportunity, Rin dashed toward Elise before sending a punch toward her stomach. He was ready to top the fist any moment in case she didn\'t block it or dodge it.

But, Elise simply extended her hand and stopped his fist. Her arm shook a little bit and she frowned for a moment but quickly regained her neutral expression. Then, she twisted his arm and tried to throw him to the other side in a classic karate move.

Rin couldn\'t stop her and ended up in the air. But, he quickly adjusted his body and landed on his legs before he made a sliding tackle toward her open legs.

Elise was barely able to avoid the tackle as she jumped in the air. After that, she punched Rin\'s face. Her attack was precise and vicious, aiming straight for his jaw.

\'Fast!\' Rin thought as he bent his head back, barely passing her fist.

But, instantly, he found himself the target of a kick.

\'She\'s really not joking.\' He frowned a little bit before he started getting more serious than before.

Putting both of his arms to the side, he blocked the kick. The hit almost made him lose his balance. But, he quickly recovered and retreated a few meters.

"We are equal," Elise said.

"Seems to be the case. I never really thought we are that far anyway so it\'s not a surprise."

"It\'s not over yet. It\'s only over when one of us loses."

*Swish*

The two then dashed toward each other and clashed powerfully. The trees around them shook as a strong gush of air blew the leaves and rustled the grass. Under the moonlight, two individuals fought against each other for the sake of nothing except to share fists.

A pure fight that had no malicious intent behind it.

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