Real Combat, Part 2

The trail went cold not too far away. It ended at a nearby abandoned building.

"Just as I thought, it has nothing to do with the White Tiger Gang," Libero said, pointing to the walls surrounding the building. "They usually leave warning marks around their territory. But this abandoned building is completely clean."

He quietly stepped inside. I followed him into the dilapidated structure. One step, two steps. Libero stopped in his tracks, pointed to a room ahead, and whispered, "Our target is in that room."

I gave him a look, silently asking if I could handle this myself.

"They aren't that strong. Strong enough to give you some decent practice, but nothing you can't handle. Go ahead."

Perfect. I had been itching for some action after doing nothing but trailing behind a ragged Libero. I pulled the Gravitus Replicant from my inventory and gripped its hilt.

"By the way, they're awake, but they haven't noticed us yet."

In that case, I didn't need Amyah. While its stealth function was excellent for assassinations, what I wanted to practice was swordsmanship, not murder. Besides, with Libero watching my back, I wanted to face my opponent head-on.

Shall we?

I raised my sword and cautiously stepped into the room. A lamp cast a dim, warm glow inside, throwing a flickering shadow against the wall.

A woman?

The silhouette was unmistakably female. But I couldn't afford to let my guard down just because of her gender. After all, both Gwen and Ersiala possessed talents that far surpassed my own.

The moment I took ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠another step forward—

"Who's there!"

Sensing my presence, the woman spun around. When I saw her face, I froze.

"You..."

I recognized her. She was the woman who had sat across from me in the carriage to Sak. We hadn't exchanged a single word back then, and I never imagined we would cross paths again like this.

"Well, look at that. You're the kid from the carriage."

She recognized me too. Though caught off guard for a second, she quickly regained her composure and sized me up. She noted that I was alone and armed, and quickly drew her conclusion.

"I get it. You joined the White Tiger Gang, didn't you?"

"The White Tiger Gang? What makes you say that?"

"I targeted a merchant under their protection. I thought I was being stealthy and hid myself well, but I guess not."

Of course, I had nothing to do with the White Tiger Gang. But her confession confirmed that she was indeed the thief who had robbed the merchant. In that case...

"Then you know why I'm here. Return the merchant's stolen goods immediately."

A smirk played on her lips. "And if I refuse?"

I expected as much. Closing the distance, I swung my sword. She drew a machete from her waist and blocked my strike.

"Then I'll have to take them back by force."

I twisted my blade and thrust it straight toward her. She pivoted, deflecting my sword with her machete. Her movements were agile, and her skills were surprisingly sharp.

"You're pretty good, kid," she muttered.

She seemed to think we were on equal footing. But she was sorely mistaken.

My A-rank Swordsmanship isn't just for show.

I didn't need Wind Authority or the gravity-manipulating abilities of the Gravitus Replicant. Relying solely on raw swordsmanship, I began to overwhelm her. It quickly turned into a completely one-sided exchange.

I've definitely grown.

I hadn't realized it while practicing alone, but the difference was night and day. Even without relying on any external powers, my body felt lighter than ever. The transitions between my strikes flowed seamlessly.

Of course, it was still only A-rank Swordsmanship. To those with even higher ranks, it might look like child's play, but it was more than enough to break this woman's spirit.

"W-Wait...!"

Driven back into a corner, the woman panicked and threw her machete to the ground, collapsing where she stood.

"Spare me! Just let me live, and I'll return all the stolen money! I swear I'll never do this again!"

Realizing she stood no chance, she began to beg desperately. I stood over her, pointing my blade at her throat as I pondered my next move.

If I had been the weaker one, she would have killed me without hesitation.

I had no desire to show mercy to those who harbored murderous intent toward me. However, she no longer possessed the will to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fight, let alone kill. As I hesitated, she began to pour her heart out, babbling excuses.

"Actually, I have a younger sibling back home in Basil. I only did this to feed them! But as long as I can go back alive, I don't care what I have to do. I'll farm, I'll do anything to get by..."

To be honest, I hadn't wanted to kill her from the start. She hadn't murdered the merchant; she had only robbed his shop. If she returned the stolen goods, the matter would be resolved. Killing her here wouldn't fix anything.

If it were Libero—or if I were still just a player—I would have killed her without a second thought.

Before ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I realized this world wasn't just a game, I wouldn't have felt a shred of sympathy for her. She would have been nothing more than a minor villain NPC. I wouldn't have hesitated for a second. After all, there was even a quest active for her right now.

A reward of 25 SP. To the old me, this woman would have been worth exactly 25 SP and nothing more. The ironic part was that the reason I was hesitating now was also because of those 25 SP. A human life versus 25 SP.

Almost everyone I had killed up to this point were enemies who would have killed me if I didn't kill them first. But this woman was different. She had already lost the will to fight. Her life rested entirely in my hands.

If I just kill her, I get 25 SP.

It would be so easy. All I had to do was swing my sword and sever her neck. But...

What am I even agonizing over?

Gwen's face flashed through my mind. Then Ersiala's, Wyss's, and Finn's. The people of this world weren't mere NPCs.

And I am no longer just a player.

It was true that losing out on 25 SP stung. But I didn't want to abandon my humanity for the sake of system points. Ultimately, I lowered my sword from her throat and spoke.

"No matter where you run, I can find you. So..." I pointed to the pile of the merchant's stolen goods. "Return those to where they belong with your own hands. I'll give you two days."

"Thank you! Thank you! I will never forget your mercy!"

The woman prostrated herself on the floor and began to sob. Watching her, I turned around. This should settle things nicely, I thought. But just then—

What?

Completely against my will, my grip on the sword tightened. My body spun around, facing the direction of the woman.

*Splat.*

With the sickening crunch of bone, a geyser of blood erupted from where the woman's head had just been. Her head rolled across the floor, her face frozen in an expression of sheer horror.

What in the world...

I couldn't comprehend what had just happened. Absolute Obedience had suddenly triggered, and as a result, I had slaughtered the very woman I had chosen to spare.

Why?

The crimson blood splattered everywhere. The cold reality of having taken a life crashed over me, and a torrent of questions flooded my mind. My thoughts spun out of control, paralyzing my brain and making ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my head swim. I...

At that moment, Libero walked into the room. He wore a highly satisfied expression.

"You're even better than I thought. I knew you were sharp, but you might actually be a genius when it comes to psychological warfare."

He pointed to the hand of the decapitated corpse. Clutched tightly in her fingers was the machete she had supposedly thrown to the ground.

"Pretending to spare her to test her true intentions... Even I was fooled for a second. I was about to step in to help, but you had already finished it."

No. I wasn't trying to trick her. This wasn't my doing.

"You were right about needing real combat experience."

His words barely registered. Absolute Obedience. That single phrase echoed endlessly in my mind. Whatever had just occurred, I knew with absolute certainty that I couldn't let it slide.

Following the incident with Absolute Obedience, I stopped participating in real combat. I was terrified of when the trait might trigger on its own again.

As I threw myself back into swordsmanship training in the basement, I pondered the situation. I could only come up with two hypotheses. The first was that Absolute Obedience possessed some hidden effect or condition I was unaware of. But even to me, that seemed highly unlikely.

No matter how close this world was to reality, the game-like mechanics—such as skills and traits—had always functioned strictly according to their descriptions. There was no reason for Absolute Obedience to suddenly deviate from its literal text.

Frankly, the second hypothesis was one I didn't even want to consider. I reviewed the description of Absolute Obedience once more.

A brief but definitive description. While I still felt cheated that this very text had tricked me into possessing Alan's body, its absolute nature was undeniable.

And that pointed to only one logical conclusion. I had subconsciously ordered myself to kill her. It was the most plausible explanation—and the one I least wanted to believe.

I don't know for sure yet.

The second hypothesis wasn't set in stone. I desperately wanted to believe that I hadn't harbored any desire to kill her. But there was absolutely no proof to support that.

My swordsmanship has hit a wall, and now Absolute Obedience is acting up.

I couldn't see a way out of either predicament.

Is there really no other choice?

There was a common saying among players: "If you're stuck, just throw yourself into a Trial."

In this context, "Trial" wasn't a metaphor; it referred to an actual in-game mechanic. Just like the Trial located near the Basil region, there was another one near Sak.

Honestly, just thinking about what I had endured during the last Trial made my skin crawl, but the rewards had been undeniable. I had gained the Wind Authority, which I used constantly since it consumed no mana. The Trial had also forged my bond with Gwen and granted me the Gravitus Replicant.

But most importantly, the Trial had allowed me to face my regrets and find the strength to move forward. It's overly optimistic to expect that level of success again, but...

I couldn't see any other path forward. I had put it off because training with Libero was my priority, but I could no longer afford to delay. There's nothing else for it. I have to go.