It wasn’t because he grew scared. No, perhaps that really was the reason.

Climb swallowed his saliva once and then hesitated. The surroundings were dominated by a brief silence, quiet enough to hear the noises in the distance.

“Whether you survive is up to you… If you have something that you hold dear, a reason to crawl forward and cling onto your life, you will be fine.”

Was he not going to teach him about martial arts?

Despite such questions that rose to his mind, that was not the problem at hand. Understanding what Sebas’ words meant, he accepted it and gave his reply.

“I am prepared. I leave myself in your care.”

“Do you mean that you have the confidence to not die?”

Climb shook his head, that wasn’t it.

It was because in his heart, Climb always carried with him a reason to cling onto life, even if he had to crawl on the floor.

Sebas nodded deeply, as if he had read what was in Climb’s heart by looking into his eyes.

“I understand. Then I will start the training here.”

“Here?”

“Yes. It will only take a few minutes. Please raise your weapon.”

What was he trying to do? With his mind filled with anxiety and confusion over the unknown and a faint glimmer of expectation and curiosity, Climb drew his sword.

The sound of the blade sliding from its sheath rang out through the narrow alleyway.

Sebas quietly stared as Climb assumed a middle stance.

“Then I will begin. Concentrate.”

And in the next moment—

—With Sebas at the center, it seemed as if blades of ice had shot out in every direction.

Climb could no longer speak.

A vortex of bloodlust was whirling around with Sebas at the center.

Energy that was so dense that its color became visible crashed into him like a raging wave, making his heart feel as if it would explode in an instant. He thought that he heard a sound like a soul screaming as it was being crushed. It sounded as if it was coming from right by his side, a place far away, or perhaps from his own mouth.

As he was engulfed by the black stream of bloodlust, Climb felt his consciousness become dyed in white. The fear was so enormous that his mind was letting go of its consciousness in order to ignore the situation.

“…Is this all that a ‘man’ amounts to? This is only a warm-up.”

In Climb’s fading consciousness, Sebas’ disappointed voice sounded needlessly loud.

The meaning of those words lodged themselves deeply into Climb’s mind, deeper than any blade. It was enough to very briefly let him forget the fear that was crashing into him from the front.

Thump. His heartbeat grew louder.

“Haaa!!”

Climb released a large breath of air.

His eyes were wet with tears and despite being so frightened that he wanted to run, he endured. The hands grasping the sword trembled and the tip of blade shook as if it had gone insane. The trembling that ran through his whole body caused his chain shirt to clink loudly.

However, Climb gritted his rattling teeth and tried to endure Sebas’ bloodlust.

Seeing his unsightly appearance, Sebas wore a sneer and slowly formed a fist with his right hand that was right in front of Climb’s eyes. After a few blinks, the ball-like fist was completed.

Like setting an arrow to a string, the fist was slowly pulled backwards.

Even as he stood there trembling, Climb realized what was about to occur and shook his head side to side. Needless to say, his signal did not affect Sebas.

“Then… die.”

Like an arrow exploding from a taut string, Sebas’ fist flew at him with the sound of it cutting the air.

—This will be an instant death.

Climb realized this as time slowed down. It looked as if an enormous steel ball even taller than himself was hurtling towards him at a fierce speed. His mind was filled with the image of this complete, absolute death. Even if he were to raise his sword and use it as a shield, it will be easily shattered by the fist.

His body did not even budge. The enormous anxiety rendered it completely stiff.

—There was no way to escape the death in front of his eyes.

Climb gave in to his fate and at the same time, became angry with himself.

If he could not give his life for Renner, why didn’t he just die back then? It would have been better for him to die alone, shivering in the cold rain.

In his eyes, he saw Renner’s beautiful face.

It is said that when people are close to death, they see their life flash before their very eyes. It is the effect from the brain searching the past memories for a way to escape the situation. Still, he found it slightly amusing that the last thing he saw was the smile of his master whom he loved and respected.

That’s right. What Climb saw was Renner’s ‘smile’.

Soon after she saved his life, the young Renner did not show her smile. When did she start smiling?

He could not remember. However, he did recall seeing her smile shyly.

If she knew of Climb’s death, would that smile be destroyed? Like the dark clouds that block off the sun?

—Don’t make me laugh!

Anger surged from the bottom of Climb’s heart.

She was the one who saved the life that was tossed out on the side of the road. If so, his life was not his own. This body was for Renner, to grant her even the smallest form of happiness—

There has to be a way to get out of this—!

The chains of fear were shattered by the manifestation of an intense emotion.

His hands moved.

His legs moved as well.

The eyes that were about to close shut were opened wide. He tried desperately with the naked eye to detect the ultrahigh speed fist heading his way.

All of the senses in his body were pushed to their limit, to the point where he could even feel the air’s vibrations.

Like how people display superhuman strength at the scene of a fire, during an emergency, the brain releases the safety placed on the muscles and allows them to display a strength that would otherwise be impossible.