God of Tricksters

*Pant!*

*Pant!*

Felix was panting while using his sword as a support to hold his body up. He looked at the small black monster in front of him, feeling useless.

The sky was dark as the rain kept pouring down.

The monster looked down on him, provoking him again. "What's wrong? Are you done here? If you're too tired, you can go rest, but that's the end of the training."

"I'm still not done." Felix gritted his teeth, straightening his back again. After another deep breath, he charged toward the monster.

The latter smirked and raised his black sword. They were exactly the opposite of each other.

Felix's sword was covered in warm and bright light, while the monster's sword was wrapped in the gloomy and cold darkness.

When their swords clashed, the light shone even brighter, trying to illuminate the sword. However, the darkness grew even stronger and devoured the light itself.

"You still can't do it. I still feel the emptiness in your light. That's why I can devour that light easily." The monster shouted.

"Yes!" Felix gathered even more power while closing his eyes to concentrate all his focus on this power. He waved his sword again, but the darkness soon devoured the light, causing Felix to deplete most of his power.

The monster looked at Felix and asked, "Still, why are you so adamant about this kind of attack? It doesn't feel like you at all. At first, you were kind of interesting, considering your attack pattern was random and so fluid that it could overwhelm many opponents. But this time, you only focused on one swing."

"I need to pour all my power into one attack so that I can eliminate my enemy in rapid succession. That's why all that light goes to my sword." Felix gritted his teeth, still unable to do it after long training.

"No, you don't understand me. If you already have a formula, why would you change that when you're in a rush? You've worked in that direction for a long time, so there's no reason for you to change it. An overwhelming light at one spot can indeed cause a fire, but a dispersed light can illuminate an entire area." The monster furrowed his eyebrows. "I can see that your power isn't complete, but I don't think you can defeat me with this half-baked power."

Felix looked down, unable to answer him.

Meanwhile, the monster continued, "What are you doing right now? You should know you are the one asking me to train you, but you don't seem to take any of my advice."

Felix bit his lips and recounted the memory from a few months ago.

He was sitting in front of a huge monster covered in black layer that hid its identity. The monster asked, "So, why do you want to meet me, human? It seems that my wife has sent you here. According to her, you are my friend's assistant."

"I want to get stronger. The way I am right now… don't deserve to follow him. I'm far too weak. That's why I'm seeking strength from you." Felix answered, looking at the monster with a serious expression.

"Do you know how absurd it is for you to ask me to train you?" The monster released his strength, angry at Felix.

However, Felix didn't back down. He glared back and stated, "If I don't become stronger, he might die in the future. His strength is unfathomable, but if I am content with the way I am right now while he trusts me this much… I feel like I'll become his weakness. I don't want the enemy to use me to kill him!"

"And do you think I care?"

"You care! Not only do you have an agreement with him, but you can make me owe you too!"

"Don't think too highly of yourself, human. You are nothing before me."

"That's true… I am not that good in your eyes, but it'll be different in the future. If this is not enough, then I'll be threatening you."

"Hoh? A mere human dare to threaten me?"

"If you don't train me, he'll die in a few months. After all, his opponent is not a weak person this time… It's the 8th strongest person in the world. If I can't even fight against someone like you, he'll be overwhelmed from many sides."

"8th strongest person in the world?" The monster fell silent for a moment and said, "That's certainly something that can threaten me. But what can I get from this? The fact that I spare your life from your audacity alone is enough for you to owe me."

"If you agree to train me, after this matter is over, I'll be begging him to go to meet you so that you can fight. I'm sure that you have been waiting for a long time."

The monster paused again. "That's indeed tempting even for me. I can train you, but you need to answer two of my questions. The first question is… I can see that your sword has become dull. You should have reached the end of your path, but there seems to be something that drives you forward. What is that?"

"He needs someone he can trust. Someone who can keep up with him. That's why I have promised him that I will become his sword… and he takes me in, a person who only knows how to kill.

"That's why if the enemy is stronger than me, I'll become even stronger and kill them. If he dies, I'll gladly kill the king of hell so that I can drag him back. For that, I need strength."

The monster then asked the second question. "And do you think you deserve that strength? You, who have abandoned your sword and made it dull…"

Felix clenched his fists as he glared at the monster, stating with conviction. "If someone says I don't deserve it, I'll kill them no matter who they are!"

The monster smirked as if he was amused by this answer. He rose from his seat and declared out loud, "Fine by me. In the name of the ruler of ice, I, the Dark King, shall train you!"