On The Other Side: I Quit Being Human

When you got engrossed in something, you tend to ignore time and your surroundings. I am so engrossed in honing my instinct, I have only realized that two days have passed since Kruff offered me to train me.

I initially expected the training to involve a better way to utilize my Mana Sense and countless of fights, but it is actually simpler than I thought: I just have to forget the fact that I can use Mana, and listen to my heart.

Well, at least, it sounds simpler than it actually is.

Kruff made me a field of obstacles. The obstacles are not visible, mind you, so it is basically a Magical version of landmine field where anywhere you step on may lead to your doom.

My job upon entering the field is only one: to not get injured. I have to dodge all of the obstacles that suddenly appear before my eyes, but without using my Mana Sense to detect them beforehand.

Kruff is a pretty talented Shaman—this is the way we call Monsters who know many Spells, and use Magic well. He made the obstacles with Magic, which means he has a quite vast knowledge in Magic and a good control over his Mana.

Despite so, instead of just making the Obstacle undetectable by Mana Sense using a Spell, he banned me from using Mana. He won't punish me if I use Mana though, because he is convinced I will be the one regretting it.

He is right. Had I used my Mana, I wouldn't be able to enjoy the benefit of having a good instinct.

Whoosh!

"Whew, that was close."

I have just dodged an earth spike that was shot from my right. I was already a few inches from it when it suddenly wheezed past me.

Did I predict it? No. Was I just lucky? No.

This is what makes instinct interesting. Like Kruff said, instinct will never sit well with you; there will be times when your instinct tells you to do questionable things. On top of this, more often than not, instinct always comes late.

It sounds silly, but the only way for your instinct to save you is to not question it.

How can you tell if it is instinct not just a weird urge? You may ask. I can't explain it well, but once you make a touch with instinct, you will never be able to forget it. When your instinct kicks in, you just know it's not a weird urge.

"Alright, that is it for today!" Kruff exclaims. "We have been here for 12 hours. You like training very much, don't you?" He chuckles.

"What? Are you tired already?" I ask mockingly.

"No, I am just hungry. Now, give me your deliciously fancy meal! I seriously can't stop craving for it ever since I ate it."

"Calm down. Let's have it together."

My routine is simple and repetitive. I wake up at 5 in the morning, take a bath with Valeria and Millonia, train with Kruff until 7 in the evening, and have a meal together with him at the open field, in other words, the Training Field.

Kruff loves Millonia's cook greatly, but he still thinks to this day that I am the one who made it. It makes me wonder what his reaction will be if I tell him Millonia has always been the one who cooked the food.

"So, how many will you fight today?" Kruff asks as he munches on the turkey's drumstick that is just as thick as his arm. "How confident are you in your growth?"

"I didn't know I could decide how many people I wanted to fight," I retort dryly. "Twenty, at most."

"Kuhum! You have only fought twice without knowing how many Warriors you would fight. Don't sweat over it."

After having our meal, Kruff always brings me to the Arena to fight against the other Warriors. It is a battle royale, but rather than training my instinct, it is meant to train my fighting skills now.

I get a lot of power-ups too, so it is very beneficial.

The only downside about it is that I always end up destroying the Arena. Valeria is not very amused about it after the first one, so yesterday she was there watching over me fixing the Arena with the Rune inscribed there.

It is more exhausting than a physical training; because it drains not only my Mana, but also my mental energy. It is bearable, but I don't think I want to ever find myself that sluggish again.

"Don't be afraid to cause a mess," Kruff says.

"I knew you would say that, so I have told Lady Valeria that the two of us would be responsible for the mess I might cause later," I respond calmly.

"Haha. Someone is flexing his instinct."

Shrugging nonchalantly, I ask Kruff something that I am curious about. "You know, I asked the others about you, and they said you were never involved in a big fight. Is that why you can still keep your 'Flawless Orc' title?"

"Hmm... That is not true, but it is not wrong either. I have been involved in a big fight, but it is not as big as the one the others had," he explains. "The reason why I can still keep my title, though, is because I know who to fight."

"Weaker opponents?"

"No, it's the strong opponents who I can take out without hurting myself much." Kruff thumps his chest twice, and adds, "I only fight those whom my instinct deems okay."

"Instinct can't make you invincible, huh? That's fair I guess."

"You can avoid a lot of danger using your instinct, but when it is already before you, you just have to do your best to triumph or simply survive. In this world, you can't do anything against an absolute power."

"Hmm... I think I finally got when you said I had to know when I need to ignore my instinct." I nod my head slowly. "Even though your heart tells the truth, there is no guarantee your body will prevail."

"For the first time, I can understand your cryptic words," Kruff remarks.

Instinct works in a weird way. It is the message that Nature sends you—it is never wrong, but you can't always go with it.

Supposed you were running through a Forest. Your instinct told you there was salvation ahead, but you could see there was also a danger ahead.

It wouldn't tell you how to face the danger—it would only give you a warning about it, and told you why you should proceed. In case that you messed up, your doom is a sure thing.

Although your instinct is telling your the truth, in the end, you will still be the one who decided whether you could survive or die. This is why you can't be over-reliant on your instinct; you need to be able to think and decide when to choose your instinct over your logic.

"Alright, let's go to the Arena!" After we finished eating, Kruff immediately drags me to the Arena, which is just 600-feet away. "You know, I will let you fight against a couple of Fifth Wings this time."

"I hope you know that a couple mustn't be over 20% of the entire population."

"Ah, forget that. I am too stupid to count."

In my first battle royale, none of the Warriors are actually in the Fifth Wing Rank. Three of them are Fourth Wing Warriors, meanwhile the rest of them are Third Wing Warriors.

The reason why they could fight so well was, as I already expected, [Sanguitionem]. It is the Demonic version of [Virimisce] that allows you to combine your power with your partner(s) by establishing a Blood Link.

You just have to gulp a drop of each other's blood for it to work. Although it doesn't work as well as [Virimisce], it can be activated in an instant, so it is better than [Virimisce] that needs a long activation time.

"Woah... Here he comes, boys. We are going to have a great show!"

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Decorate the Arena with gore!"

"Woohoo! Who is going to die today?"

Upon entering the Arena, the Warriors sitting in the audience seat cheer loudly. I heard from Kruff that some of them even cut the day they should spend with their family at home just to come here, which is why the audience seat is really full of them.

"That Goblin kid is barely even bigger than a three year old. I don't think it's part of good parenting to let your kids watching a brutal duel," I mutter to myself.

"Layland." Kruff puts his hand on my shoulder. "Some of the most outstanding Fifth Wings and a special guest will participate, so don't hold back. When your instinct screams at you, immediately get serious."

"Who is the special guest?"

"Well... I don't know either." Kruff looks solemn. "Anyway, just do your best, and only bend your knee when you die!"

'Something big must be going to happen—I am sure about it,' I think as I walk to the center of the Arena. 'The outcome will depend on how well I perform, and I have a feeling this will be one of the hardest fights I will ever have.'

Risking my life has never been my hobby, but after cutting so many heads, I can't just get full of the stimulation of battle.

"Damn... It's exhilarating."

My heart thumps loudly as I see the faces of the twenty Warriors whom I have to fight. Valeria is among them.