The tiny spherical object, just over an inch wide, continued to float forward, as the crowd called Yoichi’s name and his companion stood next to him, complimenting him.

“Screek?” Kenji asked, drawing the attention of its master as if it wanted an explanation for that phenomenon, seeing the red particle move in its direction. ​​

Yoichi lowered himself towards his pet, ready to explain to him what had just happened, but the grass under his feet began to move strangely as if going against the direction of the wind: small incisions, similar to subtle scratches damaged the homogeneous grass and filled with blood, taking the form of letters.

“Oh, no… what’s going on now?” Yoichi mumbled, knowing he was the only one who could see that strange writing as if it was part of a daydream.

“Mission Complete: Defeat a demon.

Reward: + 1 extra exp pont”

“Hey, Yoichi, are you all right? Do you have low blood pressure? Do you want some water?” Enatsu inquired, touching a shoulder of his friend, still crouching on the ground.

“No, no… don’t worry about me, Enatsu. I’m just checking that Kenji doesn’t have any injuries,” Yoichi explained, having ascertained that the blood writing that appeared on the grass was not visible to anyone other than him.

When he looked up again at the red drop transudate from Kato’s chest, it began to vibrate and fold, flattening itself like a disc and then thinning vertically, as if a pair of invisible forces were acting on both sides, pulling it outwards and then crushing it inwards.

After a few seconds, it split into two drops of the same color and size, which kept the ‘mother drop’ trajectory and got even closer to Kenji, who stood still and sat, wagging with its tail.

To the surprise of Yoichi, Kenji bowed its head and closed its eyes: both red drops, or the experience points resulting from that fight, touched its head, right in the middle of the two small black horns, permeating through the scales, as if they had been absorbed into them.

The writing under his eyes quickly changed, moving the grass and regenerating the previously damaged earth.

“Kenji: (2/5 pts – level 4)”

This time, after a few moments, useful to Yoichi to read the whole sentence, it disappeared with a gust of wind, and the grass reappeared before his feet as if by magic.

“Well, what can I say… I’m impressed, Yoichi! Actually, you surprised everyone! No one expected you to be able to defeat a tamer as famous as Kato!” Enatsu rejoiced again, who soon after knelt next to his friend and whispered in his ear, “he doesn’t seem to be taken it very good. Maybe you should go and tell him something to cheer him up.”

Yoichi looked at his opponent and got up, starting to walk towards him, still motionless on his knees. “Kato!” he said, drawing his attention discreetly.

Kato did not answer, resting his hands on his legs and standing up, cleaning his black leather pants dirty with mud.

Yoichi’s arm was stretched forward, and his hand entered Kato’s field of view in a gesture of friendship, drawing his gaze.

“I was incredibly lucky to face a tamer like you. It was an honor!” Yoichi smiled, ready to shake his hand despite his opponent’s reluctance.

Kato’s eyes framed Yoichi first, then the audience, knowing that he would probably be labelled as an honorless tamer if he did not accept the defeat without remorse. Against all odds, his hand grabbed that of the young farmer, clutching it and gaining the crowd’s favour.

Pretending to act in friendship, the blue-haired tamer pulled Yoichi’s arm towards him, as if he wanted to whisper something in his ear, while the other hand was resting on his shoulder, to show the audience how much he cared to compliment a novice tamer who had been able to beat him in combat.

“Next time we see each other, I’ll kill you and your Nekage. Have a good one!” he muttered, patting Yoichi on the shoulder and smiling at him, remarking on the anger he was feeling and showing his desire for revenge.

“Good! Well done!”

“Accept the defeat, Kato! You’re not unbeatable!”

Despite the false smile of the Tamer of the Guild of Emperor’s Heralds, the people who witnessed that gesture began shouting words at him as if the fact that he had been defeated gave them the right to judge him.

Yoichi, left speechless after what he was told, let go of his hand and walked away from him, who, after greeting the crowd with another false smile, turned back and began to walk, reaching the main road and moving away from Ambershire.

“Yoichi!” Enatsu called, who seemed to be much more attentive and caring towards him after his victory. “What did he say in your ear? From your expression, it looked like nothing good!”

“He told me that the next time we’ll meet again, he will kill Kenji and me,” he replied, beginning to walk to the crowd separating him and Enatsu from the entrance to the small golden borough.

“Eh?! And you say it like that?! How can you be so calm?! Dammit… I knew he wouldn’t take it well… the Guilds tamers are always very proud and hate losing battles, especially against the rookies!” Enatsu despaired, touching his forehead and following Yoichi. “Rather… can you explain to me what kind of skill you used? I don’t know Kenji’s level, but… during their first evolution, Nekages can’t create such strong power-ups! You… you knew that before you even faced Kato, didn’t you?”

Yoichi sighed, watching Kenji as he walked proudly on its little black paws. “Do you want the truth? I had absolutely no idea! Hahahah!”

“What?! I can’t believe it!”

“I swear! I just did what you told me. I thought about Kenji’s skill and then the points of my body that I wanted to upgrade. It was enough to order it to strengthen my hands and… puf! Both my arms have become as hard as rocks!” Yoichi chuckled, touching his nape embarrassed.