Hitler's eyelids twitched uncontrollably upon hearing this. Even a warrior specializing in brute strength couldn't take three hits, which meant he would probably collapse the moment he crossed blows. He couldn't afford to provoke this guy!
Darram's eyes lit up as he said, "All hitting the exact same spot, and three times at that—such precise control! Sparring is out of the question, but feel free to teach your little brother here whenever you have time! From now on, I'm at your beck and call, and I'll handle any trivial matter for you."
Camearra interrupted his inquiries. "I am Camearra, the current leader of this squad. After you join, you can be the leader instead. You are fully qualified to join right now, and even take the position of leader. I have no objections."
Hearing her words, I chuckled. If I hadn't been here today, Tiga would have been the protagonist. Well, what could I say? Who asked us to run into each other by chance?
Without answering her question, I turned my head to look at Darram. "Did you tell her about the promise you made me? I don't care whether I'm the leader or not, but you know very well why I came here! If you're leading me on, your end is going to be far more miserable than Tiga's. You'll experience what it's like to wish you were dead."
Darram turned green and looked at Camearra. "Big Sis," he pleaded, "my life and death are entirely in your hands! Here's a guy who's handsome, fiercely powerful, and doesn't even care about the team leader position—what an amazing choice! Big Sis, save me!"
Camearra rubbed her temples, looking extremely awkward. "How about this? Let's go on a mission first. This time we need to wipe out nine advanced Monsters. Let me properly witness your strength, or see if this was just a fluke. If it's truly as you claim—that you have no weaknesses—then I'm not opposed to considering this matter. What do you say? Do you agree?"
I nodded and said, "Fine! As you wish. If you're lying to me, there won't be a next time for teaming up. From then on, we'll be strangers, and we won't even be friends anymore. Let's go!"
It was just meant to be a joke originally, but since the opportunity had presented itself, why not give it a try? Living with someone was always better than living alone. It was just that Tiga seemed to be getting the short end of the stick, but what the hell did that have to do with me?
Camearra had already secured a stronghold. There were eleven Monsters here, and aside from one intermediate-level one, the rest were all advanced.
Upon arriving at the gathering place, Camearra asked for my opinion. "How should we fight this? Do you have a plan? There are eleven of them—can we win?"
I pondered for a moment before saying, "How many can the two of you handle without losing ground?"
"The two of us brothers working together can handle three with no problem," Darram said confidently.
Camearra also spoke up. "I can handle three by myself, no problem."
Six in total? That left five, which wasn't a big deal. "You two can handle three, babe, you take two plus that intermediate one, and I'll take the rest. That settles it for everyone, right?"
Camearra asked, "Don't worry about us, but can you really handle five all by yourself?"
I was full of confidence. "Just watch me! I'll enter the fray first, and you two hold down your respective opponents. Leave the rest to me!" With that, I slid my hand across my left arm and pulled out my Light Saber. In my Dark form, the blade shone with a deep, glossy black.
Selecting my target, I leaped up instantly. As the Light Saber charged with energy, the moment I landed, I pierced right through Golza's skull, killing the Monster on the spot.
Pulling out the Long Sword, I unleashed my Telekinesis, sending the Head Slugger flying instantly to slash at the two nearest Monsters. By the time it returned, those two Golzas had already been decapitated. Roused by the explosions and seeing the deaths of their companions, the Monsters closest to me charged in my direction to avenge their fallen comrades.
Without hesitation, I slashed out with a beam of dark sword light, instantly tearing a Golza apart. Casually tossing out a gigantic Dark Light Ring, I sliced through another. It broke right through its energy ray, splitting its body in two. I quickly left my spot to seek out the next target.
Only by this time had the other three finally found their respective opponents. Five explosions rang out in succession, signifying the death of five Monsters.
If I couldn't rely on High-Speed Movement to seize opportunities for one-hit kills, leaving myself no need to strike a second time, and crush them with sheer power, I'd really be too pathetic for words. After slaying two more, I noticed that all the remaining Monsters were already being engaged.
Aside from the intermediate one assigned to Camearra, which was already dead, the remaining three were paired off one-on-one, leaving none to spare.
With a casual flick of my sword, I sent a Dark Light Ring and a Dark Slashing Ray flying toward the Monster in front of Camearra, hitting it with pinpoint accuracy. With that, the battle was over.
Darram stood there in a daze, muttering, "I didn't even do a damn thing, and the mission's already over!"
I walked over to him, patted his shoulder, and said, "Let's go! The mission is finished, so save the fighting for next time! There's no chance for it today!" With a suave turn, I strode toward the camp.
Camearra walked over. Since the targets had all been monitored, she wanted to head back and review the footage to see how he had actually pulled this off.
Returning to the camp with the others, Camearra announced, "We're going to turn in the mission. Wait for us to get back." With that, she left with her two subordinates.
Watching the three of them depart, I thought, *Oh crap! Am I getting stood up? Oh well, I'll wait and see.*
The trio arrived at the base camp and, upon seeing the clan chief, immediately requested to view the mission's surveillance footage.
The chieftain didn't refuse. She was his own daughter, so if she wanted to watch, let her watch! What was the harm?
The playback started from my entry into the battlefield and ended with my finishing energy ray. The entire sequence of kills was smooth and fluid like flowing water. Even the old chieftain couldn't find a single flaw. Every kill was a one-hit knockout. The only genuine hard collision was that initial Dark Light Ring; the power released by it was completely within normal bounds, perfectly matching my strength as a Middle-tier fighter.
The old chieftain was quite surprised. "From entry to finish, clean and decisive," he remarked. "His combat performance was exceptional, his vision is sharp, his repertoire of skills is vast, and his control over his abilities is spot-on. His Head Slugger, Sword Skill, energy rays, physical fitness, and speed—he has absolutely no weak points. He's formidable, a truly outstanding warrior."
Camearra chimed in, "He was originally tricked into coming here by Darram, who thought he'd be taking out Monsters by himself, but instead Darram reeled him in. Now he's demanding we fulfill the promise, or else there won't be another chance to cooperate or team up with him."
The old chieftain asked, "Kid, you're quite the talent, and you really know how to reel people in. Tell me, how did you trick him?"
Camearra grew anxious. "He used me as a chip to trick him! If I refuse, we won't have any more chances to cooperate."
The old chieftain said dismissively, "What of it? You're not young anymore, and this guy is exceptionally talented and fiercely strong. The clan can't pull out a second person at this realm with this kind of strength. You two are a great match. If you don't find each other repulsive, you can spend some time getting to know one another. If you like each other, just be together—what's wrong with that?"
Camearra completely agreed with her father's words. "All right! Since you don't object, I'll give it a try and get to know him. Anyway, he's very capable, so it should be fine."
The old father chuckled and said, "Go on then! I'll be waiting to drink your wedding wine."
The three of them left and returned to the temporary camp.
Seeing them return, I raised the question on my mind. "Well? Is the mission turned in? How have you considered his promise to me?"
Camearra said earnestly, "The mission is turned in. As for the matter you mentioned, I have no objections. However, our time getting to know each other has been very short, so we'll need a period of mutual understanding first. After that, I'll give you my answer—whether it's a yes or a no."
Hearing this, it sounded awfully familiar. I thought about it, and then it clicked. Wasn't this exactly what women said on blind dates? The general meaning was pretty much the same.
Those blind-date encounters had been arranged by relatives and friends, and once we met face-to-face, that was precisely how they phrased it.
Some women were straightforward and would state it directly in private the moment they met. They hadn't wanted to come to the blind date in the first place, but out of respect for relatives and friends, they couldn't bring themselves to refuse outright. Direct and clear—refreshing.
Others wouldn't say it outright, claiming they needed time to get to know each other. After that, they wouldn't bother responding to messages, and on phone calls, they'd make up an excuse to hang up after just a few sentences. Before long, things would fizzle out; after all, I wasn't about to play the role of a desperate bootlicker.
In the end, right in front of those relatives and friends, my reputation for being tongue-tied and terrible at courting women was firmly established. I lost on all fronts, and my reputation was thoroughly ruined.