A Strange Encounter [solo]

**Ikazuchi** · Tue Nov 30, 2021 12:15 pm

Guild :

Sleeping Calamity

Bounty :

5,400,000

Threat :

Devastation

Jewels :

587,500

Rank :

S-Rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

577,500

Reputation :

13,900

Class :

Adventurer

Aura :

The World

Strength :

501

Speed :

251

Constitution :

131

Endurance :

162

Intelligence :

4

Mana :

7,450

Weapon Mastery :

Grandmaster (Sword)

Weapon :

Off-Hand :

Head :

Body :

Ring :

Time was passing peacefully for Ikazuchi who seemed to have reached a bottleneck in his progression. He continued to train persistently, but had very little progress towards improving himself. He suspected that this was due to the lack of challenging combat that he encountered recently. Unfortunately, he wasn’t weak enough to be challenged by any random person anymore. Without an opponent, he struggled to improve his swordsmanship despite remaining on the verge of a breakthrough for many months now.

The young man found himself seeking various ways to relieve the stress that he built up due to those frustrations as he spent time in Baska. He would occasionally work out a deal to craft items for some smaller smithies in town by having them provide the raw materials. His skill was more than enough and welcomed by the owners after they verified his abilities, so the infamous swordsman earned himself a bit of reputation among these craftsmen.

WC: 150

**Ikazuchi** · Tue Nov 30, 2021 12:15 pm

Guild :

Sleeping Calamity

Bounty :

5,400,000

Threat :

Devastation

Jewels :

587,500

Rank :

S-Rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

577,500

Reputation :

13,900

Class :

Adventurer

Aura :

The World

Strength :

501

Speed :

251

Constitution :

131

Endurance :

162

Intelligence :

4

Mana :

7,450

Weapon Mastery :

Grandmaster (Sword)

Weapon :

Off-Hand :

Head :

Body :

Ring :

Blacksmithing in that manner was enjoyable, but it suffered the same fate that his swordsmanship had. There was a natural wall that required a stimulus from someone or something else in order to progress quickly. Even the most talented individual was bound to suffer if they were forced to study a technique alone. Considering Ikazuchi’s age, he could be described as a very talented individual. Unfortunately, he greedily craved more monstrous progress.

Without the motivation to spend too much time on either skill, he found himself seeking new sources of entertainment. He entered tournaments while hiding his identity on a few occasions. He did so simply because it was fun to fight, and it even allowed him to make some money on the side. He didn’t have any opponents among the common tournaments, so he didn’t even use his weapons. Ikazuchi simply beat his competitors down with his fists in order to relieve a bit of stress.

WC: 150

**Ikazuchi** · Tue Nov 30, 2021 12:15 pm

Guild :

Sleeping Calamity

Bounty :

5,400,000

Threat :

Devastation

Jewels :

587,500

Rank :

S-Rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

577,500

Reputation :

13,900

Class :

Adventurer

Aura :

The World

Strength :

501

Speed :

251

Constitution :

131

Endurance :

162

Intelligence :

4

Mana :

7,450

Weapon Mastery :

Grandmaster (Sword)

Weapon :

Off-Hand :

Head :

Body :

Ring :

It didn’t take long for Ikazuchi to get tired of the tournaments as well. It only frustrated him more at a certain point as he craved genuine combat more than anything. He felt as though his growth was stifled by his environment. He didn’t want to accept that his progress would slow down to such an extent after having made rapid progress. He was experiencing the struggles of a ‘normal’ person for the first time since he left home.

He resorted to travelling throughout Western Fiore in order to seek inspiration and overcome his slump. He saw many things and interacted with many people, some even sharing stories of his Guildmates. There were times that he was entertained by the things he saw and heard, but never anything that allowed him to deal with his current issues. He ultimately found his way back to the familiar town of Baska where he regularly found himself drinking away his frustrations.

WC: 150

**Ikazuchi** · Tue Nov 30, 2021 12:16 pm

Guild :

Sleeping Calamity

Bounty :

5,400,000

Threat :

Devastation

Jewels :

587,500

Rank :

S-Rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

577,500

Reputation :

13,900

Class :

Adventurer

Aura :

The World

Strength :

501

Speed :

251

Constitution :

131

Endurance :

162

Intelligence :

4

Mana :

7,450

Weapon Mastery :

Grandmaster (Sword)

Weapon :

Off-Hand :

Head :

Body :

Ring :

Ikazuchi initially drank socially, but that was destined not to last as he wasn’t an extroverted individual. Even if he could interact with strangers easily, it was something that would quickly become burdensome for him. At that point, drinking became a hobby for him to relax during his free time. He particularly enjoyed taking some time before bed to drink and relax. It was only due to his strict and persistent training schedule that he was able to control this notoriously bad habit.

What Ikazuchi didn’t know was that drinking in this way only worsened his situation. Most of his efforts during this time could only be described as meaningless due to it. He would only grow further once he overcame the bottleneck and his new dependency on alcohol. It was during times like these that his lack of a mentor caused him to suffer. If he had someone that was advising him, then it would be far easier for the young man to deal with the issues that he currently faced.

WC: 170

**Ikazuchi** · Tue Nov 30, 2021 12:16 pm

Guild :

Sleeping Calamity

Bounty :

5,400,000

Threat :

Devastation

Jewels :

587,500

Rank :

S-Rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

577,500

Reputation :

13,900

Class :

Adventurer

Aura :

The World

Strength :

501

Speed :

251

Constitution :

131

Endurance :

162

Intelligence :

4

Mana :

7,450

Weapon Mastery :

Grandmaster (Sword)

Weapon :

Off-Hand :

Head :

Body :

Ring :

His life continued in this meaningless way until he coincidentally came across an older beggar that reminded him of his father. It was a strange feeling for Ikazuchi, but he couldn’t deny the feeling. The man lacked the presence and demeanor of his father, but the appearance and age were similar enough for the half drunk Ikazuchi to pause his footsteps on his way home from a bar.

Ikazuchi felt both saddened and nostalgic as he recalled his father due to the man. Eventually he let out a sigh and took out enough money for a good meal and passed it over to the man before walking onward towards the building that he was currently staying in. What Ikazuchi didn’t know was that this silent exchange would be the cause of a strange chain of events in his life. From the place that he would least expect it, Ikazuchi would soon receive the opportunity to overcome his slump.

WC: 150

**Ikazuchi** · Tue Nov 30, 2021 12:16 pm

Guild :

Sleeping Calamity

Bounty :

5,400,000

Threat :

Devastation

Jewels :

587,500

Rank :

S-Rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

577,500

Reputation :

13,900

Class :

Adventurer

Aura :

The World

Strength :

501

Speed :

251

Constitution :

131

Endurance :

162

Intelligence :

4

Mana :

7,450

Weapon Mastery :

Grandmaster (Sword)

Weapon :

Off-Hand :

Head :

Body :

Ring :

“Ugh, I have a hangover…” Ikazuchi couldn’t help but question his choices as he struggled to complete his daily training, if it could even be called that. ‘Maybe I will cut back on the drinking…’ He couldn’t help but think this way as he reflected on how poorly he performed this morning. It was so sloppy that he wouldn’t be surprised if his father rose from the dead just to beat some sense into him.

He struggled to perform better as he continued, but he still felt as though it wasn’t even halfway decent despite improving a bit compared to when he started. Ikazuchi couldn’t resist stripping his upper body and plunging his face into the ice cold stream nearby. He hoped to give his body enough of a shock that he would at least stop moving so poorly. It seemed to work as he felt fairly refreshed afterwards, so he decided to continue until lunch time before he would return to town.

WC: 160

**Ikazuchi** · Tue Nov 30, 2021 12:16 pm

Guild :

Sleeping Calamity

Bounty :

5,400,000

Threat :

Devastation

Jewels :

587,500

Rank :

S-Rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

577,500

Reputation :

13,900

Class :

Adventurer

Aura :

The World

Strength :

501

Speed :

251

Constitution :

131

Endurance :

162

Intelligence :

4

Mana :

7,450

Weapon Mastery :

Grandmaster (Sword)

Weapon :

Off-Hand :

Head :

Body :

Ring :

For the first time in a while, Ikazuchi had no desire to drink after returning to town. He had drunk a bit excessively after being reminded of his father, but now he didn’t want to drink at all for the same reason. Now that he was sober, he hated the idea of acting in a way that would disappoint his parents if they were still here. He hadn’t been considering them until now, but that brief exchange with the beggar reminded him of them. ‘It’s strange how that happened…’

Ikazuchi felt better than usual as the thoughts of his parents managed to provide him some much needed support. It was only when he came across a particular individual that he paused once more. The raggedy outfit and unkempt hair weren’t particularly unique, but it was precisely this figure that had reminded Ikazuchi of his father. The only difference was that compared to last night, the man now had an empty liquor bottle next to him and a half empty bottle in his hand.

WC: 170

**Ikazuchi** · Tue Nov 30, 2021 12:16 pm

Guild :

Sleeping Calamity

Bounty :

5,400,000

Threat :

Devastation

Jewels :

587,500

Rank :

S-Rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

577,500

Reputation :

13,900

Class :

Adventurer

Aura :

The World

Strength :

501

Speed :

251

Constitution :

131

Endurance :

162

Intelligence :

4

Mana :

7,450

Weapon Mastery :

Grandmaster (Sword)

Weapon :

Off-Hand :

Head :

Body :

Ring :

‘Why did he seem familiar in the first place?’ Ikazuchi couldn’t hide his confusion as he inspected the beggar for any similarities with his father. He was certain that this was the same man, yet the sense of familiarity had completely disappeared. Ikazuchi unintentionally found himself staring at the man with his liquor. In response to this, the man stared back and hid his bottle “I’m not sharing!”

Ikazuchi was stunned as he heard this and immediately responded. “I didn’t want it to begin with!” He didn’t bother to scrutinize the man further as he didn’t believe that there was anything special about him after that. “Says the drunk who was roaming the streets…” This response caught Ikazuchi off guard, but he couldn’t even be upset. ‘Is that how people see me?’ He couldn’t help but sigh as he proceeded to walk away as he spoke. “See ya later, Old Man. You should lay off the alcohol.”

WC: 150

A Strange Encounter [solo]

Tue Nov 30, 2021 12:15 pm

Tue Nov 30, 2021 12:15 pm

Tue Nov 30, 2021 12:15 pm

Tue Nov 30, 2021 12:16 pm

Tue Nov 30, 2021 12:16 pm

Tue Nov 30, 2021 12:16 pm

Tue Nov 30, 2021 12:16 pm

Tue Nov 30, 2021 12:16 pm

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