I am Just an Average Tamer

Cough! Cough!

Blood dripped from Sevyr's lips.

'Poison… or paralysis?' he thought, clutching his stomach as his legs wobbled beneath him.

"Are you okay?!" Rashira rushed to his side, crouching beside him.

Her hands trembled as she hovered them over his abdomen. Her eyes widened when she spotted the needles buried in his skin.

Without hesitation, she plucked them out, one by one, with her shaking hands.

Sevyr's eyes fluttered.

He could barely keep them open.

"Hey! Talk to me!" Rashira called, panic creeping into her voice, worry etched into every corner of her expression.

'Damn it... can't move my body!' Sevyr screamed inwardly. Veins began bulging across his arms, neck, and forehead.

And then—

Thud!

He collapsed, barely conscious, breath shallow.

"Sevyr." Rashira cried.

-

"Hey, you!"

Serena's voice cracked like thunder as she spun to face the hooded figure perched on a tree branch.

"What did you do to him?!" she hissed, gripping her dual blades until her knuckles turned white.

The temperature around her began to drop. Her aura flared in all directions, and embers sparked to life in her silver eyes.

The usual glimmer of mischief was gone.

She was really pissed now.

She may have met Rashira and Sevyr first time in this morning, but she had already considered them as her friends.

Yes, it won't take her long to get along with them.

And now some coward bastard dared to strike her friend under her nose

Could she let that slip?

No chance in hell.

But the hooded figure didn't flinch. It simply tilted its head and said with an amused tone,

"Me? Nothing, I just got here."

That added fuel to the fire.

"You bastard!" Serena snarled and lunged at the hooded figure like a bolt of lightning.

But before her blades could taste blood and slash culprit into thousands of pieces—

Whiish! Whiish!

Two more needles zipped through the air.

Clang!

She deflected them in a flash, sparks flying as steel met steel-tipped poison.

"Tch. Miscalculated. She's faster than I thought." the hooded figure muttered to himself.

Serena skidded back a few steps, blade raised in a defensive stance.

'He's not alone.'

Her eyes scanned the treeline, watching the wind, listening to the stillness.

Bushes. Branches. Movement.

'They were setting up an ambush.'

Then her gaze flicked back—

To Rashira and Sevyr.

He lay limp, eyes half-lidded. Rashira held him tightly to her chest, sobbing.

Serena's expression twisted in irritation.

"Hey, you idiot! He's not dead, just paralyzed! Stop crying like a damn child!"

Her voice cut through the chaos like a blade.

"If you really want to protect him, then help me take these bastards down!"

Rashira flinched, her cheeks flushed with rosy color.

She sniffled, wiping her tears quickly.

"I-I wasn't crying…" she mumbled, embarrassed, hugging Sevyr tighter with one arm.

With her other, she pulled out her wand, closed her eyes, and let her mana spread into the surroundings like a wave.

Her expression hardened.

'Tsk… they know how to hide themselves well.'

"Vaendra, come!" Rashira called out.

With a powerful ripple of water, her Riverwake Serpent slithered toward her, its azure scales shimmering under the light. It curled beside her, coiling protectively.

"Guard him." she said firmly, pointing to Sevyr's fallen form.

Vaendra let out a deep, rumbling hiss, then gently wrapped its tail around Sevyr's body, shielding him in a loop of scale and muscle.

Rashira took a few steps back, steadying her breath. She lifted her wand, the tip glowing with chilling blue mana.

[Ice Prison!]

With a flash, icy glyphs formed midair and solidified. Thick, jagged ice blocks erupted from the ground, surrounding Sevyr and the serpent in a translucent barrier.

Encased in shimmering frost, they were safe—at least for now.

Dusting off her robe, Rashira turned her glare toward the hooded figure on the branch.

Her eyes burned with fury.

The figure cocked its head again, voice dripping with fake innocence.

"What happened, miss? Why're you both glaring at me like that? Did I say something wrong?"

His voice was calm—too calm. It grated against Rashira's nerves.

She didn't reply.

Instead, she sent a silent command to her Midnight Wolf, its ears twitching as it melted into the shadows.

Then, without a word, she raised her wand again.

[Fireball!]

A swirling glyph bloomed at the tip—its shape unstable at first—then tightened into a glowing, molten sphere.

Fwoosh!

The fireball launched like a comet, shrieking through the air toward the hooded bastard.

Boom!

The tree branch exploded in flame and splinters.

But—he was already gone.

He dropped down from the tree the moment before impact, landing with a light tap on the forest floor, cloak billowing behind him.

'Tch. They're fast…' Rashira narrowed her eyes.

Then without missing a beat, Serena lunged, her twin blades rising like silver arcs.

Slash!

The hooded figure ducked just in time, her blades slicing through empty air.

She pivoted, kicking off the ground and swung again—

But he rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the follow-up.

Whiiish! Whiiish!

More poisoned needles zipped through the air—deadly and silent.

Clang!

Grrr!

Rashira's Midnight Wolf leapt in, swiping them aside with its claws, snarling.

Rashira raised her wand.

[Fireball!]

A swirling mass of flame shot forward, aimed at the figure's flank.

Reacting quickly, he flicked a throwing knife, detonating the fireball mid-air.

Boom!

The explosion lit up the clearing—but Serena was already on him, closing the gap in a blink.

Her twin blades slashed down in an X-shape, aiming to slice through his defense.

'Shit!'

The figure's eyes widened as he crossed his daggers just in time—

Clang!

The impact sent a shock through his arms as he skidded backward, boots dragging through dirt.

'Damn it! Just how strong is she?'His forearms trembled. Numb. He didn't wait.

With a blur of movement, he vanished into the woods, melting into the shadows.

Serena landed, blades still up, watching his escape.

She clicked her tongue.

"Coward."

----

"Haa… haa…"

The hooded figure panted heavily, one hand pressed against a tree trunk as he struggled to catch his breath.

"We failed, huh?"

Another figure approached, his presence almost ghostlike, clad in a black cloak. He stood beside the first.

"What the hell were you doing, Irven?"

The first figure snarled, ripping off his hood as if the very air suffocated him.

His brown eyes glared sharply at the newcomer, fury and exhaustion mixing in his gaze.

Irven pulled down his own hood calmly, revealing the same angular face, grey hair, as the first—only his cold grey eyes set him apart.

It wouldn't be hard to guess they were twins, since they both share similar features—dark skin, grey hairs, similar face and height, except for the eyes.

"I warned you not to charge head on. They are strong Inka," Irven said, scanning the surroundings with caution.

His voice was quiet but firm.

The first twin—Inka—clicked his tongue in irritation.

"What's done is done."

He pulled his hood back over his head and took a deep breath.

"Let's wait for the next ones."

Irven gave a short nod.

Then—

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Both vanished.

----

"Heh, see? I told you before—the trials never go exactly how they announce them at the start."

Corrin walked with a lazy grin, arms crossed behind his head, his footsteps matching Kai's pace.

Kai strolled beside him, calm and collected, hands tucked in his pockets, like he was out for a walk in the park.

"Then why did you fall for my trap?"

Kai side-eyed him, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

Corrin chuckled.

"I didn't fall. I just wanted to see the guy behind it."

"Oh?"

Kai raised a brow, but kept walking, unfazed.

"Then how did you know?"

Corrin winked.

"That's a secret."

Kai rolled his eyes.

"Whatever."

Just as he stepped forward again.

He stopped.

Corrin blinked.

"Is something wro—"

Shhhk!

Kai's wrist flicked.

And threw a knife into the nearby bush.

Whoosh!

A figure burst out, landing gracefully.

Ash-blond hair danced in the wind, brown eyes gleaming with alertness. A long spear twirled in his hand. His tail bristled. Wolf ears twitched once.

"Damn, didn't expect to get caught like that," the boy muttered, eyes locking with Kai's.

Then he grinned.

"Well then… come at me. Both at once, or one by one—your choice."He spun the spear, planting his feet with confident ease.

"Oh? Pretty confident, huh?"Corrin stepped forward, unsheathing his short crescent blade with a metallic ring.

Clang!

The two clashed in an instant, sparks flying with the impact.

"Don't interfere, brother. I can handle him."

Corrin smirked.

But—

No response.

He turned his head and.

Kai was gone.

"What the hell?" Corrin blinked.

"Hahaha! Looks like your partner ditched you," Rudo teased, shifting into a new stance.

"Tch, I don't need him to defeat you."Corrin slid back, adjusting his grip.

A faint glow shimmered across his blade.

[Mooncleave!]

----

[<It's not good to leave your comrades behind.>]

'He'll be fine.

[<You were supposed to learn from your mistakes.>]

'I said he'll be fine. That wolf boy ain't that strong.'

[<Whatever.>]

Then. Suddenly—

His vision blurred.

His mind spun.

[<Watch out, brat!>]

Snap!

He jerked back to clarity just in time—

Whoosh!

A projectile tore past his head, slicing a few strands of hair as it went.

"What the hell?!"