I am Just an Average Tamer

"Haah!"

Kai's breaths were ragged.

Then—

Grr!

A low, rumbling growl echoed in his ears.

He spun, just in time to see five Thunder Stags standing at few arm's distance, electricity crackling between their antlers, surrounding him in a tightening circle.

Before he could react—

"Now!"

Lina's voice echoed through the trees.

Kai instantly dropped into a crouch.

Whoosh!

Five razor-sharp wind blades sliced through the air above him, slamming into the stags. They staggered back, hooves skidding.

Only for a moment.

But it was enough.

Vex lunged from the side, claws glowing.

[<Phantom Slash!>]

She slashed through one of the stags' sides, drawing blood.

Grrr!

Two of them roared and charged at her.

But then—

Whoosh!

Vael dove in, wings howling like a storm. His Sonic Dive hit their flanks hard, stunning them for a second.

That was all the time Kai needed.

He flicked his wrists.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two senbons—whistled through the air—burying into joints.

Perfect hits.

Vex and Vael didn't miss a beat. They moved in sync, finishing them with clean strikes.

Thud!

Then.

Kai turned.

Across the clearing, the last two stags were fighting Lina's Varidian Hare.

One stag slashed with its antlers—

The hare leapt aside, retaliating with a burst of wind blades that cut across its legs.

The other rushed in—

But Vael swooped in again, slamming it to the ground.

It let out a distorted groan, twitching.

Whoosh!

Vex leapt and severed its head clean.

The final one tried to stand.

But Lina's hare pounced, driving its claws through its throat.

Silence returned.

"Phew!"

Kai exhaled, hard, dropping to a crouch beside the nearest beast.

Lina walked over, brushing leaves from her armor.

"I'll do it," she said, holding out her hand.

Kai gave a faint shrug and handed her the knife.

"Be my guest."

Lina crouched beside the fallen Thunder Stag and gripped the knife. "Okay… just a clean cut along the core lines, right?"

She dug the blade in—

Too deep.

Blood splattered.

She winced. "Oops…"

Kai sighed, took the knife back. "Not like that."

He guided her hand away and crouched closer to the beast's chest.

"Here," he muttered. "You follow the natural crease near the rib line."

With practiced ease, he made a clean incision. His fingers slid in, pulling out a glowing Essence Core slick with blood.

"See?" he said, flicking it clean.

Lina's eyes were wide, watching his every move. When he stood up, she grinned.

"You're so good at this! Seriously."

Kai gave her a flat look. "Thanks," he said without much emotion, wiping his hands on a cloth.

He opened his storage bracelet, one by one placing the Thunder Stag corpses inside.

Lina just smiled, still watching him like he was the coolest thing she'd ever seen.

Kai rolled his shoulders with a soft crack, exhaustion pulling faint lines beneath his eyes.

"Vex. Vael. Return," he muttered.

The two beasts shimmered into light, vanishing into his soul space.

Without another word, he turned and began walking, steps steady and unhurried.

Lina followed, her steps lighter, hare hopping beside her in rhythm.

She looked at his back, hesitating, then asked, "Aren't you gonna rest for a bit?"

Kai shook his head. "No."

"But you should," she insisted, skipping a step to catch up. "You've been pushing yourself non-stop. Your body's not a machine—you need proper rest if you want it to keep up."

Kai gave a slight shrug. "My body's fine."

Lina puffed her cheeks in frustration. "That's not the point."

Kai side-glanced at her, one brow slightly raised. "Why're you suddenly concerned?"

She opened her mouth, then stopped. Her cheeks flushed pink. "I—well—because I'm worried about your health, okay?!"

He blinked.

Then looked forward again.

"...I'm fine, Lina. But thanks."

Lina smiled, softly this time, clutching her fingers behind her back.

As they walked, the familiar blue panel hovered before Kai's eyes.

[<She's up to something, boy.>]

Kai didn't even flinch.

'I know,' he replied mentally.

Soon. They exited the forest and entered Bramwell Town.

Then.

They reached the Adventurers' Guild, where Kai handed over the Beast's cores, bodies, and relevant mission materials.

The guild staff gave them their reward.

Without lingering, they turned and left.

The sun was dipping lower when they made their way back toward the inn.

The streets were quieter now, a breeze rustling through the narrow alleys.

Lina walked beside him, hands behind her back, glancing at him now and then.

"Kai," she began, "why are you so… reserved all the time?"

He sideglanced, his tone flat. "I'm not."

"Then why do you act like one?" she said, puffing her cheeks.

Kai suddenly halted, turning toward her with a sharp gaze. "What do you want?"

Lina's steps froze. Her eyes narrowed. "It was just a question! Why the hell are you so angry about that?"

"Because you're annoying."

Lina didn't argue this time. She just sighed, her expression falling. "I'm sorry."

Kai blinked. That wasn't the reaction he'd expected.

He turned away, started walking again. "It's fine."

Lina trailed behind quietly, no longer pushing.

The silence stretched between them again, except for the sound of their boots against the stone path and the low market activity.

"So," Lina tried, her tone lighter this time, "what are the things you like to do?"

Kai didn't respond.

She leaned slightly toward him. "Come on, there's gotta be something."

Still nothing.

Lina puffed her cheeks again. "Seriously? Not even one thing? What, do you just sit around sharpening your daggers and brooding?"

Kai finally spoke, voice cold. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because we're… friends. Kind of. And I don't know anything about you. It's weird. Friends usually share stuff like that, right?"

Kai stopped, eyes narrowing. "I'm not. And stop bothering me."

Lina bit her lip, heart sinking. She looked away. "Alright…" she said softly.

She walked beside him in silence after that—for real this time.

Soon they reached the Inn.

Kai entered his room while Lina her's.

He lay down on his bed and closed his eyes.

Elina wasn't there.

After her kidnapping incident, she's been staying in Lina's room, and the reason for that?

Kai didn't know. And he didn't care either.

His thoughts lingered on the battle earlier, analysing every different counter he could.

Every move he could have made, to end it earlier.

Then slowly, he drifted to sleep.