The Innkeeper

886 Working with babies...

Fighting could be barbaric, or it could be beautiful. It could be precise and meticulously planned, or it could be completely intuitive. Lex had seen many people whose fighting styles had left an impression on him.

Gisele, for example, was an exceptionally deadly fighter, yet her each and every movement was filled with grace and elegance. Even killing became an art when she did it. She was an unstoppable force, but a very fluid one as well.

Alexander was also someone who had his own distinct fighting style. Every attack, parry, block, or dodge was tinged with the aura of exceptional experience. To even fight with him, one would actually have to be much superior to him in either skill, which was unlikely, or surpass him by a large margin in strength and speed. Only then could an actual 'fight' occur. Otherwise, if anyone were even remotely close to him in ability, his endless experience would result in Alexander ending the fight in just a couple of moves.

Marlo gave one the impression that he would fight like a barbarian, but he was actually a very intelligent fighter. His every move was thoroughly thought out, yet designed to deceive.

Everyone would bring their own personality into their fighting style, regardless of the type of combat they had learned. This was why there was a difference even between two people with a similar level of mastery of the same fighting style.

Lex's fighting style also depicted his mental state at the moment. It was extremely brutal and lethal, yet it was not wasteful at all. It was brutal because it leveraged his absurd physical strength. It was lethal because he only struck at his enemy's weak points. It was efficient because he did not need to attack a single enemy twice!

Like a child on a sugar rush let loose in a playground, Lex bounced from one corner of the arena to another, the massive sword not impeding him in the slightest. He was like a tiny, cute hurricane, leaving only destruction in its wake.

Lex was only getting warmed up when, upon destroying 10 armors at the same time, new ones stopped appearing, giving Lex an unneeded respite.

Lex snorted and studied the arena for any changes while he mentally reviewed his swordsmanship. His new… stature meant that his previous style was ill suited, so he had now gone even farther from manifesting sword intent.

Before he could dissect his technique further, Lex was teleported away, and brought to what looked like a private bedroom. There was a medium sized single bed, a cupboard, a table and a restroom. There was even an open door leading out into a corridor.

Lex, still wielding his massive sword, felt a little discontent at the situation. It seemed like his test was over. Putting the sword in his spatial bangle, Lex ventured out to begin exploring his surroundings.

There was an unnatural silence in the area, so that his every movement caused sounds that echoed across the halls, reaching far and wide. The sound of his steps, his breathing, the rustle of his clothes rubbing against one another, they were all magnified to an unnatural state. This was even considering the fact that he was wearing the stealth suit, which naturally reduced all sounds!

There was definitely something unusual about this place to have such an effect. It was as if it purposefully magnified his presence so that it was impossible to sneak up on anyone.

Yet as he emerged from the room, Lex discovered that the place was completely empty. He strolled down the corridor and saw countless other rooms, but each and every one of them was empty and untouched.

As Lex explored, he spread his spirit sense out as much as possible, but did not discover anything unusual at all. It was as if he was walking through an empty hostel. As he ventured deeper in, he saw other kinds of rooms that looked like they could be classrooms, auditoriums and such.

"Where the hell am I?" Lex could not help but murmur.

"You are definitely not in hell, young man!" a stern voice scolded Lex, and a projection of an unusual being appeared in front of him.

The being was thin and humanoid, wearing a white sleeveless robe with yellow borders. It had grayish-blue skin, unusually long fingers, and an oval face. It had no hair, but the top of its head was unusually shaped, as if its skull itself was forming a hairstyle.

"You are in the Temple of Fasting! This is a divine place where one can improve themself through trials of fire and blood! Only the most noble and notable figures throughout history were allowed to enter this place. Count your blessings that you are among them."

Lex did not respond immediately, but instead studied the figure for a while. He was not startled by the appearance of the projection. Instead, he was wondering why it had not appeared earlier.

"I only said so because this place seemed so abandoned. Is there no one else here? I had a companion, but I can't seem to find them. Do you know where he might be?"

The figure clicked his tongue as he looked down at Lex with derision, but eventually answered anyway.

"Of course, this place is empty. It has been hidden away, for reasons that you have no business knowing. But even so, a heavy destiny has been placed upon your shoulders, little one. As a companion to a descendant of his majesty, and as someone who has a sufficient evaluation, I must bequeath a task unto you of grave importance. Completing the task will also bring you closer to reuniting with your companion."

"So you know where Z is? I don't mind helping you out, but I need to know the situation first, starting with where Z is, who is his ancestor, and why do you need my help?"

The figure looked like he was about to snap at Lex, but then closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"This is why I hate working with babies," he muttered under his breath.