The Acolyte of Spirits and Curses

Hearing her words, Klein paused with his hand resting on the door, "...The Hollow Crown Tower?" he uttered, turning his head slightly to glance back at her

With a shrug, she replied "You heard me. You want something better? Then earn something better."

Klein let out a soft sigh "And this ’better reward’... You’re serious about that, right?"

Erica uncrossed her arms and walked toward him, standing right in front of him.

"I don’t say things I don’t mean, you rascal."

"Dangerous promise," he murmured.

"Then don’t take it lightly," she shot back.

A brief pause settled between them and Klein let out a quiet chuckle "...Fine."

He turned toward the door again, "I’ll clear it."

As he left, Erica stretched her arms above her head "I am sure he can’t clear it. But he will atleast set a new record, which will be helpful for merit points..."

"So that there will be more chances of him getting selected for the tournament the headmaster spoke of."

---

The Spear Division training halls were far quieter than the rest of the academy.

Klein walked down the corridor without stopping and reached one of the reinforced training halls.

THOOM

A sharp impact rang out from behind the reinforced door, and a faint crack formed along the edge of the frame.

Klein stopped in front of it for a moment, then pushed it open without knocking.

The moment he stepped inside, a violent gust of air brushed past him, carrying dust and fragments of stone along with it.

The training hall was already half-destroyed.

The floor was split in multiple places with long cracks spreading outward, and chunks of stone had been carved out entirely where attacks had landed with too much force.

At the center of it, Shui Yinran was standing.

Her long hair was tied loosely behind her, strands sticking to her skin from sweat, and her spear moved in smooth, deadly arcs that cut through the air with precise intent.

Sensing him, she stopped her movements and glanced at him "Oh, you are back..."

Walking inside, he spoke "Is that any way to address your Master?"

She rested the shaft of her spear against her shoulder and frowned slightly "Did you come all the way here to annoy me?"

"Respect your Master. Don’t you want to learn other forms of the Dark Moon technique?"

"...You’re insufferable," she muttered in irritation.

Klein didn’t press further and asked "Anyway, did you prepare what I asked you for?"

She nodded her head slowly "I did..."

She reached into her storage ring and pulled out a small storage pouch with the fabric tied tightly at the top and tossed it toward him.

"Everything on that list. Took longer than I expected."

Klein caught the pouch cleanly with one hand, as he weighed it for a brief moment before loosening the knot and glancing inside.

His eyes moved across the contents quickly.

"Not bad," he murmured, tying it close again as he slipped it into his pocket.

Shui Yinran raised an eyebrow "I went out of my way to get all of that, and that’s all you have to say?"

Klein glanced at her "You want praise?"

"...No,"

"Then don’t complain."

After a brief pause, he asked "Did you check the composition?"

Shui Yinran crossed her arms and replied "Of course I did,"

"All of them are focused on reinforcing the body. Bone density, muscle fiber strength, internal resilience..."

She tilted her head slightly "Since I did what you asked, you’re going to keep your word, right?"

Klein glanced up at her "...Which part?"

Her eye twitched again "The part where you said you’d teach me," she replied flatly.

"...The other forms of Dark Moon."

Hm? With a tilt of his head, he replied "I don’t remember giving my word like that."

"Oh come on, don’t mind the small details... you told me that you would teach me the dark moon techniques later."

A soft chuckle escaped his lips "You’re quite persistent."

Shui Yinran gripped her spear tightly "Don’t act like you don’t remember. You clearly said it."

Klein tilted his head just a little more, as if genuinely thinking about it.

"...Did I?"

"You did."

He hummed softly "I asked you to buy something. You brought it. That’s all."

"If you want something in return, you should negotiate properly."

She clenched her teeth "Y-You bastard."

Seeing her getting irritated even more, Klein couldn’t help but smile.

"Alright," he said lightly, as if granting her a favor, "I can teach you... but it depends on how badly you want to learn it."

Shui Yinran looked at him and straightened her posture lightly "Then let’s make it simple."

She took a small step forward, closing the distance between them again until she stood chest to chestwith him.

"Teach me... and I’ll prove I’m worth it."

Klein glanced down at her chest "Are you showing off your boobs?"

Shui Yinran froze and her eye twitched "Obviously not, you damn pervert."

Her grip on the spear tightened instantly, and the wood creaked faintly under the sudden pressure as a faint pulse of mana leaked from her body.

Klein didn’t even look remotely apologetic "If you’re trying to prove something, you should at least be clear about it."

"Clear your head first!" she snapped, taking another step forward and jabbing the butt of her spear into the cracked floor with a sharp *thud*.

"You think everything revolves around your nonsense?"

He shrugged slightly, "Hard to ignore when it’s right in front of me."

"...You really want to die, don’t you?"

A faint pressure spread outward as Shui Yinran lifted her spear, while a dangerous glint appeared in her eyes.

Klein stared at her "Are you going to attack your Master again?"

"When that Master is a pervert like you."

But despite the irritation, she didn’t strike.

Instead, she exhaled sharply, forcing herself to calm down as she lowered the spear slightly.

"...Tch."

She turned her head slightly to the side, "Forget that."

"I said I’ll prove I’m worth it. This isn’t a joke to me."

Seeing the determination in her eyes, Klein’s gaze softened a little ’She reminds me so much of Annika...’

’Always curious and stubborn... chasing the next step without hesitation.’

For a brief moment, his gaze lingered on her as someone who carried that same burning intent he had once seen before.

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