Chapter 5: Levi and Murdoch, Part 3

“This one’s the one, tubby,” I stated, taking my usual sword from the rack as Murdoch did the same beside me. I heard him chuckle as he shouldered me playfully. I stumbled slightly and laughed it off as I walked towards the center. 

  

“It’s been a year and a half. I’d hope you’d win at least once after the two thousand or so that I’ve won.” His smile returned as he took up an offensive stance. 

  

I took up a defensive stance, holding my wooden sword in front of me just level with my waist. Murdoch waited for me to nod until he began his attack. I nodded, and he swung an overhead diagonal swing aimed at my left shoulder. I stopped just out of range, causing the wooden stick to swoop by me without touching. I then brought my wooden sword up at his chin.  

  

Murdoch moved his head back, causing me to barely clip his nose. I cursed as I stepped back further. The larger man’s shoulders bounced as he laughed, shaking his head at me. “No way you’re winning with half-arsed swings like that boy.” 

  

“Shut it,” I stated, copying his stance. Murdoch took up a different defensive stance, his sword high within the air and held with both hands. I sliced towards his shoulders, pre-empting the block. After he blocked, his focus on the blade, I threw a kick at the back of his knee. 

  

He buckled but didn’t fall, cursing as he took one hand off of his sword to swing a punch at my face. I moved my head to the right and avoided his girthy fist. I moved away from the man and he heaved a heavy breath. I watched as he nodded, a realization on his face that I was taking this bout seriously. 

  

“I guess you really do want to go to the capital, Levi.” He spoke, and I nodded in agreement. Despite the leaps and bounds in my hand-to-hand combat, I hadn’t levelled up any. I needed to gain at least one more skill before I went off for the Academy. 

  

“Yes, I do. Hurry up and fall, you troll.” I joked, and my mentor laughed, cutting it off abruptly as he leaped for me. An overhead swing geared straight down for my skull. I raised my wooden sword quickly, supporting the blade by placing a palm on the tip. 

  

Murdoch’s free hand grabbed my throat, cutting off my breathing and raising me from the ground. I glared at him and clawed with my spiky nails to get free. He smiled and sighed a breath of relief as he assumed his victory was sealed. “So,” he began, coughing as he tried to catch his breath, “give up?” 

  

“Murdoch,” I started, faking being choked out, which caused him to look up to me. When he looked at me, I spat on his face, causing him to exclaim a tirade of curses. As he was blinded and confused, I swung a hard hit to the back of his knees once more. 

  

This time, he fell onto his knees, and I landed a stiff kick to his stomach. He buckled over, on his hands and knees as he wiped my spit from his eyes. He blinked heavily a few times before looking up to me, stupefied. 

  

“No way,” he whispered, shaking his head, “you’ve finally done it. I thought you were losing just to make me feel like a shit teacher, Levi.” He laughed, and I laughed too, halved over as I caught my breath. It’s not that I was fatigued, but after about five matches that morning, I began feeling a slight muscle ache from the barbarian’s unyielding strength. 

  

“A deal’s a deal,” Murdoch relented, sounding more like a parent than a mentor, “I’ll tell the party to take you with them.” He finished, taking my hand as help to get to his feet. He looked into my eyes solemnly before grabbing one of my horns and pulling me around by it like a joystick. 

  

“Let go, loser,” I jested, pulling at his wrist as he finally stopped. I looked up to see an unusual sadness in the man’s eyes. I hadn’t seen him stop smiling for the year and a half that I had been under his tutelage. He shook his head and gestured for me to follow him as he headed out of the practice room. 

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As we entered the cozy living room of the cabin, which I hadn’t been in before as it’s where he entertained guests, he pointed to a comfy-looking chair beside the fireplace. I sat as he had ordered, and watched as he reached behind the couch along from me. 

  

“Since you’re going to be fighting monsters in the dungeon, you should use a real sword,” he began, and I saw a white, bandaged sword-shaped gift appear from behind the couch, “so I had a good friend make it for you. He knew it was for a demon, so it’s got some etchings of your kind’s Deities. Or so he claims.” 

  

I was gobsmacked as he unraveled the bandages, revealing an even whiter sheath. The handle of the weapon was also white, with some sort of fabric serving as both decoration and grip assistance. Murdoch handed it to me, a smile plastered on his face as he watched me gawk at it. 

  

I slid the sheath from the sword and saw seven, shallow engravings up the blade. I didn’t understand any, but the one nearest the tip of the blade called out to me. I touched it and felt a slight resonance from it, something deep within me feeling a great sense of satisfaction upon seeing it. 

  

“How can I repay you for this? This looks like it cost about as much as your house.” I spluttered, my words coming out faster than I could process them due to the immense feeling of shock and thankfulness I felt. A few moments of silence passed, the licking of flames from the fireplace the only noise until Murdoch finally spoke up. 

  

“Don’t try to. Just…” he opened his mouth but closed it as he thought for a moment. He placed a hand on my upper arm, making a deal not to touch my shoulder since my freak-out when we first met. “Just take my family’s name. I know it’s not common, but I see you as nothing less than my son, Levi. I’ll not force you, but I’m infertile and unable to have children of my own which is why I’ve not taken a wife an-“ 

  

He stopped his rambling when he saw the tears flowing down my cheeks. An unstoppable flood had begun from my eyes, no matter how many times I tried to wipe them away, they were replaced with more and more tears. 

  

“I’d be honored,” I admitted, causing the bulky giant to embrace me. The tight embrace, although crushing, held more love within it than any home I had been sent to in my past life. Without realizing it, this man had served to fulfill my wish of having a loving family.  

  

“Well then, from now on you will be known as Levi Elbrus.” He announced, practically yelling despite still hugging me tightly, and my ear being right next to his mouth. We stayed like that for a long while, allowing tears to flow as we both found something important in our life. 

 

[Name: Envy (Levi Elbrus) 

Species: Leviathan.           

Level: 3 

Magic Skills: Devour, Electric Discharge, Electricity Resistance. 

Physical Skills: Transform 

Innate Skills: Mountain-Splitter Style Swordsmanship (Advanced) ] 

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