Rebirth: Childhood friend of the heroine

"You look rather happy for someone who is possibly going to die?" Near the entrance of the mansion stood two figures, and the question was asked to the boy who was wiping his sword.

Alex paused and looked up at the green-haired girl before asking, "You don't hold back, do you?"

Amanda crossed her arms before asking in a matter-of-fact tone, "Isn't it obvious? We are mere obstacles in their path. Their destination is you. Surely the most danger falls on you."

Amanda doesn't know what was there to hide.

Alex exhaled an audible breath and continued to remove the dust from the katana he took from the arsenal.

"I am happy because I wasn't restricted from taking any weapon, and I had to pay nothing for it," Alex confessed. Although not many, he took around ten weapons and artifacts from the inventory.

Since the Steelhound is filthy rich and Rebecca has a hobby of collecting sharp tools, she has filled several rooms with weapons of every size.

Amanda sat down on the other end of the stairs and suggested, "If you love weapons so much, why don't you ask Celestria to get you a whole forge? I mean, as a Princess she can afford that much easily."

Alex side-eyed her before asking, "Have you taken me as a leech?"

"Not leech but from what I have heard from Edric, it's easy to negotiate with you if the person brings something of your interest."

Alex scoffed, "Your boyfriend has a bad habit of spreading rumors."

As he said, Alex sheathed the black katana in the classic black scabbard and asked her, "Have you written a letter to Edric recently?"

Amanda looked dazed as she shook her head, "Things were a little busy, and considering Edric must have started his internship, I decided not to disturb him."

"Writing a letter can cause disturbance?" Alex asked; unsure how that works.

Amanda looked at him with a small smile, "I know myself—the less I talk in person, on a letter I would become a chatterbox and might as well write something that would make him concerned. As such, I refrained."

Alex was unaware but yes, if she writes something to share her sentiments, then surely it could distract Edric.

'Sarah was different...' Remembering how that girl called any time, even while he was on a mission, he couldn't help but smile. She didn't like to talk much, but rather, she preferred to listen to him.

They usually liked to hear each other's daily life things—buying coffee, train station announcements, Alex cursing at his targets followed by the sound of his blade slicing their heads...they used to share the trivial moments.

Sarah was unlike any other romantic partner he had. She was different.

"Why do I sense I somehow reminded you of someone important to you?" Amanda asked as she witnessed a rare smile, somewhat fascinating, on his face.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Alex was about to respond when suddenly his face turned grim as he gestured, "They are here,"

Numerous fireballs were shot into the air, launched from the back side of the mansion and targeting the forest spread around the mansion.

Alex clutched his blade as he sensed the incoming presence—their bloodlust was thick enough to make the air heavy.

The orbs of flame landed on the incoming horde and a heavy explosion erupted.

**BOOOOOOOM**

The ground shook in succession as the flame orbs landed on the horde—however, as anyone expected, the wolves dispersed immediately when they sensed the danger.

However, the soldiers also were waiting for the chance for them to separate, as they ganged up on the beasts one after another.

Alex's gaze was fixated in the direction of a single wolf who never moved nor showed any sign of receiving any damage by the explosion. Its red eyes bore on Alex, the intensity in them making it certain what kind of emotions the beast carried.

"The leader of the pack?" Amanda asked to which Alex nodded.

"There are twenty-seven of them..." David appeared beside the duo and told them, "Lady Veronica has said, 'Don't engage until necessary.'"

Alex scoffed, "And let those soldiers die because of me? Yeah, sure."

Taking out his blade, Alex launched off, his aim locked onto the nearest pup, its claws inches from tearing a soldier apart.

For a heartbeat, he hung midair, his katana gripped in reverse, the sharp edge gleaming under the moonlight. His gaze burned through the wolf, unyielding and cold.

"Second Step…" The words came like a whisper, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished into a streak of motion.

A flash of steel. A gasp of air.

The wolf's blood erupted in a fine spray as it tilted its head just in time; yet couldn't completely dodge the attack.

"Agh!" The beast growled, smoke erupting from the wound, as the cut was easily healed—showing the insane regenerative ability of the wolfkin.

"Go and help others," Alex told them as he faced the beast, ready to get into another exchange.

The soldiers glanced at each other before they decided to heed his command.

Alex took a deep breath, gazing at the seven-foot-tall beast with long limbs and claws sharp enough to shred steel. Its glowing yellow eyes burned with primal rage, its lips curling back to reveal jagged fangs.

"You....you are the one for whom we came!" The beast roared, its eyes shining menacingly with the craving for revenge and blood.

The wolfkin lunged, claws tearing through the air. Alex sidestepped his movements a blur and countered with a vicious upward slash. Steel met flesh, carving deep into the beast's shoulder.

The wolfkin howled, swinging its other arm in retaliation. Alex ducked low, the claws grazing his shoulder, but failed to land a solid hit.

He surged forward, his katana gleaming in the moonlight, and delivered another precise strike across the beast's ribs. Dark blood sprayed out, sizzling against the ground.

The wolfkin roared, staggering back, its healing factor already working to close the gashes. "Fast," it growled, voice guttural. "But not enough to kill me!"

The beast charged again, claws raised. However, Alex didn't show any sign of moving; rather, he straightened his posture and swung his katana in Linear Slash, making the wolf pause, as it barely dodged the incoming air slash.

However, the side step was a mistake; the incoming dagger penetrated its head, and this time, the beast was not able to dodge.

"FUCK!!! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!" Even after pulling it, the beast couldn't heal its wound at all, and the blood continued to pour.

Alex took the opportunity and unleashed another Linear Slash.

The heavy slash tore through the beast's torso, a deep, gaping wound splitting flesh and bone alike. The wolfkin stumbled back, its glowing eyes wide with shock as blood sprayed across the battlefield.

"Arghhh!" it roared, its voice echoing with desperation. Smoke poured from its wounds as it tried to heal, but the dagger that stabbed its skull disrupted its regeneration completely.

The wolf was losing its blood continuously, and in the desperate need to inflict damage, the beast closed its body in a ball—making the ground tremble with the promise of something devastating—before its body exploded with a deafening roar.

**BOOOOOOOOM**

The night sky brightened and the ground scorched under the effect of the explosion.

Alex, who didn't have the time to back off, was still unharmed as, just in time, a thick ice wall appeared before him, however, the intensity of the explosion was quite heavy—breaking the ice wall immediately.

Alex backed off just in time to save himself from getting crushed under the heavy boulders of ice as he stood beside the chanter and said, "Quite overhyped you are for your sorcery."

"Shut up and be thankful." Amanda spat as she launched an attack to assist the nearby soldiers.

Alex scoffed before he stepped forward and took the dagger which helped him finish the battle before it would have.

The same dagger which Rebecca offered to hurt her, would now be used against these mutts.

Alex took out the spear he was carrying and using a thin but strong rope, he tied the dagger on the other end of the spear.

In this battle, this dagger would be most beneficial. These beasts heavily rely on their regenerative abilities, often letting their enemies attack them before they land a lethal blow.

Having a tool that not only prevents regeneration at the spot where it is struck but hampers the ability as a whole, is a gem.

'For once, I don't regret meeting you, Rebecca....'

With such thoughts, he turned toward the forest and jumped toward the next beast

The night is long, and lots of opponents to deal with. And the most satisfying part: Alex would be able to cultivate a whole lot of Soul Energy.

This was the perfect opportunity for him to gain some much-needed level-up.

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A/N:- Thanks for reading. Drop a few comments and PS to support. And also, I would appreciate it if you leave a review.