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I pulled my sword out, ready to attack.
"Oh, you've got some guts, boy. But your story ends here!" the drunk man sneered, taking unsteady steps toward me. His sword gleamed under the warm candlelight of the bar as he swung at me—
BANG!
The impact sent a tremor through the wooden walls… but the only thing he had hit was solid oak.
The man stumbled, blinking in confusion. The entire bar erupted in laughter.
"Well, no wonder you're hitting walls if you're drunk, mister," I said, grinning.
His face twisted in anger. "You little—" He steadied himself and charged at me again, this time swinging wildly. His strikes were erratic, fueled by his intoxication rather than skill. I could see every attack coming, weaving between the swipes with ease.
This was nothing compared to training with Master Sin Ju. This was child's play.
With a final reckless swing, the drunk man overextended. I stepped to the side, placed my foot in front of his, and gave him a light shove.
THUD!
He crashed onto the floor face-first.
For a second, the entire bar was silent. Then—
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
People cheered, clapping and roaring with laughter. Some even lifted me up and started tossing me into the air, catching me before I hit the ground. The energy in the room was electric, as if I had just put on the best show of the night.
Even the waitress who had asked for my name earlier—Sara—was chuckling behind the counter.
After what felt like an eternity of celebration, the waitress who had gone to prepare my room returned, holding some folded clothes in her arms. Her eyes widened when she saw the unconscious drunk sprawled out on the floor, the entire bar still in high spirits.
"What… what happened?" she asked.
"The kid here took care of him!" one of the men laughed.
She looked at me, then at the scene, and back at me again.
"Well," she sighed, shaking her head, "come on, I'll take you to your room."
The room was simple but cozy. There was a wooden table with a chair in the corner, a bed on the other side, and a hanger for clothes. It smelled faintly of pinewood and fresh linen.
I placed my things down and stretched, my body finally relaxing after the long day.
"Can't believe you knocked him out," the waitress said from the doorway, still holding the clothes.
"Huh? Who?" I turned to her in confusion.
"The drunk guy! He's actually pretty well-known around here," she said. "His name is Aaron."
Oh. So he was someone important.
I shrugged. "He was drunk, though, so I think it was a fair fight."
She chuckled. "Oh, so now you're an expert on fairness?"
I smirked and took the clothes from her hands. "Thanks for these."
"No problem. You should change into them before you sleep; they're a bit big, but they should be more comfortable than what you have on now."
I nodded. As she turned to leave, she glanced back at me. "I'm Lina, by the way. Lina Yuzuki."
"Zerro," I said. "Zerro Ju."
Her eyes twinkled slightly. "I know. Sara told me."
That was… weird.
"Well, if you need anything, just call me, alright?"
I nodded again, though I doubted I would need anything before morning.
Lina left, closing the door softly behind her.
I changed into the oversized clothes and sat on the edge of the bed.
My mind wandered.
Sara's reaction to my name earlier still bothered me. Why had she looked so shocked? It wasn't like Zerro was an unusual name… was it? Had she heard it somewhere before? Maybe I was named after some legendary warrior and didn't even know it—like in one of those books that Master used to tell me about.
I laughed at the thought. Yeah, right.
Still, the way she stared at me… it was as if she had seen a ghost.
I shook my head. No use thinking about it now.
My body was exhausted, my muscles sore from the day's battles. My eyelids felt heavy. I lay down, staring at the ceiling for a moment before closing my eyes.
I have a big day ahead of me.
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