The first thing I felt ain. My leg was throbbing, and the bare floor attered with drops of blood. Looking down I could see my leg was covered in nasty cuts. None of them were deep, but all of them were painful, my leg looking like it had been put through a blehere were a few other aches and pains I was suffering, but this was clearly the worst. Damn, I haven’t been this beat up sihat time ba my hometown, all those years ago…

  “Stupid sickle-weasel…” I muttered. “It really did a number on my leg. If I was closer this could have ripped me apart.” The damage I experieny Material body was an order of magnitude less than I suffered iral, but if my injuries were any deeper and more numerous… maybe I wouldn’t lose a leg, but if the deep cuts hit a vein or artery… shit, I could bleed out and die before I woke up again…

  Shivering, I went to my desk and drew out a first aid kit I had bought from the venieore after my st injuries. Wing as I dabbed disiant on my wounds, I sidered my st frantic battle and what it meant.

  I was scared, I know that. Who wouldn’t be, after all, pain ah is frightening. But wheuation got serious I got caught up in the moment, adrenaliaking over, and I… I actually found it thrilling. Perhaps I’ve been broken by my past experie was the same then, the fear… but I stepped up because I had to… and I survived, as did Eri- and my sis.

  It was all a bit surprising really, sure I liked games, but I was never big into anything scary. I knew some people were really into things that got adrenaline pumping, such as extreme sports like base-jumping and tombstoning, but I didn’t think I was susceptible to the same. Still, that wasn’t necessarily such a bad thing. It wasn’t like this was Sword Art Online, I wasn’t trapped in the world, I could leave it at any time. I just had to be more careful. The sickle-weasel had caught me off guard, but I wouldn’t be caught again!

  Damn, like I thought earlier, sunk cost is a terrible thing. I had emotional iment in my Territory now, and seeing hoy the kobolds were to have survived, it was no longer just about the rewards anymore, nice as they were.

  I’d really like to build it up and show it off. Man, my sister and Eri- would be so amazed. I could finally tell my sis that all my otaku hobbies she mocked had paid off! Hmm, since I am thinking of home and my sister… Ign the pain in my leg as I reached over and grabbed my phone I fired off a quick email.

  “Hey little sis, just thought I’d drop you a line. I hope yetting ready for summer, make the most of it, erm you’ll really have to knuckle down audying if you want to get into a det uy, although if you haven’t been keeping up by now it might already be too te! The tests are brutal, trust me, I know!

  But enough small talk, it so happens I’ve mao do a little better than I had anticipated work-wise, so it looks like I should have a bit of free time to visit home during the holidays. I’m not sure precisely when, but I’ll let you know closer to the time.

  Hopefully you’ll be pleased to see me! Let Eri- know I’ll be visiting too, we hang out, just like old times.

  Y bro.”

  With that done, I’d made a promise, and if I didn’t follow through my sis would never let me hear the end of it. Thinking about my sister and her love for scary rides had made me nostalgic for home. A visit wouldn’t hurt, after all, even with my expenditures I reed I would be able to finish off the stack of work Hayato-san had seo replenish my coffers, with enough left over for a trip home for a few days. What would be the point of getting these protagonist-like powers if I didn’t enjoy myself? It’ll be good to see everyone again. Last time was New Year, it seems forever ago…

  Feeling pretty cheerful I then had to pn my strategy for defeating the weaselkin of the Seelie. The final battle would occur when I had enough aether accumuted to ehe Boundary, so I had two or three days to maximise my preparations. If I wao avoid injuries which could lead to death I would o be stronger and smarter.

  Doing the physical training had definitely improved me, even if I khere shouldn’t have been much ge in such a short amount of time I definitely felt faster and stronger. But that could only take me so far. I needed actual bat skills. Turning on my puter I brought up my bookmarked pages on the various spear arts I had been training my muscles to use. With a few searches online I had mao find some videos and guides to their basic moves.

  “All right, time to start my training.” I said firmly, pumping myself up. Whether it was the adrenaline again or my pain tolerance was increasing, my leg didn’t seem to hurt too much right now, so I figured I should be good to train. Now all I needed was a simuted spear. Breaking the head off a mop and tying a kit ko it was the best I could do. The bance felt simir to the spear I wielded in the Boundary, even if it was much lighter and less solid. Maybe I should order some sort of training spear online as well, just swallow the cost… oh well, no time to worry about that now.

  I spent most of the day alternating basic thrusts, stabs and sshes, intermixing it with muscle training, and soon the pain of my ag muscles surpassed the agony of my sshed leg. Once I was done I levered myself up from the floor where I rawled in a sweaty heap, grabbed a cold drink and checked my messages. As I suspected I had one from my sister.

  “Hey big bro, good to hear from you! You always make me message you first so it’s nice you’ve finally realised keeping your adorable younger sister waiting for some news is a major crime!

  Great hat you e and see us over the summer, maybe we hit the beach or something. I know you’d love to see me and Eri- in our swimwear, right? Mom and dad will be super pleased too, they are always pining you never e bad see us. I know you are living the big-city life in Tokyo, but you ’t fet our hometown, there are so many memories here! Wow, I just know Eri- will be super happy you haven’t fotten her, she’ll be thrilled to see you too!

  Be sure you give us plenty of notice, I want to make sure we get some fun stuff pnned. It’d be b to just sit around at home when you’ve e all the way back out to the boonies, right?

  Oh wow, I’m pretty excited, but not as excited as you are to see me and Eri-, right big bro?

  Oh before I go, I’ve left you a little present. Talk to you soon, okay?

  Man, my sis was always so excitable. I admit it would be o see home in the summer, as I usually visited around New Year, but even so, it would just be for a few days. Oh yeah, she said she left me a present.

  There hotograph attached to the message. Clig it brought up an image of my sister and Eri-. My sis was in her archery gear, smiling at the camera and making a peace sign, while beside her was a nervous-looking Eri- in her summer uniform. Even I had to admit they were both pretty damn cute, much as it pained me to say that of my sis. I’m still not sure how that is supposed to be a present though.

  Putting such thoughts out of my mind I decided to grind out a few hours of work. With my newfound abilities I should be able to clear a day or two’s worth in a hurry…

  Like this, the hree days went past with a lot of physical training. The wounds on my leg had scabbed over, and I was feeling fident I’d made some improvements, as it seemed my ability to learn through physical repetition had increased signifitly, likely due to my greater abilities granted by reag level seven. It was now time to ehe Boundary once more and do battle!

  Once my sciousness had moved to my Territory I quickly took stock of the situation. My ether supply was low, as most of it had goo spawning and arming my weaselkin troops. The recruitment had not fully finished, I still had four more weaselkin to spawn, but even so, my army of five bck-furred weaselkin armed with long wooden staves, and twenty one weaselkin with a motley variety of clubs, hatchets and a handful of bows, seemed quite impressive.

  “All right then. While I wait for the st four to be spawned I might as well practice.” I clutched my spear and began my exercises, the heavier heft of the spear feeling more natural in my hands. The spear darted here and there, the thrusts having more accuracy, the stabs more power, and the sshes more finesse. My intensive routine had definitely paid off, I definitely felt more capable in bat.

  As there was still some time before the st couple of my weaselkin were spawned, I decided to round off my preparation with some Chakra exercises, so I closed my eyes and began to trate, wind energy swirling around me. Only when I received a message that all my troops were spawned did I open my eyes.

  “All right then.” I said, linking my mind to my degraded troops so I could and them. “It’s time for battle.” I looked at the kobolds who had joined my army and smiled. “However, you o stay here and hold the Territory. If any invaders e, keep then at a distand hopefully our Defensive Empt will slowly whittle them down. If the situation bees too bad I’ll return, but you would o buy me time, all right?”

  “You t on me, on us.” The lead miner said. I notiow that several of the other kobolds had pickaxes as well, maybe they had spawhem from the Armoury? Sadly, there wasn’t much time to sider other matters. This was war. A nervous thrill was c through me, both frightening and anticipatory at the same time, and I wondered if this was the feeling my sis felt before petitions.

  “Good, that is all I ask.” I smiled. Raising my spear I gestured to the squad of weaselkin behihen we move out. Our destination, the park! We will cim it for our own ahe Seelie attacks on our Territory!”

  There was no response from my weaselkin, but the kobolds cheered and barked excitedly. With that we set off, me in the lead, fnked by my bck-furred Elites, with the others spread out behind in a formation to shield my few archers.

  It didn’t take us too long to move uhe strangely lit sky until we reached the area where we were ambushed before, b the park. This time I repared, and I had already sent my Elite bck-furred weaselkin around the backs of the buildings with instrus to climb up a any Seelie weaselkin waiting in ambush. My hands were sweaty on my spear, but my heart was resolute.

  I am going to win this. Definitely. I’ve pnned carefully and as long as I find a way to ter the Kamaitachi, we should be victorious.

  As I moved forwards several shadows fell ae, the enemy weaselkin above looming over the rooftops, armed with bows and other ranged ons. This was the moment I had been waiting for. With a swift mental and I ordered the attack.

  “Here we go! The final battle!” I roared, bounding forwards towards the steps up one building. “To victory!”