The fall of the Halberd Hero

'Repetition is the death of joy.'

'When you first adapt to something, the thrill of experiencing something new will inevitably distract you from its originally arduous nature. When that farce breaks, and excitement turns to numbness, is when you will finally be exposed to how incredibly boring it really was.'

According to my own logic, this was it, I was finally exposed to the true nature of monster hunting.

The heavy weapon I wield, the agile monsters, that are just weak enough to pose no threat to me, all of it turned boring quickly.

After four days of repeatedly hunting the horrifyingly dull orange monsters, I was long beyond the realisation, that I'd grown strong enough to move on to stronger monsters.

Still, ever since the meeting with Namphal, my mind began to stray… I was scared.

.

Now it was just a fight in my mind of which was stronger, the boredom I felt, or the dread I felt at the thought of moving to a higher level, possibly deadly, hunting ground.

Back on the hunting grounds, finally finishing up, I was ready to end another wasted day, full of senseless swinging at the same old malicious orange balls, that I had grown to hate.

Puddles had started seeking me out less and less recently, making me wonder what he was even there for to begin with.

'Perhaps the kingdom had already deemed her useless after seeing her unwillingness to progress.'

My mind shortly came to a halt, hearing the sound of a carriage nearby.

Drenched in a bright orange, cast by the setting sun, the carriage riding through the fields was weirdly calming… just thinking of sitting in that comfortable carriage right now, being transported everywhere like royalty.

Suddenly stopping in front of Yukiko, the carriage door slams open.

Following the rash action, a person just as rash exited. It was none other than Takeshi Kuroda, the hero of the Spatha.

"Hey, Dumbass! What do you think you're doing, huh?", he said, unusually agitated, or perhaps that was how he had always been.

In just 26 days, I would have to possibly fight this guy. Deep inside, I was scared of meeting him. I was scared of how strong he had gotten while I was rotting away, living the exact same boring life that I had lived on earth.

Frowning even deeper, he continues his rambling, "You look utterly pathetic, wasting the destiny of a hero! You got this unique chance to make something of your life, but then why have I, in the past few days, never seen you do anything other than hunting the same old useless and worthless monsters!

Seriously, have you given up?"

My tired eyes stared blankly at the carriage, filled with what I suspected to be his party members. His clothes weren't even considered clothes anymore, he was clad in equipment fit for a hero.

"If that is all you have to say, then you're wasting your time.", I replied, half wishing for him to just leave me alone.

Taking a heavy step out of the carriage, he holds his weapon up, pointing it at my head.

"I can't just accept that, you have to understand. In fact, I request a duel between us. Right now.", he said, wearing a somber expression.

Surprised by the sudden offer, my stomach churns.

In the end, a deep subconscious of mine took over, knowing that accepting the duel request would maybe finally result in me breaking out of this hellish cycle.

"If that is what you want, then I will accept.", I said, surprised by the words that came out of my mouth.

Stepping out of the carriage, his other party members stood by, probably there to watch the fight play out.

Kuroda seems pleased, while getting into a stance, counting down from 10.

I, although still overwhelmed, change my Halberds form to the Gladiators Halberd, making me notice a slight increase in my strength.

As he slowly began counting down, we moved to a more open area, creating enough space between each other.

5.

4..

3…

2….

As soon as he counted to one, he used what seemed to be a skill to dash in front of me with his sword pointing at my stomach.

I couldn't match his speed, so I held the halberd in the trajectory of his dash, keeping him at bay for now.

As soon as he cancelled his skill in order to avoid the tip of the halberd, it was as if a window had opened. I took a wide step forward, just barely staying out of his shorter range, striking at his shoulder.

*clank*

The ear-numbing sound of the gladiators halberd clashing against his weapon distracted me just long enough for him to close the distance and put his blade against my throat.

It was my loss.

Then, just as I was about to admit defeat, Kuroda spoke up.

"Again."

"Again? Haven't you had enough fun already?", I ask, genuinely curious of his intentions. Was he mocking me in front of his teammates?

Before any of us could argue, he started counting down from ten again.

And another loss.

Then again.

Then another loss…

"Look, can you really call yourself a hero like this?", Kuroda said, a hint of genuine empathy in his voice.

"I will come back in two days, then we will spar again. Be prepared.", he continued.

And finally, I was there, left alone again.

I didn't feel discouraged, rather, I felt thrilled. The adrenaline flowing through me left my feelings heightened.

Out of desperation, I took out the freezing box… 'I still have a chance to beat them.'

Opening the box, that left my cold fingers glued to it, I lifted up the tooth inside.

Carefully, the tooth, illuminated by the shining of the blue jewel, was lowered into the endless stomach of its storage, that consumed and consumed.

This was my last chance.

The tooth slowly dissolving in the smooth surface of the stone, finally, a message popped up on my menu.

 - Halberd of the valiant hero -