The Strongest With Nothing Left

Just as Li was about to leave the guild after turning in the five S-rank monster cores, a small figure rushed into the guild, catching his eye. "Master!" The loud, eager voice caused the entire guild to freeze. Conversations halted, mugs of ale paused mid-air, and heads snapped toward the entrance toward him.

Li's eyes slightly widened, and he cursed under his breath. Damn it… Arin, with his usual excited grin, sprinted toward him, waving his hand. "Master! I've been looking everywhere for you!" The word Master echoed throughout the guild like a thunderstrike. Silence descended, suffocating and thick. Every adventurer, receptionist, and guild staff turned toward Li disbelief painted on their faces.

"…Master?" one adventurer mumbled, his face contorted in shock. "Wait did that kid just call Li… Master?" "That can't be right," another whispered. "Li? The guy who never talks to anyone? The guy who works solo and never gets involved with anyone?"

"I-Impossible," the receptionist stammered, her jaw hanging. "Li took a disciple?" Whispers erupted like wildfire. Everyone was staring not just at Arin but at Li. Shock. Disbelief. Confusion. No one could comprehend what they were seeing.

But Li… simply sighed. "Tch. What are you doing here, Arin?" Arin grinned wide, unfazed by the cold tone. "I came to register as an adventurer! You promised to train me, right? So I gotta get stronger fast!" Li's eyes briefly scanned the boy noting the lack of any visible injuries from their last training session. "…You completely healed up?" Arin scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Ahaha… yeah! My mom took care of me, so I'm all good now! I can start training again!"

Another wave of shock rippled through the crowd. Promised to train him? Took care of him? Healed up from what? Li's grip on his katana tightened. "Stop calling me Master in public. It's annoying." 

Arin's face lit up. "Ah! Master, can I see you do a quest later? I wanna see how you take down monsters!" Li scoffed, turning away. "Tch. Why would you wanna see that?" "Cause you're cool!" Arin grinned widely, his admiration clear. Before Li could respond, the receptionist behind the counter spoke up. "Hold on, kid. Before you can officially register as an adventurer, you'll need to pass a battle exam."

"A… battle exam?" Arin blinked, confused. The receptionist smiled. "Yes. All new adventurers must prove they can at least defend themselves. You'll have to spar against one of our seasoned adventurers. If you pass, you can officially become an adventurer." Arin turned to Li, his eyes practically sparkling. "Master! Can you watch me do the exam? Please?" 

Li sighed heavily. "Do whatever you want. But don't expect me to praise you." Arin, still grinning, clenched his fists. "Alright! Time to prove myself!" The adventurer who was supposed to test Arin looked down at him and scoffed. "Heh… they seriously sent a kid for the battle exam?"

Arin clenched his fists. "I'm not here to play. Just start the fight." The adventurer laughed. "Alright, alright don't cry when I knock you out, kid." He lunged forward, aiming to end it in one blow. But Arin sidestepped. Clean. Quick. "Huh?" The adventurer blinked. Arin moved his movements clumsy but rapidly improving with every second. He started countering, dodging, and learning the man's fighting style at an alarming speed.

"W-what the hell?!" The adventurer stumbled back, sweat dripping. "How is he adapting so fast?!" From the sidelines, Li watched his cold eyes narrowing. "...He's improving mid-fight." A hard punch to the gut. A swift dodge. Arin overwhelmed the man within minutes, leaving the adventurer gasping on the ground. "D-damn…" The man groaned. "What are you…?" Arin stood tall, panting but victorious. "Just someone who doesn't give up."

Silence fell in the guild. The adventurers who watched the battle were stunned.

"H-hold up…" one adventurer muttered. "That kid… he just destroyed a full-grown adventurer…"

"Wait, didn't he say 'Master' to Li earlier?" another whispered, disbelief in their tone. "You telling me… Li trained that kid?"

"What the hell kind of training did Li put him through?!" 

The adventurer Arin defeated slowly got up, his pride shattered. "Tch… what kind of freakish training did that kid go through…?" Li, still leaning against the wall, simply turned his back. "Hmph…"

Arin stood there for a moment, processing his victory. Then it hit him. "I… I WON!!" His face lit up like a star as he turned toward Li, his voice filled with excitement. "MASTER!! DID YOU SEE THAT?! I ACTUALLY WON!!" Li, still leaning against the wall, barely reacted. "Hmph…"

But Arin didn't care. He bolted toward Li, practically jumping with joy. "DID YOU SEE THAT, MASTER?! I BEAT HIM!! I ACTUALLY BEAT HIM!!" "Yeah. You did," Li muttered, trying to sound indifferent. 

"THAT WAS SO COOL! I MEAN, HE WAS HUGE, BUT I STILL WON!!" Arin continued, grinning from ear to ear. "Was it cause of the training you gave me? Did you see how fast I adapted to his moves?!"

Li turned his head away. "Tch… Don't get cocky. He was just a low-rank adventurer." "But I still won, right? RIGHT?!" Arin's smile never faded. "C'mon, admit it! I did awesome, didn't I, Master?!"

Li's eye twitched. "Stop calling me that." "But you are my master! And you're awesome!!" Arin exclaimed, practically bouncing in excitement.

Meanwhile, the adventurers inside the guild were losing their minds. "Ayo… he keeps calling Li his MASTER…" "What the hell did Li do to that kid?!"

"Dude, Li's training turned that kid into a monster! No wonder Li's one of the strongest…" Li clicked his tongue, visibly annoyed. "Tch. Enough celebrating. Go register." "YES SIR!!" Arin saluted dramatically, still grinning ear to ear. "I'm gonna make you proud, Master!!" 

Li just groaned and turned away, but internally… he felt something warm. Something he hadn't felt in a long, long time. Pride. 

Arin approached the guild counter, practically bouncing with excitement. His face was still beaming from his victory in the battle exam. The receptionist looked surprised to see the young boy again, especially with how eager he seemed. 

"I-I came to get my adventurer license!" Arin grinned widely, placing his hand on the counter. The receptionist smiled, though a bit confused. "Ah… right. You passed the exam, didn't you? Give me a moment." She turned around, rummaging through a stack of licenses before pulling one out. "Here it is. Congratulations on officially becoming an adventurer."

Arin's eyes sparkled as he accepted the small bronze plate with his name carved on it. "Yes!! I did it!!" He turned around and immediately spotted Li standing near the entrance of the guild, watching silently. Without hesitation, Arin sprinted toward him, waving the license in the air. 

"Master! Master! Look, I got it! I'm officially an adventurer now!" Arin practically shoved the plate in Li's face, his energy uncontainable.

Li stared at him for a moment before exhaling. "Tch." He looked away. "Do whatever you want." "YESSS!!" Arin jumped up, pumping his fists in the air. The other adventurers in the guild couldn't help but stare in disbelief. "Wait… did he just call Li his Master?" one adventurer muttered. 

"Li? That Li? The guy who never talks to anyone?!" another one added. "Since when did he take a disciple? I thought he hated people…" someone else questioned. 

The murmurs only grew louder, but Li simply ignored them, walking toward the request board. Arin happily trailed behind him, holding his license as if it were a treasure. And at that moment, Li couldn't help but feel something… odd. The silence in his world was slightly disturbed and he couldn't tell if he hated it or not.

As he approached the quest board, his eyes darted around, scanning for something easy. Suddenly, his gaze locked onto a simple request: 

Request: Gather 5 Horned Boar TusksRank: FReward: 10 Silver Coins

Arin grinned. "Perfect!" Without hesitation, he grabbed the paper and brought it to the receptionist. "Taking your first quest, huh?" the receptionist smiled. "Yup! And uh… I have a favor to ask…" Arin scratched the back of his head nervously. 

"A favor?" Arin turned around and pointed directly at Li, who was casually leaning against the wall, scanning the high-ranked quests. "Can my master accompany me?" 

The receptionist smiled warmly. "Well, I don't see why not. But you do know most first-timers don't ask for their mentors to come, right?"

"I know, I know!" Arin grinned. "But it's my first quest, and I just really want him to be there." Hearing this, Li sighed audibly. "…No."

Arin immediately spun around. "Aw, c'mon, Master! It's my first quest! Pleaseeeeee!" "No." Li didn't even look at him. "Handle it yourself."

"But Master—!" 

"No."

Several adventurers nearby started laughing.

"Damn, kid's got guts to ask Li to come along."

"Haha yeah. Surprised Li hasn't chopped his head off yet.""But still… that kid does call him Master. Weird, ain't it?"

Li clenched his jaw. "This brat…" He finally turned around, his cold, lifeless gaze meeting Arin's hopeful one. "...You don't need me." "But I want you to come," Arin said quickly. "Just once! Please! It's my first quest I promise I'll handle it myself, I just want you there."

"...Tch." Li turned his back. "Fine. One quest." "YESSS!!" Arin fist-pumped the air, his face lighting up with joy. "I knew you'd agree, Master!!" 

The adventurers around them chuckled.

"Heh… looks like Li's finally warming up to someone.""Yeah. Honestly? Kinda crazy to see.""Wonder what kind of hellish training that kid went through…"

As they exited the guild, Arin practically skipped beside Li. "Alright! Let's get those Horned Boar tusks!" Li sighed heavily. "What the hell am I doing…?"