Scene – Kirito and Mari's Room
Kirito lies on the bed, staring at the sword in his hand — the same one given to him by the unknown summon. Mari is sitting on a chair, reading books laid out on the table.
Kirito: Hmm… what was the name of this sword again? Umm… yeah! Ijakā. That's it — Ijakā.Well, I doubt I'll ever really need to use a sword. I've barely had any sword training anyway… so I probably won't have much use for it."Jujutsu."
The sword disappears suddenly.
Kirito: Hah… what are you up to, Mari? 😊
Mari: I'm preparing for tomorrow's mission.
Kirito: Oh? But how does reading a book help with that kind of prep?
Mari: This is my style of preparation!
Kirito: That's a pretty unique style, Mari! Hahaha!
Mari: Are you laughing at me? -_-+
Kirito: Huh?! No, no! Of course not. I wasn't laughing…
Mari: Hmm… well, fine. Now go to sleep — we've got a mission tomorrow.
Kirito: Yes, my wife. 😏
Scene – Principal's Office
Principal Yuka and teacher Ira are seated, having a private discussion.
Principal Yuka: So that's what happened in today's summoning class?
Ira: Yes, Principal Yuka.
Yuka: Do you have any suspicions?
Ira: Two students — they caused quite a stir during the entrance test as well.
Yuka: Who are they?
Ira: Kirito and Mari.
Yuka: Hmm… Kirito and Mari, huh? If I'm not wrong, Kirito is the son of Dragon King Kolie and Spirit Queen Asely?
Ira: Yes, that's correct.
Yuka: Then we can't really do anything about him. But Mari — isn't she the daughter of some guild owner?
Ira: From what I've heard, yes. She's the daughter of the most popular guild owner in the Spirit Kingdom.
Yuka: I see. Very well. Keep a close eye on them for a few days, and I'll tell you what to do next.
Ira: As you command, Principal Yuka.
Scene – The Next Day, in Class
Ira: As you all know, today you'll be given missions. First, divide yourselves into groups. You can have any number of members in a group.
Kirito: If that's the case, Mari, it's just the two of us. We'll form our own group.
Mari: I think that's perfect.
Ira: Okay, so we have 6 groups in total:
Group 1 has 6 students
Group 2 has 5
Group 3 has 4
Group 4 (yours) has 2
Group 5 has 8
Group 6 has 7Group 4 will stay as it is, since all the others have more than 2 members.
Kirito: That's fine, sir.
Random Student: That kind of arrogance won't last long, haha!
Kirito: It's not arrogance — it's confidence.
Ira: Enough chatter. Here's your mission briefing:
Group 1: Clear the cave of monsters.
Group 2: Purge hidden school areas where monsters reside.
Group 3: Spend a day in the city and report anything strange.
Group 4 (Kirito & Mari): Head into the jungle and defeat any monsters you find.You may swap missions if you're not confident.
Kirito: No need — we'll take it.
Ira: Alright. Don't overdo it, and — though unlikely — don't wipe out every single monster either. Off you go!
Scene – Deep Within the Jungle
Mari: We've come pretty far in.
Kirito: Yeah… the monsters should appear any time now. Stay sharp — the fight could start at any moment.
Mari: Got it!
Suddenly, a giant lizard appears.
Kirito: Battle mode! Our enemy is right in front of us!
They both get into battle stance. Suddenly, the lizard calls four more of its kind — now five giant lizards surround them.
Mari: !! It called for backup! Kirito, what now — should we run?!
Kirito: No chance of running. We'll fight. We're stronger than all five of them.
Mari: You're right. Running would be pointless!
One lizard shoots a poison attack toward them, but they dodge in time.
Kirito: Fire Bullet!
The fire hits one lizard, but doesn't do much damage.
Kirito: Mari, they're strong — be careful!
Mari: Hmm! Ice Shoot!
(She fires large ice arrows — 3 per second — from her hands. They hit, but again, don't deal much damage.)
Mari: !! Even that didn't work? Just how powerful are these things?
*Suddenly:
One lizard uses a poison attack.
Two attack with their tails.
Another causes an earthquake.*
Kirito: Watch out, Mari!!
Kirito dodges everything. Mari avoids the quake and tail attacks but is struck by poison.
Mari: Ugh…!
Kirito: Mari!! No…!
Mari collapses, kneeling, the poison slowly taking effect. Kirito runs to her.
Kirito: No, Mari!! I won't let anything happen to you! Just keep your eyes open… give me five minutes. I'll take them all down and get you back to school. You'll be fine. Just… stay with me. Don't close your eyes, Mari!
Kirito rises. His aura begins to surround his entire body. As he steps toward the lizards, they start backing away.
Kirito: You… you don't even know what you've done.For this… you'll regret it in your next life!
He locks eyes with them and charges.
Kirito: No more holding back!"Third Step!" (His speed skyrockets — 5 steps per second)"Chinja!" (A skill that smashes the enemy's body parts to pulp.)
He hits one lizard. Its skin tears away from its body, bones shatter, muscles explode, blood sprays everywhere. The scene is so brutal anyone watching would vomit instantly.
Kirito: I'm not done yet…!
The remaining four lizards start fleeing. Kirito targets another.
Kirito: Blue Blood!(A skill that turns the enemy's blood blue and poisonous. It begins to explode inside their body repeatedly until it completely vanishes.)
Two lizards are hit. Their bodies begin convulsing, internal mini-explosions going off. Blue blood leaks from their eyes, mouths, ears, backs, and noses — with each droplet bursting. Eventually, they collapse, dead.
Kirito: Jujutsu.
(As seen in earlier chapters, this skill can do much more than attack…)
[Chapter 8 – End]