Volume 2 Chapter 4 Ada Of The Wild Wind
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”…I don’t know what you’re talking about. Maybe you’ve got the wrong person?”
With a casual tone, he brushed aside the killing intent aimed at him. It was his usual excuse whenever someone got too close—pretend it’s all a misunderstanding. Sure, it never worked before, but it just came out naturally. That was just her.
”…Oh? Is that so?”
The woman standing before her was an adventurer with long black hair streaked with fiery red. She held a massive axe spear, nearly as tall as she was, its blade gleaming. The rings on her ears jingled as she tilted her head, aiming the spear’s tip directly at the thief.
”Wait, hold on! What do you think you’re doing, swinging that around in the middle of town?”
”If someone’s out stealing in town, it’s not my fault. But you? You’re trash. Your attitude’s trash. You should be executed right here and now. How about it? Want me to crack that skull open?”
She wasn’t worried about who might be watching. Not at all.
The woman stepped forward, moving with a dangerous grace. She clearly had no interest in negotiating. In one fluid leap, she closed a distance of over two meters.
”Tch… Guess I’ve got no choice!”
A sudden fight—but Klock didn’t panic. He stayed calm.
The woman was clearly stronger. Facing her head-on, he knew he didn’t stand a chance—not unless he had a few dozen extra lives. But just the other day, he’d survived someone even more dangerous. He wasn’t going to run scared now.
He shifted his body, narrowly dodging the thrust of the axe spear.
Close-quarters combat against a weapon like that was a nightmare. Better to slip past and escape during a gap in her movements. Using the momentary opening, he launched backward toward the alley.
Klock wasn’t some helpless prey. Sure, he’d lose against a proper hero party, but he’d taken down monsters before. Against adventurers, he could hold his ground against C-ranks, and depending on the matchup, he might even last a bit against a B-rank.
”Hah. That’s all you’ve got?”
He created distance. He dodged again.
Just as he started to relax, a blinding white flash sliced through the air beside him.
”Whoa?!”
A single strike.
A massive metal blade cut through the space he had just been in. Despite its size and weight, it moved faster than he could react.
Wait, wait—how is she that fast?!
He fell back—one step, two steps, trying to regroup. His heart pounded as the realization hit: this woman was beyond his expectations. Her strength was terrifying. He felt a chill of bad luck creeping down his spine.
”…Who the hell are you?”
”Huh? Name’s Ada. A-rank adventurer. Some call me Ada the Wild Wind. Nice to meet you, weakling.”
…Seriously?
Cold sweat slid down Klock’s back.
That feeling—the one that only came when things were going straight to hell—was screaming at him. In situations like this, the only thing left was confusion.
An A-rank…? No good. This one’s real trouble.
Among adventurers, A-rank was basically the top tier. There were rumors of an S-rank above that, but it wasn’t officially recognized. For most people, A-rank was the limit. Ada stood at the peak of that world.
Damn it. Did I pick the worst possible target to steal from?
Regret hit hard, but there was no point crying over it now. Klock turned to run, dashing with everything he had.
One step. Two steps. No slash yet. Three steps—just around the corner— No follow-up?
”Hey. Where do you think you’re going?”
She’s here—!
He glanced back just enough to catch a glimpse. Based on her movement, he guessed a mid-level horizontal slash was coming. He dove into the corner and rolled.
A stone wall building, barely in her blind spot, was split clean in two behind him. Even solid stone couldn’t stop her.
Damn it… there’s no way I’m escaping with just tricks!
A few days ago, he had fled from an opponent that felt even more dangerous, but this was different. This woman—Ada—could absolutely take him down.
If he wanted to live, he had to act now.
He pulled out a device he’d just bought minutes earlier. A secret weapon, meant for emergencies.
Damn it, this thing’s not even meant for her! It’s for some girl knight!
The barrier device wasn’t made for front-line fighters. It needed magic power to activate, and only magic users could maintain it properly. Honestly, he didn’t want to rely on it… but there was no time to hesitate.
The moment he stepped behind the ruined wall, Klock activated it.
A faint whirring sound spun up, followed by a small hum. A transparent wall, about a meter wide, formed around him.
Ugh, it’s cramped. No way I can move in this thing.
He’d known from the sales pitch that it had a small radius. In the right scenario, you could crouch and hide. Maybe even move slowly if you were careful.
”…Hmm?”
Ada stepped into the blind spot, just a little late. She looked confused—the thief she’d been chasing had vanished. She frowned, scanned the area, and turned side to side.
Klock held his breath. She couldn’t see him. The barrier was working.
Good. Good. Just go away, already…
”Where…? He escaped…? No… he’s still here.”
…What?
Her eyes narrowed. She hadn’t spotted him—but she knew.
”Hey. Come out. You might be hiding, but your presence is obvious.”
…Presence…? You’re kidding me.
And there it was. A major flaw.
Apparently, to people as strong as her, hiding visually wasn’t enough. Even if they couldn’t see him, they could sense him.
The barrier wasn’t a perfect escape tool. It was just a delay tactic. Staying still meant death.
Klock lowered his body and slowly crawled away, trying to widen the gap between them. Ada clearly knew someone was there, but not exactly where. As long as he stayed out of range, maybe he had a chance.
”Hey. Give me back my money. Do it now, and I’ll let you go.”
She wasn’t bluffing. If he returned the stolen cash, she’d forgive him.
Too bad he’d already spent it.
One part went to buying the barrier. The rest? Spent on a prostitute. All that remained was a single silver coin—not even close to enough to refund.
Guess there’s only one thing left.
He didn’t even consider returning the money. Klock dropped to all fours and crawled down the alley like a baby. It was a pathetic sight—but at least no one could see him.
All he wanted now… was to get away.
”…Huh? Somewhere around here?”
Hearing those words, Klock instantly leapt to the side with all her strength—moving even before confirming with her eyes.
A split second later, Ada came crashing down from above, slamming her massive axe spear into the ground.
That was way too close! How the hell did she know?!
The street cracked beneath the strike. Chunks of stone flew as Ada smashed the very spot Klock had been hiding. She pulled her weapon free with a sharp motion, her sharp gaze scanning the area once again. Her movements were like a snake—graceful, slow, but undeniably lethal. Klock felt a cold chill crawl down her back.
This is bad. Really bad.
He had thought that someone not even in a hero party couldn’t be that dangerous. But reality was cruel. Against an A-rank adventurer, half-measures weren’t enough. Even if he tried to flee, Ada’s leg strength and jumping ability would allow her to catch up in an instant.
This might be the end.
”Hoo! That was amazing, Ada the Wild Wind!” a man shouted from the main street.
Both Klock and Ada turned in surprise. A small crowd had gathered, watching the destruction with curious eyes.
”Incredible jumping power! Must be the blessing of the wind!”
”Where’d the thief go?”
”Shut up, you idiots! This isn’t a show—scram!”
Ada barked, waving them away.
It was natural that a commotion like this would draw a crowd, especially in a town filled with adventurers. And among adventurers, praise often came before punishment.
Blessing of the wind…?
That phrase sparked a realization in Klock’s mind.
A Unique Skill… it has to be.
”Quit hiding and come out already!” Ada called out again. “If you’ve already used it, then return it or work to pay it back!”
Her tone was less aggressive this time, showing a surprising amount of leniency.
Klock, of course, had no intention of responding. It was clearly bait. If she stepped out, she’d be cut down before she could speak.
Yeah, there’s no point in hiding forever. But I’ve got one shot.
Klock spotted a fist-sized stone fragment on the broken street and picked it up.
Ada was still looking away.
Now’s my chance.
He hurled the stone past her, letting it crash just beside her foot. The sound echoed sharply—and just as expected, Ada spun and slashed in that direction without hesitation.
As she moved, Klock darted forward and touched the back of her exposed leg. Bandit (Plunder)──
”What?!” Ada yelped, spinning around—
—but there was no one there.
Klock had already rolled away, cloaked in a transparent barrier. His figure remained hidden, crouched low as he made his escape.
Heh… Later, dumbass.
He crouched for a moment, then deactivated the barrier, stood, and broke into a full sprint down the road.
”There!!” Ada shouted.
But Klock was already running, the barrier’s cooldown just behind him. One second. Two. Still no sign of a follow-up strike.
He glanced back—and grinned.
Ada was chasing, but her expression was confused.
With her power, she should’ve already caught up. She should’ve skewered him in seconds.
But she wasn’t.
Klock’s grin widened.
*Heh… Hahahahaha! So your busted speed was a Unique Skill after all! No skill, no catch!*
Everything had gone exactly as he’d hoped.
Ada’s heavy equipment was slowing her down without the speed boost, and now, even her superior physique couldn’t close the gap.
”Damn it! Why?! Wait! Give me back my money!!”
”Shut up! It’s my money now!” Klock shouted over his shoulder.
”What?! You bastard!!”
He dashed through a narrow alley, made a sharp turn, and leapt over a crate. Ada, still giving chase, couldn’t maneuver through the maze as easily.
”Damn it! Damn it! That’s my money!! Don’t screw with me!!”
Ada’s voice cracked in frustration. Her face looked close to tears.
Klock, meanwhile, was beaming.
The tension of moments ago had flipped into a rush of adrenaline. He laughed.
”Hah! I’ll use your precious coins for drinks tonight! No skills, no cash… guess from now on you’re just plain old Ada, huh?”
Taunting her might have been childish, but it felt good.
Ada suddenly paled, as if realizing something terrifying.
”W-Wait! What did you do to me?!”
”Shut up! This is what you get for picking a fight with someone who’s got the skill-sealing ability!”
”…Skill sealing?!”
Oops. That was probably too much.
In the heat of the moment, Klock had blurted out a lie to cover his true power. His actual ability, [Plunder], had stolen Ada’s Unique Skill—but if she knew that, he’d be in even more danger.
Better to keep her misled.
Klock continued running until Ada vanished from his view. Once he was certain she was gone, he circled around, taking a detour through a side road and heading in the opposite direction.
Somewhere in the distance, he heard her voice shouting. It sounded like she was searching randomly now.
Klock chuckled.
Even an A-rank looked pretty pathetic when stripped of their advantage.
Alright… time to grab Adelina and get out of this town.
Before Ada figured out the truth—and before reinforcements arrived.
Notes:
• Ada – Female. Ada the Wild Wind. An A-rank adventurer. Her appearance is striking, with black hair mixed with fiery red, multiple earrings, and an axe spear as tall as she is. She is incredibly strong and fast, with a Unique Skill called the ‘Blessing of the Wind’ that enhances her speed and agility. Ada is ruthless in combat but shows a surprising willingness to negotiate. She is highly respected in adventurer circles and feared by criminals. Her relationship with Klock is adversarial, as he stole from her and escaped using trickery.
• Adelina – The slave girl.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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