Divinity

--- [Vaman’s perspective]

And so, I decided to become a hunter.

The first step was to learn Basic Divinity Manipulation.

Without it, you can’t become a hunter.

Like with everything else in life, it didn’t come easy to me.

Most of my time was spent working random shitty jobs that I would get fired from within a few weeks.

But I had to do it to survive; I couldn’t rely on my parents financial support anymore.

I spent what little free time I had on training, but it wasn’t enough.

I couldn’t work less, so the only other thing I could cut back on was sleep.

I reduced it significantly to make sure I got a couple more hours of practice in every day.

This was my life for a few years, but even so, I showed no sign of progress…

Learning BDM is hard enough by itself.

Add sleep deprivation, little time to practice, and no talent into the mix, and it’s exponentially harder.

After getting fired from yet another job, I decided that it was time to change things up.

I left town and started living by myself in the wilderness.

I would hunt for food and spend the rest of my time training.

At first, this was brutal.

Just getting enough food to survive was a momentous task by itself.

My life had never been harder, every day was pain.

The sleep deprivation was worse than ever before, and I was constantly hungry.

But after a couple years, it started to pay off.

I was getting the hang of BDM, and hunting was now significantly easier.

That meant I had more time to train, and sleep.

My mental health was getting better every day, and it accelerated my growth exponentially.

Eventually I decided it was time.

I was finally going to take the F-rank hunter exam!

…

…

I failed.

After all my hard work, after all the effort I put in…

It still wasn’t enough.

I was more than outclassed by everyone there.

My complete lack of talent was still haunting me.

I went back to training.

Back to spending every single day hunting and practicing.

The next exam came around, and I had improved since last time, but…

I still failed…

I still wasn’t good enough.

I was about to give up, I didn’t feel like there was any pointing in continuing.

Clearly, I was bound to fail at anything I tried.

But…

That’s when something clicked deep within me.

If I was going to either fail, or be miserable, no matter what road in life I decided to walk down, why not give my absolute all to the one that could make me happy?

If I fail, I fail.

I had nothing to lose anymore.

In my mind, I had already lost, so I couldn’t go any lower.

I was already at rock bottom.

I could only ever go up from there.

My training got more and more intense.

It was like my life depended on it…

And it did.

I tried the exam again.

I failed.

Again.

I failed.

I tried yet another time, but I still failed.

Five times in a row…

I failed FIVE times in a row.

But I did not give up.

On my sixth try, I passed…

I did it!

I finally became a hunter!

It was like a dream come true.

I was finally able to live comfortably, I was finally happy again.

I could earn a reasonable amount of money with a reasonable amount of work.

I could even return to society.

After all these years, my relationship with my parents was finally starting to get better.

They no longer saw me as a disappointment, I was now their pride and joy.

I managed to become a hunter, a job very few were able to get.

I started making new friends in the guild.

Life has been fantastic ever since.

That was when something clicked deep within me for the second time…

After all these years, after all that hard work, I was finally happy again.

I want nothing more than for things to stay like this forever.

But the only way to go about doing that is by getting stronger.

I can’t repeat what happened back in school; I need to keep up with my friends.

If they keep ranking up while I stay as F-rank, we’ll eventually drift apart.

I also want to help support my parents financially because they are starting to get old, and I earn more by doing higher ranked missions.

I failed the E-rank exam last year because of that monster, but that won’t happen this year.

It turns out I was wrong.

I wasn’t completely talentless.

There is one thing that I am better at than almost everyone else, and that’s determination…

My determination is so great that it makes up for my lack of talent in every other area.

I have faced bigger hurdles before; I won’t let this guy stop me.

He might be stronger than me, and he might be more talented than me, but my determination will overcome that.

It will overcome anything life throws at me.

The winner of this match was decided the moment I was picked.

I will win!

--- Back to the match

He knocked me to the ground and is going for a follow-up attack.

I’m not going to be able to get up in time…

He lifts his foot and slams it down towards my chest, but just moments before it hits, I manage to roll to the side.

Before I’m able to stand back up, he goes for another kick and sends me flying into the wall.

“GUAH!” – Vaman

This wall is no normal wall…

It looks and feels like stone, but it’s much harder.

The impact doesn’t even make a dent in it…

Colliding with it feel like I’m getting kicked my him again.

Before he’s able to get over to me, I’m finally able to get on my feet.

I’ve taken a lot of damage, but I’m still able to fight.

As he sprints towards me, I notice something…

It looks like he has some broken rips.

The way he runs…

He’s clearly in a lot of pain.

I can take advantage of that!

He was able to avoid all of my attacks earlier, but if I attack in a way where moving that part of his body is the only option, then he might not be able to.

It’s worth a shot at least.

If I can ever land an attack in that spot, then it would do significantly more damage than normal.

Let’s do this!

I go for a punch straight to his chest, but he moves back ever so slightly so that it doesn’t hit him, then goes for a counterattack.

He hits me in the face, and I get knocked back, but I’m still on my feet.

I go for yet another attack, but he avoids and counters just like before.

I throw a barrage of punches, none of them hit him.

I try to kick him from the side, but he jumps over my leg and lands on my face.

He jumps off from my face, knocking me right down to the ground yet again.

Before he’s able to get back to me, I stand up.

I’ve taken a lot of damage; my movements are getting slower…

I throw another punch, but he easily dodges it.

He punches me in the stomach and fall to my knees.

He doesn’t hesitate to follow up on his attack, and kicks me in the side of my head.

…

Ughhhh…

I feel like I’m about to pass out…

I lay there on the ground for a little bit without moving, and he stops.

He probably thinks he has already won…

No…!

I’m not giving up.

I get back on my feet, but he’s still just standing there.

My knees are wobbling; I’m just barely able to stand.

“You fought well, but it’s time to give up. You can’t win.” – Lucas

I start laughing.

He looks confused.

“Don’t you dare underestimate me. I’m not giving up that easily.” – Vaman

“Taking that many of my attacks must hurt, you’re clearly in a lot of pain. I’ll knock you out quickly, ending this once and for all.” – Lucas

Tsk.

He’s still acting like he’s going to win.

I will overcome this, just like I have overcome everything else.

I was at rock bottom, and I climbed my way to the top.

This hurdle is nothing!

He slowly walks towards me, and I get ready to attack.

As soon as he gets within attacking range, he throws a quick jab to my face, but I miraculously manage to dodge it.

Before he’s able to follow up, I throw a right hook of my own, but he ducks under it.

He throws yet another punch to my stomach, but this time he goes even harder, launching me up into the air a little bit.

While still in the air, he throws a barrage of attacks, breaking almost every bone in my body, and sending me flying in the wall.

…

…

--- [Alex’s perspective]

He didn’t scream after that attack…

That can only mean two things.

He either died, or was instantly knocked unconscious…

Poor guy…

He didn’t even stand a chance, yet he kept on trying his very best until the end.

Wait…

Did he just…?

He just moved!

“Not… So… Fast…” – Vaman

He’s still not giving up?!

He somehow manages stand back up, even after an attack like that…

How is he doing that?!

That shouldn’t be possible, yet…

He’s actually doing it…

He lifts his leg and tries to take a step forwards, but he can’t do it.

He falls over.

Just before he hits the ground, Leanne suddenly appears and catches him.

“Good job, Vaman. You did well.” – Leanne

She carries him back to his team and calls for the healers.

They come right over, and they fix him up.

His physical injuries were healed, but he’s still unconscious.

That fight must have taken a massive toll on his mind too.

He was standing, almost walking even, in a condition where that should not have been possible.

I’ve never seen someone with as much determination as him before…

He may have failed the exam this year, but it’s obvious to anyone with a brain that he will become a great hunter one day.

“The winner is Lucas. The score is now one to one.” – Leanne