How Did You Know My Name Was Fredika?

Blood!

Blood was everywhere!

The dim candlelight flickered, and the small room was filled with the strong smell of rust.

A man dressed in black night clothes and wearing a mask sat on a linen bed stained with blood, leaning on a long sword in his right hand, quietly looking down at something.

His name is Fredika, a Witcher from the School of the Cat.

He lit the candle.

Ordinary School of the Cat witchers can locate sounds in the dark and fight under the dim moonlight, and Fredika can do the same.

This is just his hobby.

He enjoyed toying with his prey under the light, watching the intense emotional shifts on their faces before they died, and inhaling the rich scent of blood as he counted down the last moments of their lives.

This made him tremble with pleasure, far exceeding the euphoria brought by cheap hallucinogens.

How can we appreciate such a beautiful moment without lighting the lamp?

Thinking of this.

Fredika sniffed, took a deep breath, letting the fragrance fill her lungs, then looked down to continue admiring her masterpiece.

Not far from the bed, an unnamed disciple of the School of the Wolf lay face up, his pupils wide with terror, trembling weakly in his own blood.

His mouth was gagged with burlap, and the ligaments in his wrists and ankles were severed, with blood gushing from his veins.

"You probably have about five minutes left!" Fredika said.

His years of experience allowed him to estimate very accurately; if he said five minutes, he wouldn't say a second more.

His words intensified the gaze that was filled with a complex mix of emotions—hatred, fear, anger, cowardice, and hope.

"Who are you waiting for to come and save you?"

This is a certainty, not a question.

"Your mentor is right next door, but he's being held up by two witchers who are even more skilled than me."

"As for the other apprentices like you, each of them has been assigned the same opponent as you..."

Fredika spoke gently, without sarcasm or curses, but rather slowly and methodically analyzed the situation for the person on the ground, as if he were teaching an apprentice.

"They can't catch up!"

"But it doesn't matter, your friends will definitely be one step ahead of you on the road to death."

Upon hearing this, the School of the Wolf apprentices on the ground felt an even greater despair in their eyes, but this quickly turned into extreme anger and hatred.

Feeling that gaze, Fredika sniffed excitedly again.

He stared at his prey, whose face had turned pale, and a cruel and gleeful glint involuntarily appeared in his eyes. Just as he was about to provoke it a few more times...

He suddenly gripped his longsword tightly and turned his head to look out the window.

A similarly youthful face appeared in the dim candlelight.

After glancing at Fredika, who was dressed in black night clothes, the man immediately noticed the apprentice lying in a pool of blood and turned his head in alarm, shouting.

"Ailin!"

Immediately afterwards, his eyes flashed with intense hatred and rage, and he leaped into the room, sword in hand, charging towards the figure by the bedside.

Fredika remained calm; he even continued to sit on the blood-stained linen blanket.

He watched the young figure, blinded by rage, rushing towards him, and an exaggerated smile curved his lips beneath the black mask.

"Ailin?"

"Is this your name?" Fredika glanced at Bont on the ground. "Or is it your mentor's name..."

"Or... is it the name of one of the apprentices?"

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

A series of metallic clanging sounds interrupted Fredika's leisurely conversation.

Fredika sat on the bed, sword in one hand, and effortlessly blocked Huus's frenzied attacks.

"Your swordsmanship is good, but your strength is too weak and your speed is too slow."

"They're fine dealing with those recent graduates, but not with me..."

"No!"

Fredika commented slowly and deliberately.

He then leaned back and fell onto the bed, dodging the longsword that came slashing horizontally.

With lightning speed, his right foot slammed into Huus's abdomen.

"Bang!"

The Quen Shield shattered, and the weak shockwave didn't even disrupt Fredika's movements.

I can't beat him!

Huus immediately realized the problem.

He took a few steps back, his feet sinking into the pool of blood, and stood in front of Bont to cast a Quen Shield on himself.

"Hmm, not bad hand seals, skillful swordsmanship. No wonder those trash couldn't stop you."

"You must be the most talented Witcher of your School of the Wolf this year, right?"

Fredika, carrying his sword, slowly got out of bed and asked curiously.

Huus was furious at the enemy's contempt, but the attack that had just been so easily deflected reminded him to calm down, calm down, and calm down again.

The sound of Bont's breathing grew fainter and fainter in his ear; he had to protect his companions before Ailin arrived.

After clarifying his thoughts, Huus became increasingly conservative in his demeanor.

His attacks on Fredika were mostly probing, and once Quen was broken, he immediately retreated to find an opportunity to rebuild it.

Ailin is coming soon, and he must be careful not to let it become a burden like the Trial of the Mountains.

fortunately.

The enemy's fighting spirit seemed low; they only glanced excitedly at Bont on the ground from time to time.

There was neither a fierce attack nor the use of Bont as a hostage to lure Huus into revealing a weakness.

Instead, taking advantage of the moment his shield shattered, he seized the opportunity to leave several shallow wounds on his wrists and ankles.

"They clearly had a chance to kill me, but only managed to leave some shallow cuts..."

"This... this is just like a cat playing with a mouse it has caught."

Huus glanced at the bloodstain on his wrist, and the thought that flashed through his mind instantly made him furious.

"Huus ..."

"Bont! What happened to Bont?"

Huus breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Fred's panicked voice behind him.

really,

The next moment, a strong wind swept in, and a tall, slender figure gripping a long sword suddenly appeared beside him.

It's Ailin!

He frowned, glanced down at the wounds on Bont's limbs lying in the pool of blood, and then noticed the same bloodstains on Huus's body.

A burning rage surged up and flooded his mind.

This is torture!

That damned School of the Cat Witcher treats his companions like toys to be played with at will!

How dare he!

"Ailin!"

"Be careful! This man in black is no ordinary person!"

Huus's solemn voice rang out, and Ailin nodded, saying:

"You and Fred, hurry up and help Bont treat his wounds..."

"As for this..."

Ailin turned to look at the School of the Cat witcher who stood casually in front of them, seemingly having them cornered, and watched them talk. He gritted his teeth and said:

"As for that damned bastard, I'll deal with him!"

Huus nodded, took a few steps back, squatted down, and tore off several strips of cloth from his body.

"Clang!"

A violent clang of metal suddenly resounded in the small room, and a sudden gust of wind rippled the pool of blood flowing from Bont.

"You wolf cubs, who gave you permission to move my work without permission?"

Fredika's eyebrows furrowed in her cloudy Cat Eyes, her gaze revealing dissatisfaction, irritability, and anger, like a spoiled child whose beloved toy had suddenly been snatched away.

Wolf cubs?

work?

What an unbearable name! The Witcher of the School of the Cat is indeed a bunch of lunatics and perverts.

Ailin's anger intensified.

However, he did not intend to respond to Fredika's outrageous remarks.

There's nothing to say about the madmen and lunatics of the School of the Cat.

Bont's health is not good, and he urgently needs to see a doctor.

The faint sounds of swords clashing could be heard from the next room, and Vesemir's condition didn't seem to be good either.

"A swift and decisive victory!"

Ailin squinted and casually made an appraisal.

[Name: Fredika]

[Attributes: Strength 34, Agility 36, Constitution 23, Perception 33, Mysticism 13]

His strength and agility are similar to the previous School of the Cat Witcher.

You can fight!

After seeing through the imposter's attributes, Ailin's mind raced, and his ocean-blue Cat Eyes suddenly flashed with a ghostly blue light in the flickering firelight.

Demon Hunter!

"Clang~"

Amidst the ear-piercing metallic scraping sound, the veins on Ailin's hands bulged as he forcefully shoved the astonished Fredika away.

"Such power... You're no Witcher apprentice!"

Fredika frowned, then took a light step back, but unexpectedly, in the next instant, Ailin rushed over.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Ailin remained silent.

The relentless, storm-like slashes were too much for Fredika, who had underestimated the Wolf School Witchers from the start, to handle.

This is a lesson learned from the fierce battle between Ailin and Brett.

The School of the Wolf Two-Handed Sword emphasizes rotation and footwork.

This swordsmanship is designed to target monsters whose strength and physique far surpass those of ordinary witchers.

Therefore, if you miss your first attack, you must quickly dodge to avoid being attacked by a monster with extraordinary strength.

Once the opportunity arises, immediately spin around, allowing the longsword to accumulate potential energy, multiplying the power of the next attack several times over, in order to inflict maximum damage on the target while minimizing injury.

therefore.

This sword technique is disjointed.

They would strike once and then retreat, strike again and retreat again.

While this works well against monsters, it's a huge weakness against humans.

In battle, retreating even a step can often mean missing a golden opportunity.

Against armored human enemies—whether leather or armor—using the power accumulated on the longsword through the art of rotation is either a complete waste or utterly ineffective.

So, through Brett's rapid, swift swordplay, Ailin learned the key to swordsmanship against people.

That is...

Suppress! Suppress! Suppress!

Suppression from beginning to end!

We must not give the enemy any chance to catch their breath or retaliate.

Ailin also has the skill of Demon Hunter. Even without looking for the opponent's weaknesses, as long as the battle drags on long enough and the number of attacks is sufficient, he can achieve his goal.

No matter who the enemy is, they are doomed to die.

With complete focus, Ailin wielded his steel sword, gradually cornering Fredika against the wall.

The progress bar above Fredika's head kept increasing with the violent collision of the two steel swords.

[Demon Hunting] Progress 3%

[Demon Hunter] Progress 6%

Although the Cat Witcher was not Favor Field, his superb swordsmanship prevented Ailin from easily inflicting any bleeding wounds on Fredika.

This makes the progress of [Demon Hunting] accumulate rather slowly, requiring about thirty sword strikes to fill the progress bar.

but.

That's enough!

"Damn wolf cub!"

Fredika, who was completely suppressed, roared angrily, seemingly exasperated by his own complete dominance.

However, Ailin could not detect the slightest panic in his eyes.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Amidst the intense clanging of metal, Ailin suddenly noticed that the School of the Wolf's standard steel sword in his hand had small chips chipped into its blade.

In contrast, Fredika's steel sword was almost completely intact.

The steel sword in Ailin's hand is already the best steel sword in Kaer Morhen.

Even Vesemir's sword was of similar quality.

But it's still not as sturdy as the longsword of the Cat Witcher.

Obviously.

Cats and wolves have very different requirements for the quality of steel swords.

Fredika noticed the damaged details on the steel sword, and his murky Cat Eyes flashed with a fierce light, as if he were provoking Ailin.

Although he was completely overwhelmed by Ailin due to the cramped room and a moment of carelessness.

But the School of the Cat's deadly swordsmanship is not just a name.

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

Despite Ailin's fierce attacks, Fredika skillfully controlled her longsword, parrying it at the same spot on Ailin's blade.

He even deliberately increased the force when blocking.

The gap in the middle of Ailin's longsword was widening; it seemed that if they clashed head-on for a few more rounds, it would break.

This is an open strategy.

In this confined space, if Huus and Fred joined in, it would only make things worse.

If Ailin retreats and switches swords, using the Quen Sign on his body to buy time, Fredika will be able to break free from the predicament of being suppressed.

If they do not retreat, at most ten more sword strikes will be delivered, and the School of the Wolf witchers will not escape the fate of having their swords broken and dying.

therefore.

In Fredika's eyes, he had already won.

He even couldn't help but lick his lips under his mask.

While fending off the incoming longswords, he also anticipated the panic and helplessness of this School of the Wolf witch hunter apprentice, whose skills were so eccentrically advanced, as he was bled dry.

"Hahaha!"

"You little wolf cub! Did you enjoy the hacking?"

Fredika blocked Ailin's relentless attacks, laughing arrogantly.

"I still have a chance to beg for mercy. As long as you make them release my work, restore it to its original state, and let me enjoy it properly, I will leave."

"After all, my commission today is simply to kill a Witcher apprentice from the School of the Wolf."

"I'll let you go because you have such beautiful eyes."

"Just let me admire my past works," Fredika repeated softly, like a devil's whisper.

Huus and Fred roughly treated Bont's wounds and looked at Ailin with anxious expressions.

They all noticed the unusual nature of Ailin's weapon.

"It's alright!"

A calm and gentle voice emanated from the clanging of metal.

"Okay... then hurry up and..."

The eyes behind the black mask curved slightly, as if in a smile, but then the person quickly realized what was happening, frowned, and said:

"What? What do you mean by 'it's alright'?"

Ailin didn't reply. He looked at the progress bar above Fredika's head and swung his sword.

"Clang!"

[Demon Hunter] Progress 93%

The notch in the middle of the longsword was already the size of a thumb, and it could break at any moment.

"Clang!"

[Demon Hunter] Progress 96%

The tip of the sword wobbled slightly, and a crack appeared in the middle section.

A barely audible sound mingled with the clang of the sword, which Fredika caught.

then.

His lips curled into an exaggerated smile, and you could feel his excitement even through the mask.

"I won!" Fredika thought to herself.

"Clang!"

[Demon Hunter] Progress 99%

"Snap!"

The longsword broke completely, with the front half grazing Ailin's arm and being knocked away.

A bloody gash appeared on his right elbow.

Haha~

Amidst his maniacal laughter, Fredika stabbed Ailin in an instant.

Quen Shield shattered, and the School of the Cat Witcher was violently blasted against the wall by the shockwave.

"You strange wolf cub, you're finished!"

Fredika was excited. With the force of the huge impact, she was lifted off the ground like a feather, her feet dangling on the wall behind her, about half a person's height.

As the knee bends to release the force, the muscles spring back powerfully.

Wielding his longsword like a sharp arrow, he charged swiftly towards Ailin.

"No, you're finished, Fredika!"

"Ailin said softly."

The moment Quen Shield shattered.

[Demon Hunting] Progress 100%.

Following the strange sight in his line of sight, Ailin stepped back to the side and landed on the red footprint, narrowly avoiding the thrusting sword.

Immediately afterwards, he grasped the broken sword, now only half intact, and in the instant Fredika charged at him, followed the vertical red line.

It slashed down violently.

Fredika stared in horror, but very cooperatively placed his head on the line of his strike.

"Pfft~"

His body and head were instantly separated into two parts, which flew to Huus, Bont, and Fred.

The splattered hot blood stained the three children's youthful faces red.

"Thump!"

The body fell.

The loud noise startled Bont, who was lying weakly on Fred's lap.

The moment he opened his eyes, he saw the School of the Cat witcher's head lying on the ground, its lips twitching slightly as it stared at him menacingly, saying:

How did you know my name was Fredika?

At this moment.

Having recovered from his demon-hunting state, Ailin was about to walk over to Bont to check on his injuries.

The mechanical voice that suddenly came to his ears startled him.

"Bite!"

[The Demon Hunters are here to vanquish the monsters!]

[Reward Settlement:...]