Black Clover: Nah I'd Lose (UPDATED)

(Guys, We reached our goal of 50 power stones, you will be getting the bonus chapter in a few hours, our goal for this week is 100 Powerstones, whether this fic continues or not would depend on the support I am getting which is determined either by number of patreon members or number of powerstones this fic is getting)

After getting some money from pickpocketing, he decided to buy some clothes from a nearby shop.

He entered the shop, and his eyes widened.

"It's you!"

Two people could be seen pointing fingers at each other while shouting.

This naturally attracted the attention of many people in the shop, who turned to watch the newly formed commotion.

The person Akeru was pointing at was none other than the reflection he had seen moments earlier.

"My bad. What do you want, sir?" the salesperson asked.

"I would like to see some clothes that fit me, ones that are more durable and resistant than normal," Akeru regained his composure as naturally as an apple falling to the ground.

"Let me show you our collection," the salesperson said, escorting Akeru and displaying some of the most durable and resistant clothing available.

Previously, Akeru had shouted when looking at his reflection—not because the salesperson was unattractive, but quite the opposite. The guy was stunning, if Akeru dared say so.

It was this realization that had shocked him in the moment, thinking he resembled the salesperson.

It was unclear why the salesperson had reacted the way he did.

"Do you have any clothes equipped with runes to enhance them?" Akeru suddenly asked.

"We do have some in our collection, but the prices are naturally very high," the salesperson replied.

Akeru browsed through the collection.

'Seventy thousand for a basic-grade protection-enchanted T-shirt? Leave it. Even if I decide to spend money, I won't trust the unknown runes on clothing. What if the person responsible for creating it becomes an enemy and uses this against me?' Akeru decided to forgo that option and returned to browsing the normal collection.

He glanced beside him and saw mages using fire magic to iron the clothes.

'Damn, what kind of control is required for that? Oh wait, that's a spell. Still, can such a spell naturally appear in someone's grimoire? I bet they trained it,' Akeru thought, impressed by the display.

After finishing his shopping, Akeru decided to pay and left.

'Even though this money was stolen, why do I feel this ache in my chest when I spend so much?' he thought, clutching his chest.

For the next week, Akeru went to the library and stayed in random inns.

'The magic knights here have increased recently. I wonder why,' he thought while watching a group of purple-clothed figures.

People especially made way for them when they saw them.

'At least we don't need to bow or anything. It would've wasted too much time,' Akeru thought, approaching an idiot-looking guy near a wasabi stall.

"Nii-chan, why are magic knights patrolling in this area?" Akeru asked, making an innocent expression.

"Oh, someone has been pickpocketing in this town, and magic knights are trying to find him," the guy said, shaking his head.

"What an idiot. Are they not scared of magic knights?" Akeru asked, maintaining the same innocent expression.

'I need to get out of this city. These guys seem too free to come after a pickpocket.' He internally cursed the knights while walking away from the guy.

He glanced at one knight who had his grimoire opened.

'That seems like tracking magic. No wonder I keep running into them—they have a rough idea of my location,' Akeru thought as he discreetly moved away into the crowd.

"Everyone, stop and don't move! Our target is in the area," the other knight, who hadn't opened his grimoire, shouted.

Akeru was at the back of the crowd, near an alley opening. He decided to bolt.

"Stop!" the knight who had shouted initially said, beginning to chase after him.

'Just my luck. I should've seen it coming,' Akeru thought calmly, taking many turns through different alleys.

"I said stop!" the knight shouted again as he rounded a corner.

But the knight's eyes widened when, from his peripheral vision, he saw a kick aimed at his head.

'I didn't sense him despite my mana field,' the knight thought before blacking out.

After delivering the kick, Akeru landed on the ground while crouching. He quickly followed up with another mana-enhanced strike to make sure the knight was unconscious.

He lifted the knight and dumped him into a garbage dump before taking his grimoire.

He then proceeded to take the grimoire and, after a few more turns, dumped it in another green garbage can.

After that, moving far away, he discarded his gloves, which he had used to touch the knight, and changed locations again.

'Let's see. Those guys probably have the official gates blocked, so my best bet is to go through this forest. It connects to another city but will take a few days,' he had already studied the map, confirming the route.

He quickly tied his bag to his back tightly and snuck into the forest without getting detected.

He had a few close calls with city guards but managed to escape overall.

As he reached the edge of the forest, he picked up speed, enhancing his legs with mana bursts.

After running for nearly an hour, he stopped.

He hadn't run in a straight line, instead using branches and other obstacles to avoid leaving an obvious trail.

He looked up at the sky. 'It's around afternoon. I should have a few hours before I need to hunt for food. Time to try this out.'

His poker face broke into a strange smile—one that felt unnerving coming from a child.

He approached a nearby tree and, with a few steps, reached a branch.

'This should do,' he thought, examining the long branch. He swiped his palm at the part where the branch connected to the tree.

The branch snapped off, and he fell toward the ground along with it.

He landed silently on the ground, the branch in his hands.

He placed the branch between his legs and bent down.

'It's said that mana flows easily into cylindrical-shaped objects. Even though this branch isn't made of special material, it should work, I think,' he closed his eyes and focused on guiding his mana into the branch.

The branch started shaking, and after a few minutes of struggle, Akeru found himself lifted off the ground and floating in the sky.

'Woah, this is g—' he thought before realizing he was falling. He quickly used mana to adjust his orientation, ensuring he didn't fall headfirst.

'Fuck, this is a bit tough, but it shouldn't take too long,' he thought, continuing to practice.

A few hours passed, and the sun was halfway toward the horizon, signalling that it was nearly time for it to set.

Akeru floated in the sky, looking at the sun slowly sinking below the trees.

'Hmm, I feel like I'm forgetting something.' He stroked his chin, trying to remember.

"...growl..."

His stomach rumbled loudly.

He facepalmed. 'Fuck, I was supposed to go hunt. It's almost nighttime, and I'm nearly out of mana.'

However, he was conflicted. 'I want to try flying, but getting food now is of utmost priority. Plus, if I run completely out of mana, that's just a death sentence in this forest... but I still want to fly.'

Suppressing his urge, he landed on the ground. He ditched the branch and quickly set out, running in search of animals while enhancing his legs with mana.

'Let's hurry. Even without mana, I can deal with most animals,' he thought arrogantly as he scanned the area.

He spotted a boar and stopped.

'Wait, this isn't even a mana beast...' Akeru realized he was no longer in a grand magic zone, but rather a normal forest.

"Nooooo, my delicious meat," he yelled dramatically, dropping to the ground in despair. His expression was melancholic.

***

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