The training grounds buzzed with anticipation.
Han and Jenna stood at the center, surrounded by Shay, Tess, Raphtalia, Saena, Gilly, and Chloe. The girls leaned against the stone railing that bordered the arena, each of them watching with rapt attention.
Jenna's new black wings flexed behind her as she stretched, her bow already in hand.
"I want to test myself," she said, her golden eyes glowing with eager fire. "And who better to fight than the strongest?"
Han simply rolled his shoulders, twin swords glinting faintly under the artificial Lobby light. "Fine by me."
Without another word, Jenna shot into the sky—black wings flaring wide as she took position high above the arena. The wind howled around her, her hair rippling like a banner of defiance. With practiced grace, she nocked an arrow, elemental wind spiraling faintly around the tip.
Han narrowed his eyes, tensing. He had no ranged skills worth mentioning. Not yet.
She loosed.
The arrow howled through the air like a thunderbolt, straight toward Han's face.
His sword flashed.
Clang!
[Han (★)'s Projectile Defense has raised to level 8!]
The arrow split in two midair, fragments spinning harmlessly past his cheeks.
But before Han could breathe, the sky filled with a barrage.
A blur of arrows rained down—dozens, maybe more, all fired in rapid succession. Han's body moved on instinct. One slash. Then another. Sweat beaded on his brow as he rotated, parried, ducked, and slashed again.
[Jenna (☆)'s Quick Draw has raised to level 9!]
[Jenna (☆)'s Quick Fire has raised to level 7!]
"Damn," Han muttered, slicing two more arrows from the air. "She's not holding back."
Tess' eyes widened as she leaned forward on the railing, heart pounding. "She's insane! That's too many arrows!"
"Han can't even get close," Raphtalia muttered, awestruck.
And still, the storm raged.
Han couldn't move forward. Every step met another hail of precision fire. But then—something clicked. His senses expanded. His mind cleared. For just a moment, he saw it.
The path of every arrow.
The gaps.
The rhythm.
The weakness.
[Skill Awakening!]
[Han (★)'s Projectile Defense has evolved into: Insight!]
His eyes flashed.
He understood.
With a sudden pivot, Han danced through the storm—blades moving in perfect arcs, not wasting a single motion. Arrows flew past him like leaves in the wind, and the few he couldn't avoid, he cut with frightening precision.
"That's—!" Tess gasped. "That's Insight!"
She turned to Shay, shocked. "He did it. He actually did it."
Shay's lips curled into a small, proud smile.
Han moved like a blur now, dodging left, rolling forward, blades sweeping out. Finally, with a grunt, he hurled one of his swords skyward.
[Han (★)'s Sword Throw has raised to level 6!]
Jenna flipped midair, narrowly avoiding it.
"Nice try—" she began.
But then, with a heavy thunk, Han's second sword shot from below and clipped her left wing.
[Han (★)'s Sword Throw has raised to level 7!]
[Han (★)'s Feral Senses has raised to level 3!]
[Han (★)'s Battle Instinct has raised to level 2!]
[Han (★)'s Insight has raised to level 2!]
"Gah—!" Jenna winced, her body twisting as she dipped sharply in the air. She barely managed a rough landing, her wings folding as she fell to one knee.
Everyone was silent.
Han strode forward, casually retrieving his swords.
"You weren't bad at all, Jenna…" he said, sheathing them both. "You should just work on your reaction time more—"
"Dummy!" Jenna snapped, puffing her cheeks in frustration. "I improved like tenfold! And all you can say is that?!"
Han just chuckled.
...
Two days passed in a blur of sweat, bruises, and steel.
The training grounds echoed day and night with the sound of clashing weapons, shouted techniques, and heavy breaths. Shay, Tess, Jenna, Raphtalia, and Han pushed themselves harder than ever before. There was no room for laziness, no space for weakness.
Because Han had warned them—again and again.
"The 5th Floor won't be like the others," he said. "Compared to it, the first four are complete jokes. One mistake, and you're dead. If we're not prepared, we all die."
Every word hit like a hammer. No one doubted him. Not after what they'd seen. And so they trained, driven by the looming threat of true annihilation.
Now, Han stood in the center of the training arena once again, parrying Tess' spear with effortless grace.
Her movements were faster now, more precise. The feral instinct from the goblin village had turned into something controlled, something deadly.
But it still wasn't enough.
With a single fluid motion, Han twisted to the side and drove a solid kick into her stomach.
"Ugh—!" Tess flew backward, her body skidding across the stone before she coughed and rolled to a stop.
[Han (★)'s Basic Combat has raised to level 6!]
Han exhaled and sheathed his swords.
"I'm gonna hydrate myself now," he said, voice calm as ever. "Tess, join the others. You still have a long way to go."
Tess groaned, clutching her stomach as she sat up. "You think I don't know that…?" she muttered under her breath. "Monster…"
Han walked off, leaving the training ground behind. The sting of battle still buzzed in his muscles, but it felt good. He liked the progress. He could see it in all of them—even if none could yet match him.
As he crossed the Lobby grounds toward the restaurant inside the Lodgings, he brought up his Status Window with a thought.
[Han Islat (☆) – Lv.10 (This hero is ready to be promoted)]
[Class: Novice]
[Stats: Strength: 53/53 (73), Intelligence: 27/27 (64), Stamina: 53/53 (73), Dexterity: 51/51 (70), Spirit: 12]
[Skills: Intermediate Dual Swords (Lv.2), Combat Logic (Lv.3), Battle Speed (Lv.1), Poison Resistance (Lv.7), Primal Resilience (Lv.4), Feral Senses (Lv.5), Indomitable Soul (Lv.4), Nimble Movements (Lv.8), Wild Libido (Lv.2), Basic Combat (Lv.6), Sword Throw (Lv.8), Battle Instinct (Lv.4), Insight (Lv.4)]
Han stared at the window, his steps slowing.
'My physical stats are total nuts... but my Intelligence... it's going to surpass them soon.'
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
'Maybe I should learn some Shamanism. I shouldn't just let my high Intelligence stat sit there. And knowing a bit of it might come in handy during the 5th Floor…'
He let the thought linger, then dismissed the window.
A faint clatter of dishes pulled his gaze forward.
He opened the Lodgings' restaurant door.
Inside, Chloe stood at the sink, sleeves rolled up and apron tight around her waist, humming softly to herself as she scrubbed.
Her hair was tied back messily, some strands falling loose over her cheek, skin slightly flushed from the steam.
To be continued...
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Also, if there's anyone wondering what the numbers in brackets for Han's stats are, it's their true value. As you know, one point of his stats is worth than a stat point of others because of the spirit stat.