I opened my eyes.
The sky spread above the room was a pale grey. Judging by the brightness, early morning.
I got out of bed and washed my face with water from the basin set aside. Chloe had brought it; she drew water every dawn and placed it in everyone's room.
Coming out to the lobby, a scent tickled my nose. The clock indicated 5:45 AM. I entered the dining hall and picked up a baked potato from the table.
"You're awake? Good morning." Chloe said, warming stew in the kitchen.
I looked at the sky.
How is that a good morning in any sense?
"Heading out early again today?"
"Yeah."
Can't skip training even for a day.
Also needed to test the skills gained from yesterday's battle.
"How about having a meal with the others for once? Eating alone like that, isn't it...?"
"If I feel like it."
I took a bite of the potato and left the kitchen.
As the number of people in the waiting room increased and order emerged, a few rules were established.
The first was gathering together during meal times. Soon, the residents here, waking from sleep, would come out to the lobby.
Of course, I was the exception.
"..."
I recall Chloe's determinedly bright eyes. They were red and swollen.
Come to think of it, Zid and Hanson followed her well. Preparing meals for 20 people three times a day isn't easy either. I remember the trio often helped her, who hardly rested.
With that thought, I headed to the Training Ground.
In the Training Ground, Jena was swinging a dagger, sweating.
The girl who always came out later than me, claiming to be a heavy sleeper.
"What got into you?" I said, clicking my tongue.
"Because I don't want to die!"
Jena performed a somersault and slashed down repeatedly with the dagger.
Not even surprising anymore. Jena had far better balance and agility than other heroes. Enough that even I had to acknowledge it. Now that she had the Quick Movement skill, she could probably run along various obstacles too.
'Compared to her, Aaron...'
Despite surviving last night's battle, he didn't gain any skills.
His only skill was still Low-Grade Spear Arts.
I strapped sandbags to both my ankles and wrists.
All four together weighed about 10kg. I slowly started running around the training ground. Jena kept pace beside me.
Even running at a considerable speed, I didn't feel out of breath.
While running, I threw off the sandbags. I barely felt the exercise effect. Same with push-ups.
I did push-ups inverted, standing on my hands.
This works too.
Finally feeling some weight.
As my level increases, my body is gradually surpassing the realm of ordinary humans. Strength, stamina, endurance, reflexes – every aspect has been significantly enhanced. If I returned to Earth like this, I might even aim for a career as an athlete.
My body, which had been that of an average adult, now had lean, hard muscle. Taking off my shirt revealed distinct six-pack abs. Not the bulky muscles of a bodybuilder, but the practical muscles seen on martial artists.
"Oh my."
This time, I lifted my left hand and did push-ups.
Now this feels like exercise. At the same time, the unstable body demanded balance. A good posture to improve both strength and balance simultaneously.
'Status Window.'
[Han Israt (★) Lv. 9 (Exp 54/70)]
[Class: Novice]
[STR: 23/23]
[INT: 11/11]
[VIT: 21/21]
[AGI: 21/21]
[Skills Owned: Low-Grade Sword & Shield Arts (Lv.5), Pain Resistance (Lv.2), Composure (Lv.3), Berserk Temperament (Lv.1)]
Strength +3, Vitality +1, Agility +1, while Intelligence dropped by 1.
Total growth value: 5. Since the last level up, the growth value stabilized at 5. An encouraging figure usually seen only in 3-stars. Level-up efficiency increased by 25% (relative to base 4).
Skills also increased significantly.
A total of five skill level-ups in a single battle. This is called Skill Awakening, a rare phenomenon that occurs for heroes during combat.
'Not bad.'
The current growth trend isn't bad.
Except for gaining the unexpected Berserk Temperament skill, everything is proceeding according to plan. How Composure and Berserk Temperament will harmonize, I'll figure out gradually.
Maintaining the handstand, I bent and straightened my right arm.
The effect is the same as lifting and lowering 70kg with one hand. Despite that, my right arm didn't stop moving.
Even at only stat 20, it's this much. What changes will occur when I eventually surpass 100? Maybe I'll be able to tear down walls or pierce steel plates with my fingers like martial arts masters.
Coincidentally, level 10 is approaching. Perfect timing. The materials needed for promotion can be obtained from the Daily Dungeon unlocked yesterday.
However...
"Hey, what are you doing?" I asked while still in a handstand.
Because of the pose, my shirt had fallen down, and Jena was gently stroking my exposed abs.
"W-well, they looked luscious."
"Get your hand off?"
"What's the harm in letting me touch? It's not like they'll wear out."
"They will wear out, so get your hand off."
I bent my arms, then used the rebound from straightening them to flip myself over once.
Even I can manage this kind of acrobatics now.
'Anyway, this girl...'
The more I see, the more absurd she is.
To be this brazen the day after experiencing something like that.
Though I'm not one to talk.
Perhaps Jena's way is the correct answer.
Don't get caught up in things already past. What's important is doing what must be done, what can be done, right now. Not forgetting that simple fact allows one to maintain composure even in places like this.
Viewed from that perspective, Jena's greatest talent might not be her archery skill or agility, but that mental aspect.
Today's basic physical training ended relatively quickly.
There was still quite some time before lunch, but we immediately moved on to weapon skills training. Efficiency-wise, it was now time to invest more time in weapon skills than physical conditioning. We took our positions as usual.
"Seems like you're ready, shall we proceed as usual today?"
I nodded.
Jena stood about 10m away from me.
A shortbow was held in her hand. Not a practice weapon, but one for actual combat. The arrows also had sharp tips.
Practicing blocking incoming arrows with the shield had become tedious.
Practicing using the sword while blocking arrows with the shield had reached a stage of completion. The shield as a tool was just too effective at blocking arrows. Once a certain level of proficiency was reached, it became impossible to practice effectively.
So I threw the shield away.
Held in my hand was a single sword.
If an arrow hits wrong, I die.
I know it, and Jena knows it.
"Here I come."
"Come."
Ping!
An arrow flew with a crisp sound.
For a moment, time seemed to slow down. The arrow spun, homing in on my right chest. The sword in my right hand moves naturally. Adopts an efficient stance without conscious intent.
The arrow split cleanly in two exactly as it flew.
"One more."
"Coming!"
The second arrow flew. Don't take your eyes off it. The sword swung diagonally, snapping the arrow in half.
The next arrow came without warning.
Neither Jena nor I exchanged unnecessary words. Silence filled the training ground, punctuated only by the sound of arrows being shot and cut down.
As I split the fifteenth arrow in half, several people entered the training ground. We briefly stopped our movements.
"Ah, hello." One greeted awkwardly upon meeting my gaze.
I responded vaguely. They found spots in a corner and began training with clumsy movements. Aaron wasn't among them.
"Aaron Oppa isn't here."
"Leave him be. Probably nursing his wounds in his room."
Normally, he should be out training earlier than me. Same with Dika. Those two showed particular enthusiasm for training.
Not like those guys over there, just going through the motions.
I know what kind of mindset those guys have while training.
Not to get stronger. But to avoid synthesis. When the sky is dark, they train listlessly like this, but when the sky brightens, they frantically swing their weapons.
'Those guys should have died instead of the two yesterday.'
Those two showed some potential. With a little nurturing, they could have been useful.
My expression must have soured, as Jena noticed the mood and laughed awkwardly.
"Let's train, train!"
"Shoot."
Ping!
The sixteenth arrow flew. This time, lower body. Slash down.
"H-heeik..."
"Don't mind them. They're always like that." People were muttering.
I didn't have the leisure to pay attention to them either.
'My reaction speed has definitely improved.'
The Sword & Shield Arts skill encompasses both sword and shield simultaneously. It shows the highest efficiency when using both together, but there's no major penalty for using only one weapon.
Now, the body moved before thought. Like breathing, the sword reflexively traced its arc.
Still just a low-grade skill.
I recalled Shea's swordsmanship from the first day, piercing the goblin's throat with measured precision. Compared to that, I'm still far behind.
Shea could probably split incoming arrows in half too.
In this world, tremendous effects can be achieved with little training.
On Earth, reaching this level would have taken at least a year.
Fragments of broken arrows began to pile up at my feet.
Several arrows grazed my forearms or legs, drawing blood. Even when wounded, Jena didn't stop. Immediately, a second, a third arrow followed.
I told her to shoot with the intent to kill. She's just faithfully following that instruction.
If I die ridiculously in training like this, then that's just my limit.
Several people stood far off, just watching Jena and me.
It probably looks like madness.
A third arrow comes. Location: between the eyes.
Get hit by this, and there's no recovery, just certain death. With a snap of my wrist, I angled the sword left. The arrow struck the flat of the blade and flew off course.
That arrow landed at the feet of the onlookers.
"Whoa!"
"Enjoying the show?"
When I growled, the people returned to their places.
While swinging weapons at scarecrows, their eyes remained fixed this way. Those guys hadn't even properly done the most basic physical training.
If I had my way, I'd send a message to the Master and have them all devoured, but at level 9, eating such low-levels wouldn't even make a dent. Same for Jena or Aaron. Only someone around Dika's level might yield some effect.
This time, a double shot.
Two arrows flew towards my chest and neck with a short interval. Quickly swung twice to deflect them.
The Master will likely log in after today's training ends.
Estimated time: 10 PM. I had already figured out Amkena's daily pattern. That's why I requested the clock.
'Will probably go to the Daily Dungeon.'
I mentally organized the materials needed.
Even amidst that, the hand wielding the sword moved busily.