Before the Attack (2)

"Oh, sh*t. Do I really have to fight you? What's your level? I'm only level 2," Ash grumbled.

Gabriel grinned and said, "I'm already level 61."

"Then no," Ash refused the training match with Gabriel with a pout.

Ignoring Ash's shouts of disagreement, Gabriel dragged Ash back to the empty room and released him when they arrived.

Ash stumbled forward and cursed, "D*amn you, Gabriel."

Gabriel grinned mischievously and immediately attacked Ash, "I am coming!"

Quickly, Ash blocked Gabriel's attack and cursed again, "F*ck!"

But Gabriel's sword was already swinging again, and Ash had no time to curse. He was busy parrying or dodging Gabriel's attacks.

The significant difference in their levels quickly became apparent. Within a few minutes, Ash had fallen to the ground, his sword flung somewhere out of reach.

Gabriel crouched in front of the panting Ash and said, "You know, you still have to train even if you have cheats. Anything can happen on the battlefield."

Ash cursed, "As*h*e, when did I have time to train before? I've been busy just trying to stay alive."

While pulling Ash back up, Gabriel laughed, "Now you have time. So, no more excuses."

In his heart, Ash agreed with what Gabriel said. He promised himself that he would train hard to become strong and get out of this game.

***

After having lunch at one of the restaurants in Sassi, Ash returned to the training room with Jagu, who had been following him since earlier, intending to train again.

However, now Liliana and Yuki were also there.

Ash's heart started beating fast when he saw Liliana, his mind returning to the moment they kissed.

Liliana, seeing Ash enter the training room, smiled very sweetly at him, making Ash feel even more awkward.

To hide his embarrassment and awkwardness, he just waved and walked over to the weapon racks, pretending to examine and try out all the swords there.

But when he saw Liliana sparring with a male Sassi member, he watched the match with wide eyes.

He saw Liliana's very agile movements, jumping, flipping, and even defeating her opponent with a few swift moves.

Her movements were very efficient. 'Maybe that's what's called the Assassin skill, especially at higher levels,' Ash thought.

"Hi, Ash," Yuki was suddenly standing next to him without him noticing.

Ash turned in surprise and replied, "Hi, Yuki."

Yuki saw the direction of Ash's gaze and said, "You can do that too. Maybe even more."

"Yuki, what skill should I take after level 10?" Ash asked, ignoring Yuki's previous words.

"Oh. That depends on what you want to pursue. If you want to move quickly and lethally like Liliana, you can choose Assassin. But if you want to be strong like Gabriel, you can choose Warrior," Yuki answered.

"What about Adventurer?" Ash asked without taking his eyes off Liliana, who was sparring again with another male member of Sassi.

"Adventurer is actually a combination of Assassin and Warrior. So you can be strong but also agile. But it also depends on the weapon you choose," Yuki explained.

"If you choose a sword, you already know the answer. But if, for example, you choose a bow and arrows, like Albert, the skill will adapt to the weapon. So, the player will be more agile and quick in shooting arrows, and also strong enough to shoot them repeatedly," she continued.

"So it's better if I choose Adventurer, right?" Ash asked.

"Could be," Yuki replied while chuckling and patting Jagu's head.

Ash turned to Yuki, who then added, "You still need to level up first, Ash. If you don't get items, you won't be able to level up."

"I know," Ash replied. "I've decided to stay here to speed up my level up."

"Yeah, it's best if you stay here. Because of John, we were able to find a way to level up quickly by forming Sassi Hunter," Yuki said with a sweet smile.

That evening, Ash had dinner with John and Gabriel. During dinner, they discussed Sassi Hunter's plans to combat the Jiahao group's forces.

They estimated that the group would arrive the next day, and the mage team had already prepared traps for the Jiahao group. They planned to confront their enemies outside Sassi to avoid damage within the city and prevent casualties.

And of course, so the creatures Ash summoned, and Jagu, could move freely in the open field.

The next day, right after breakfast, the shepherds who were herding their livestock on the hill signaled to the Sassi Hunters, who had gathered around the fountain in the middle of town, that they saw the Jiahao group's forces in the distance.

Without waiting any longer, the Sassi Hunters mounted their vehicles and horses, heading to the open area outside the entrance leading to Sassi.

Ash got into the car driven by John, feeling excited with adrenaline. Especially seeing the Sassi Hunters with their armor, racing eagerly in their cars and on their horses.

He felt like he was in an action movie about war.

Their war cries further fueled his excitement.

They stopped and got out not far from the open area, a grassy field with short grass and a few trees.

From there, they walked to the center of the open area. John, wearing shiny black armor, looked menacing with his large greatsword on his back.

His expression was not as usual—warm and friendly. John now looked like a bloodthirsty person, waiting for his opponents to come and surrender their lives to him.

Ash shuddered slightly at the sight and jumped a bit when John spoke to him in a cold voice.

"Summon your creatures," John said.

Without arguing, Ash nodded and began concentrating to summon Spidy, Minotaur, and Centurion from the circle on his forehead.

After they all appeared, he gave a mental command to Jagu to revert to his original form.

All the Sassi Hunter members who had previously mocked Ash could now only stare at the creatures with their mouths agape.

And all the Sassi Hunter members, accompanied by Spidy, the Giant Spider, Jagu in his enlarged form, five Minotaurs, and three Centurions, awaited the arrival of the Jiahao forces.