Chapter 9: Shay's Training

As the light from the portal faded, Han and Jenna reappeared on the floating island.

Before they could even get their bearings, Iselle zipped straight toward Han like a rocket.

"Lokiiiii! How did it go?" she chirped, wings fluttering rapidly.

Han exhaled, brushing some dust from his clothes. "As you can see… pretty bad. But at least…" He threw a glance at Jenna. "I found someone talented."

Immediately, Iselle's eyes sparkled. She darted around Jenna in excited circles.

"Wow! If Loki said you're talented, then you must be a monster! Did you kill four goblins with just one arrow? Did you awaken four skills in your first battle? Did you—"

"Hey, Khan, is she really that good?" a calm voice interrupted.

It was Shay, who had quietly approached behind them.

Iselle stopped mid-hover and glared at her. "Hey, you bitch! How dare you interrupt me while I'm talking to Loki?!"

Shay's eye twitched. Her calm demeanor cracked like a broken mirror. "Bitch? Who are you calling a bitch, you stupid fairy?"

"Stupid fairy? I could kill you just by clapping my hands if I wanted to!" Iselle snapped back, puffing her cheeks angrily.

"At least I don't act like a dog in heat every time a decent-looking guy walks by!" Shay shot back, now fully fuming.

"How dare you call me a dog in heat?!" Iselle shrieked. "A decent looking guy?! How dare you?! Loki is the most handsome man in the history of existence!"

"And what's with you calling him Loki—" Shay was about to launch into another tirade when Han finally cut in.

"Hey, you two…"

His voice was calm but sharp. "Stop. Are you little kids?"

He turned to Iselle first. "You're a fairy entrusted with managing an entire world… and this is how you behave?"

Then to Shay. "And you're a knight. Since when do knights bicker like children?"

Both went silent at his words, though they continued to glare daggers at each other.

"And yes, Shay…" Han added, returning to her original question. "Jenna is that good."

"Oh really?" Shay's expression shifted instantly, her annoyance with Iselle forgotten. "Is she more talented than you?"

Han shrugged slightly. "I don't know yet… but I'm sure she's in no way less than me."

"Ehm…" Jenna finally spoke up, inserting herself into the conversation with a small wave. "Hi, I'm Jenna. I, uh… still don't know either of your names, so…"

"Oh, right." Shay softened her tone. "I'm Shay Lathasterie, a knight."

"And I'm Han Islat," Han added. "I used to be a farmer."

"A farmer?" Jenna blinked in surprise. "With those fighting skills?"

"Yeah… she taught me a thing or two," Han said, nodding toward Shay.

"Well, now that you mention it…" Shay suddenly said, stretching her arms. "I was just about to go train."

She turned to Han with a smirk. "And you're coming with me."

Then, glancing at Jenna, she asked, "Would you like to join us?"

Jenna hesitated. "But I don't know how to use a sword..."

"You'll use your bow," Shay replied. "When did I ever say that you'll have to use a sword?"

Then, with a mischievous grin, she added, "The training I have in mind is quite special."

...

The sharp clang of steel echoed through the air as Han and Shay sparred in the center of the training grounds. Their blades clashed again and again, but it was clear Shay held the upper hand.

Han was constantly being pushed back, his steps uneven under the pressure of her strikes.

"Han, you're too tense," Shay said mid-duel, parrying his attack with effortless grace and countering in one fluid motion.

Han barely managed to block, but the force of her blow still sent him stumbling several steps backward.

"See? I didn't even use that much strength, and you still flew away."

She lowered her blade slightly, her expression calm but firm. "You have to be light. As if you weren't putting any strength into your sword at all."

Han narrowed his eyes. Light? As if I weren't putting any strength…?

He gritted his teeth and advanced again, swinging his sword with renewed focus. Shay easily parried again, but her words continued to echo in his mind.

As if I weren't putting any strength in my sword…

He breathed slowly, easing his grip, letting the flow of movement guide him rather than force it.

[Han (☆)'s Basic Swordsmanship has risen to Level 4!]

"Yeah… I get it now," Han thought, his body suddenly looser, his swings more fluid. The tension in his shoulders vanished, yet his blade still carried weight—now guided by control, not force.

His attacks came faster, more precise. Shay noticed the change immediately. Though she still parried each strike with ease, Han was no longer flying backward like before—his footing was steadier, his stance sharper.

He launched a final slash, a clean arc aimed toward her shoulder.

Shay blocked with her usual finesse, deflecting the attack—only to suddenly sense something else.

Whsssh!

Two arrows hurtled toward her from the edge of the training ground.

[Jenna (☆)'s Basic Archery has risen to Level 4!]

Shay's eyes snapped toward the incoming projectiles. With quick reflexes, she twisted her body, slicing through both arrows in midair.

But another arrow came.

Then another.

And another.

Shay spun, deflecting each arrow with smooth slashes of her sword, though the strain was starting to show—her brow furrowed slightly with effort.

[Skill Awakening!]

[The hero, Shay (☆☆☆☆), has awakened the skill: Projectile Defense!]

Despite the barrage, her swordwork remained flawless—each arrow cut down before it could even get close.

But Han wasn't going to let her have her moment.

The instant he saw her attention shift to Jenna's arrows, he lunged forward.

Shay's eyes flicked back just in time—she sidestepped to avoid two more arrows coming from behind, then pivoted, catching Han's strike mid-swing.

Clang!

Their swords clashed with a loud ring—but this time, Shay didn't just parry. She twisted her wrist and sent Han's sword flying out of his grip, the weapon landing a few meters away with a dull thud.

Still, without missing a beat, she turned and resumed cutting down Jenna's relentless stream of arrows.

Jenna kept firing.

Shay kept blocking.

"But I won't go down just because I lost my weapon," Han said, a determined glint in his eyes.

Before Shay could react, he rushed at her barehanded.

Again? Shay frowned, already lifting her blade. What's he trying to do? Coming at me without a weapon? Does he want to die, perhaps?

She swung her sword—swift, precise, non-lethal, aiming for a clean takedown.

But Han didn't dodge.

Instead, he grabbed the tip of her sword with his bare hand.

The blade pierced through his palm, slicing through flesh and bone. Blood gushed out, spilling down the steel in thick rivulets. But Han didn't flinch.

In that single moment of shock, Shay's eyes widened. What the—?!

Han didn't stop.

Using his bloodied hand still gripping the blade, he lunged forward—his other fist slamming straight into Shay's face.

Her head snapped slightly to the side from the impact, not because she couldn't dodge it—but because she was too stunned by what just happened.

But Shay still hadn't let go of her sword. Despite the blow, she held firm.

She didn't want to risk slashing Han's arm off by pulling back, so she remained still—until more arrows suddenly rained down toward her.

Shay cursed under her breath. With no room to block them all while still holding her sword, she released her grip and stepped back.

Han didn't waste the opportunity. He yanked the sword out from his hand, blood gushing again—but the wound vanished just as fast, skin and flesh regenerating in seconds.

He didn't even blink.

[Skill Awakening!]

[The hero, Han (☆), has awakened the skill: Pain Tolerance!]

Gripping Shay's sword now, he turned it against her and charged.

Slash—slash—slash!

A flurry of swift attacks came her way, combined with Jenna's unrelenting arrows from the side. Han thought—Now we've got her. There's no way she can defend against both of us at once.

But Shay simply dropped low.

Her body dipped beneath both blade and arrows in a single, fluid motion, and in the same motion, her leg swept wide under Han.

Wham!

Han hit the ground hard, face-first.

Before he could recover, Shay reached down and casually plucked her sword from his hands. Then, still crouched, she spun and parried three more arrows mid-spin, flicking them away.

She stood tall once again and without a word, threw her sword like a javelin toward Jenna.

The blade cut the air like a flash of silver lightning—but it intentionally missed, embedding itself into the ground beside her feet.

Jenna froze in place, stunned.

"Looks like I won," Shay said nonchalantly, brushing back her hair. "But you two sure made me sweat."

She walked over and offered a hand to Han, helping him up.

"You really work well together," she added with a faint smile.

"Yeah, yeah…" Han muttered, brushing dirt from his clothes. But inwardly, his thoughts were heavy. There's really a huge gap between us 1-stars and her. We didn't even manage to land a single clean hit. She even awakened a new skill in the middle of it…

Jenna quickly rushed over to him. "Hey, Han! Are you okay? Your hand—what about your hand?!"

"Huh? Oh, right—" Han raised his hand.

But the wound was gone. No blood, no scar, not even a scratch.

Jenna's eyes widened. "Eh?! What? But… but it was pierced all the way through!"

Shay turned to look as well, blinking in confusion. "Hey… what's this?"

Han simply shrugged. "Here in the lobby, every wound heals in a matter of seconds. As long as you're not killed in one strike, you're fine."

Shay's lips curled into a mischievous grin. "Ohhh? So that means…"

Her eyes sparkled dangerously. "I can increase the difficulty of our training?"

"E-Eh?" Jenna stiffened.

It was already brutal—and now she wanted to make it even harder?

---

Well, this was it, liked it? Also, should I make Shay a little bit weaker? She's too strong right now and she's only a level 3 while Han is levek 6 and Jenna is level 2 (1-stars raise of level faster). Well, they do have abyssal difference in stat growth and skill learning and improvement rate since she is a 4-stars and they 1-stars but, yeah...

Also, the female replacent of Aaron will appear in the next chapter. Should I keep her name Tess Elzaine like the character's original name or should I change it (Also, she will use a spear even if she uses a sword in "Inifinite Mage").