Chapter 10: Rock-Hard

Three Days Later

[Welcome to Pick Me Up, Master!]

A system notification flashed before Han's eyes.

"Anytng has logged in," he thought, his expression unreadable.

A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. I'm sure he won't be unsatisfied by how much I've grown.

A translucent status window appeared in front of him:

[Han Islat (☆) Lv.6 (Exp 27/60)]

[Class: Novice]

[Strength: 16/16, Intelligence 16/16, Stamina 16/16, Dexterity 16/16]

[Skills: Basic Swordsmanship (Lv.5), Combat Logic (Lv.1), Pain Tolerance (Lv.3)]

"It's truly unfortunate that I can only raise my skills and not my stats while training..." Han mused. His fingers clenched slightly.

But then, his gaze shifted to Jenna.

"But Jenna... she's really a monster."

She was casually stretching, bow slung across her back, oblivious to his thoughts.

"She leveled up her Basic Archery to level five all on her own… I had Shay to teach me swordsmanship, but she instead…"

Sure, Shay had helped her greatly with her 'special training,' but still—Jenna had an insane growth rate.

"What kind of talent does she even have…?"

Just as he was lost in thought, Jenna's voice snapped him back to reality.

"Hey, Han!" she called cheerfully, her eyes bright. "What are you thinking so deeply about?"

Han blinked once before responding coldly, "Master has returned."

"Oh, oh… then we should get ready to fight, right?"

From behind, Shay suddenly pinched Han's cheeks.

"When we get there, remember what I taught you and slice those goblins like butter, okay?" she teased.

"Hahaha." Jenna chuckled.

In just three days, Shay had become incredibly comfortable around Han. Maybe she saw him as a disciple. Maybe even as a little brother.

…Han didn't like it one bit.

"Stop it, Shay." He frowned, grabbing her hands and pushing them away. "How many times do I need to tell you that I don't like this at all?"

"You're so boring." Shay rolled her eyes before returning to her usual neutral expression.

Han sighed and adjusted his grip on his sword. "Also, before we get sent to fight, Master will summon other heroes."

"Other heroes?" Jenna asked, tilting her head.

"Yeah," Han said. "A party can have up to five people, so he'll probably want to fill ours—"

Han's words were cut off by a sudden system notification that appeared before him.

[Master, beginning summoning.]

"It has begun," Han stated, his eyes narrowing in anticipation.

[Click, rrrr!]

A mechanical whirring filled the air as the Summoning Chamber illuminated slightly. The door slid open, revealing two figures standing at the threshold.

[Master Anytng has obtained the hero Toby (☆)!]

[Master Anytng has obtained the hero Tess (☆☆)!]

As the door closed behind them, the pair descended the stairs to join Han, Shay, and Jenna.

"Where am I?" the man demanded, his tone laced with irritation.

However, Han's attention was elsewhere. His gaze was fixed on the female figure beside the man.

She stood with an air of quiet confidence, her green eyes analyzing the situation with a mix of curiosity and caution, the edges of the spear on her back gleaming with the sun. Her long blonde hair cascaded down her back, framing a face that was both delicate and resolute. Her slender frame clad in attire suggested both grace and readiness.

[Image Here]

Han's face remained completely calm, as if nothing in the world could shake him. But inside? Inside, he was burning up.

Fuck, she's smoking hot! His thoughts raced as he took in the stunning woman before him. I'm hard just by looking at her... It's like she has Shay's ass and Jenna's knockers...

It was ridiculous. He was literally drooling for her in his mind.

"Han!" He reprimanded himself. "Contain yourself!"

The girl then spoke up, her voice calm yet carrying a certain weight.

"I'm Elzaine Tess, a mercenary," she introduced herself with a composed demeanor. "May I know what's happening?"

"Yeah! What the fuck is happening here?!" the man beside her shouted, his frustration only growing.

Han, keeping his usual indifferent expression, turned and walked away, heading toward the portal that led to the stages. From the outside, it seemed like nothing was wrong. But in reality, he had turned his back on the group for a single, humiliating reason—he was rock-hard.

Even after scolding himself to get a grip, his mind refused to let go of a certain image of that girl.

"Hey, Han, where are you going—" Shay called out, following after him. But she suddenly stopped in her tracks, eyes flicking downward. A sly grin spread across her face. "Hahaha, did you get turned on because that girl is quite the banger?"

Her tone wasn't mocking, but intrigued.

"You're hurting my feelings. Is she better than me?"

Han's thoughts froze. Fuck! The fuck should I do now?

"I am quite frustrated, you know..." he muttered, trying desperately to twist the situation in his favor. "I can't do anything here, so..."

"That's not true..." Shay whispered, leaning in close. Her lips nearly brushed against his ear, her warm breath sending a shiver down his spine. "You just had to tell me and I would have helped you."

"What?" Han's eyes widened in shock.

"Yeah..." Shay continued in that same soft, teasing tone. "You know, you're quite my type..."

"Are you serious—" Han started to say, but before he could finish, Jenna's shout to the two newcomers cut through the moment.

"You two, get ready to fight! We'll explain everything once we're safe!"

"Fight? The fuck do you mean?" Toby snapped, his voice laced with defiance as he crossed his arms and glared at the group. He had no intention of playing along with whatever nonsense this was.

Tess, however, remained unfazed. With a calm, collected demeanor, she simply reached over her shoulder, unslinging her lance and adjusting her grip. Without a word, she began to follow after Jenna, her gaze fixated ahead.

"Hey, what are you waiting for?" Jenna called out to Toby, her voice slightly amused. She turned to look back at him, her eyes filled with a mixture of impatience and curiosity. "You gonna stand there all day, or are you coming?"

Toby's scowl deepened, his eyes flashing with anger. "There's no way I'm going with you people!" he shouted, shaking his head. "I'm not stupid like that girl! You're probably gonna use her to commit some sort of experiment!"

Before he could continue his rant, Han's voice cut through the air, calm and authoritative. "Iselle, force him inside."

Toby turned to protest again, but before he could say another word, a tiny, fluttering figure appeared at his side. Iselle. Her wings buzzed lightly as she hovered in front of him, her red eyes shining with a mischievous glint. In a blink, she darted forward, zipping straight to Toby's shirt and grabbing hold of it.

"W-What?!" Toby exclaimed in disbelief as Iselle, using her surprising strength, lifted him off the ground like he weighed nothing. "Let go of me! What the hell are you doing?!" Toby's legs kicked uselessly as he dangled in the air, trying to pry her tiny fingers from his shirt, but it was no use.

"Stop struggling," Iselle said. She was effortlessly strong for someone so small. "You're going, whether you like it or not."

Han, Shay, Jenna, and Tess moved past the squirming Toby and entered the portal. Iselle, still holding him up with ease, followed them inside. With a slight toss, she sent Toby tumbling through the portal, his body crashing through the swirling energy field as it closed behind him with a soft hum.

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How was this chapter?

Yeah, I've made Tess a 2-star hero, Aaron was just a 1-star, but I just couldn't imagine her rant about fighting some goblins.