Chapter 15: A Forgotten Memory

Two days had passed, and Han and Jenna were training together at the lobby's training grounds.

Jenna nocked her arrows with practiced ease, loosing them toward Han as quickly and precisely as she could. Han, drenched in sweat, moved with relentless focus, swinging his sword to deflect them mid-air.

His goal: awakening the Projectile Defense skill.

"Come on, Jenna," Han urged, tightening his grip on his sword. "Shoot!"

"But isn't shooting three arrows at a time just too much for you?" Jenna asked, hesitant.

Since obtaining Primal Resilience, Han had drastically increased the difficulty of his training. The previous level wasn't even enough to tire him anymore. Now, Jenna had to fire two arrows at the same time in rapid succession, minimizing the interval between each volley. But even after hours of practice, Han had yet to awaken the skill.

"Don't worry, Jenna," Han reassured her, his stance unwavering.

Jenna let out a sigh before adjusting her aim. "Alright... if you says so."

A flurry of arrows shot toward Han—a relentless storm of projectiles.

Han's blade moved.

He slashed. He swung. His reflexes pushed to the limit.

One by one, the arrows were deflected.

Then—

[Skill Awakening!]

[The hero, Han (☆), has awakened the skill: Projectile Defense.]

Finally! Han thought as the system message confirmed his success.

Without hesitation, he surged forward, weaving through the remaining arrows with newfound speed. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Jenna, his sword stopping just an inch from her throat.

[Han (☆)'s Projectile Defense has risen to level 2!]

"Wanna give up?" Han asked, his tone calm but challenging.

Jenna sighed, lowering her bow. "It's unfair… Ever since you got bitten by that strange thing, you've become too strong… It almost feels like I'm fighting Shay now."

Han chuckled, sheathing his sword. "Well… I still have a long way to go to reach her."

"Yeah…" Jenna muttered, still processing his absurd growth. But as Han turned away, she called after him, "Hey, where are you going?"

"To check if our newbie is still alive," Han replied without looking back. "You know, Shay's been really frustrated since she nearly died against that failed thing. I hope she didn't kill Tess."

Han walked to the far side of the lobby, wondering why Shay had chosen such a strange place to train Tess. The farthest point away from the training grounds where he and Jenna were training. So strange.

But as he arrived, he forgot about it as he saw Shay practically overwhelming Tess with a storm of attacks, her sword moving so fast it was nearly invisible.

"Can't you go a bit easier on me?!" Tess shouted, barely able to block—no, barely able to see Shay's strikes.

"Don't you want to get stronger?" Shay's tone was sharp as she increased the intensity.

"Yes, but—"

"No buts! Do you want to die?" Shay roared, her eyes burning with intensity.

Shit… Han thought, watching from the sidelines. She's really pissed. Nearly dying must've really messed with her…

"No, I want to live!" Tess shouted back, something in Shay's words igniting a fire in her.

Her grip on the spear tightened as she spun it with newfound determination, creating a powerful vortex of rotating steel. Shay's attacks began to bounce off the swirling defense.

[Skill awakening!]

[The hero, Tess (☆☆), has awakened the skill Spear Vortex!]

[Tess (☆☆)'s Basic Spearmanship has risen to Level 3!]

Han raised an eyebrow. Not bad…

But just as Tess thought she had defended against Shay's onslaught, Shay simply thrust her sword straight into the heart of the vortex—just like stopping a spinning fan with an unyielding object. Tess's rotation instantly faltered, and Shay took the opening, sweeping Tess's legs out from under her.

Tess crashed face-first into the ground, her rear sticking up in the air.

Han blinked. Then he blinked again.

Damn… His perverted side surged against his self-control. That ass… It's even greater now that I am taking a good look at it… So round—

"Han!" He internally shouted at himself. "Stop it!"

"Get up and let's start again—" Shay's strict command was suddenly interrupted as Han approached them.

"Shay, stop it," Han said firmly.

But as soon as Shay saw him, her face turned bright red. Without thinking, she quickly pushed Tess up from the ground and—shockingly—hid behind her.

"Ah?" Han and Tess both looked at her in disbelief.

Even Shay was baffled by her own reaction. Wait! Why am I acting like this? Have I gone craz—

Before she could finish that thought, a distant memory resurfaced in her mind, pulling her back to a time long ago…

...

In a quiet village within the kingdom of Townia, a young, little girl stood beside her mother, both kneeled by the riverbank as they washed clothes together. The sunlight reflected off the rippling water, and birds chirped in the background, creating a peaceful afternoon atmosphere.

Shay, still a child with wild, brown hair tied into a ponytail, suddenly turned to her mother, curiosity lighting up her vibrant golden eyes.

"Mommy, Mommy! What's love?" she asked, tilting her head.

Her mother, a beautiful woman with the same hair and golden eyes, paused mid-wash and smiled in surprise. "Love? Where did you learn that word, little one?"

Shay pouted. "A boy said he loved me while we were playing knights. Is that a good or a bad thing?"

Her mother's eyes twinkled with amusement. "He said that he loves you?" she repeated. "Is it Han? The boy you always play knights with?"

"Yes!" Shay exclaimed, the mere mention of his name making her grin.

Her mother chuckled softly and set aside the cloth she had been washing. "Alright then, Mommy will tell you what love is…"

She reached out and gently tapped Shay's nose. "Love is when you truly care for someone, not just in the way you care for your friends, but in a way that makes them a part of your world."

Shay listened intently, her little hands gripping the fabric in the water.

Her mother continued, her voice soft yet full of warmth. "It's when you can't imagine a day without them, when their happiness matters as much as your own, when their pain hurts you just as much. When you need them—not just because they're strong or kind, but because they're them."

Shay blinked, her young mind trying to process the depth of those words. "So… love is when I really care about someone and when I can't live without them?"

Her mother nodded. "Yes. And sometimes, love also means feeling things you don't quite understand." She smiled knowingly. "Has it ever happened to you that when you're near someone, your thoughts get all jumbled? That your heart starts pounding really, really hard, and just thinking about them makes you happy?"

The little Shay's face turned as red as a ripe apple. "W-Well… y-yes…"

Her mother raised an eyebrow, her smile widening. "It's Han, isn't it?"

"Ah—!" Shay stammered, completely flustered. "H-How did you kno—"

Her mother laughed, ruffling her daughter's hair. "My little silly girl… Didn't you bring up this whole conversation because of him?"

Shay's face turned even redder, and she covered it with her hands.

Her mother simply chuckled and continued washing the clothes, leaving Shay to wrestle with the strange, fluttery feelings in her heart.

To be continued...

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Liked this chapter? Am I trying to give a reason to Shay's final "I'll leave it up to you, Han," in the original, they had only know for less than a hour, so this kind of confidence didn't make sense (I didn't read the novel, so if this is explained, don't kill me please). Making that they knew each other when younger it gives it sense, I think.

Also, does someone know if Anytng was a streamer in the original? Was she ever shown or at least described? Because I wanted to make her a streamer (thanks to the one who suggested me it) and to make her Asuna (from Sword Art Online), but if she has already been described in the novel, I'll just keep her in that way.