Chapter 18: Spirit

The cool breeze swept over the training grounds as Han and Shay walked side by side, both of them still glowing from their earlier… moment. Their steps were light, almost in sync, as if the bond between them had physically manifested in how they moved. But as they approached the open clearing, their eyes locked on a familiar pair.

Jenna and Tess were there, sparring together in the middle of the grounds. Swords clashed, movements precise and sharp. But something was off.

Their faces.

Red. Incredibly red.

Tess's usual calm expression was replaced by one of pure embarrassment, and Jenna—Jenna looked like she wanted to disappear into the ground entirely.

Han froze mid-step.

"Fuck..." he thought, a twitch forming at the corner of his mouth. "They heard everything."

Of course they did. The lobby wasn't exactly the most spacious place in the world right now. In fact, sound carried ridiculously well.

"Shay…" Han muttered, unsheathing his sword slowly, its steel gleaming under the sun.

Shay blinked, catching on instantly. She rolled her shoulders, a sigh escaping her lips as she slipped her gauntlets off and began unfastening her armor.

"You know what to do, right?" Han's voice was low, almost amused.

"Yeah…" Shay said, her golden eyes narrowing, her smirk dangerous. "No mercy."

Together, they pointed their weapons toward the flustered duo across the field.

"We'll beat those memories out of them!"

And with that, they charged.

Tess barely had time to widen her eyes before Shay was already upon her, blade crashing against her spear with explosive force.

Jenna saw Han coming and her heart nearly jumped out of her chest. "Crap—!" she gasped, rolling to the side just in time to avoid his heavy downward slash. The ground cracked where his blade struck, sending up a burst of dust.

Without hesitation, Jenna slid back, her hand already grabbing an arrow and nocking it in a flash. The bow materialized in her grip like a whisper of wind, elegant and lethal.

"You're crazy!" she shouted, drawing her bowstring tight, golden energy gathering at the tip. "This is abuse of power!"

Han grinned, stalking toward her like a predator. "Then consider it revenge for mental trauma."

"We didn't mean to eavesdrop!" Tess cried out, parrying desperately.

"Then you should've plugged your ears!" Shay barked, twirling into a kick that nearly knocked Tess off her feet.

Arrows flew, swords and spears clashed, dust rose, and the training ground descended into absolute chaos.

And amidst the frenzy, one truth echoed louder than steel—

None of them would ever mention that again.

...

A couple of hours later...

[Han (★)'s Basic Swordsmanship has risen to level 6!]

[Han (★)'s Projectile Defense has risen to level 3!]

The message floated briefly in Han's vision before fading, just as he sidestepped another of Shay's sharp strikes.

The four of them were drenched in sweat. The training ground was scarred with footprints, gouges in the dirt, and the remnants of countless clashes. Their breathing was heavy, but no one had said anything about the… incident earlier.

Fortunately for Han and Shay, Tess and Jenna seemed to have decided not to mention it again. At least not yet.

"How the hell did my skills' level raise so quickly?" Han thought as he blocked another one of Shay's attacks, their swords clashing in a sharp ring of metal. "Could it be because of my new rank?"

Ever since his return from that eerie confrontation with the original Han, his skills had progressed at a rapid pace. He was now Shay's equal—but only if she didn't use her advanced sword techniques. He was now physically stronger than her, but her experience and refined swordsmanship still gave her the upper hand.

"If my Basic Swordsmanship keeps rising like this," Han mused as he broke the clash and stepped back, "I'll surpass her in no time."

"Girls…" Han called out, sheathing his sword with a smooth motion. "I'm gonna take a pause."

"What's the matter? Tired already?" Shay teased, a glint in her eye as she rolled her shoulders.

"No," Han said casually over his shoulder, not even looking back, "I just have to preserve some energy for you later."

He walked off with no idea of the chaos he'd just triggered.

Shay's face turned crimson in an instant. She froze mid-step, her mind blank.

Jenna choked on her own breath, her face practically steaming.

But Tess…

Tess smirked.

She sauntered over to Shay, dragging a very red-faced Jenna with her. "So, you and Han, huh?" she asked with a grin that was far too wide.

"Shut up, Tess." Shay snapped, trying to recover her stoic composure—but the deep flush in her cheeks betrayed her.

"C'mon, Shay…" Tess continued, eyebrow raised, voice playful. "Just a little detail. Was it good? Did Han know how to mov—"

Her words were cut off by the woosh of a sword narrowly missing her head.

"Shut up!" Shay shouted, lunging at her with burning cheeks.

Tess shrieked and bolted, laughing as she ducked around a training dummy. Shay chased after her, sword swinging with furious embarrassment.

Jenna, still wide-eyed, began to slowly back away—only for Shay's eyes to lock onto her next.

"Kyaaa!" Jenna squealed, dashing away. "Why are you attacking me?! I didn't say anything!"

"You heard it too! That's enough reason!" Shay shouted as she sprinted after both girls, swinging her sword through the air with wild, flustered energy.

And so, the peaceful afternoon at the training grounds descended into chaos once more, the sounds of laughter, screams, and furious threats echoing under the sun.

...

Meanwhile, Han walked alone through the lobby, the sounds of training and chaotic shouting filling the background.

He exhaled slowly and called out mentally:

"Status window."

A familiar shimmer appeared before him, crisp and detailed.

[Han Islat (☆) Lv.7 (Exp 32/70)]

[Class: Novice]

[Strength: 32/32, Intelligence: 13/13, Stamina: 32/32, Dexterity: 31/31, Spirit: 1]

[Skills: Basic Swordsmanship (Lv.6), Combat Logic (Lv.2), Pain Tolerance (Lv.8), Poison Resistance (Lv.1), Primal Resilience (Lv.1), Feral Senses (Lv.1), Projectile Defense (Lv.3), Indomitable Soul (Lv.1)]

Han nodded as he took in the numbers. "Well, my stats did increase quite a lot..." he muttered, folding his arms. "But they should still be under Shay's, shouldn't they?"

Then, his gaze paused. His eyes widened.

"…Spirit?" he said aloud, blinking. "What the fuck is this?

To be continued...

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Like I always said before, am I making Han too OP, I mean, from now on, every floor will have its difficulty bumped up like it was for the second floor, but... still.