"...Alright. The explanation is finished."
I gulped down some water. Perhaps because I'd spoken so much, my throat felt raw.
The three of them stared at me, expressions still full of questions. It seemed they hadn't completely understood. Jaina raised her hand and spoke.
"So, there are things called levels, stats, and skills, and thanks to them, we can get stronger faster, right?"
"Right. When you say 'Status Window,' the text that appears shows your specs. You can gauge your own strength by looking at it."
"There were times after fighting when I suddenly felt stronger, so that must have been because I leveled up."
"Unbelievable. Even the greatest archmage shouldn't be able to do something like this," Iolka muttered in a drained voice.
Levels, stats, skills, and the status window. It wouldn't be easy for them to accept. Gaining experience by hunting monsters, mastering skills through training, and growing stronger... even for me, knowing this was the world inside a game, it felt utterly unreal.
Still, I felt a sense of relief. Explaining things only I could see had been difficult, so I'd put it off, but now that these guys could see their specs too, there was no reason to hesitate anymore. They had to know eventually, and they had to accept it. If they couldn't adapt to the rules of this world, they wouldn't survive.
"That will be your guide from now on."
Being able to objectively grasp your own condition. This helps growth more than you might imagine. If I hadn't been able to see the status window, I would have had to take a much longer, roundabout path. I finished the water and said.
"You three explain it to the others."
"Where did you learn all this? We've never even heard about any of it."
"I just picked it up along the way."
"'Picked it up along the way?' How suspicious..."
"Ahaha, Unni! Oppa has been here since the very start, you know."
"That's how it is. I have seniority."
"Suspicious..."
Iolka narrowed her eyes and said, "Well, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. Everyone has a secret or two, after all. And it's true that your advice has been helpful."
"Right, right! Extremely helpful. It becomes bone and flesh," [Jaina said]. (T/N: "becomes bone and flesh" is an idiom for something being deeply beneficial/ingrained)
"You're quite skilled at flattery," [Iolka replied].
"It's not flattery, it's a survival strategy!" [Jaina retorted].
Jaina started talking about how she met me and the ways I had overcome obstacles. The subject changed. Soon, Aaron joined the conversation. Iolka listened attentively, though her gaze occasionally flickered towards me.
I let out a soft chuckle.
If they survive until the end, I plan to tell them everything. Of course, that will probably be the time we part ways.
The next morning. Jaina gathered everyone and started explaining about the status window. Those who accepted it quickly were mainly the combat roles. Since they had personally experienced becoming abnormally strong due to some external power, it was only natural they'd grasp it faster.
However, it seemed they could only see their own status windows for now. They couldn't see other heroes' status windows or system messages, only perceiving a tiny fraction of what I could see. Whether this was due to the low research level or something special about me, I didn't know yet. I'd find out naturally in time.
During that evening's training.
"So, all the training we've been doing, it was to improve our physical condition and gain skills, right?"
"That's right."
I knocked aside three fired arrows. From a distance, Jaina drew her bowstring. One shot per fluid motion. Since mastering Rapid Fire, her firing rate had become unnaturally fast. Blocking and parrying the arrows, I charged towards her.
Clang!
The sharp sound of metal scraping echoed. In an instant, Jaina had drawn a dagger and blocked my blade.
"So that's how it was. I knew something felt odd."
Blade met blade. Jaina moved fluidly, swinging her dagger, but I saw an opening. In the brief moment between her actions, I thrust my sword.
"Ah!"
Jaina hastily retrieved her dagger, backflipped away, and immediately resumed shooting.
The transition between weapons was seamless. The effect of her 'Switching' skill.
"Too light."
Arrows caught in the arc of my sword dropped like moths.
No need for the shield. The moment she shot, I knew their trajectory. I dodged three arrows with a single step. One swing broke two shafts.
"Damn..."
Before she realized it, Jaina's quiver was empty.
I tossed her a fresh quiver full of arrows.
Jaina stared at me, dumbfounded.
The training ground floor was chaotically littered with the remnants of broken arrows.
"Is that a skill too? The way you block everything?"
"Yes."
"That's totally broken! Nothing works."
"If there are skills to block, wouldn't there also be skills to penetrate?"
Jaina tilted her head, a thoughtful expression on her face.
In that instant, I lunged at Jaina, aiming for her slender, deer-like neck. Just before blood could spray, Jaina ducked. The edge of my blade shaved off a few strands of her hair as it passed.
"Y-You really tried to kill me!"
"Wouldn't be the worst outcome."
"Eek!"
Several slashes raked across Jaina's body, but so far, none were critical enough to halt the spar.
A slit throat was fine. A torn stomach was acceptable. Any critical wound would do. As long as it wasn't instant death from a single blow, it was okay.
Before, our training ended with Jaina shooting arrows from a distance while I simply stood and blocked. But we'd reached a point where that level of training was no longer enough. Harsher conditions were required to level up skills.
Real weapons, no rules. Fight until the opponent is on the verge of death. This was the sparring method we'd devised after the strike, both to keep our combat instincts sharp and for more effective training. Those who hadn't faced proper battles whispered we were crazy watching us, but we paid them no mind. The results would show who lasted longer.
Onlookers had formed a circle in the training ground, watching us spar.
"Am I just your entertainment?" Annoyance flared for a moment, but they weren't worth the thought. I ignored them and continued the spar.
Ping! P-ping!
Dodge and parry. Whether it was arrows or daggers, the necessary actions flowed naturally. My sword moved instinctively, without conscious effort. My weapon skills were already crossing the threshold from conscious action into unconscious reflex.
Jaina dodged my sword strikes one by one with nimble movements, but she couldn't stop the cuts from piling up. When she saw an opening and shot an arrow, I blocked it. Her dagger couldn't overcome the reach of my longsword.
Leaping far back, Jaina clicked her tongue in frustration. "Seriously, how is this even fair!"
19 matches, 18 wins. That was my sparring record against Jaina. Naturally, the 18 wins were mine. The single loss was more like an accident, a fluke born from compounding coincidences. The matchup was simply too disadvantageous for her.
"Giving up? Aaron's waiting his turn."
"Ah, no, I'm quite alright..." Aaron waved his hands frantically in refusal.
Incidentally, his record against me was 32 matches, 32 losses. He'd never lasted longer than ten minutes.
"Should I take both of them on at once?" I had a feeling my Lv. 6 Basic Sword & Shield technique and Lv. 2 Throwing Defense were about ready to level up. With the right catalyst, they should break through their current thresholds soon.
As I was contemplating my skills, Jaina shook her head. "No. I'll go a little longer."
"Then, here I come."
I raised my sword point and charged.
In that instant.
[Ding!]
['Jaina (★)' has acquired 'Weak Point Detection'!]
A red crosshair-like light flashed in Jaina's eyes.
Ping! P-ping!
Three arrows flew towards me, slightly staggered.
Thanks to Throwing Defense, their trajectory, speed, and impact points were clear in my mind.
...
The three arrows were precisely coordinated, aiming for a gap in my defense. My usual methods were dodging or parrying. With those, I could handle the first two arrows. But the final arrow was aimed precisely at a spot I couldn't reach in time.
Clang!
I deflected the third arrow with my shield.
It was the first time I'd needed the shield in a spar against Jaina.
"Aww!" Jaina cried out in disappointment.
Lowering my sword, I muttered, "Where did you learn that?"
"I just thought of it. You said if there are skills to block, there must be skills to penetrate, so I tried to penetrate..."
I had actually planned to give her a hint after the spar. There were two ways for Jaina to break through this deadlock: shoot with enough power that I couldn't block, or shoot where it was difficult to block. The first related to the 'Power Shot' skill, the second to the 'Weak Point Detection' she'd just acquired.
"Interesting." I'd only tossed out a casual remark, and she'd gained a skill from it? Furthermore, Weak Point Detection had significant synergy with Rapid Fire.
No need to bring Aaron into this, it seemed.
I let my sword point dip slightly. "Coming again."
"It won't be so easy this time."
The formerly random volley of arrows now had structure. Force a reaction with the first shot, then target a vital point with the second or third. Or she might mix in feints. Dealing with her attacks became several times trickier.
She could now imbue her arrows with feints and real threats.
['Jaina (★)'s 'Basic Archery' has risen to Lv.6!]
Arrows flew relentlessly. Before, I would have deflected them all simultaneously and closed the gap, but now the distance between us didn't shrink so readily. I refrained from using the shield unless absolutely necessary. This was training meant to stimulate skill growth, after all.
I needed to see beyond just the trajectory. If only I could grasp the intent behind each arrow...
Time seemed to slow. I started to see something like fine, white threads trailing from the arrowheads.
[Skill Awakening!]
[Tada!]
['Han (★★)'s 'Throwing Defense' has risen to Lv.3!]
['Han (★★)'s 'Basic Sword & Shield' has risen to Lv.7!]
['Han (★★)' has acquired 'Insight'!]
Clangclangclangclang!
Parrying every last arrow flawlessly, I closed the distance. Then I pressed my blade against the throat of Jaina, who stared back utterly baffled.
"Does that make 19 wins for me?"
"M-Monster..." A voice drifted from the crowd of onlookers. When I glanced their way, they scattered like frightened ants.
Insight. It helped distinguish illusions and slightly enhanced vision. Moreover, it was a versatile skill that provided bonuses to weapon techniques. It likely had other effects I hadn't yet discovered.
"How many skills is that now?" I called up my status window.
[Han Israt (★★) Lv. 11 (Exp 53/110)]
[Class: Novice]
[Strength: 27/27]
[Intelligence: 10/10]
[Stamina: 25/25]
[Agility: 25/25]
[Owned Skills: Basic Sword & Shield (Lv.7), Throwing Defense (Lv.3), Insight (Lv.1), Flame Resistance (Lv.2), Pain Tolerance (Lv.3), Composure (Lv.3), Berserk Nature (Lv.1), Horsemanship (Lv.1)]
"Quite a lot." Basic Sword & Shield, Throwing Defense, Insight, Flame Resistance, Pain Tolerance, Composure, Berserk Nature, and Horsemanship... eight in total. That was an excessive number of skills for a Lv. 11, 2-star hero.
Just then, Jaina and Aaron were talking about skills.
"Aaron Oppa, how many skills do you have?"
"Me? Hmm. Basic Spearmanship, Pain Tolerance, Flame Resistance. Just those three. What about you, Jaina?"
"Basic Archery, Basic Dagger Technique, Switching, Rapid Fire, Weak Point Detection, Hawk Eye, Swift Movement... what else was there..."
"That's quite enough," Aaron muttered gloomily.
I cut in. "Having many skills doesn't automatically mean you're strong." A skill's effectiveness is determined more by its level and synergy than the quantity. Possessing conflicting skills could even be a disadvantage. "Take my Berserk Nature and Composure, for instance. Though that became... a rather unique case."
'Still, she is quite strong,' I thought, mentally adding skills like Swift Movement, Forest Hunter, and Flame Resistance to the list she gave. 'Jaina has nine skills in total.' (T/N: MC seems aware of skills Jaina possesses beyond the ones she listed at that moment)
Anyway, amidst the relentless training, Amukena continued to manage the Waiting Room diligently. Iseul's calls sending members out to dungeons echoed constantly. The Equipment Workshop ran day and night, and notifications for 1-star summons popped up occasionally. The only point worth criticizing was the lack of Synthesis use, but if they properly read the document I sent, they'd learn that management technique as well.
Floor 15 loomed close, but for the moment, there seemed to be some breathing room. Since the strike ended, we'd done a few dungeon runs, but all were below Floor 10. It appeared Amukena didn't intend to challenge Floor 15 until we'd grown stronger.
I had no desire to repeat the struggles of Floors 5 and 10. I wanted us to deploy only when we reached optimal condition. Not that even that could guarantee 100% survival.
Aaron stepped into the sparring ring, gripping his spear tightly, his expression tense.
I settled my grip on my sword.