The day after the tryouts ended.
It was early morning. Jenna, Iolka, I, and the newcomers Velkist and Nerissa were gathered at the 2nd-floor training center. As the party composition had somewhat changed, and new members had joined, it was necessary to explain the adjustments.
"Let's work well together. I'm Jenna Shirai," Jenna said, offering the two an awkward smile.
Velkist gave no response. Nerissa nodded with a blank expression. The reaction was similar when Iolka introduced herself.
'Still awkward, huh.'
The two didn't seem to possess particularly amiable personalities.
It would be problematic if they completely ignored each other, and a certain degree of familiarity enhances teamwork efficiency, but there was no need for them to become unconditionally close. There was always the risk of being disheartened when comrades died or were eliminated. Like Jenna yesterday.
I glanced towards a corner of the training center.
An unexpected member was mixed in with Party 2's group: Aaron.
Having refused the instructor position offered yesterday, Aaron had no choice but to go to Party 2. For the time being, he would stay with Edyth and hone his skills. Edyth was patting Aaron reassuringly on the shoulder.
"Velkist, Nerissa. There's something you need to know." I turned my gaze to the two and spoke.
"Yes," Nerissa replied.
"Speak," said Velkist.
Once they had responded, I continued.
"If you watched the replay crystals, you should know the kind of environment Party 1 operates in. We often fight with intense heat at our backs. Naturally, you'll need to get accustomed to flames."
"Are you referring to flame resistance?" Nerissa inquired.
"Good that you know. Master it as quickly as possible. Do you know the method?"
"Sticking our hands into the fire, you mean?" Velkist asked.
I nodded.
Velkist smirked. "A very crude method."
"But none more efficient."
"Anyway, understood," Velkist said. "I'll master it within four days. That woman over there will probably whine about how scary it is."
"I shall master it within three," Nerissa retorted, glaring coldly at Velkist.
Having a competitive spirit is good, but this seems a bit excessive, I thought. Shaking my head, I went on.
"Next, Jenna."
"Yes, Oppa?"
"You'll need to fill the gap left by Aaron."
I instructed Jenna to rely less on her daggers and focus primarily on fighting with her bow.
With our mid-range fighter gone, Jenna needed to take on that role. Her Rapid Shot skill should be able to cover the Spearman's absence to some extent.
"Focus on the bow, right? Got it," she confirmed.
"Velkist, you're on the front line with me. However, don't charge ahead recklessly. Fight within the range where Jenna, Nerissa, and Iolka can provide support. If you rush forward relying solely on your own strength, you're worthless to the party. Remember that."
"I shall follow your instructions," Velkist replied, crossing his arms.
Next, I looked at Nerissa. Unlike Velkist, who was a pure combatant, assigning a clear role to Nerissa wasn't straightforward. While skilled in combat, she also possessed various miscellaneous skills.
Weapon skills like Rapier Arts, Dagger Arts, and Throwing Arts.
Movement skills like Swift Movement and Stealthy Movement.
Also, sensory skills like Eagle Eye or Enhanced Hearing. On top of that, she was versed in auxiliary combat skills such as Poison Crafting and Ambush. In terms of the sheer number of skills, she was almost comparable to me.
"What exactly were you doing before you came here? Working as an assassin?"
"Something similar," Nerissa replied curtly.
'Work similar to an assassin.' That had to be it. If she were a true Assassin class, she would have been summoned through a High-Rank Summon. Before being summoned, her role must have been somewhat ambiguous or intermediate.
"Nerissa, your default position is mid-range. However, depending on the situation, join the close combat or protect Jenna and Iolka. Targeting the enemy's rear is also fine. I can't give you step-by-step instructions for every action. Act according to your own judgment."
"Understood."
Nerissa used three types of weapons: rapier, dagger, and shuriken. Lacking a definite main weapon made her role somewhat ambiguous, but she could bring flexibility to combat. A kind of libero role.
"Additionally, you will be responsible for overall information gathering for missions. When instructed, gather the intel precisely and bring it to me. Understand?"
"Understood," Velkist replied.
"I will keep it in mind," Nerissa added formally.
I looked back and forth between the two nodding newcomers.
For the time being, they verbally agreed. Outwardly, they seemed compliant.
'Still, they'll need some adjustments.'
With types like these, even if they say they understand, if they aren't completely convinced, they are bound to deviate eventually. Especially given the environment on the 1st floor, they might have picked up some bad habits.
Having made up my mind, I continued.
"Alright. Let's begin today's schedule."
First, training.
The intensity was scheduled to be drastically increased. Physical conditioning, weapon techniques, and sparring would remain similar, but formation training would be significantly enhanced. It was time to graduate from simple formations like basic positioning or triangle setups.
"What about me? What should I do?"
Iolka spoke up while I was strapping sandbags to my ankles.
She seemed disappointed that she hadn't been called on.
"The roles for the other three changed. What about me...?"
"You just run. And wear sandbags from now on."
I tossed a 3kg sandbag from the display rack.
Iolka caught it, her expression crestfallen.
Anyway, today's training began.
It started with running laps around the track at near-sprint speeds while wearing 10kg sandbags, but Velkist and Nerissa managed to keep pace relatively well. Of course, Iolka lagged far behind.
While running, I observed Party 2.
Edyth was scratching her head, looking troubled.
Unlike Party 1, which had a full lineup, Party 2 was short one member. Dika, a former member, had accepted the instructor role I offered yesterday morning. He was currently busy helping new Heroes on the 1st floor.
After yesterday's tryouts, Amkena had logged off without performing a paid summon.
That action created a personnel gap in the second party. Edyth sighed deeply again and muttered,
"Do we have to train with just four?"
"If you really can't manage, head down to the 1st floor."
I briefly stopped running and approached Edyth.
Aaron and Usher bowed as I came near.
"The 1st floor?"
"If you look carefully, you might find someone useful. Tell Dika to train them intensively. If she won't summon anyone, that's the only option."
Since the waiting room was divided into upper and lower floors, Amkena had performed quite a number of free summons.
There were at least 20 or more Heroes milling about on the 1st floor. Among them, there had to be at least one diamond in the rough.
"I guess I'll have to do that," Edyth agreed.
"Even if you find a gem, don't make it too obvious," I warned. "Other guys might give them a hard time."
"Are you talking about bullying?"
"In a structure like this, there are always plenty of people who try to trip up anyone doing well."
It reminded me of something that happened while we were in the Exploration Dungeon.
According to Chloe's eyewitness account, a few days before those two came up to the 2nd floor, some Heroes from the 1st floor confronted Velkist in the training ground.
'They just hated seeing the arrogant prick move up, probably.'
There were five Heroes who attacked him.
It was a group made up of guys who had been humiliated by Velkist in sparring and dropouts from Party 3. They supposedly surrounded Velkist, showering him with insults and mockery from all sides.
Velkist silently drew his sword and cut off the leg of the guy closest to him.
Then he proceeded to utterly crush the six bewildered attackers, stopping just short of killing them. From the next day on, nobody dared to mess with Velkist. That kind of heartwarming story.
'Somehow, the outcome feels strange now.'
Edyth left Dika and Aaron behind and exited the training center with Roderick.
It seemed they were heading to the 1st-floor training center. If they found someone decent there, after a certain period of nurturing, they could propose them to the Master to join the party.
'The real answer is to just do a paid summon, though.'
It was good that the Master experienced failure, but it created side effects.
High-Rank Summons were mostly a waste, but in a situation like this, it becomes the best move. Next time I connect with Amkena, I'll need to correct this aspect.
The morning's basic physical training ended.
After lunch, weapon technique training and sparring were scheduled. However, the two newcomers seemed more eager for sparring than weapon training.
After considering their opinions, I spoke.
"True. It's better to accurately gauge each other's capabilities."
"Agreed. Will the sparring be in the same place as yesterday?" Velkist asked.
"Yes. Rules are unlimited. Use real weapons, and any tactics are permitted."
"I like the sound of that."
We decided to skip today's weapon drills.
I had sparred with the two before, but only once or twice, not repeatedly like I did with Jenna or Aaron. It was a necessary step, if only to grasp their individual tendencies.
'Still, their intention is obvious.'
The two are highly competitive.
They undoubtedly wanted to test themselves against me at full strength. I picked up my sheathed sword and entered the training arena. Velkist joined me immediately, as if he'd been waiting.
"I request a match."
"Can you handle it alone? Nerissa, you get in here too."
"You mean..." Velkist trailed off, surprised.
"Didn't you want to see my full strength? It'll be tough for you alone."
Velkist's eyebrow twitched.
I let out a small chuckle.
When Velkist sparred with me before, he intentionally held back. This was clear from examining Velkist's stats and skills.
"Are you sure about this?" Velkist asked, a hint of challenge in his voice. "This won't be like our previous spar."
"Do you want to fight me one-on-one?"
"If possible."
"Fine."
As I drew my sword, Velkist took a stance with a cautious expression.
I took a light breath. And I flipped the switch in my head.
['Han (★★)' has entered Berserk state!]
"Here I come."
Aiming my sword, I kicked off the ground.
Velkist swung his sword down. A fast and efficient movement.
I increased my speed further.
"...!"
CLANG!
Sent flying in a single blow, Velkist's sword embedded itself in the iron fence.
My blade touched Velkist's neck.
The match decided in a single exchange.
Velkist touched the shallow cut on his neck, where a trickle of blood appeared.
"You're even stronger than I thought."
"Isn't it obvious?"
"It was worth joining. It seems I'll need her help too to stand against you."
I retracted my sword.
Nerissa burst through the cage door and addressed Velkist sharply.
"Arrogant fool. That outcome was inevitable."
"So it seems," Velkist conceded dryly.
"Let us begin," Nerissa said to me, more formally.
She drew the rapier from her waist.
A blue liquid glistened on the blade's surface.
It was the paralysis poison she used in yesterday's duel.
I asked incredulously, "Are you really going to use that?"
"It seemed like what you wanted," Nerissa replied flatly.
"Anyway, it's two this time. Even for you, Senior, this won't be easy," Velkist declared, retrieving his sword from the fence.
I took a moment to cool my head, still heated from the Berserk effect. A cool sensation flowed through my body. After calming myself, I aimed my sword again.
"Round two."
Just as I was about to step forward, Velkist and Nerissa split to the left and right.
It seemed they intended to take the offensive first. I relaxed my stance, letting my sword hang naturally.
Their sword strikes rushed towards me.
And one minute later...
"You exceed expectations," Nerissa muttered.
She was slumped on the ground, looking up at me. Nearby, poison-coated shuriken lay scattered messily.
"To think even the two of us weren't enough," Velkist said self-mockingly.
Velkist's hand was torn and bleeding. His sword, sent flying far away, was now embedded in the ceiling. I gave a short laugh and said,
"What good are two people if you both fight separately?"
It was just as I expected.
There was absolutely no sign of teamwork between them. It was enough to neutralize one and then defeat the other individually. Combined, the time they lasted against me was around 20 seconds.
It would have been slightly different if it were Aaron and Jenna.
"You two are weak," I stated plainly, sheathing my sword. "Seems fighting only useless opponents on the 1st floor has made you overconfident."
I hadn't even used my shield yet.
"You might scrape by against Aaron or Usher, but anyone stronger is completely different. Combined, the two of you wouldn't even be a match for Jenna, let alone me."
"Me?" Jenna asked, startled.
"Yes, you."
I walked out of the training arena.
"Fight as a team of two. I won't permit individual sparring anymore. The condition is: until you can defeat Jenna."
Types like Jenna or Aaron integrate well into the party and have excellent teamwork, but those with strong egos like Velkist, while capable, lack cooperativeness.
This needed to be fixed.