I woke up with my body aching.
Every muscle seemed to complain at the slightest movement. For a few seconds, I stayed still, staring at the stone ceiling of the room, trying to remember why I was so tired.
Then I remembered the mine.
Turning stone, carrying weight, climbing slanted tunnels with full backpacks.
I preferred fighting.
Around me, the others were still sleeping. Liriel was curled up, Vespera on her back, Elara turned toward the wall, Rai'kanna taking up too much space without realizing it, and Lyannis quiet, as always.
I slowly got up and went to the window.
The dwarven city was already awake. The sound of hammers echoed through the streets again, constant, almost relaxing.
I heard footsteps behind me.
Lyannis.
"Sore?"
"Very."
She smiled lightly.
"Today is combat. It will get better."
One by one, they began to wake up.
Rai'kanna stretched.
"I hope there's something to hit today."
Vespera laughed.
"After yesterday, me too."
We went down for breakfast. King Durgan was already there, as lively as ever.
"I heard you came back from the mine looking like real workers."
"It was harder than it looks," I replied.
He laughed loudly.
"Then today you can have some fun."
I looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
Before he could answer, Briena hurried into the hall.
"I was on my way to get you. The guild received an interesting mission."
Rai'kanna smiled.
"Now we're talking."
We went straight to the guild after the meal.
Gromek was waiting for us with a scroll open on the counter.
"Cave north of the kingdom. Creatures identified as worcs. They are not common orcs. They are larger, tougher, and much more aggressive. Rank S."
I felt a slight interest arise.
"How many?"
"Estimate of twenty to thirty."
Lyannis crossed her arms.
"Perfect to test our limits."
We took the mission.
The walk to the cave was calm. The terrain was rocky, uneven, surrounded by natural formations that looked like giant sculptures shaped by time.
When the cave entrance appeared ahead, I felt something different.
It wasn't fear.
It was anticipation.
I held the new sword.
The Godslayer.
Since I received it, I hadn't used it in real combat yet.
"Let's see what you're capable of," I murmured.
We entered.
The smell was strong. Damp. Heavy.
The sound came first.
Thick breathing.
Heavy footsteps.
Then they appeared.
Tall.
Broad.
Dark, thick skin like hardened leather.
Tusks protruding from their mouths.
Worcs.
The first one came running.
Rai'kanna went ahead, as always.
I followed her.
When the worc raised its arm to attack, I swung the sword for the first time.
The cut was clean.
Easy.
Too easy.
The blade went through the creature's arm as if it were nothing.
I stopped for a second.
Rai'kanna finished the rest with a direct blow to its chest.
"That was fast," she said.
Others came.
Vespera began firing arrows. Elara cast precise spells. Lyannis moved efficiently, cutting vital points. Liriel illuminated the field and supported.
But my attention was on the sword.
Every strike I made was decisive.
There was no resistance.
There was no effort.
A worc tried to hit me from the side. I turned my body and slashed horizontally.
The torso separated.
I stood there looking at it.
These creatures were rank S.
They should be difficult.
They should require strategy.
But it felt like I was fighting much weaker monsters.
Lyannis noticed.
"You're noticing it too, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"This sword is absurd."
We kept advancing through the cave.
The worcs were coming in groups now.
And even so, it wasn't difficult.
On the contrary.
The group was more coordinated than ever.
No confusion.
No unnecessary movements.
Each one knew exactly what to do.
In less than an hour, the cave floor was covered with bodies.
Rai'kanna wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"That was… way too easy."
Elara agreed.
"I was expecting something much worse."
Vespera looked at me.
"The sword makes a huge difference."
I looked at the blade.
The runes were still glowing softly.
"It really does."
We collected the mana stones from the bodies.
Heavy.
Valuable.
When we left the cave, the fresh air felt different.
Lighter.
The walk back was silent, but not from exhaustion.
It was reflection.
Lyannis broke the silence.
"What made us seem clumsy before?"
No one answered immediately.
I knew the answer.
"Maybe our equipment."
Rai'kanna looked at her own new weapon.
"Maybe."
We reached the guild before nightfall.
Gromek widened his eyes when he saw the number of stones.
"You wiped them all out?"
"All of them," I replied.
He called the evaluators again.
After weighing and confirming everything, he brought the reward.
"Ten thousand gold coins."
Vespera let out a low whistle.
"This is getting dangerous."
Liriel smiled.
"What's dangerous is us getting used to this."
We left the guild with the heavy pouch.
But what weighed the most wasn't the gold.
It was the clear feeling that something had changed.
Definitely.
We returned to the castle with the sky already darkening.
When I entered the room later, I lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
I wasn't tired.
I was thoughtful.
If rank S worcs had been that easy…
What else could this sword do?
I closed my eyes.
Knowing that, from that day on, fighting would never be the same again.