Arin stood in quiet.
Not the tense quiet that meant danger, just absence. No movement. No distant calls. The woods lingered around them, damp and watchful, but uninterested.
The light had shifted while they prepared, sliding through the branches at a lower angle, breaking across the forest floor in uneven patches. The air smelled of wet bark and old leaves, warmed by time rather than sun.
Behind him, Victor was done repairing the dents in his shield. Raul stretched with a low grunt, joints popping, alive, unburned.
The fighting was done, for now that is.
That knowledge settled into Arin's chest like something unfastened. Not relief, just room to breathe.
They took their time, checking straps, testing grips, letting battered muscles remember their purpose. Victor rested his hammer across his lap as if measuring its weight. Raul sat cross-legged nearby, daggers gleaming as he drew a whetstone along their edges in slow, deliberate strokes.
Arin leaned against the hollow trunk, eyes fixed on the faintly glowing red panel hovering before him.
Status Check
Arin opened his own stats first.
___________________________
Name: Arin
Core Talent: Lord
Rank: Soldier (17%)
Core Skills: Lord's Eyes, Lord's Imprint
Regular Skills: Basic Swordsmanship
----------
Subordinates (2/3):
Raul Slade — Soldier (57%)
Victor — Soldier (65%)
Lord Coins: 42
___________________________
Arin exhaled slowly. Not much different than before. Yes, he was more experienced now, his reflexes sharper, his instincts honed, but skill-wise? He was nowhere near Raul. Even Victor, who had been a non-combatant just weeks ago, now stood as a fortress. That was the power of his talent, Lord, but his own growth? That was in his hands.
He clenched his fists. I won't be dead weight.
Next, Raul.
___________________________
Subordinate: Raul Slade
Core Talent: Combat Sense
Rank: Soldier (57%)
Talent Skills: Sixth Sense, Martial Kinesthesia
Regular Skills: Advanced Dagger Mastery, Nimble Steps
----------
Upgrade Panel (Raul Slade):
Upgrade Rank to Captain — 1000 Lord Coins
Upgrade Skill: Advanced Dagger Mastery > Dagger Arts — 200 Lord Coins
Upgrade Skill: Nimble Steps > Flowstep — 150 Lord Coins
___________________________
Raul was a killing machine now. With twin daggers, Nimble Steps, and Advanced Dagger Mastery, he had carried the goblin hunt on his shoulders. His movements were fluid, lethal, every strike a whisper of death.
Finally, Victor.
___________________________
Subordinate: Victor
Core Talent: Blacksmithing
Rank: Soldier (65%)
Talent Skills: Steelcraft, Forgemind
Regular Skills: Advanced Hammer Mastery, Guardian's Stance
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Upgrade Panel (Victor):
Upgrade Rank to Captain — 1000 Lord Coins
Upgrade Skill: Advanced Hammer Mastery > Blackforge Technique — 200 Lord Coins
Upgrade Skill: Guardian's Stance > Bulwark of Steel — 1000 Lord Coins
___________________________
"A thousand coins for the next upgrade? That's insane" Arin thought.
But again, it was Victor who had changed the most. From a blacksmith who barely knew how to hold a shield to a wall of iron. Guardian's Stance had turned him into something unshakable, a fortress in human form. A thousand coins for the next upgrade will surely be worth it.
Arin closed the panels, satisfied. "We're ready to more, let's get going."
They left the hollow trunk behind, stepping deeper into the Misleading Woods. The forest stretched endlessly, roots twisting like veins, shadows pooling like ink. For days, they moved forward, slow, steady, cautious.
And they learned something.
The rumors about the Misleading Woods? Lies. It wasn't a living beast that devoured men whole. It didn't twist paths out of malice. It was just… nature. Strange, yes. Mystical, yes. But equal for both monsters and men. The forest didn't care who bled; it only watched.
Days fell into rhythm.
Morning: move forward.
Afternoon: hunt lone monsters, Twigwolves, Bramblelings, Ashback Lizards, Needle Hounds. Weak things, barely a threat. Each kill earned 1 Lord Coin, a slow drip compared to the goblin war, but progress nonetheless.
Night: two slept, one watched. Watch duty was sacred. In the Misleading Woods, silence could kill faster than sound.
They sparred to break the boredom. Raul's strikes were relentless, his daggers flashing like silver fangs. Arin trained under him, sweat dripping, muscles screaming. He learned to dodge, not fast, not fancy, but practical. A step at the right time. A breath before the blade.
Then, after 7 days of relentless training.
___________________________
New Skill Unlocked
Timed Step: A basic evasion technique that sharpens the user's sense of timing. By moving at the precise moment an attack commits, the user avoids damage with minimal displacement, conserving stamina and positioning.
Name: Arin
Core Talent: Lord
Rank: Soldier (17%)
Core Skills: Lord's Eyes, Lord's Imprint
Regular Skills: Basic Swordsmanship, Timed Step
___________________________
Arin smiled faintly when the panel flickered. One step closer.
The next day began with screaming.
Undergrowth exploded as Needle Hounds tore free of the brush, quills rattling as they ran. Mud and leaves sprayed beneath their claws, mouths stretched wide, teeth wet and eager.
Raul moved first.
His daggers flashed silver as Nimble Steps carried him between snapping jaws. He opened a throat in passing, felt hot blood soak his sleeve, then pivoted and ripped another hound open from belly to chest. It hit the ground shrieking, entrails dragging through the dirt.
Victor met them like a wall.
Shield slammed forward. Hammer came down.
Bone shattered. A hound folded in half with a sound like breaking wood, its cry cutting off as its skull caved inward. Another leapt for Victor's back—
—and died screaming.
Arin felt the moment sharpen.
The hound committed.
Timed Step.
He shifted a fraction to the side. Quills tore through empty air where his ribs had been a heartbeat earlier. His blade drove in under the creature's shoulder, bit deep, and wrenched free. Blood sprayed across his arm, hot enough to steam in the cool forest air.
The hound spasmed, then went still.
The rest didn't hesitate. They fled, leaving bodies twitching in the dirt.
Six carcasses.
Five coins gained.
The next day, they faced Ashback Lizards, creatures with stone-like scales and jaws that could crush bone. Raul darted in, daggers scraping sparks off their hides. Arin flanked, sword stabbing between plates. Victor tanked the charge, Guardian's Stance locking him like a wall. The lizard slammed into his shield with a roar and bounced back like it had hit iron.
Victor grinned. "Try harder."
His hammer swung, cracking the beast's skull like rotten fruit.
The next day, they stumbled upon a Captain-rank monster, a hulking beast with bone plates and eyes like molten gold. Raul's senses screamed, and they ran without shame. Survival first. Glory later.
After four days of hunting, Arin's coins climbed to 73, nearly halfway to Raul's next upgrade: Flowstep. The thought of Raul moving even faster was terrifying and thrilling.
Victor repaired their weapons each night, his hammer ringing softly in the dark. Raul scouted ahead, his Combat Sense saving them more than once.
On the fifth night, boredom clawed at them. Raul grinned, spinning his daggers. "Spar?"
Arin nodded, tightening his grip on his sword. "Try not to kill me."
Victor smirked. "I'll watch. And laugh."
They circled each other under the pale glow of moonlight. Raul moved first, fast, sharp, a blur of steel. Arin stepped aside, Timed Step carrying him just out of reach. The dagger hissed past his ribs.
"Better," Raul said, eyes gleaming.
Arin gritted his teeth, countering with a slash. Raul parried, spun, and swept low. Arin jumped back, shield snapping up just in time to block a strike aimed at his throat.
Sweat dripped. Muscles screamed. But Arin held.
Victor whistled. "Not bad, Lord-boy."
Arin smirked. "Getting there."
Raul grinned, daggers flashing. "Not fast enough."
He lunged, and Arin dodged, blade biting slightly into Raul's sleeve. A shallow cut, but a cut nonetheless.
Raul froze. Then laughed, a sharp, wild sound. "Good."
They sat around a cold fire pit, no flames, just silence. The forest creaked softly, shadows pooling like ink. Raul sharpened his daggers, Victor polished his shield, and Arin stared at his panel.
He clenched his fists. I won't become a dead weight, no matter what.
The Misleading Woods stretched ahead, dark, endless, waiting.