Rio sheathed her musket for a moment, feeling the lingering satisfaction of her Chronos Eye combo. But even as she celebrated, a nagging thought gnawed at her.
The problem was obvious. The backswing of her sword.
Every time she struck a mob after slowing it with Chronos Eye, the weight of her heavy sword dragged her speed down. Her strikes were powerful, but the recovery time—the follow-up swing—was painfully slow. For a skill that required precision timing like Chronos Eye, that was a serious drawback.
With a heavy heart, Rio knew what she had to do: change her sword.
She opened the in-game shop, scrolling through the weapon section. Her fingers ran over hundreds of options, looking for something that met her strict standards: light, fast, one-handed, and strong enough to finish off slowed mobs efficiently.
Finally, at the very bottom of the list, her eyes landed on it: a one-handed curved saber.
It was perfect. Sleek, balanced, light, and deadly. The ideal sword to complement her Chronos Eye and musket combo.
But then her jaw dropped.
The price: 5 copper coins.
She froze, staring at the number.
Five copper?!
She counted her current funds: 3 copper.
"You've got to be kidding me," she muttered.
Evermount's standard account when starting gives you 3 copper coins when creating a new character, and she had chosen a sword that cost her only 1 copper piece. To see this perfect saber now cost five times more was absurd. The influx of players rushing to climb to the top had driven prices sky-high.
Rio cursed under her breath. Of course… all of us idiots rushing Day One… including me.
She looked at Ryota, who was polishing Rio's musket casually. "Hey… could you lend me 2 copper pieces? I'll pay you back later."
Ryota nodded immediately. "Sure." Opening the transfer menu and selecting Rio's account. His coins dropped from 3 to 1.
Rio grabbed the saber before prices soar to places she couldn't afford and felt the balance instantly. Light, precise, and perfect for her needs.
She held it in one hand, activated Chronos Eye, and prepared to test it again.
"Alright, Ryota… let's see how this works now," she said.
The mobs in the clearing—slimes, small wolves, and a few goblin scouts—didn't stand a chance. She used the flintlock musket and shotted them with precision, slowing their movements with Chronos Eye and finishing them off with the perfect timing of each strike using her newly bought saber.
Ryota watched in amazement. "This is insane. You're making it look easy."
Rio grinned, focusing on her timing. The new sword made her combos fluid. With the musket for initial slowing, the saber's quick strikes allowed her to chain attacks seamlessly. Slimes squished under her blade, goblins flailed in slow motion before being cut down, and even the small wolves were outmatched before they could respond.
"This… this is perfect," she muttered, breathing steadily. "Chronos Eye, musket, and a fast one-handed sword… all in sync."
They continued testing for several minutes, moving to nearby mobs. Rio would fire the musket, slowing one target, then dart in with her saber, slicing through it in one clean motion. She practiced different sequences, spinning and slashing while activating Chronos Eye, learning the rhythm of mana expenditure and timing.
Ryota jumped in occasionally, helping draw mobs or using his own attacks to distract them while she focused on her combos. His enthusiasm was infectious, and she found herself grinning despite the sweat on her forehead.
After an intense series of fights—slimes, goblins, and a few roaming spiders—they paused for a break.
Ryota leaned back, checking his HUD. "I… I just hit level 2!"
Rio glanced at him. His stats window popped open, showing his new stat points ready to be allocated.
"And… your new skill has unlocked," Rio said, peering over his shoulder.
Ryota's eyes widened. "Really? Let's see…"
A small icon appeared on his menu, glowing faintly: his first active combat skill, marking the beginning of his journey to becoming more than just a swordsman-in-training.
Rio nodded, smiling faintly. "Good. Now we're officially starting to catch up to the rest of the player base. But remember… this is just the beginning. We still have a long way to go."
Ryota grinned, his own excitement rising. "Then let's keep going. I want to see how far I can get with you leading the way."
Rio exhaled, gripping her saber tightly and activating Chronos Eye once more. Together, they charged at the next group of mobs, testing, learning, and perfecting their new strategy—an unstoppable combination of time manipulation, precision gunfire, and swift swordplay.
The forest had grown quieter as the beginner mobs slowly thinned out around them.
Rio wiped the blade of her new curved saber and rested it over her shoulder.
She glanced toward Ryota.
"Alright."
Ryota looked up.
"Yeah?"
Rio crossed her arms.
"You just hit level two."
"Which means you unlocked your main skill."
Ryota nodded.
"Right."
Rio tilted her head.
"So what is it?"
Ryota opened his skill window and squinted at the description.
"…Uh."
Rio waited.
"…What?"
Ryota scratched his head.
"It says Scalular Impact."
Rio blinked.
"…What?"
Ryota shrugged.
"I have no idea what that means."
The moment the words left his mouth—
CLANG
Rio's sword slipped from her hand and fell straight onto the ground.
She stared at him.
Her brain completely stopped working.
"…You're joking."
Ryota blinked.
"What?"
Rio slowly pointed at him.
"You just said…"
"…Scalular Impact?"
Ryota nodded.
"Yeah."
Rio covered her face with both hands.
"…Oh my god."
Ryota tilted his head.
"Is it bad?"
Rio slowly lowered her hands.
Her eyes were wide.
"…Bad?"
She stared at him like she had just seen a ghost.
"That skill…"
"…is the strongest defensive skill in Evermount."
Ryota blinked.
"…Seriously?"
Rio nodded slowly.
"Scalular Impact allows the user to reduce the force of incoming attacks."
She pointed at him again.
"It literally lets you manipulate the force of any entity as long as it touches you."
Ryota's eyes widened.
"So if someone punches me—"
"You reduce the impact."
"If someone shoots me—"
"You reduce the impact."
"If someone hits you with a giant sword—"
"You reduce the impact."
Ryota's jaw slowly dropped.
Rio leaned back against a tree, staring at the sky.
"…Unbelievable."
Then suddenly—
A memory surfaced in her mind.
A name.
A legend.
Her eyes narrowed.
"…Strong Jones."
Ryota looked confused.
"Who?"
Rio crossed her arms.
"Strong Jones was a player in my previous life."
"He had Scalular Impact."
Ryota leaned forward.
"What happened to him?"
Rio sighed.
"He became a walking fortress."
She held up four fingers.
"It took 41 days of nonstop attacks from an entire guild named Rathalos just to dent his armor."
Ryota froze.
"…Forty-one days?"
Rio nodded.
"They attacked him continuously."
"Raids."
"Sieges."
"Magic bombardments."
"Everything."
She looked at Ryota again.
"And he still didn't die."
Silence filled the forest.
Rio stared at Ryota.
Then muttered quietly—
"…Seriously, what is this guy's luck?"
First Chronos Eye.
Now Scalular Impact.
Two of the most ridiculous skills imaginable.
Ryota scratched his head.
"So… how do I use it?"
Rio straightened up.
"Alright, listen carefully."
She explained slowly.
"Scalular Impact activates when something touches you."
"You can manipulate the force behind the impact."
"You reduce damage by dispersing that force."
Ryota nodded carefully.
"So it's basically a defensive ability."
"Exactly."
Ryota thought about it.
Then his eyes lit up.
"Wait."
Rio frowned.
"What?"
Ryota raised his sword.
"I know it's defensive…"
"But what if I use it offensively?"
Rio blinked.
"…What?"
Ryota smiled.
"What if I make my sword hit harder?"
Rio immediately shook her head.
"That's not how the skill works."
Ryota shrugged. "It technically is touching me"
Rio looked at him "That's won't work"
Then he said the most dangerous sentence possible.
"…But I'm still going to try."
Rio's eyes widened.
"WAIT—"
Too late.
Ryota walked toward a nearby large boulder sitting beside the forest path.
He clenched his fist.
"Okay…"
He concentrated.
"If I reduce the force coming into me…"
"…then maybe I can redirect it outward."
Rio slowly backed away.
"…Ryota."
Ryota pulled his fist back.
"…Yes?"
Rio pointed at the rock.
"Don't."
Ryota punched it.
BOOOOOOM
The boulder exploded off the ground like it had been launched from a cannon.
It flew through the air at horrifying speed.
Both of them watched it disappear over the trees.
Rio's brain stopped.
"…No."
Then suddenly—
A distant CRASH echoed from far away.
Followed by screams.
Ryota blinked.
"…Oh."
Rio's face turned pale.
"That direction…"
She pointed toward the horizon.
"…is the Town of Beginnings."
Ryota slowly turned.
"…Oops."
Rio grabbed him by the collar.
"RUN."
They both sprinted through the forest.
Rio was yelling the entire time.
"YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOT!"
Ryota panicked while running beside her.
"I DIDN'T EXPECT THAT TO WORK!"
Rio screamed.
"YOU JUST LAUNCHED A BOULDER INTO A CITY FULL OF NEW PLAYERS!"
Ryota gulped.
"…We're going to get a penalty, aren't we?"
Rio ran faster.
"YOUU IDIOTTT"