"Really?" Nox's interest sparked upon hearing Thorian's words. "What sort of gifts are we talking about?"

"You'll see soon enough," Thorian replied with a knowing smile, leading the way. Weaving through the village, Thorian eventually halted in front of a nondescript building.

"This is your house?" Nox inquired, a hint of confusion lacing his tone.

"No, this is our communal storage," Thorian corrected, shaking his head as he pushed open the door. Inside lay a trove of items amassed from numerous dungeon expeditions. "And there's a room here, specifically for me."

Guiding Nox to a room on the left, Thorian entered what appeared to be a makeshift bedroom, cluttered with an array of items, rendering it barely habitable.

From the disarray, Thorian retrieved an azure robe and presented it to Nox. "This is for you. Unfortunately, we don't have any shadow-themed items that would suit you, but this will have to do."

Nox examined the robe closely, his eyebrows arching in surprise. "What are you saying, Thorian? This robe is amazing! It increases my agility by a whole lot."

"I'm pleased you like it," Thorian responded, his smile widening. Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, he added, "Oh, and another thing. Did you receive any notifications about quest rewards? You must have earned something from the Monster Quest, at least."

"Now that you bring it up, there's been this persistent notification hovering in my vision for a while," Nox said, gazing thoughtfully at an unseen point in the air, his hand thoughtfully stroking his chin. "Should I go ahead and accept it?"

Thorian, observing Nox's perplexed expression, couldn't suppress a chuckle. "Definitely, you should."

"Alright then," Nox said, a smile breaking across his face. In response, a short sword with a sleek, modern design and a black sheath materialized before him.

Grasping the weapon, Nox examined it closely. "This sword complements my abilities really well!"

"What special abilities does it have?" Thorian inquired, his voice tinged with curiosity.

"It's has a passive skill that pierces through armor when striking an enemy from behind," Nox explained, his voice brimming with excitement. "It works really well with my backstab skill."

As Nox concluded his explanation of the sword's advantages, his eyes became distant, fixated on a flurry of new notifications materializing before him. "Wow, so many level-ups! And I’m also getting a special evolution!"

Thorian, intrigued by this revelation, raised an eyebrow. "A special evolution? Did you eliminate five hundred humans?"

"I suppose I must have," Nox replied, scratching his head in contemplation. “I don’t remember exactly, but I did fight against those crazy people for more than two hours. I was so tired by the end that I thought I was going to die.”

Hearing this, Thorian chuckled softly. "I should have known you were capable of such feats."

He then retrieved a longsword from the clutter of items and motioned for Nox to follow him outside. "Come, let's spar."

"Wait, what?" Nox asked, a hint of confusion in his voice. "You're planning to spar with that sword? Isn't it only to warriors?"

Gazing down at the longsword in his hands, Thorian replied, "While I don't benefit from the sword's additional stats or abilities, a sword remains a sword. I'm still capable of wielding it effectively."

"If that's how it is," Nox shrugged, a hint of skepticism in his voice, before trailing Thorian outside. They swiftly navigated to the outskirts of the village, where the bustle of the populace thinned.

"Looks like a new wall has been raised," Nox observed, his eyes scanning the expanded perimeter of the village with a mix of surprise and admiration. "Our village has grown a lot."

"It certainly has," Thorian agreed, pausing at the brink of a cliff. He surveyed the clearing below and remarked, "This spot should suffice for our spar."

"Are you sure about this?" Nox asked, scratching his head in bemusement. "You're a magus, but you're challenging me to a sword fight. Isn't that a bit too much?"

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"You'll understand shortly," Thorian replied, then leapt gracefully into the clearing below.

Following suit, Nox landed and unsheathed his short sword, declaring, "I'm ready."

In an instant, Nox vanished from sight. Thorian, anticipating his move, positioned his sword, wielding it with less than half his usual might.

Clang!

The swords collided, sending a metallic echo through the clearing. Nox, caught off guard by Thorian's unexpected prowess, was swiftly repelled, tumbling a dozen feet backwards and landing awkwardly on his head.

"Ow, that hurts!" Nox winced, tenderly rubbing his head, then gazed at Thorian with a mix of pain and admiration. "What was that? A new technique?"

"No, that was merely raw strength," Thorian clarified, shaking his head. "In these apocalyptic times, a week can bring immense growth, particularly in this phase of accelerated development."

"I'm clearly seeing that," Nox acknowledged as he rose to his feet, brushing off the dirt. "But I'm not out of the game yet!"

Shrouding himself in shadows, Nox melded seamlessly with the environment. Thorian, unfazed, merely smiled and activated his Elemental Sight skill. This revealed Nox's shadowy figure, stealthily advancing towards him.

Thorian, channeling more power into his strike, swung his sword in the direction of Nox's approach. Their swords met with a resounding clash, fully exposing Nox. His short sword radiated a deep blue aura, matching Thorian's strength without yielding.

Thorian's eyebrows lifted in surprise at this display, but he quickly intensified his strike to counter Nox's prowess. As Nox began to falter, dark tendrils of aura erupted from his body, surging towards Thorian like piercing spears.

With no time to spare, Thorian released a burst of mana, enveloping his arm with it, and swept away the shadowy tendrils in one fluid motion. He then delivered a powerful kick to Nox's abdomen, propelling him backwards to his previous position.

Groaning in discomfort, Nox clambered to his feet, his expression a blend of pain and confusion. "I thought I had you there. What was that move?"

"It's mana enhancement," Thorian elucidated. "Were I a warrior, I'd have infused my blade with it, and it would be known as aura. But for now, augmenting my muscles with mana suffices."

"That's incredible!" Nox's mouth hung open in amazement. "Can I learn that too? I'd love to give it a try!"

"Whisperwind should be the one to guide you in that," Thorian replied with a chuckle, then regarded Nox with a look of curiosity. "But I'm more intrigued by those shadow attacks of yours. Is that a new skill you've acquired?"

"Yes, it's called shadow manipulation," Nox explained. "I'm not entirely sure of its capabilities or how I got it. However, when I checked my status screen earlier, there it was."

Thorian pondered this revelation. The most plausible explanation for Nox acquiring this skill would be the extensive time he spent shrouded in shadows. It's not uncommon for individuals to develop skills influenced by their surroundings or experiences.

Refocusing on Nox, Thorian offered his advice. "You should discuss this skill with your Guild Master. As a shadowkin, he's best suited to assist you in mastering it."

"It seems like I need to do a lot of things," Nox said, his gaze falling slightly.

"It's a necessary step if you aim to keep pace with the others," Thorian said nonchalantly. "You do want to catch up, don't you?"

"Absolutely, I do," Nox affirmed with a nod. "And it's not just about catching up—I’m going to surpass them all."

At that, Thorian let out a chuckle. "Well, then your first step is to focus on your cultivation. You can venture into the dungeons later."

Upon hearing this, Nox tilted his head inquisitively. "The dungeons... Are we going to do them together?"

Thorian hesitated momentarily before shaking his head, a hint of regret in his demeanor. "Unfortunately, I've already completed the daily dungeons this morning. But we can certainly tackle them together tomorrow."

"That's a shame," Nox sighed, though his eyes lit up with a spark of hope. "Then, how about we continue our sparring later? I find it really fun to duel with you!"

"Certainly," Thorian replied, his smile genuine. "I've been looking to improve the mastery of a few skills, so having a sparring partner would be ideal."

Nox's face brightened at the agreement. "Great, it's a deal then!"

Following their conversation, Thorian escorted Nox back to the Cultivation Hall, introducing him to the two elders to commence his cultivation journey. Afterward, Thorian returned to the Village Hall, where he found Elder Omn awaiting him.

Without preamble, Thorian inquired about another member of their group, "So, how is Nalia's progression?"

Elder Omn nodded thoughtfully before responding, "Before she embarked on today's dungeon, her level was 12, three levels higher than yesterday. After clearing all the dungeons, she's now reached level 14."

Thorian stroked his chin, contemplating. "She's advancing swiftly. The disparity in levels suggests she ventured into the abyss, but not deeply, given the modest increase."

"That seems to be the case, my lord," Elder Omn concurred, his brow creasing with concern. "But given her strength, she could delve much deeper into the abyss. Why is she limiting her advancement?"

Thorian shrugged nonchalantly. "The pace at which she's clearing floors isn't the issue. It appears she's short on equipment to strengthen her teammates. They're not yet equipped to handle the challenge of the floor she's aiming for."

"And which floor would that be?" Elder Omn asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

After a moment of mental calculation, Thorian responded, "Given the amount of experience points she requires, she's probably targeting the twentieth floor."