'This city was supposed to be neutral territory!' Astrid shouted in her mind. 'Tsk! Destiny must definitely hate me. No, don't let your anguish show on your face! You need to act like a leader!'

Her group and the thief found themselves surrounded by several foul creatures. They were Fallen, known as Weepers, although some people also called them mud rats.

The Weepers, being a type of warrior Fallen, were around level 50. In the ranking system, they held the position of Upper Bronze. However, the most frustrating thing wasn't their level, but how difficult they were to fight. They often behaved like cowards: hiding underground and attacking in swarms. Since the underground was their domain, Astrid decided to force them to the surface with an ability.

In this new world, one could fight under the dominion of a class, which was similar to choosing a job. The process was as straightforward as learning a sport like soccer, badminton, or baseball, or some form of martial art like karate, boxing, taekwondo, capoeira, etc.

Just like in the old world, for whatever sport or class one chose, it was necessary to train, and with discipline and persistence, keep improving. It's important to highlight that once a class was selected, there was no turning back. There were seven main classes and numerous secondary classes, which couldn't develop to the same level as the main ones. Each summoned hero specialized in one of the seven primary classes.

In each class, one could learn abilities specific to the chosen profession. The number of abilities learned determined the warrior's level. However, an ability wasn't a technique in itself but a set of related techniques. These techniques were called traits.

Just as a set of traits formed an ability, a set of abilities formed a class. For example, Astrid's class was Lancer, meaning spear warrior. As a long and short-range fighter, her basic abilities included: "Quick Step", "Critical Hit", "Pull", "Limit Break", "Great Strength", "Great Hearing", "Great Vision", "Great Defense", "Reconstitution", "Charge", "Throw", "Thrust", "Stealth", "Extra-sensitivity", among others.

Each ability was composed of traits. For example, in the case of the "Quick Step" ability, the traits were: heightened senses, increased focus, and enemy slowing. In the case of "Critical Hit", the traits were: weakening of the enemy's defense, strength boost, soft impact, and multiplied damage.

Something similar applied to the rest of the abilities. Although each class had its own abilities and therefore its own traits or techniques, some abilities could be shared across more than one class.

At the start of the battle, Astrid had used the "Critical Hit" ability to destroy the gravel path. Thanks to the traits of this ability, she had not only weakened the enemy's defense but also increased her own strength, making a soft stomp on the ground enough to multiply the damage.

Then, she used the "Pull" ability to drag the Weepers out from underground. This ability allowed her to attract not only inorganic objects but also any organic matter within a hundred-meter radius. Since high-power abilities consumed a great amount of mana and physical energy, their daily use was limited even for a hero. Of course, there were more details about their function, usage, requirements, and traits, but Astrid was too lazy to remember them.

'I'm the type of person who skips the tutorial. The essence of games is learning along the way!' Astrid thought through clenched teeth.

She was around level 89, and in the ranking system, she held the position of Upper Gold. 'Even so, facing two level 50 Fallen at the same time is no easy task.'

It was almost as if an elephant had to fight two adult lions. Astrid had to be careful with her movements. The Weepers radiated a dangerous aura, not because of their strength but due to their animal instinct: thoughtless and unpredictable.

Suddenly, a shout broke through the scene:

"Are you saying that so calmly?!"

'How annoying!' she thought.

Without giving her time, the Weepers took advantage of the distraction to move. Astrid didn't fall behind, but before she could get into fighting position, the Weepers stopped abruptly.

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"Huh?"

The sudden change made Astrid halt in her tracks as well. The reason was clear: they were just toying with her, and that infuriated her.

The two Weepers took some distance and began swinging their massive macuahuitls as if they were warming up for a baseball game.

"Ex Luto. Ex Luto. You, who have been chained by my sin, join me in the mud."

The movement of the enormous weapon generated powerful gusts of dust as it cut through the air. The tumors on their necks twisted their mouths into grotesque smiles. Faced with such arrogance, Astrid clicked her tongue but kept her anger in check. She couldn't allow herself to show any signs of distress, as it would shatter her leader persona. For that reason, she also resisted the urge to use her spear.

'The first rule in battle is not to lose your composure. Breathe,' she thought, adjusting her stance.

Following the Fallen's example, she began to warm up as well. First, she planted her right foot firmly on the ground and rotated it in circles for a few seconds, then did the same with her left ankle. She rotated her neck from left to right and finally began bouncing lightly, like a boxer. If she was honest, the situation was starting to get fun.

"Alright, shall we begin?"

The two Weepers took their positions, one on either side of the destroyed path. It seemed like they were serious this time.

"Ex Luto. Ex Luto. You, who have been chained by my sin, join me in the mud."

Since they'd gone through the trouble of mocking her, Astrid decided she wanted to have some fun too. She grabbed her bag and swung it as if preparing to throw it, saying:

"I heard this from a friend. Hey! How about this? I'll finish you both before this returns to my hand!"

"Ex Luto?"

At her cocky attitude, the Weepers pointed at each other, as if saying, "You do realize it's two against one, right?"

But Astrid countered,

"Don't worry, you won't have enough hands."

After getting into a fighting stance, she whispered:

""Limit Break", "Quick Step", "Great Strength", "Great Hearing", "Great Vision"."

It was a skill set that pushed her physical limits. She wanted to test her opponents first, so Astrid decided to rely solely on her arms and legs. In the dry breeze, she tossed the bag of gems into the air. How much time would that give her? No more than twenty seconds. In the next moment, she vanished.

Astrid appeared behind the Weeper on the left and sent it flying with a powerful sidekick. In response, the remaining Weeper leaped at her. Astrid blocked the oncoming macuahuitl with one arm and delivered a full-force punch to the Fallen's body with the other.

The Weeper tried to block Astrid's fist with its palm, but the force was more than it could handle.

"Ex Luto!"

Bones and fingers began to shatter with a dull crack. Not only was the Weeper's arm destroyed, but the struggle was so one-sided that its legs started sinking into the ground.

Smiling, Astrid whispered:

""Defense Break"."

In the next instant, as if it had been completely crushed, the Weeper was buried in the debris up to its waist. Gravel, reduced to dust, along with heavier stones, scattered into the air.

"Eeeeeek!" the Weeper howled.

Its arm was pierced up to the elbow, and its fingers twisted in all directions. The searing pain caused it to drop the macuahuitl. Astrid seized the opportunity and grabbed the weapon by its blade. Thanks to the enhancements in her body, not a single piece of obsidian pierced her pale skin.

Astrid had already sensed a presence approaching from behind. With the macuahuitl in hand, she turned and said, ""Throw"."

She hurled the weapon at the approaching presence. It was the Weeper she had kicked away.

"Ex Luto! Ex Luto!"

The macuahuitl flew like a boomerang, aimed directly at the charging Weeper, which came at her like a raging bull.

Without offering any resistance, the Weeper was split... its head and torso severed into two hemispheres. Yet, part of the abdomen and pelvis remained loosely connected by skin and bone. The attack had been so swift that the creature's body continued running for several meters. It wasn't a clean cut, but more akin to smashing a watermelon with a bat.

Pieces of its tumor-ridden face, along with organs, fat, and blackened blood, spilled onto the ground with each step. The Weeper seemed determined to keep moving. Upon seeing this, Astrid screamed internally:

'It's still not enough!'

Then, as she braced her long legs, she whispered:

""Great Throw"."

With a spinning kick, she tore the head off the Weeper behind her and launched it as a projectile.

The worm-like head shot through the air like a ball aimed at the bisected body of the other Weeper still walking. Like a direct shot at goal, the head pierced through the Weeper's abdomen, leaving a gaping hole. Only then did the creature finally stop and collapse onto the ground like a sack of flesh. But the projectile didn't stop there—it flew hundreds of meters further, kicking up dust in its wake.

Throughout this brief skirmish, Astrid hadn't even used her weapon. It was a hand-to-hand fight from start to finish. As she raised her hand to end it, she expected the bag of gems to land perfectly in her palm, but instead, it hit the ground off to the side. Perhaps in the heat of the moment, she hadn't realized she'd moved from her initial position.

'Damn it! It was almost perfect!'

Embarrassment caused her ears to burn. The shame was so overwhelming that she deactivated all her enhancements.

'Damn it!'