"Concentrate. Are you listening?" A harsh voice entered Argo's ears causing him to regain clarity. Her voice maintained a stoic tone, but he could detect faints hints of annoyance.

"Do you need me to repeat what I said?" Faye reiterated, Her expression slowly showing cracks of irritation. She was good at hiding any hint of emotion, but after spending a couple of days with her Argo could subtly tell what she was feeling. He doubted she was aware of it, but the left side of her mouth would twitch ever so slightly when she was irritated.

They were sitting cross legged, facing each other as she attempted to impart her knowledge of mana into him. Despite Argo's willingness to learn, he found it hard to stay focused on the information that seem to come in waves. His head started to spin, and he felt whatever she was talking about was only the tip of the iceberg.

He nodded, trying to avoid angering her any further.

"There are three steps in utilizing mana to reinforce one's body. Absorption, circulation, and reinforcement." She began, her obsidian eyes seeming to exude an aura of palpable danger. Compared to before, Faye attempted to dumb down her explanations.

"Absorption is something you're probably familiar with." As Argo watched, Faye channeled mana into her body. He couldn't notice the ambient mana in the air, but he felt the air stir as Faye's aura deepened. She explained earlier once he reached a deeper control of mana, he could watch the particles in the air and how others controlled it to a much finer degree.

"Circulation is slowly releasing mana from your core into your body. Circulating it allows the mana to reach every facet of your being, allowing for an even distribution." She continued, making concentric shapes in the air to visualize her thoughts.

Faye's aura heightened, and her aura took on a tangible color as black light. The denseness of the accumulated mana allowed Argo to observe minute orbs of mana moving through her body.

"Reinforcement is releasing the energy contained with mana to enhance your body. While simple, it requires an intuitive control of mana to prevent the energy from tearing your body apart. Though that would only happen if you were channeling a significant amount of mana."

The glow around her hardened, becoming significantly more tangible then before and her presence elevated to a peak.

"That is mana reinforcement."

After observing her, Argo closed his eyes trying to focus on his mana core. He had already accomplished absorption, a process that was naturally achieved through the core's function to passively draw in mana. He could hasten the effect through concentration, and consciously drawing from the environment.

What lay next was something he wasn't something he was completely familiar with, despite using it maybe once or twice. He wasn't confident even with the help of the blessings of mana, but tried nonetheless.

He manipulated his core to release streams of pure mana, circulating it throughout his body delicately. The rate at which his core replenished itself allowed his body to quickly fill with particles of pure mana without fully depleting.

Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead as he tried to maintain the tenuous connection with the mana in his body. It felt like looking at a complicated painting, closing your eyes, and trying to remember the exact details of the image down the most minute paint strokes. He firmed his grasp, attempting to slowly release the energy inside the mana.

Immediately he felt his strength surge, the energy around him fluctuating before peaking. It was a surreal feeling, incomparable to anything he'd ever felt before. Mana was truly extraordinary.

"You might have talent," Faye commented, a rare hint of surprise coloring her voice. Whenever she was surprised or interested in something, she would touch her chin in contemplation. She probably wasn't aware of these habits, and if Argo tried teasing her he would no doubt be met with extreme prejudice.

"The amount of time one can use mana reinforcement is dependent on their core size which increases with their mana stat, and their ability to take in ambient mana. The more you practice, reinforcing yourself with mana will become an unconscious act."

Argo's eyes opened, feeling his strength surge like a tide. Observing the amount of mana that flooded his core with each passing second, he believed he could use mana reinforcement almost indefinitely if he didn't use mana for anything else. He knew that only those blessed with mana were capable of such a feat, so he attempted to fluctuate his mana to hide this.

He didn't want anyone to know he had been blessed by the Tower. Letting others know you were a hero was something he definitely wanted to avoided. It would draw a lot of attention, and could create hidden enemies. He was already suffering from using [The Miracle] from the previous night.

He was consciously circulating, and harnessing the mana flowing through him making it hard to focus on other things. If he tried combining this with combat, he wasn't sure his grip would remain. It was like balancing an apple on his head while trying to stand on one leg. Multitasking was a key part of mana manipulation, and he was still a far cry from true mastery.

"Now for the next part, come at me." Faye abruptly rose to her feet, drawing one of her short swords from the Records, materializing from mana. Taking a simple stance with her left arm behind her back, and sword raised, her eyes sharpened.

Argo slowly learned not to question her, rising to his feet while trying to maintain mana reinforcement. His body was covered with a film of white light, flowing around him in a conspicuous manner. Compared to Faye across from him, her mana reinforcement was significantly more precise and elegant. It wrapped around her body efficiently, maintaining a constant level of output.

'I have a lot to learn,' noting her mastery over mana, Argo contemplated the vast difference between them. She didn't delve into herself, but he was sure she was a heir or legacy of some sort. Only those who've been training since young could showcase her level of feats. He didn't want to pry, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't curious about her origins. After all, she was the only person he could consider a friend in his whole life.

That sounded really sad, now that he thought about it. What would make things worse is that she most likely didn't even see him as anything like that- probably more like an acquaintance if anything.

He drew his steel sword, holding it with both arms before taking a simple stance. He felt there were a lot of flaws and openings with his current form, but he didn't know how to fix them. This was his first time dueling someone.

With mana reinforcement, the sword's weight hardly had an effect on him. Trying to get a feel of his newfound power he did some practice strokes before turning to Faye. She eyed him expectantly, and Argo felt her demeanor subtly change. She seemed more at comfort with a sword in her hand, and a coming battle.

In an ocean cursed with eternal night, two figures clashed in a whirlwind of sparks under a iridescent moon.

CLANG!

"Sloppy."

Faye parried a slash before pivoting, kicking him in the stomach. Argo gasped in pain, his hold over mana reinforcement faltering. The white light flickered before stabilizing. He readjusted his stance, firming his hold over the mana in his body.

"When fighting, watch your whole opponent. Eyes, body language, limbs they all hold valuable information." Faye instructed. "My sword won't be the only thing that can kill you."

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Argo nodded, proceeding to launch another strike. He learned that lesson the hard way, suffering crippling punches and kicks. He suffered multiple bruises on his sides and arms, originally too focused on the path of her sword. He thought it would be like shooting a bow, focusing on your target. But that couldn't be further from the truth.

His raw strength had received a significant boost, allowing him to execute laborious attacks with less effort. But his technique was less then satisfactory. He could feel it himself, his slashes lacking finesse and fluidity.

She adopted a defensive stance, simply parrying, blocking, or dodging his attacks. She was like an indomitable wall to him. No matter how hard he attacked her expression wouldn't shift or flutter in the slightest, as she dealt with each slash with meticulous precision.

He had originally assumed she was arrogant as a result of her upbringing, shielded from pain or inconvenience. Argo could only curse himself for his stupidity. From her mana control to sword technique, despite his inexperience he could tell the untold amount of time she spent training.

Argo steeled himself, attempting a feint. He launched a swift strike to her calf, quickly pivoting to guide the blade into her side. The swiftness he executed the stroke surprised him, and he couldn't suppress feelings of victory.

"Naïve."

She blocked using the flat of her blade his sword skidding off course, following with an elbow to the chest. The blow staggered him, the coat of mana around him wobbling like an unsteady flame.

"You're too strong," Argo complained, kneeling on the floor.

He felt mana reinforcement dissipate, leaving him exhausted. Having his mind divided between mana reinforcement and practicing sword technique left him incapable of creating any sophisticated moves. Yet he could feel himself make good progress, strengthening himself with mana and wielding a weapon was something essential to survival.

Faye scoffed, "Its written all over your face. Your eyes betray you."

Tapping the flat of her blade against her chest, she elaborated, "Remember what I said about everything containing information?"

She took a more attack-oriented stance, and her eyes sharpened. "Do you best."

Before Argo could decipher her enigmatic words, a flurry of strikes flew at him. He abruptly poured mana into his body, revitalizing his weary body. The sudden change left him reeling, but he was forced to focus on the storm of slashes coming his way.

Her attacks were like a crushing stream- flowing with swift elegance, but delivering strikes that pulverized his attempts at defense. They would curve in beautiful paths, creating an refined dance of steel. He quickly tried to tear himself out of the beauty of her sword technique.

Her attacks were extraordinary punishing, and to add she was only utilizing one blade. He could only fathom what would happen if she decided to use her full force. It made him gape at the stark difference in sword technique between the two of them.

Despite her ferocious attacks he could feel her holding back significantly, as cuts appeared over his body. His sword twisted and parried, slowly adapting to her speed. Before he could fully get comfortable, she turned it up a notch. She seemed quite pleased with his current situation, finding his helplessness satisfactory.

Her speed increased, mana flooding her pores as her onslaught picked up. What seemed like one stroke would split into three afterimages, causing him to unconsciously back up. Right before he reached the point of collapsing she stopped, leaving him gasping for breath and wincing from the pain.

Her face shifted, observing his panting figure. "I now know where we're at. The rate at which your mana replenishes is fast, and your mana control is better then I thought."

Faye's face darkened, "Your sword technique will definitely require work. Practice these swings in the meantime."

She demonstrated a vertical, horizontal, and diagonal strike with relative ease. Judging by her familiarity with the strokes, she must've practiced them diligently.

"Do each of these one hundred times a day," she said with a deadpan expression.

"What?!" Argo tried to complain, pointing out how long that would take.

"You asked me to teach you."

Faye left with those parting words, leaving Argo panting and sweating on the deck. The cool air served to clear his mind, but the stares from the crew shook him from his reverie.

"What?"

Some whistled, others pretended to be mopping an invisible stain. The ship was much larger then Argo thought, as it was hard to distinguish its exact details with only the light of lamps and torches. His observations predicted it was a medium-sized galleon, maybe four or five large houses from his village combined? He felt that wasn't a very good estimate.

Faye had found a secluded open area near the stern, but the crew was curious about what their whereabouts. Did he really think Faye and him had a thing going? They had just met, and were in a deadly crucible known as the First Floor! Who had time to do things like that?

'Do pirates really have nothing else to do?'

Argo outwardly sighed, gripping his sword and attempting to circulate mana and achieve mana reinforcement again. Adjusting his stance, he started practicing the movements Faye showcased. He felt they would create a solid foundation for him when pursuing his sword technique.

***

For the next couple of days abord the galleon, that Argo would find out was called the Crooked Knave. He wasn't exactly sure what 'knave' meant, but coupled with 'blind' it couldn't be anything good.

Argo's entire being was aching, sore from the amount of time he practiced the sword. His control over mana had increased substantially, and he could maintain mana reinforcement for longer in fights relying on his own ability. He attributed his fast progress to the blessings of mana. It was like it wanted to help him improve, bending willingly to his exercises.

Practicing the sword strokes Faye taught him while having spars helped him gain a satisfactory nod from Faye. He had worked tirelessly day and night, never skipping a day. He was eager to improve, and threw himself into training as a way to get his mind away from things.

There was a sort of peacefulness with swinging a sword in the cool night air. It was a temporary respite from everything. The horrors of the First Floor, trauma of the past, and the indistinct future.

Faye had reminded him to not remain complacent. She had described his current sword techniques as being able to defeat mindless, low graded beasts. Humans with average sword skills would be enough to defeat him at his current level. Argo heeded her words, continuing to practice his technique with feverish intensity.

With everyday he trained with his sword and mana, he would notice his stats experience changes. He was completely caught off guard by Faye's explanation. Every monster and human possessed differing amounts of something called 'essence'. When they died, if they were slain a portion of their essence would fill the slayer increasing their stats. All essence did was increase the power of the being.

Apparently when he had killed the kraken, he reaped a moderate amount of 'essence' and he had neglected to check his stats. He didn't even know the existence of such a mythical thing, and Faye had called him out on his ignorance. He had tried pleading his case, but she promptly ignored him.

Faye explained essence could also be obtained naturally from training the respective stats. In some cases training would produce more essence then slaying monsters- assuming you didn't slay monsters above your rank on the daily.

Quest: Free the Sun from it's eternal bindings.

Name: Argo

Epithet(s): Last Hero

Rank: 0

Inherent: [The Miracle]

Traits: [Dichotomy], [Hero of Finality]

Skills:

Stats: [Strength: G+], [Endurance: G+], [Dexterity: G+], [Agility: G+], [Mana: G+]

Argo was satisfied with his current stats, slaying the Deep Kraken had been an unexpected boon; boosting his stats by a decent margin. Argo also had a creeping suspicion the "unparalleled growth" part of [Hero of Finality] had played a role in his progress. Not that he was complaining.

Faye mentioned increasing stats by a sub-rank differed a lot between each individual, but it was usually easier to increase the lower the stat. By converse, the higher stats required a lot of effort to raise. This would mean his growth would stagnate once he reached the higher realms, that was an issue to worry about for later.

"Land ahoy mates! Land ahoy!" A loud voice announced from the crow's nest, causing the crew to bustle with activity. Before Faye and Argo had arrived on the ship, they had reportedly been at sea for almost two weeks. After a month of wandering the dark waters, the sailors were anxious to hit land.

Argo was shocked out of his thoughts by the declaration, hastily making his way to the bow of the Blind Knave. Spending a week on the ship had allowed him to comfortable navigate its confines, arriving at his destination quickly. He slipped in between the smelly pirates with his slender frame, catching a glimpse of light over the railing.

The front of the ship was already crowded, but peaking beyond the dark horizon was a small orange light. It was eye-catching, the only thing glowing within the endless vastness of the dark sea. Argo thought he was hallucinating, only convinced by the pirates jostling to get a better look.

As the vessel drew closer, the one dot split into many orange dots of differing brightness and elevation. But what stuck out to him the most was the large crimson light that hung over them, like a setting sun. The eventual shadow of the island became more apparent, highlighted against the eternal moon in the sky.

'Blackrock Island.'

Argo recalled the name of their destination, when Jackson had dropped off on his first day. It was apparently one of four major islands on the First Floor, a bastion of humanity. Its name scheme seemed crude and fairly straightforward, but it didn't stop the excitement from rising within his heart. He would finally see the first signs of human civilization inside the Tower.