And Ariana’s current level…

She was, essentially, unable to use chanting magic at all.

Her Healing Magic and Holy Judge could be cast instantly, yes—but 13 of her precious points had been wasted on attributes that served no real purpose for her role as a Holy Hero.

Anyi had quickly deduced that her Intelligence was set at 3 and her Technique at 2—an odd distribution, since most ordinary people capped at 3 Intelligence. Even in his previous life, he had never encountered a Hero whose base Intelligence exceeded that of a normal person.

Though, of course, he had met those whose stats fell well below it.

"Holy Maiden," Anyi said, his tone instructive, "you have 3 points remaining. First, place one each into Agility, Endurance, and Durability."

"Understood!" Ariana nodded without hesitation. What Anyi said, in her eyes, was law.

"Strength is a useless attribute for you," he continued, "but Agility and Endurance will boost your survivability. When you level up further, you should prioritize these three attributes—"

He suddenly stopped mid-sentence, eyes narrowing slightly as if reconsidering something.

Ariana tilted her head, looking at him with curiosity. "Increase to how much?" she asked.

"Let’s discuss it later," Anyi replied, his tone cautious. "I’m not sure yet."

"Alright," Ariana agreed, easily deferring to him.

In truth, Anyi already knew. In time, she would need to boost these attributes to a minimum of 58 points or more. However, the current situation didn’t call for such precision yet. They were only at the beginning of the journey, and he himself was still learning the limits of this world.

For now, he could only give her advice based on what little they had faced.

"Next," Anyi said, shifting his gaze to Miruku, "let's take a look at your attributes."

Miruku, startled, straightened up. "Yes, right away!"

She opened her system and a moment later, her stats flashed in the group chat.

[Thorn Hero:

Hero Level: 2

Strength: 1

Agility: 40

Endurance: 1

Durability: 0

Prana: 2

Intelligence: 3

Technique: 17]

[Skill 1: Escape into the Shadows

Skill Description:

Thorn Hero enters the shadows! All sounds are silenced, and it's nearly impossible for the naked eye to catch her movements!

Skill 2: Swift Pace

Skill Description:

Thorn Hero accelerates instantly and enters a state of high-speed movement! Speed increases according to the Agility attribute!]

Miruku grinned to herself. She wouldn’t tell anyone, but she had renamed her skills to sound cooler. Originally, her abilities had laughably basic names—[Invisible] and [Urgent, Urgent, Urgent!!].

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She still cringed when she thought about it. '[Invisible] might have been acceptable,' she thought, 'but [Urgent, Urgent, Urgent!!]? That’s just embarrassing!'

So, being clever as she was, she’d given them more impressive titles: *Escape into the Shadows* and *Swift Pace*.

Anyi, meanwhile, was deep in thought, rubbing his chin as he examined her stats and skills.

Compared to Ariana’s haphazard setup, Miruku’s attributes were wildly specialized. She had clearly poured most of her points into Agility and Technique, both of which seemed central to her role as a Thorn Hero. Yet, she had misunderstood something important.

"Miss Miruku," Anyi said, his voice measured, "you don’t have any damage-dealing skills. Both of your abilities are focused on mobility. This means that what you truly need to invest in isn’t Agility—it’s Strength."

Miruku blinked, her confidence faltering.

"Moreover," Anyi continued, "you’ve completely neglected the importance of Endurance. Sure, moving at high speed means enemies won’t catch up to you, but with such low Endurance, the distance you can cover is severely limited. Like yesterday, when your high-speed burst only lasted for two seconds."

Miruku winced, recalling the brief moment of exhilaration followed by near exhaustion.

"That’s why you need to balance your stats better," Anyi said. "Without more Strength and Endurance, your agility means little in a prolonged fight."

Still, Anyi couldn’t help but be impressed. Miruku, despite her shortcomings, was a monster in her own right.

In those mere two seconds of high-speed movement, she had shot up from level 1 to nearly level 3, slaying over 300 slimes in the blink of an eye. Though timid and often hiding in the background, when the slimes burst apart, she had efficiently and ruthlessly dispatched them all.

“I... I only have one attribute point left to distribute,” Miruku muttered weakly, her voice trembling as tears welled in her eyes. She had been thoroughly "criticized," and the weight of it felt heavy on her fragile shoulders.

Anyi, unfazed, continued in his usual straightforward tone. "Before worrying about Strength, you should increase your Endurance first. When fighting, there’s no need to move at your highest speed all the time—learn to adjust your pace. Based on your performance yesterday, I doubt any monster could catch up with you even if you slowed down."

Miruku blinked, her teary eyes widening in shock. 'My speed... is it really that fast?'

In her mind, an imaginary scene played out. A shadowy figure—herself—moved like lightning through a battlefield, cutting through enemy ranks with unmatched precision, snatching the leader’s head in a blur. The image shifted, and she stood before a grand audience, a lecture hall packed to the brim.

The host’s voice rang out: "Thorn Hero, Miss Miruku Sinsa, you may not be as famous as the other three Heroes, but you are by far the fastest among them. Do you have anything to say to the audience?"

Miruku puffed out her chest, placed her hands on her hips, and with a proud grin, declared, “Me! I must make a self-introduction!”

The crowd gasped in unison. “Self-introduction?!”

“Again, self-introduction?!”

With dramatic flair, Miruku continued, “That’s right! My name is Miruku Sinsa, and I’m the fastest person in the world! Chosen by Kami, gifted with unparalleled speed and strength. People may see me as unremarkable, but on the battlefield, I move like the wind, defeating foes and slaying monsters with ease! One day, I will destroy all disasters, vanquish every monster, and bring an end to the Demon Lord’s reign! I am... Thorn Hero!"

…

Back in reality, Miruku let out a little giggle, standing up with an innocent, beaming smile. “Hehehe... I am Thorn Hero... hehe...”

Anyi stared at her, deadpan. “...”

'What just happened?' he thought. 'Did she just... get dizzy from her own daydream? Isn’t her Intelligence supposed to be 3 points?'

Layton, standing nearby, cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence. “Ahem, Anyi. I know I haven’t leveled up yet, but don’t leave me hanging.” He smiled and placed a hand on Anyi’s shoulder.

Anyi hadn’t forgotten. Layton’s stats were burned into his memory. His Strength, Endurance, and Durability were solid, but everything else? Zero. His only saving grace was likely due to his past as a porter—his Endurance had started at a respectable 3 points.

“You,” Anyi said, glancing at Layton, “should focus on Agility and Endurance next. Prioritize Agility, then increase Endurance. You’re an essential midfielder in the party, and you’ll need enough speed to stay close to your teammates.”

In truth, Anyi knew that, as a shield-bearer, increasing Layton’s Strength would be practically useless. What really mattered were his Durability, Agility, and Endurance. Durability would bolster his resistance and HP, while Agility and Endurance would enhance his movement speed and stamina. Lastly, there was Technique, which, while not immediately critical, would become important in mid-to-late-game battles when more agile monsters appeared.

But Technique, unlike the others, was peculiar—it grew naturally with skill usage and weapon mastery. Layton wouldn’t need to invest too much into it right away. In time, it would improve on its own.

As Anyi mulled over these thoughts, he glanced at his own stats:

[Hero Level: 4

Strength: 16

Agility: 10

Endurance: 10

Durability: 10

Prana: 5

Intelligence: 10

Technique: Max]