Frank sighed, he’d prefer to use the points to boost his regeneration. However, the events of the previous evening had reminded him of the importance to take the time to smell the roses. He would need more constitution soon anyway, increasing it now didn’t change anything in the grand scheme of things. Hmm, 333 HP and 150 Stamina, not bad at all, Frank thought. He had spent 31 GP to finish the Skirmisher II grid and another 50 GP on Die Hard grid. The former gave him the Bleeding Wounds ability, while the latter opened up Die Hard II, which cost 100 GP, and also awarded a Struggler ability.

Bleeding Wounds: The injuries you inflict continue to deal damage even after you’ve moved on to the next target. In order to inflict Bleeding your attack must overcome the target's Buffer. Good luck doing that with your piddly Strength. This ability increases Bleeding damage by 20%.

Struggler: No matter how wounded you get, you continue to press on. Meaning that no matter how much you are tortured you won’t be able to feel the sweet escape of unconsciousness. This ability stops you from passing out due to wounds, so long as you have HP.

He already knew about the issue with his low strength, Struggler on the other hand sounded like a nice boon, as long as he was fighting, and not being tortured. Mentally dismissing the descriptions, he decided to leave the remaining 12 GP unused, as he went back to training Telekinesis. Despite not training the skill since he got it, he found doing so to be both fun and challenging. Unlike other spells, Telekinesis was completely free-form.

The spell allowed him to use D mana to manipulate an object. As before, he tried to make a blade of grass hover over his hand. Continuously expending mana from his palm, he used it to push the blade upward. The grass bobbed due to uneven flow of mana, while any deviation of his palm from being completely horizontal would send it flying to the side. As he continued to train and gain levels, he realized something about skills that should’ve been obvious, they worked as a loop.

One gained skills by performing an activity, while increasing a skill’s level gave one the knowledge of how to perform said activity better. His combat masteries hadn’t told him anything he didn’t already know, and his other skills were perhaps too simple to convey any methods to improve them. But Telekinesis was different, every new level brought with it a bit of knowledge on what the skill did. He started to experiment with it, testing the information the skill fed into his mind.

Telekinesis allowed him to use mana in various ways to control an object, it could be pushed out of his body, like a gust of wind, used as a rope, to attach to objects and pull them toward himself, even turned into a solid-state and used to move objects. The flow of mana would determine the strength and quality of the connection, while the skill’s level and his mental attributes determined what he could manipulate and the control he had. While the skill was still useless, if it could become more powerful there would be many ways to utilize it.

After experimenting with the various ways to connect to an object, Frank tried to use two methods at the same time. He formed a rope-like connection to tether the blade of grass, then used mana to push it up from his palm. This technique proved quite difficult, and Frank struggled to keep the two methods from interfering with each other. Time passed quickly as he continued to train, his mind fully focused on the task at hand, free of other worries and concerns. He would still take breaks to spam his active skills, mindful not to let his resources go to waste.

He was so consumed by his task that he missed the team gathering near him, only realizing it when Bill slapped him on the shoulder, breaking his concentration and causing the blade of grass to fly away.

“Wake up, old man,” Bill said in his usual loud voice.

Frank started, a quick glance around telling him the whole team was present. He told them about the findings of Kareem’s tests, as well as the news that the two women they found would be joining them.

“Why the hell would they join us?” Margaret sounded angry as she stared at Frank.

“We did rescue them,” Frank shrugged, “and apparently they think they will grow most powerful under my tutelage.”

Margaret ignored several people laughing, as she spoke annoyed. “That wasn’t a rescue, that was a setup. Maybe not fully intentional, but, does it matter? They nearly caused Bill to die!”

“Would helping them train Pain Tolerance by stabbing them repeatedly make you feel better?” Frank asked, quickly continuing before she could retort. “Look, I get it, we almost died and their monster-train is to blame. But, would it matter if they told us that the trolls were coming? It’s not like we could disengage from the Bragarth. There would be no difference either way. You might feel angry at them for not helping us, but what could they do without any combat skills?”

Margaret wasn’t buying his argument, she turned to face her husband. “Are you fine with that? The people who nearly caused your death joining us? And what about you, Kevin? You were one swing away from having your head caved in, you know?” She asked, glaring at the other man.

“Um, it’s like Frank said though…” Kevin mumbled, looking at Bill for support, although Bill didn’t appear eager to offer it.

“Gah, men. I bet if it was a pair of guys instead you’d be much more critical,” Margaret shook her head while flashing them an annoyed look.

“I am shocked that you would insinuate that I, a respectable elder who has conquered the wicked desires of the body, would treat them differently just because they happen to be women,” Frank exclaimed feigning distress. “And not just women, but good looking women at that!”

Hank and Kevin burst out laughing, while Bill’s face turned red as he struggled not to join them. Margaret stared at Frank’s smiling face for a while, before shaking her head. “I swear, men are fools,” she said as she stomped away, Amy running after her.

“Whew, nice save, old man,” Bill said after making sure the coast was clear.

“We don’t want internal conflict, whether they join our team or some other,” Frank replied.

“Anyway, what’s the plan for today? Train all day? I could use the GP,” Bill asked.

“Um, no. We’ll train for a few hours, then have some free time to do whatever you want, then train some more toward the evening,” Frank told him.

“Huh? What brought that on?” Bill asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Heh, I’ve realized I have embraced the System too much. Just because I can get stronger now, doesn’t mean that should be the only thing I focus on. Granted, there isn’t anything else to do, short of napping, I’ll end up training some skill anyway. Still, getting obsessed with anything isn’t good,” Frank explained as the men moved to join the breakfast line.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“I don’t know, hearing it from you, the guy who would mutilate himself for the sake of extra skill levels, it sounds a bit suspect. Are you feeling alright?” Bill asked as he gave Frank a concerned look.

Frank gave a short laugh, “I am fine. It’s like they say, no one on their deathbed ever complained about not taking more overtime. Even if the world has gone to hell, one should still take the time to smell the roses.”

“You went from masochist to a philosopher, and yet you claim to be fine,” Bill shook his head. “Um, I am here if you need someone to talk to.”

“See, that’s why I didn’t want to build up such a reputation in the first place,” Frank dismissed Bill’s concern with a joke. Bill shrugged and didn’t press the issue further.

After breakfast, the team got together and were joined by Helen and Demi, their excited expressions caused Margaret’s anger to flare up again.

“Before we get started, I want you to know that I am angry at you. Your actions nearly caused all of us to die, while you just stood there, ready to run and abandon us in case we fell,” she raised her hand, cutting off Helen who tried to say something. “Words are cheap. I am watching you, and if you betray us, I’ll kill you myself.”

Silence filled the air, as Margaret glared at the two women, excitement quickly fleeing their faces. Frank cleared his throat loudly before speaking.

“And with that lovely welcome, can you tell me why you want to join our team in the first place?” Frank asked.

“We never want to feel powerless again, and the Marshall said you were the most power-focused amongst the people here. Help us become strong, so we can do more than just look haplessly as people get killed by monsters,” Helen said, clenching her fist. She stared at Margaret while saying her last sentence, before returning her gaze to Frank.

“And you are willing to do whatever it takes to obtain this strength you seek?” Frank asked, ignoring the contest between the two women.

“We are,” Helen replied, while Demi nodded beside her.

“A decision you’ll soon regret,” Frank said with a smile.

“Is it just me or does it sound like an intro to a porno movie?” Bill asked.

Margaret turned and slapped his arm lightly, while everyone laughed. The tension dispersed, they continued. Due to their Second Wind ability, they both decided to go with a physical build. Helen went for the role of a scout, with a bow and one-handed sword, while Demi went with the same weapon setup, but wanted to be more offensive-minded.

They spent the next three hours training and meditating. Amy continued to use Arcane Explosion, while Frank and Margaret used their respective Bolt spells. Once they ran out of mana, they would pair up and train melee combat. Although Helen and Demi were complete beginners, having them attack the men who only defended proved beneficial for both sides, as the ladies launched unorthodox attacks from unexpected angles. All in all, Frank felt it was time well spent, and he couldn’t help but chuckle upon seeing Demi’s disappointed face when the sessions came to an end.

The training over, the team split up: the men went to help with tree cutting and construction, Margaret decided to help Carol with the plants, while Amy chose to go with Helen and Demi to train archery. Meanwhile, Frank shuffled toward the base. He wanted to continue his Telekinesis training, as well as give the cleaning spell another go. But first, he would check with Steve to see if they were able to craft a wand out of the Bragarth. Maybe I can help them with charging items, or I could do some magical Crafting, he thought absentmindedly. The freedom to do whatever, instead of being hyper-focused on training his skills felt a bit weird, which only made Frank realize how obsessed he had become.

Circling the base, he approached the spot occupied by the crafters, most of whom seemed to be working on metal. Frank greeted Steve, noting that Justin was some distance away, working on crystals and potions.

“Hey Frank, found anything interesting in the forest this morning?” Steve asked, returning his greeting.

“We didn’t go foraging today,” Frank shook his head. “Were you able to create the wand?”

“It took us a few tries, but we’ve managed,” Steve replied with a smile as he retrieved the wand. It was made out of wood, with a miniature Bragarth’s skull on the end, complete with the two antennas, a blue D mana crystal was embedded into the butt of the weapon. “Activating it will send out a ring of electricity, which inflicts a three-second stun. Unfortunately, the ability uses 20 D mana, while the wand can only hold 30,” Steve explained as he activated the item, sending a one-foot jagged ring of electricity flying into the distance.

“That’s still pretty good,” Frank said, taking the item and inspecting it. “Is this the actual skull?” He asked, pointing at the top of the wand.

“Yeah, the original size was too big, making it more of a mace than a wand. Justin figured we could reduce its size, though it lost some of its potency due to that,” Steve said.

“Um, I have some free time, anything I can do to help?” Frank asked, putting the wand away.

“Not training as usual?” Steve said with a chuckle before continuing. “We are trying to make reinforced leather armors, sort of. Just a normal sleeveless vest, with metal plates inserted to protect the front. However, the plates take a while to make, you first have to use Magical Crafting to break a metal item into chunks, then break those into smaller pieces, and finally shape those into plates. The whole process takes quite a bit of mana. Plus, the final step requires R mana, which complicates things even further.”

“Why R mana?” Frank asked curiously.

“We’ve figured using D mana on weapons and R mana on armor when charging them before using Magical Crafting results in better quality. Goes for the components as well, not just the finished product.”

“I see. Well, I am game to help you with the plates,” Frank said.

He got several weapons from Steve and moved some distance away to work on them. It was pretty dull work, most of the time was spent meditating, followed by a burst of activity, before needing to regenerate his mana again. With plenty of downtime, Frank’s mind began to wander. He still had 12 GP leftover from earlier, plus more from the morning training, however, he decided to hold onto them, unsure what tomorrow would bring.

Then, he thought about combat masteries and his training. His progress in Saber Mastery appeared to be slowing down, which made sense, the Skill was advancing quickly to catch up to his actual knowledge of fighting with a saber, now that it had, he needed to improve his fighting technique in order to get level-ups. Granted, the System made it much, much easier than normal, but he would need to push himself to the limit to get better. However, going all out while using regular weapons was too dangerous, while HP took care of minor injuries, they could still inflict fatal wounds on each other. They needed training weapons with dull edges. Having come to this conclusion, Frank decided to make some. It would be simple, he just needed to create similar weapons with dull edges, the hardest part would be getting the weight and balance right.

By lunchtime, Frank had created a handful of metal plates, which he handed to Steve. During the meal, he explained his idea for creating training weapons and spent some time afterward working with his teammates on the project.

Frank spent the rest of the day training, playing around with Telekinesis, and trying to cast a cleaning spell. He still failed at the latter, though he felt he was getting close to casting the spell. In the evening, the team reunited for another training session, where they used the dull weapons to great effect, finally able to go all out with no need to hold back. He was surprised to learn that Helen and Demi spent the whole day training archery, but it made sense, they were as hungry to gain power as he was.

By the time Frank went to bed, he felt quite satisfied with what he and the team had accomplished. His mind clear of any doubt, he woke up earlier than most. It was good to take a break, but now he felt the drive to push ahead, after spamming his active abilities, he pulled out a sword and unceremoniously stabbed it into his left arm. A smile flashed across his lips as the familiar, dull pain spread through his body. I really am becoming a masochist, he thought dejectedly.

The day played out just like the previous one, the team once again staying in the base to train, instead of going foraging. They continued to train until it was time for lunch. Taking a break for the meal, they chatted about this and that, trying to distract themselves from what was about to happen.

By the time lunch ended, everyone was in the base, tense anticipation filled the air as they waited for the System’s announcement. The three-day break the System gave them was about to end, and Monster Grounds would begin to appear. What did it mean for them? Would they be forced to defend their base from waves of monsters? Would they have to storm the Monster Grounds? How many of them would still be alive a week from now? Looking around, it was easy to tell that these were the kinds of thoughts running through most people’s heads. Frank was also worried. He didn’t particularly care for his own life, any time he got was already a bonus compared to what he’d have without the System, but he had developed a sense of companionship with his team, he didn’t want to see them killed.

We just have to get stronger, that’s the only way to survive, Frank thought when several windows with System’s announcements popped up in his view.

Monster Grounds have appeared and those nearby have been marked on your map.

To allow for better coordination during combat, the Chat function has been enabled.

He wondered about this ‘Chat’ function the System mentioned, but first, he brought up the Map tab in his profile to see if there were any Monster Grounds near them.

There were.