The horde battle had cost the town quite a bit of resources. As hours were spent during the battle, plenty of wood and debris were collected everywhere, making quite a mess for the soldiers to focus on.
While the non-combatants helped quite a bit, there was only so much even they could do, so those who were able helped with the recovery of the ramparts along with the nearby buildings that were unfortunately included in the destruction.
It was reported that on the other side, they also had their fair share of monsters, but nothing quite so drastic as the one they were on. In fact, Cloud was ready to bring Zeke over to the other side if it had gotten as bad as the north side, which was proof of how bad they really had it.
Mikella helped with the recovery process, despite Val telling her that she did more than enough to warrant a rest. She just didn’t feel good about staying at home doing nothing.
According to the scouts, after the intense battle, the monsters surrounding the forest beyond them dwindled by a significant amount, becoming almost barren.
Cloud had some theories about this, but decided to talk it over with the general, the one who commanded the forces at the southern side.
During all this, Mikella focused on her status screen while she helped with collecting wood and debris with the other soldiers. Last night, She and Zeke talked about what to do afterwards on how to improve starting from here.
Looking back at her notifications from back then, she made a lot of improvements all around.
> Level up! You are now Level 17. You gain 8 free points (8 FP total).
>
> You have gained +4 STR from your class.
> You have gained +4 DEX from your class.
> You have gained +4 END from your class.
…..
> Sword Mastery Level Up! It is now Level 6.
>
> You have gained +1 STR from your skill.
> You have gained +1 DEX from your skill.
…..
> Hawk Eyes Level Up! It is now Level 4.
>
> You have gained +2 STR from your skill.
> You have gained +1 DEX from your skill.
…..
> Acrobatics Level Up! It is now Level 5.
>
> You have gained +1 STR from your skill.
> You have gained +2 DEX from your skill.
More importantly, she even received a new title–something that she recognized was full of irony after the conversation from last night with Val.
> New Title available:
>
> One against Many:
> Whether you face one or one million, you stand resolute in the face of it all.
>
> You have gained +2 STR from your title.
> You have gained +2 DEX from your title.
>
> Title Skill attained: Bring It On.
…..
> Bring It On (Title), Level 1 (Maxed)
> Rather than cower, you shiver with joy. More enemies means more fun. Increases your overall stat boost by 0.1% per every enemy you face by yourself.
She actually talked about this sort of title with Val, right after getting a side-eye from her about how she didn’t have a title before which only made her flush.
But putting aside the jokes, Val was impressed since this sort of title can only be earned if one was truly fighting a crowd of enemies by herself. Considering her crazed fighting when she spotted Zeke up above acting as bait, it was only natural that she took on more monsters, and then had all eyes on her which made earning the title possible.
It was a good title, especially when they found out that having more titles on hand actually increases the potency of the current title skill. She decided to keep the Bring It On title skill since it felt more worth it than increasing the chance for double damage.
She was also certain that Zeke was able to survive thanks to his own title skill–Not Today. It allowed him to survive a fatal injury by a small percentage, though the idea that he could’ve died was too dark to think further on.
After that, the otherworlders discussed how to use their free points. It was clear that after receiving a class, Mikella had gained a plethora of Strength, Dexterity, and Endurance, improving her fighting capabilities to a whole new level.
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So the two decided that the next important attribute to increase would be Vitality, as that can help her survive and regenerate from deep wounds faster, at least according to the Meditation skill.
However, when they asked for advice, strangely, the lords told her to focus her free points into raising both her mental attributes to ten at least. She honestly figured that having a low Intelligence would make her too dumb, but apparently it was important if she ever plans on reaching the Expert stage, at level 30.
So considering her future development, she put her free points into her two mental attributes, with Spirit being the leading one.
> Name: Mikella Ashton (One against Many)
> Race: Human
> Dragon Warrior: Level 17
> STR: 45
> DEX: 50
> INT: 10
> SPI: 12
> VIT: 23
> END: 39
> Free Points: 0
>
> General Skills:
> Kinetic Perception (U) Level 3
> Sword Mastery (U) Level 6
> Pain Resistance (U) Level 5
> Meditation (C) Level 3
>
> Acquired Skills:
> Acrobatics (R) Level 5
> Hawk Eyes (R) Level 4
>
> Class Skills:
> Heavenly Strike Level 2
>
> Title Skill:
> Bring It On (Title), Level 1 (Maxed)
She was starting to grow a decent list on her status menu, and the attributes were just too gorgeous to look at. Even Zeke turned slack jawed when he saw her status, something that she was incredibly proud of.
It was something she was staring at now, even after she finished helping the buildings with repairing the ramparts. It wasn’t all perfect–the lumber wasn't up to par and the tools were getting too well-used to help build the ramparts thanks to the lack of traveling merchants, but it was something.
After returning home, her body ached in all the ways she didn’t think was possible. The fighting with the horde was just yesterday, so she still felt some pain here and there even after Zeke healed her personally.
She decided it was worth it to just take a rest day, one of the times when as an athlete, it was important to let your body recover. Even if it was a fantasy world, there was nothing wrong with taking a break–everyone else was doing it, after all.
After getting home, she found that Zeke was also helping the others with his Recovery skill, which got him a worthwhile level in it.
> Recovery Level Up! It is now Level 3.
>
> You have gained +1 INT from your skill.
> You have gained +2 SPI from your skill.
Apparently the soldiers from the other side had a rougher time without a barrier on hand, so Zeke offered to help them out. He became rather popular as his healing skill was top-notch despite only just reaching level 3.
The difference between the skill rarities was quite something. However, he looked gaunt and pale after seeing the horrendous injuries they sported. It would’ve been enough to cripple a body in their old world, or outright die–but they kept going despite it all and continued on.
It was one thing to receive injuries. It was another to see someone else receive injuries. Something that surprised Zeke.
Seeing this, the two talked about it during the downtime. Clara was out playing with Ana, something that Mikella gladly let her do. She was hiding within the house from the horde attack scared out of her wits, so she was glad for the change of pace.
The two talked for a while, and it ended up just taking the time away. It was… nice, to just talk about everything you think and feel to someone you trusted.
One could mistake this for flirting in a relationship, but Mikella would disagree. While she is interested in men, she can’t even imagine being in a relationship–especially in this world in the current state they're in.
Not to mention, she would hear horror stories from her gymnast friends, about how a single day could either make you ecstatic or borderline depressed. So she would always feel at odds about a romantic relationship.
Plus, Clara is her number one priority. But talking with Zeke made her feel at ease. Sure, he would stumble with his words, and she found it aggravating that he wouldn’t look her in the eyes sometimes.
She found it aggravating. She didn’t know why as she never really cared about anyone else doing the same. But Zeke was… she can’t really explain it. She wanted him to face her longer, even if there wasn’t a point to it. But whenever he faces away, it felt like he was hiding behind a wall from her. It made her feel that he still doesn’t trust her.
Even when she explained about her family’s complications, Zeke didn’t say anything about himself at all.
However, there was that one moment during the two weeks she spent together with him and Clara. It was at night, and he was fast asleep while Mikella wasn’t able to sleep as much. Her Endurance was making that difficult, though she was thankful she wasn’t as tired as usual.
There, she heard him grumbling. He was dreaming of something from his past.
He shuddered, and he kept shaking his head. His eyes were closed, but there was a hint of fear in that expression. He grumbled louder, and eventually said something that stuck with her.
“Mother, please…! I’m sorry. Please, don’t hurt me…!”
After that, he woke up. Cold sweat and a panicked look in his eyes, he surveyed his surroundings.
Mikella quickly pretended to be asleep, ensuring that nobody watched him or heard him say anything. He slowed his erratic breathing, then let out a heavy breath.
She never mentioned it at all since then. She felt that it was too personal to bring up. So whenever Zeke does look apprehensive, Mikella would get aggravated–but she waited.
She waited for Zeke to reveal a small sliver of his past to her. Whenever he does, even when it’s something as small as his hobbies, she feels giddy, almost like trying to unlock a door she’s been fiddling with for ages.
It was a strange goal to pursue, but since the two are stuck together for Clara’s sake, she might as well go all the way.
She’s nothing if not driven to reach her goals, no matter how stupid they might seem to others.
It was then that she recalled something fundamental, getting her to sharply inhale and letting out a tired breath.
“What’s up?” Zeke asked, noticing her distress. She looked back at him with a grimace.
“I forgot that I need to fix up my sword,” She said, recalling the blood that completely dulled her once immaculate blade. “Mind coming with me tomorrow to fix it?”