Zeke moved according to his instincts. For once, his body was aching in a way that he didn’t mind having as he took Mikella’s harsh blows time and time again, realizing several facts of combat.

For instance, if you were slower than your opponent, then you have no choice but to take some hits at your non-vital areas to keep going. If you were weaker than your opponent, then you have to move accordingly to avoid their hits.

If your opponent is stronger and faster than you, then you need to start playing some advanced mental chess in your head. In other words, plan your actions ahead of time.

That’s where Zeke had the advantage. his Parallel Thought skill made it easier for him to process his thoughts faster once he got a certain rhythm of combat down pat. But like anything else in life, just because you know what to do doesn’t mean it would work out as well as you planned.

He had to not only block the attacks that were fast but weak, but also figure out which attacks were fast and weak, and which were fast and strong. A rather unfair conundrum to be put into, but that’s what happens when you keep fighting against someone with better physical stats than you.

That, and he didn’t want her to hold back.

He moved his body, his thoughts whirling as he dodged Mikella’s incoming sharp kick to his face. Despite the wide attack, Mikella easily pivoted and struck at him with a jab which he took on with a crossed arm guard.

That jab sent ripples down his body, pain wracking his forearms. That was just the fast but weak punch, something to throw him off guard.

But she kept going at him. More punches came flying at him, this time aiming for every part of his body that she could aim for. The crossed arm guard can only protect so much, so he twisted his torso and head to avoid most of the blows, his Dexterity high enough to counter that.

He found out that while his Dexterity was raised thanks to his class, that didn’t mean he was as fast as Mikella, or any other Dexterity-based fighter. For a mage, the Dexterity attribute was used to help cast their spells faster, forming magical energy in a more concise manner that would aid their casting progress easily.

Mages who doesn’t focus on Dexterity often take a while to cast their magic, but in return have more firepower or have enough gas in the tank to keep going if they focus on either Intelligence or Spirit respectively. For Zeke, his Runist Class is good enough to get all three attributes raised equally.

But that didn’t mean that he was fast. As a mage needed the Dexterity attribute to cast spells faster, their bodies just aren’t used to using the attribute for anything else. That meant that in a race between mage class and a rogue class with equally high Dexterity, the rogue would win hands down. That’s due to their own bodies being adjusted to the attribute that would aid in their physical speed than their unnecessary casting for spells.

But luckily for Zeke, that wouldn’t last long. If said mage took on training and sparring as he did, he can just as easily adjust his high Dexterity attribute to work with him, though that did came with caveats. Sometimes, his body went too fast for his liking, causing his planned attack to go awry and get punched in the face for messing with his timing. There was also other moments where he only meant to jog to help someone in the base, only to find himself running straight into a wall without stopping and crashing onto it. It was a little embarrassing to explain the sudden broken wall of a soldier’s house and offered to help him repair it.

But after several days of sparring and training, he finally got it down pat, thus allowing him to keep fighting against Mikella at her own standards now.

But he never, not a single time, managed to land a hit on her. It wasn’t anything silly like punching a woman that got him to hesitate. He knew that if he thought like that, Mikella would just get angry for hesitating. After all, if he faced a woman that wanted to kill him, would he hold back and end up getting killed? He wasn’t that dumb.

It was just that he never got the chance to catch her before she soundly beat his ass–which is exactly what just happened now as he found himself staring up at the cavernous dark sky above, his eyes bleary and his right cheek stinging in pain.

Still, despite the pain becoming a dear old friend that would never leave his side for the past few days, he opened his eyes with glee to find a notification blaring at the corner of his vision.

> Pain Resistance Level Up! It is now Level 8.

>

> You have gained +1 VIT from your skill.

> You have gained +1 END from your skill.

…..

> Parallel Thought Level Up! It is now Level 2.

>

> You have gained +1 INT from your skill.

> You have gained +1 SPI from your skill.

…..

> Steadfast Mind Level up! It is now Level 6.

>

> You have gained +1 SPI from your skill.

> You have gained +1 END from your skill.

Three skill levels from this sparring session. He knew instantly why he gained them too, his mind whirling despite the pain.

Pain Resistance was obvious, so he’ll leave that out. Parallel Thought and Steadfast Mind were surprising, but not as much as he expected. Parallel Thought helped a lot in settling his mind before making his decisions in combat, and Steadfast Mind, while normally a skill that helped him against mental attacks, also helped in handling stress.

He figured it was the mental strain of handling his magical abilities, but apparently it also regarded to the strain of being in long combat, the recent bout being longer than normal thanks to his upkeep in his training.

He was saddened to see not a lick of stat points gained from his actions, but he should’ve figured that it wouldn’t come in so easily. That wasn’t really his purpose anyways. The entire reason was to get him used to combat, to move his body according to his wishes when it came time to fight for his life without magic.

Since then, he hadn’t casted his barrier magic and healing at all outside of the sparring sessions. Even the stuffiness he felt from his collar was starting to disappear as time moved on without him casting magic. His magic skill levels took a major hit in progress, but he felt he was gaining something else in return. Something more profound than just mere skill levels.

“You did good this time,” Mikella said, only just now noticing her coming forward and offering her hand. Zeke took it gladly, ignoring the sharp aches that threatened to make him wince. “You lasted longer than normal.”

“Yeah, I even got a few skill upgrades thanks to that,” Zeke said, offering his displays to the smiling Mikella at the news.

“Ooh, Parallel Thought leveled up?” Mikella said, her brows rising from the skill. “What, so you were thinking so much that it leveled up? You should really just try not doing that. That definitely helps me.”

“Not everyone is blessed with being a badass without thinking too much,” Zeke scoffed. “I’m pretty sure everyone is aware of your BS when it comes to ‘feeling’ the hits.”

And he was right, even if it did sound mean-spirited. It wasn’t like Mikella was making fun of anyone who couldn’t ‘feel’ the flow of combat like she can. She was honest when it came to her battle sense, which even Val agreed was a notch above anyone else that she had seen, including her past companions who were at a higher stage than Mikella was now.

And because Mikella knew of this, her still offering her advice to ‘feel’ the hits was just her way of teasing everyone who can’t reach her level. Worst yet, nobody would really blame her–that’s just how she is. Zeke was starting to see the true Mikella when it comes to how the soldiers see her, and well…

He honestly wasn’t against it. At all.

He was seeing another side to Mikella only the soldiers get to see, the ones that fought on the front lines with their lives on the line. It wasn’t the same as on the battlefield, but it was still something. Somehow, that was also another one of the things he was gaining outside of practical knowledge of combat.

Mikella just grinned, sticking her tongue at him before chuckling. “But I am serious. You know what I mean, right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Zeke nodded. “Honestly, I sort of get what you’re talking about. I think if I keep going a bit farther, I might be able to unlock Kinetic Perception…”

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

That was one of his personal goals, though he knew that would take a while. Kinetic Perception was useful for a lot of things, even for a mage like him. The reason why he didn’t opt for training with any weapon is to avoid getting a weapon mastery skill, which would’ve needlessly filled a General Skill slot. He still had no intention of becoming a true fighter, but having Kinetic Perception was an important step to becoming better as a whole.

“If you keep that up, you might get Brawler Mastery, or maybe Unarmed Mastery…?” Mikella tilted her head confusedly, not knowing exactly what name to use.

“A mastery skill for punching and kicking?” Zeke said incredulously. Then he paused, tilting his head. “Huh… maybe that’s not so bad.”

“Oh?” Mikella grinned. “Big man wanna use his fists instead of weapons? What, they’re too feminine for you now?”

“Hey, you keep saying cute shit like that, everyone is gonna go after you with those weapons, you know,” Zeke grumbled, rolling his eyes and ignoring Mikella’s jabs and laughter.

“Too late, I’m going after her now.”

He noticed a spear actually coming straight at Mikella. His eyes widened as he instinctively tried casting Barrier Craft, but Mikella just batted the shaft of the spear with a lazy hand, keeping the blade just enough away to only graze past her long brown hair with a sharp gust of wind. Mikella scoffed before putting her hands over her hips with a frown.

“Nice try, Myra. How about you come at me like a real man?”

“Is that supposed to be demeaning?” Myra said with a teasing grin of her own, spinning her spear to her shoulders with her own chest puffed out at her. “By the way, I got some good news.”

“What?” Mikella asked, ignoring the slight jab at her head from earlier. Myra only widened her smile.

Then, she put up a display and sent the screen over to the two.

> Your skill Spear Mastery (Uncommon) has advanced into Spear Mastery (Rare).

The rest were the usual skill notifications for an advancement, but it was clear what she meant to say.

“Holy shit, you maxed out Spear Mastery!” Mikella said, her voice high pitched as she ran over to Myra and hugged her full contact. Myra just chuckled as she hugged her back, the two girls ecstatic over the news. “Congratulations!”

“Thanks, though I couldn’t have done it without Piker. Which, by the way…”

“Yes, yes, I’m here.”

Zeke turned to spot Piker coming after the three. It was there that Zeke noticed the two’s ragged state.

Their casual clothing, not their leather armor, were ripped in some places and small cuts visible from their exposed skin. Myra looked burnt and almost steaming from her usage of her attunement, and Piker looked pale but somehow hearty, a frigid sense of chill coming off from him. And of course he also put up a display and sent them over to the pair.

> Your Sword Mastery (Uncommon) has advanced to Sword Mastery (Rare).

“Looks like I’m finally catching up to you,” Piker said to the equally ecstatic Mikella who went ahead and hugged him as well. Out of anyone, Piker was the most surprised.

“Nice one!” Mikella said, though her hug was shorter than Myra’s and let Piker go. Piker was left with a shaking head and a rising smile. “So, did you also get the Artistry Title?”

“Yeah, somehow,” Myra answered instead, getting everyone to listen in. “Turns out your shitty advice actually helped. Trying to make your weapon expand with the attunement somehow got me to understand what it was that was lacking. My Kinetic Manipulation also helped out a damn ton.”

According to Zeke, the two had already increased their Kinetic Perception to maximum level, but they were still lacking in raising their respective weapon masteries. After a while of trial and error, however, they managed to get their skills to max out finally.

Mikella nodded like an overeager bobblehead. “Awesome! Now it’s time for you guys to keep up with me! It’s been a while, so how about we head out and hunt some monsters for some levels?”

“That’s fine with me and all, but what about Zeke?” Myra said, pointing over at the still exhausted and beaten Zeke. “Aren’t you still training him?”

“I also suggest that if he’s going, he’s gonna need to resort to being a support mage again,” Piker added in, also offering a consoling expression to Zeke. “Sorry about this, but I don’t think you’re in any way prepared to face a Journeyman rank monster with your physical abilities.”

“Hey, no skin off my back,” Zeke raised his hands, a term he realized was from the other word as the two in front of him looked confused. “It’s still better to gain some levels if possible.”

“Oh, that reminds me!” Mikella suddenly said, turning to Zeke. “Did you pick your Class skill yet?”

Zeke widened his eyes. Now that he recalled, he still hasn’t chosen his skill yet for reaching Level 40. He hadn’t even seen the choices yet.

“Huh, yeah, forgot about that.”

“How the hell do you forget a potential class skill choice?” Myra said, raising one brow high enough to reach her forehead. “Those don’t come in regularly you know.”

Zeke only just shrugged, and was about to see what sort of choices he would get before a commotion occurred around him. Then suddenly a voice called out that got their attention.

“Guys! Something’s going on with the elevator!”

A shout caught their attention as they all turned to the one screaming. It was a soldier, looking frantic as the others followed him to see what was going on.

What they saw made both Mikella and Zeke gape in surprise.

The elevator section of their base, the one they used to go up and down the massive biodome and back to their town, was starting to emit severe sparks that coiled around the walls and the nearby crystals. Those sparks aren’t electricity, something that Mikella often used, but pure mana concentrated into bolts from the sheer excess.

The thing was, the elevator wasn’t supposed to do that. Drawn with his runes and using his barrier as its base, Zeke made sure that no excess mana goes to waste. Efficiency was his thing after all. But to see it ready to explode made Zeke forget his pride as a runist and instantly created a barrier surrounding the elevator, stopping the bolts of pure mana to stray any further.

The other soldiers surrounded the scene, noticing that the elevator structure was still spewing out mana bolts left and right. When Zeke approached closer, Cloud was already on the scene, studying it closely before the barrier cut off the bolts. He didn’t seem to mind though as Zeke shouted.

“Cloud, what’s happening? It’s just bugging out!” Zeke shouted, his eyes bulging at the runes marking the elevator actually going out of order. They were actually moving about, the intense flow of magical energy disrupting the structure of the runes and causing them to get into disarray. That definitely never happened to Zeke before, causing him to look at his work in a panic.

“This looks unnatural, for sure,” Contrary to Zeke, Cloud was calm and composed. It looked like a veteran programmer helping out a newbie on his first month at the job and a major accident occurred. “The biodome didn’t at first show anything, but it looks like the atmosphere around the area caused it to mess with the rune’s structure, causing mana to spill forth without anything to push it back in.”

“Is it gonna blow?” Zeke asked, still having a hint of worry despite Cloud’s calm tone.

Even if Zeke was the official Runist here, Cloud’s many years of dealing with runes were always the source of Zeke’s fundamental knowledge of it. So he often referred to Cloud for guidance when stuff like this happens.

“No, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to use it for now. I’ll see what I can do, but–what?”

Cloud looked up in horror as the elevator suddenly went up, catching Zeke by surprise and making him walk back. It went up at a burst of speed, then for a few short minutes, nothing much happened. The sudden burst caused the barrier surrounding the elevator to vanish. Not break apart, but vanishing into nothingness. He could only surmise that the barrier was dispersed due to the elevator and his own barrier being made of the same magic construct.

“W-What happened? It looks like someone used it!” Zeke said, looking over at the runes again and peering at it more closely.

“That’s because someone did!” Cloud shouted, this time showing a rising panic in his eyes. “They’ll fall!”

Before anyone else could do anything, Zeke went to work with Cloud as his faithful assistant. More of the soldiers came by to watch, but as none of them had Runecraft as a skill, they really had nothing much they could do, and since the barrier was still up, there was no danger to anyone present.

Zeke noticed Mikella ready with her sword in hand. It wasn’t something to fight, but it does help with calming her nerves with a weapon in hand. As for Zeke himself, his pens were already floating, his magical skills on blast and regretting not progressing his runecraft as he should have.

But soon the elevator began to grow unstable again, the entire area beginning to rumble with excess mana bolts running everywhere. The connection between the elevator and the rest of the area was starting to cause some of the rocks from the earth above to fall to the ground, causing some of the shakes and noise. Zeke summoned another barrier on top of themselves, his forehead turning wet and warm from the sweat, the stress taking its toll on him.

Cloud was aiding him by supplying mana into the runes Zeke drew, altering it slightly from Zeke’s rapid writing to ensure they were stable enough.

As they focused, the elevator finally showed up again, slamming back down to the bottom of the base, causing the entire area to get covered in plumes of dust, disrupting their sight. Zeke coughed loudly as the barrier wasn’t able to protect him against the dust that were invading his insides right about now. Even Cloud wasn’t resistant against it, coughing himself.

“Zeke! You okay?”

Zeke turned, his eyes stinging to find Mikella rushing towards him. The other soldiers were also running around, getting near them to ensure they were okay. Being the only runists in the entire base, it was important that they at least survive the potential fall of the elevator.

“Y-Yeah… I was only focused on protecting ourselves, so the dust just got to me…” Zeke groaned.

“Is anyone there!?” Cloud shouted, using his mana to blow away the dust with Mana Manipulation. “Are you okay?!”

Everyone waited in anticipation for the response. The elevator coming back down so quickly would be hazardous for anyone to use it. It was just dumb shitty luck that it just happened to fizzle out the moment they used it.

A feminine voice responded after that. “W-We’re fine! Thankfully… Are you two okay?”

“Y-Yeah…” Another feminine voice showed up, but it was deeper and rich with a heavy accent.

The next one made both Zeke and Mikella freeze in place.

“A-Are we safe?” A childlike voice rang out in worry, and when the cloud finally moved away, the appearance of two women and one little girl finally showed up. That little girl widened her eyes when she spotted them.

“There they are! Sissy! Bobo!”

“Clara?!”

Both Mikella and Zeke shouted in unison, both their hearts and souls screaming in panic.