Caution's first move after the close combat class was to get stronger. Literally. Hanging onto three life points, he staggered out onto the Lissos city streets and stumbled into a weapons store, fighting to stay conscious. Mana still overflowed in his system. At such high concentrations, the magical substance threatened to burst the cells in the body. It surged through blood vessels and muscle tissue, increasing his body temperature and causing a fever. Sweat dripped off his chin as mana periodically squirted out of his skin.

"I need a weapon," Caution said quickly. He closed his eyes and forced as much mana as he could out of his right palm.

The shopkeeper stared blankly, scratching a silver beard. "Sure. What did you have in mind?"

"Yup. Hang on. One moment."

Caution's eyebrows scrunched, mainly because his vision blurred. Several seconds passed.

"What kind, lad?"

"A sword, I think," he blurted eventually, wiping sweat from his brow. "Maybe something small. I'm also looking to sell these gauntlets." He placed the rusty steel gauntlets on the counter before him.

"Not to worry. Take a look at our sword section over here." The shopkeeper pointed with a grimy thumb at a sword rack attached to the wall.

Caution exhaled loudly. He observed the plethora of weapons, arms folded, drawn in by the diversity. They varied in size and design. Some had jewellery embedded at the hilt while others glowed a specific colour, most likely enchanted by a magic spell. Steel swords seemed to be the standard weapon material but there were also a few bronze and iron swords.

As Caution's breathing began to slow down, he picked up each sword and tested its weight. He grimaced or frowned while picking up many of them. After a few minutes, he stuck his bottom lip out and nodded slowly in an almost comical way.

"I like this little guy." Caution swung a small steel sword up and down. The weapon was longer than a dagger yet shorter than the typical sword. It didn't look special in any regard but it seemed to fit his requirements: A secondary, lightweight weapon for finishing off enemies and improving defence against certain enemies.

"You like him?" the shopkeeper said. "He's a shortsword."

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Caution's health slowly regenerated to nine life points out of fifteen as the day went on. Astel told him regeneration was linked to the vitality stat.

After waking up from a long nap, he contemplated, replaying the fight with Senni over and over in his head. Though he had won the rune gauntlets fair and square, he was far from satisfied. He would have lost if the fight had been serious. Senni had knocked him down so swiftly that it was hard not to be intimidated by her overwhelming agility and strength. Overall, the fight felt like more of a wake up call than a victory. He needed to improve his defence, double down on strength and improve his reaction time.

There was lots of work to be done.

In the dead of night, Caution stood in the field area behind the Adventurer Academy castle. A bead of sweat dripped off his eyebrow as he repeatedly swung the short sword with his left hand and jabbed with his navy blue right gauntlet. The rune gauntlets were lighter, more comfortable and very sturdy. Admittedly, strength wise, they seemed to be equal to the steel gauntlets but striking was a lot easier. They reminded him of luxury clothing in his previous world.

Astel warned him that mastering a sword was going to be harder for him than any contestant who had picked the Warrior or Rogue class. Instead of automatically acquiring a decent level of competency through learned skills, he was going to have to practice the old-fashioned way. Not only did Caution have no problems with this, but he preferred to earn positive results through training.

Hours passed. Then a familiar croaky voice entered Caution's mind.

"Hey, kid. You're still sleeping, huh? Well... if this isn't the most pathetic knockdown I've seen in your career. I told you to go to the hospital but, nooo, you had to be stubborn. Typical."

"Coach!" Caution cried cheerfully as he continued to weave, jab and lunge. His heart swelled.

"You know, it was a pleasure to be in your corner. Do you know what I liked the most about you as a boxer? It wasn't your ferocious aura that stunned the audience. It wasn't your fighting IQ or even your work ethic. What I liked the most about you, Manny, was your heart. You always got back up. "

Caution continued swinging with the short sword and punching until he was shadowboxing and fighting an imaginary Senni. She lunged with her rapier but Caution deflected the attack while throwing a right hook. He nodded slightly with satisfaction.

"I need you to do me a favour," Azuku said. "Just like you've always done in the ring, get up from this knockdown. Everyone's waiting for you."

"Very moving but you didn't need to tell me that," Caution said, laughing. "Do you know who you're talking to? I don't need a motivational speech. I'm the guy people put in motivational videos." Caution waited for more words. Then he prayed for more words. There were none. He was devastated for the voice to disappear but overjoyed to hear the words of encouragement from the old man.

He shadowboxed throughout the night until his arms were sore. As the sun began to rise, a new defensive fighting technique integrating boxing and sword fighting began to blossom. He could feel it like an itch. He just needed a sparring partner.

"Don't worry, old man. I'm coming back home."