I go on a rampage through the cave and annihilate every slime I see with slashes with my entire weight behind them, launched at the fastest speeds my muscles can propel my blade.

I’ll use all my strength and bring it to the max without caring about stamina loss.

Push myself to the brink with a rope and rappel off the edge of a steep cliff.

Get lost in the spectacle of soaring steel and violence.

Explore the darkest depths of the cave with the curiosity of a child who knows nothing.

This time I let the slime swarm me. I make sure they focus on the left side of my body and take them out one by one. The pain compared to before is far harsher when applied to a larger surface area but I can bear it.

I’ve got to put my back to the wall until it breaks.

As my body descends into darkness, my soul begins to rise from the dirt to the skies.

Little by little, with each singe of pain and every heavy swing of my sword, I can feel myself rising towards the summit. Even if it’s just one shaky step at a time.

I keep going until my breath is ragged.

My body is screaming from the lactic acid that is overflowing from the limits I’m breaking.

My legs shake and lose balance. I’m coughing and wheezing while doing everything I can to stay standing.

I’ve never felt more alive. I can vaguely feel a warmth nearby. I walk towards that source of heat while pushing myself even further, cutting down more slimes without a second thought.

I must look like a rabid dog when it finds a family of vermin to commit a massacre.

Then a cloud of white approaches me.

Steam kisses my skin and I smirk. I see a body of water is the source of the heat.

I stumble towards it and put a hand against the surface.

Ah, this is perfect. I stab the pool with my sword to test the depths and it’s actually about the same as a normal bath. A natural hot spring in this cave? That’s something to be happy about.

I remove my frayed clothes, drop my sword on top of them and enter.

I exhale as I’m bathed in gentle warmth. I slowly drop my body until the water reaches my chest.

Just as I begin to really soak and enjoy my reward a message pops up for me to read.

LEVEL UP!

Health Points has risen significantly.

Strength has risen significantly.

Dexterity has risen.

Speed has risen significantly.

Defense has risen significantly.

Resistance has risen.

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Maki Hibiki Lv5

HP: ???

MP: ???

STR: ???

MAG: ???

DEX: ???

SPD: ???

DEF: ???

RES: ???

Skills:

1H Swords Lv3

1H Skill Lv3

Slash Lv5

You’ve obtained a spell slot.

Spells:

I find myself smirking at this new information.

So working myself half to death does pay off then!

If I go full throttle over and over my power will multiply.

It’s concerning how MP and MAG refuse to budge but it’s no surprise considering this system must at least somewhat reward the way you get to the pot of gold.

Take the long and painful path and you’ll be showered in strength proportional to the path of thorns you walked. Walk on some hot coals while burning the candle at both ends.

Yet the newest message about spell slots definitely intrigues me.

Fortune favors the bold. So I think about something really basic.

“Fireball.”

I speak the words and as if in response a window arrives.

“Are you sure you wish to learn this spell?”

So I may have limits to what I can learn huh? If that’s the case each and every spell is important.

I got this one at level 5 so maybe I’ll get a spell slot every five levels?

Or there are certain milestones or methods to achieve them.

I haven’t seen any indication of a class system yet but I have to be careful…

“Yes.” If nothing else I think this will be a good starting point. It’s also basic enough I can experiment with it. Having this body of water here also means I can use it rather safely.

“Confirmed. You have acquired Fireball.”

I take my right hand out of the water and stare at the centre of my palm.

“Fireball.” I see a spark flare in the space between my fingers for a second but it vanished as quickly as it came.

“Fireball!” I put more emotion into my words.

The spark happens again and disappears the same way.

I yell the words again and again with growing frustration. Small sparks keep conjuring themselves into existence for no more than a brief moment each time.

That’s not going to stop me. If the wall refuses to break, I’ll smash my head against it until it shatters.

That’s my only option. I’m not blessed. I have to put in ten times the effort anyone else does if not more! I’ll smash the shards together until fire roars!

“Fireball!” At last, something resembling the spell appears mid-air above my hand.

It’s about as big as a baseball and has all the tangibility of dying candlelight but it’s better than a spark. I move my right hand to the left a bit and then to the light as if I was holding a match.

Finally, I aim at a spot in the spring a bit away from me and make a chucking motion to throw the miracle of fire.

It slowly floats towards the target I had in mind and then disappears without even doing a thing.

Frustrated I try to summon another sphere of flame. I get sparks again and I have to brute force my way back to a second orb. I chuck it again at the exact same place. It doesn’t go much better than the last attempt. Still slow and gone before it hit the target.

I’m a bit ticked off. I’m also a stubborn person. I repeat the process over and over.

It’s maddening but eventually, I get to the point where one in ten attempts gives me a half-decent looking fireball. Then out of those maybe one in seven get to actually hit the target and evaporate properly when it makes contact with the water. I repeat this process over and over until I notice my hands look like prunes from being in the hot spring too long.

I get up so I can keep my body out of the water but keep my feet in.

I suddenly feel a strong sensation build in my throat. Like I’m going to be sick, though without any of the physical indications. Then a slight buzzing rings through my head.

My body oddly feels fine now but there’s an uncomfortable mental sensation.

Like forgetting something very important mixed with the emotional cocktail of a particularly unpleasant memory.

“Oh, I get it. I’m low on MP.”

Of course, I would be. I just spent god knows how long on trying to throw burning baseballs at water. Though that means… I start lighting another spark in my palm despite the bloated and scraping feeling dragging itself across my mind telling me not to.

“Fireball.” If I drag my MP to 0 and then go on another rampage…!

I can acquire even more power the next time I level up!

I continue as I put on my ripped clothes. I'll need to do something about these too down the line but for now, rags are fine. I don't need them to kill slimes.