After weeks of intense practice, Elio noticed that the nickel coating on the spear had slightly increased its weight.

"If I keep adding more nickel, I'll lose distance on my throws," Elio muttered, scrutinizing the weapon with a critical eye.

After careful consideration, he decided to stop coating the spear daily. The nickel on the tip wore off with use, but the coating on the shaft remained intact.

That was enough to maintain his magnetic grip.

This decision proved beneficial for his training. By not wasting mana on daily re-coating, Elio bumped his recovery attempts to a solid fifteen per day.

"Fifteen recoveries a day," Elio calculated with satisfaction. "That's a significant improvement, huehuehue."

As his control over the spear improved, Elio's training evolved. He experimented with varying angles and velocities, conjuring imaginary foes and combat scenarios in his mind's eye.

One morning, Elio headed to the tower for his daily mana contribution, eager to get the chore out of the way and dive into training.

It was relaxing to have nothing else to do…

As always, he converted 11 points to a crystal, grudgingly paying the tax for not touching the turret directly.

♢♢♢♢

He entered the tower, handed over his crystal to the bored-looking family guard, and turned to leave, eager to begin his training.

The nickel-coated spear hung on his back, appearing to be a common steel spear at first glance. Although few had one, it wasn't impossible for a level 3 soldier to possess.

That's when chaos erupted.

The alarm's wail shattered the morning calm, causing Elio to turn sharply towards the source of the sound. His blood ran cold as he saw a crack forming in the barrier protecting the city.

"Breach!" shouted one of the guards, his voice filled with urgency rather than panic. "Alert the response team!"

The crowd on the rampart began to disperse, screams of terror filling the air. Elio stood frozen for a moment, remembering his first one.

Through the crack, a monstrous figure emerged. It was the same four-armed insect monstrosity that had nearly ended him months ago, a Locus.

The same type of beast that had claimed his father's life.

Its exoskeleton, though visibly damaged in some areas, gleamed with a greenish metallic hue under the sunlight. Its compound eyes, a vicious red, scanned the area with predatory intelligence.

.Every week there were one or two breaches.

These monsters always arrived injured, weakened by God's punishment before breaching the small holes in the barrier. But that didn't make them any less dangerous.

The level 2 soldiers from the defenders squad were always there…

Either those serving punishment or the desperate souls volunteering for a measly 5 daily points.

They maintained positions every 20 meters along the wall's rampart during their 12-hour shifts.

As they quickly formed a defensive line, Elio could see the fear in their eyes.

These weren't elite warriors; they were cannon fodder, buying time with their lives.

The common lvl 2 soldiers began evacuating the area, following well-established protocols.

Elio knew that somewhere, a team of 10 level 3 soldiers would already be on their way, armed with 10,000-point lvl 4 mana spears and lvl 4 armor each…

Or a 20 soldiers 1,000-point version, any would do…

But the monster was here, now, and Elio had his superior mana spear worth 100,000 points, with 1 extra attack point in comparison to a lvl 4 spear.

He had also bought a resistant dress worth 10,000 points.

Not that he thought it looked great on Varick... But it did look awesome on him and slightly increased his defense without being a hindrance.

Without a second thought, Elio unsheathed his weapon. The nickel coating gleamed innocently, maintaining its disguise as a common steel weapon.

Elio Elian's Statistics

Skills:

Sacred Flame

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Holy Water

Ice Sacrifice

Familiars:

Salamander (1/100)

Frog (0/1,000)

Rabbit (0/10,000)

Level 3

Mana: 30/30

Resistance: 30/30

Stamina: 7/7

Attack:3 (8)

Magic Damage: 3

Strength: 3

Defense: 3 (5)

Speed: 3

Perception / Agility: 1.3

Superior Mana Spear / Attack 5

Superior Resistant uniform / Defense 2

Apprentice magic glove / Fire spark

Portable oral oxygen stone

Balance: 187,930 mana points

"Boy, stay back! A level 3 spear like that is useless without a level 3 wielder! " warned a nearby guard. "The elite response team will arrive soon. Let them handle it with their level 4 spears!"

Elio ignored the warning.

He knew every second counted; the defender squad would pay for that time with their lives if he didn't do something right now.

With fluid grace born of countless hours of practice, Elio took his stance, the spear an extension of his arm.

The monster roared, its four arms raised, advancing towards the line of terrified guards.

Elio took a deep breath from his stone, his world narrowing to the monster before him. Distance, angle, velocity…

All the variables he'd drilled into muscle memory coalesced into a single, perfect moment.

With a battle cry, Elio launched the spear.

Even without the device to increase distance that the summoner had taught him…

The weapon cut through the air at an impressive speed, its trajectory precise and lethal, embedding itself directly into one of the monster's compound eyes.

The Locus, focused on the easier prey before it, never saw the attack coming.

The assembled soldiers gaped in awe, their minds struggling to reconcile the seemingly ordinary weapon with the devastating blow it had just dealt. At that moment, they realized this was no ordinary recruit, but one of the new level 3 soldiers born after the conscription (They were wrong).

But Elio's moment of triumph was short-lived.

To his horror, the monstrous insect barely staggered.

If such creatures existed in his world, Elio would be shouting right now that this beast had the resilience of a cockroach. The blow that would have felled any normal being seemed only to enrage it further.

Elio, however, was far from finished.

Concentrating intensely, he activated his magnetic control over the spear. With a pull of his mana, the spear detached from the monster's body and flew back to his hand.

Nearby guards looked on in astonishment, unable to comprehend how the spear had returned.

The monster, now thoroughly pissed off and sporting a weeping eye socket, zeroed in on Elio. Its remaining eyes blazed with murderous intent as it charged, mandibles clicking ominously.

Elio rolled, narrowly avoiding a blow that would have left a crater if the wall hadn't been made by God himself.

Without wasting time, Elio threw the spear again, this time aiming for one of the insect's arm joints. The spear embedded itself deeply, eliciting a shriek of pain from the creature.

And so the deadly dance began.

Throw, recover, dodge, repeat.

Each attack weakened the monster, but the damn thing refused to go down.

The few remaining spectators watched in awe as Elio moved with a grace that belied his youth, each throw and recovery executed with veteran precision.

As he prepared his 8th attack, worry began to gnaw at Elio's gut. His mana reserves would only allow for 15 throws. But stopping wasn't an option. The Locus, though battered, remained a deadly threat.

"Come on!" Elio shouted, as much to steel his own nerves as to taunt the beast. He threw the spear for the seventh time, aiming again at the insect's head.

The spear found its mark, destroying another compound eye and causing the Locus to stumble. But still, it remained standing.

Elio heard shouts in the distance.

The response team was close. But he couldn't wait. He needed to end this now to avoid casualties.

With a cry of determination, Elio threw the spear for the 10th time. This time, the weapon lodged into what appeared to be the insect's nerve center, right between its eyes.

The monster screeched, a sharp and terrible sound that made everyone nearby cover their ears. But incredibly, impossibly, it was still moving, albeit with less coordination.

Elio couldn't stop now, he knew this was do or die.

He summoned the spear back and launched it an 11th time.

The spear flew true, penetrating the same point as the previous attack, but this time sinking to half its length.

The giant insect shuddered violently. Its four arms flailed in the air before collapsing with a dull thud.

Just as the monster's body began to dissolve, the response team arrived on the scene. Ten level 3 soldiers, decked out in their level 4 gear, skidded to a halt, jaws dropping at the sight before them.

An awestruck hush fell over the rampart. All eyes darted between the disintegrating corpse of the Locus and Elio, whose adrenaline was subsiding, leaving him in a state of trembling anxiety…

The weapon, covered in monster fluids, still looked like a simple steel spear to observers.

One of the response team soldiers approached cautiously, his face showing amazement and gratitude. "That was... incredible. How...?"

Before Elio could form a coherent response, a familiar figure materialized from the crowd. Von Lucien, his face an impassive mask, strode purposefully towards them.

"Well done, young Elio," he murmured, loud enough for only Elio and the nearest guard to hear. Gripping the young man's shoulder to steady him, he continued, "You've shown exceptional courage and skill today."

Then, raising his voice to address the gathered crowd, Von Lucien announced, "This young man is part of a new, specialized breach defense program. His performance today is a testament to the effectiveness of our new training methods."

Murmurs of amazement and admiration spread through the onlookers. Elio, still processing what had just happened, could only nod gratefully at Von Lucien's deft handling of the situation.

The response team soldiers exchanged glances, clearly impressed and perhaps a bit concerned about what this might mean for their own roles.

"Come with me," Von Lucien said quietly, as he took the monster's core from the hands of a response team soldier. "We have much to discuss."

As they moved away from the scene, Elio felt a whirlwind of emotions. Pride at his victory warred with concern over the implications of revealing his abilities so publicly.

How would this affect his plans for the fourth level challenge? What would the ruling families make of this new "training program" Von Lucien had fabricated on the spot?