The morning sun peeked through the wooden blinds of Tess' small room, casting soft rays on the pile of tangled limbs and tangled sheets.
Han stirred first.
He yawned, stretching slightly—though not too much, considering the warm weight of three women curled up around him. Shay lay on his chest, her breath slow and steady, her hair falling across his shoulder. Tess was tucked under one arm, her toned leg possessively wrapped over his thigh. And Jenna, her expression peaceful, clung lightly to his other side, her head nestled in the crook of his neck.
Han blinked at the ceiling, then let out a quiet, satisfied sigh.
'Man… I'm really lucky.' he thought, a slow grin forming on his lips. Carefully, he whispered the command, "Status Window."
The interface bloomed into view silently, and his eyes immediately widened.
[Han Islat (☆) Lv.8 (Exp 16/80)]
[Class: Novice]
[Strength: 38/38, Intelligence: 15/15, Stamina: 38/38, Dexterity: 37/37, Spirit: 3]
[Skills: Basic Swordsmanship (Lv.7), Combat Logic (Lv.2), Pain Tolerance (Lv.8), Poison Resistance (Lv.1), Primal Resilience (Lv.2), Feral Senses (Lv.1), Projectile Defense (Lv.3), Indomitable Soul (Lv.1), Nimble Movements (Lv.2), Wild Libido (Lv.1)]
"My stats…?" Han whispered, staring at the screen. "When did they go again?"
He quickly recalled—his level up from the 3rd Floor had raised each stat by two points. He had already been a lot surprised finding that out. A 1-Star hero only had a total stat growth of four stat points for level, but he had more than double that. His 1 Ethereal-Star rank really made wonders. But this...
"Could it be… Primal Resilience?" he wondered, eyes narrowing. "Yeah… that should be it."
[Wild Libido]
[The carnal desires of beasts burn within the user. When indulging in sexual activity, the user's stamina and endurance are greatly enhanced.]
Han stared for a long moment. Then he quietly muttered, "...What the hell kind of skill is that?"
But after another glance at the peacefully sleeping trio around him, a small chuckle escaped his lips.
"Well… I'm not complaining. I nearly died keeping up with them last night. This might just save my life."
He let his head fall back onto the pillow with a tired, contented smile. "Seriously though… how the hell did I get this lucky?"
Han sat up, stretching one last time before speaking loud and clear.
"It's time to train."
The words cut through the lazy morning stillness like a blade.
All three girls stirred. Shay immediately sat up, already reaching for her clothes without a word.
Jenna cracked an eye open. "Training?" she mumbled. "I'm too tired to train..." Then she promptly turned over and pulled the covers over her head.
Tess smirked and slid her hand over Han's chest. "Hey, Han… why don't I take care of your morning wood instead?" she whispered, fingers trailing downward.
Han grinned, tempted—but shook his head. "Although I'd greatly like that, we can't neglect training. The floors will only get harder and harder, and we have to be ready."
With that, he casually shoved Jenna off the bed.
"Wake up, you sleepy-head."
Jenna groaned dramatically as she rolled onto the floor, her red messy hair splayed over her face. "Okay... coming..." she muttered, dragging herself to her feet.
...
The four of them were locked in a chaotic sparring match—no teams, no rules. Just a free-for-all meant to push reflexes and instincts to the edge.
Han parried Tess' sweeping spear strike with a clean clang of his sword.
But in that same instant—
Fwwpt!
He sensed the arrow a second before it struck. His eyes narrowed, and with a powerful shove, he knocked Tess back and threw himself into a roll. The arrow sliced past where his head had been—straight at Tess.
But she wasn't caught off guard.
With a fluid motion, her spear spun in a wide arc, generating a vortex of air.
Clang!
Jenna's arrow deflected harmlessly into the dirt.
[Tess (☆☆)'s Spear Vortex has risen to level 4!]
[Skill Awakening!]
[The hero, Tess (☆☆), has awakened the skill: Projectile Defense!]
But Jenna wasn't finished. She charged, her bow vanishing behind her back in a flicker of movement—replaced by a dagger as she dashed toward Shay.
[Skill Awakening!]
[The hero, Jenna (☆), has awakened the skill: Switch!]
On the other side, Han was already back on his feet—but now Shay was on him, her blade flashing in a flurry of clean, precise strikes. He met her blade-for-blade, the clash of steel ringing out with each impact.
Shay's technique was obviously sharper. Cleaner. But Han could now easily close the gap thanks to his higher stats.
They clashed again. And again.
[Han (★)'s Basic Swordsmanship has risen to level 8!]
[Shay (☆☆☆☆)'s Intermediate Swordsmanship has risen to level 2!]
...
Just as the sun began its descent over the horizon, something strange started happening.
A sudden hum of energy echoed through the lobby.
[The Lodging has leveled up to level 2. The limits on heroes has been increased.]
The Lodging building began to glow faintly, its structure shimmering with threads of blue light. In a burst of digitized, glitched particles, the building disassembled—then reassembled before their eyes, slightly larger and more refined than before.
[The restaurant in the Lodging has finished construction! Good-quality food will be provided for the heroes.]
A blue pulse surged through the earth beneath their feet. The ground expanded slightly, forming a larger, more even terrain with wooden dummies and weapon racks around the perimeter.
[The Training Center has leveled up to level 2. Heroes' training efficiency has increased.]
"Whoa," Tess muttered, adjusting her grip on her spear. "Didn't expect that."
Then, from another corner of the lobby, loud metallic sounds rang out as the smithy, the woodworking shop, and the metal processing shop all lit up at once. A synchronized glow enveloped them before they merged into one facility.
[Weapon storage's three piece accessory buildings: smithy, woodworking, and metal processing shop will be combined into an Equipment Workshop!]
Even the area right before the portal—the grassy square—began to transform. The ground trembled gently as stone tiles pushed their way up, forming clean paths, and a magnificent fountain in the center that spewed glowing blue water.
[Great! The Square has evolved to level 2!]
"Wow..." Jenna's mouth hung open, her eyes wide with awe. "What just happened?"
Han smirked. "Master just put a little more money into us. The more we please him, the more he'll invest into us."
Just then, a small twinkle of light zipped through the air and landed on his shoulder.
"Hi, Han!" said Iselle, the little fairy with a cheerful grin.
"Hi, Iselle," Han replied, lifting a hand to gently pat her head.
[Master, beginning 10 summonings. Excited to see what heroes will come out!]
A surge of light burst from the Summoning Chamber as the giant doors rumbled open. Pure white energy poured out, spilling like fog across the square.
"Is Master summoning?" Tess asked, eyes fixed on the glowing portal.
"Yes," Shay said calmly, watching the doors with a sharp gaze. "Let's hope someone useful comes out."
One by one, ten figures stepped through the glowing threshold as the light faded. The doors groaned closed behind them with a final thud.
[Master Anytng has obtained the hero Jid (☆)]
[Master Anytng has obtained the hero Hansen (☆)]
[Master Anytng has obtained the hero John (☆)]
[Master Anytng has obtained the hero Dolf (☆)]
[Master Anytng has obtained the hero Dika (☆)]
[Master Anytng has obtained the hero Sigler (☆)]
[Master Anytng has obtained the hero Decard (☆)]
[Master Anytng has obtained the hero Chloe (☆)]
[Master Anytng has obtained the hero Gilly (☆)]
[Master Anytng has obtained the hero Raphtalia (☆☆)]
To be continued...
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How was this chapter?
Hehe, liked how I just skipped Jenna's scene? I feel so evil right now!