I entered the dungeon before Scarlet arrived.
I wanted a few minutes alone to think.
The cold air inside the stone walls always made me more alert. The silence there wasn't empty. It was expectation. Any misstep could turn into a fight.
This time, I didn't move forward.
I stood still.
Breathed.
Listened.
Scarlet appeared a few minutes later, walking calmly, as if she were strolling through a garden.
"Today you're not going to run after the first monster you find," she said.
"I won't."
She nodded.
"Good. Then we can finally begin the real training."
We moved through the corridors without hurry. My eyes searched for movement. My ears for sound. My mana for variations in the environment.
We found the first group of creatures in a wide chamber. Three large beasts, thick hide, long claws. I would have charged straight in days ago.
This time, I stayed still.
Scarlet said nothing.
I observed.
Their breathing. The space between them. The type of floor. The shadows.
"How many do you think you need to fight?" she asked.
"One."
"Then why look at three?"
I understood.
I picked up a small stone from the ground and threw it to the opposite side of the chamber. The noise echoed.
Two beasts immediately moved toward the sound.
The third hesitated.
That one was the most cautious.
The most dangerous.
"Good choice," Scarlet said.
I advanced only when it moved away from the others.
The fight was quick.
Not because I was stronger.
Because I chose it.
We kept walking.
"You always fought like someone who wants to win quickly," Scarlet said. "That works against stupid enemies."
"But not against intelligent ones."
"Nor against groups."
We went down another level.
This time, the corridor was narrow. The sound of light footsteps came from ahead.
Goblins.
Many.
I already knew.
Scarlet stopped behind me.
"What do you do?"
I looked at the low ceiling, at the close walls.
"Only one can come at a time."
"So?"
I positioned myself at the narrowest point of the corridor and waited.
The first goblin appeared running. I took it down. The second tripped over the body. The third tried to jump and hit the wall.
I didn't advance.
They came to me.
When the last one fell, Scarlet spoke.
"Do you see the difference?"
"I didn't fight a group."
"Exactly."
We continued.
Further ahead, a circular room with broken pillars. Perfect for ambushes.
I stopped before entering.
Scarlet smiled.
"Finally."
I threw two stones in different directions.
One creature came out from behind a pillar. Another from the opposite side.
I still hadn't entered the room.
"If you had rushed in, you'd be surrounded."
I nodded.
This time, I entered already knowing where they were.
The fight ended before they could flank me.
We stopped to rest.
Scarlet sat on a piece of stone.
"Strength doesn't decide long fights," she said. "Decisions do."
I remained silent.
"You have too much power for someone who thinks too little."
It didn't sound like an insult.
It sounded like a diagnosis.
We stood and moved on.
The last test of the day came without warning.
As we turned a corridor, a monster larger than the others charged straight at me. I had no time to think.
But my body didn't react like before.
I didn't attack.
I stepped aside.
The monster slammed into the wall with force.
Before it could recover, I finished it.
Scarlet watched.
"What you just did is what I've been waiting for since the first day."
"What?"
"You let the enemy make the mistake first."
We stayed silent for a few seconds.
I realized something.
I was less tired.
I had fought just as much.
But spent less.
At the dungeon exit, Scarlet said the last thing of the day.
"When you face the Fourth General, you can't fight like a hero."
I looked at her.
"You have to fight like someone who wants to stay alive."
I left the dungeon thinking about that.
For the first time, I felt like I wasn't just getting stronger.
I was becoming harder to kill.
And that was far more important.