After speaking with the survivors for a few more minutes, the two groups finally parted ways.
As they walked toward the forest path, Arjun let out a quiet breath.
"I honestly thought they'd need our help again," he said. "But… they're doing fine on their own."
Rita glanced back at the town gate, where the survivors were still preparing. "They looked scared," she said softly, "but not helpless anymore."
"That's a good thing," Koushik added with a grin. "Means we don't have to babysit everyone."
Divya nodded, relief clear on her face. "At least we know saving them wasn't pointless."
With that, they left the town behind.
The forest greeted them with thick shadows and the damp scent of moss and earth. Sunlight barely pierced through the dense canopy above, and every step was accompanied by the crunch of dead leaves underfoot.
"Stay alert," Arjun said quietly. "This area's marked as low-level, but that doesn't mean safe."
They didn't have to wait long.
A low growl echoed from between the trees.
From the underbrush emerged a Feral Bark Wolf—its body lean and muscular, patches of hardened wood fused with flesh along its spine. Greenish veins pulsed faintly beneath its bark-like hide.
"There," Tim whispered. "First target."
The wolf lunged without warning.
"Spread out!" Arjun shouted.
Koushik rolled to the side as the creature snapped where he had been standing moments ago. Divya raised her staff, releasing a sharp burst of mana that struck the wolf's flank, forcing it to stagger.
"Nice hit!" Rita called.
The wolf recovered quickly, claws digging into the soil as it charged again—this time toward Rita.
Before it could reach her, Arjun intercepted it, blade flashing. Sparks flew as steel clashed against hardened bark.
"Too tough," Arjun grunted. "Aim for the joints!"
Tim moved in from behind, slashing at the softer flesh near the hind legs. The wolf howled, its movements slowing.
Koushik seized the opening. "Now!"
He released a arrow, piercing through the creature's throat.
The wolf convulsed once… then collapsed.
Silence returned to the forest.
Everyone exhaled.
"First kill outside town," Rita said, wiping sweat from her brow.
As the corpse dissolved, green particles rose from it, shimmering softly as they drifted toward Arjun's palm.
The particles surged toward the leaf-shaped symbol engraved there—
But instead of merging smoothly, they scattered.
The symbol flared with a sharp green light.
[DING!]
[WOOD-ATTRIBUTE PARTICLES DETECTED]
[ASSIMILATION FAILED]
[REASON: MONSTER DEFEATED BY MULTIPLE CONTRIBUTORS]
[ONLY SOLO KILLS CAN TRIGGER ATTRIBUTE ASSIMILATION]
[PARTICLES CONVERTED INTO EXPERIENCE]
A warm current flowed through Arjun's body, steady but muted.
"…That's it?" Tim muttered. "It rejected it?"
Arjun flexed his fingers, feeling the lingering energy fade. "Not rejected," he said slowly. "Restricted."
Rita's brows furrowed. "So if more than one person fights…"
"Then no one gets the attribute," Koushik finished grimly.
Divya crossed her arms. "That changes things."
Arjun looked at the glowing mark as it dimmed back to normal.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "It means if we want real growth—"
He lifted his gaze toward the deeper forest, where stronger monsters waited.
"—someone has to fight alone."
No one spoke.
The rule had been revealed.
And it was cruel.
Everyone suddenly cast a worried glance at Rita.
She noticed at once. "What?" she asked, frowning. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"
Tim hesitated, then spoke up. "Rita… you don't really have strong attack power. If the Tower expects solo hunting, how are you going to kill monsters alone?"
Arjun stayed quiet, but his expression was serious.
Koushik clicked his tongue. "This is unfair. The Tower favors fighters too much."
Rita listened calmly. Then she shook her head.
"Just because I'm a healer," she said firmly, "doesn't mean I can't attack."
She raised her hand.
Mana gathered slowly, thinner and less violent than Divya's, but controlled. A small blue mana ball formed in her palm, flickering like a fragile flame.
Tim's eyes widened. "You can use offensive magic?"
Divya smiled faintly. "Of course she can."
Rita glanced at her. "You taught me."
Divya nodded. "I did. On purpose."
She stepped forward. "When we realised the Tower wouldn't go easy on healers, I taught Rita the basics of mana shaping. She doesn't have my output, but her control is clean."
Rita let the mana ball dissolve and extended her other hand.
A soft green glow wrapped around her fingers, spreading warmth through the air.
"And in return," Rita said, turning toward Divya, "I taught her healing."
Divya held up her own hand.
The same green light appeared—steady, practiced, alive.
Tim blinked. "Wait… you can heal now too?"
Divya nodded. "Not as well as Rita. But enough to keep myself alive."
When Tim finally asked the question that had been bothering everyone, he looked straight at Divya.
"How did you even teach Rita your skill?" he asked. "Aren't skills… fixed?"
Divya shook her head. "That's the thing," she said calmly. "We don't actually have skills."
The group blinked.
"What?" Koushik said.
"The system calls them skills for convenience," Divya continued. "But they're not divine gifts or class-locked abilities. They're techniques."
She tapped her temple lightly. "Methods of using mana. The Tower simply packages them neatly and labels them so people don't have to think too hard."
Arjun frowned. "Then why can't everyone use everything?"
"Because no one tries to understand them," Divya replied. "They just activate them."
She turned to Arjun. "Analyze your own. The one called Slash."
Arjun hesitated, then closed his eyes.
He focused inward—not on the system interface, but on the feeling he remembered every time he used the skill. The flow. The tension. The moment his weapon felt sharper, heavier, more decisive.
Slowly, realization struck.
"…It's not a slash," he muttered.
Everyone leaned in.
"It's mana," Arjun said, eyes opening wide. "I'm channeling mana into the weapon, reinforcing its edge for a brief moment. The motion just directs it."
Tim sucked in a breath. "So the swing doesn't matter. The mana does."
Koushik's eyes lit up. "That means my strike skill—"
"—is body reinforcement," Arjun finished. "Same principle. Different application."
Rita looked down at her hands. "And healing…"
"Is guided mana regeneration," Rita continued with a smile. "Not a miracle."
Silence followed.
Then excitement exploded.
"That means—" Tim started.
"We're not limited by class," Arjun said, finishing the thought. His voice trembled, not with fear, but exhilaration. "If skills are just techniques… then anyone can learn them."
"Any technique," Koushik added.
"Any role," Rita whispered.
The Tower hadn't given them cages.
It had given them shortcuts.
Everyone nodded, grins spreading across their faces as a shared truth settled in.