The Obsidian Tiger hunt had drained them to the bone. Muscles screamed, lungs burned, and even Victor, who had tanked like a fortress, looked ready to collapse. They dragged themselves to a quiet clearing, far from the blood-soaked moss, and slumped against the roots of an ancient tree.
"Food," Victor groaned. "Or I'm eating Raul."
Raul smirked, too tired to lift his daggers. "You'd choke."
Arin chuckled, scanning the undergrowth. "Stay put. I'll find something edible."
It didn't take long. A Brambleling, a vine-covered creature with soft flesh under its thorny hide, wandered too close. Arin's blade flashed, severing its tendrils. Raul helped skin it, Victor built a fire. Soon, the smell of roasting meat filled the clearing, rich and smoky.
They ate like wolves, tearing into the charred flesh, grease dripping down their fingers.
Victor leaned back, sighing. "Best damn meal of my life."
Raul smirked. "You say that every time."
Victor grinned. "And I mean it every time."
Arin wiped his hands, eyes narrowing as his panel flickered.
Lord Coins: 173
He looked at Raul. "Time for a new upgrade."
Raul's grin was sharp, hungry. "Yeah, baby! That's what I've been waiting for. That's what it's all about."
Arin summoned Raul's status.
___________________________
Subordinate: Raul Slade
Core Talent: Combat Sense
Rank: Soldier (67%)
Talent Skills: Sixth Sense, Martial Kinesthesia
Regular Skills: Advanced Dagger Mastery, Nimble Steps
----------
Upgrade Panel (Raul Slade):
Upgrade Rank to Captain — 1000 Lord Coins
Upgrade Skill: Advanced Dagger Mastery > Dagger Arts — 200 Lord Coins
Upgrade Skill: Nimble Steps > Flowstep — 150 Lord Coins
Current Lord Coins: 173
___________________________
Do you want to upgrade your subordinate Raul Slade's skill: Nimble Steps into Flowstep?
Confirm (Y/N)
Arin didn't hesitate. "Yes."
The command sank like a blade into flesh. The panel shimmered, letters bleeding into crimson light.
Command confirmed. Skill has been upgraded. 150 Lord Coins consumed.
Raul froze as something surged through him. Raw, violent, alive. His breath hitched, muscles locking as mana crawled across his veins like molten silver. His daggers trembled in his grip, humming faintly.
Then it hit.
A rush of power, sharp and smooth, folding into his bones like silk. His stance shifted, his movements loosening, flowing. The air around him rippled, bending like heat haze. His aura, once sharp and predatory, softened, yet grew heavier, deeper, like a storm hidden behind clouds.
Arin's panel flickered:
Flowstep: Movement becomes fluid, seamless, like drifting clouds.
Raul exhaled slowly, eyes gleaming. He rolled his shoulders, spun his daggers. And vanished.
Not literally. But his motion blurred, melted into the air like water folding over stone. One step, two, and he was behind Victor before the blacksmith could blink.
Victor yelped. "What the—?!"
Raul grinned, voice low, sharp. "This feels so good, like I'm floating."
"I wanna test it," Raul said, daggers flashing. "Both of you. Come at me."
Victor groaned. "I just ate."
Raul smirked. "You scared now?"
Arin chuckled, rising to his feet. "Fine, two versus one."
Victor strapped his shield, hammer resting across his shoulder. "You're dead."
Raul's grin widened. "Try."
They circled him under the pale glow of sunlight. Raul moved first, fast, sharp, a ripple of motion. His daggers hissed through the air, carving arcs of silver. Victor blocked the first strike, shield ringing like a bell. Arin lunged, sword flashing, but Raul was gone, sliding past like smoke.
"Too slow," Raul murmured, his voice everywhere.
Victor swung his hammer in a brutal arc. Raul ducked, spun, and tapped Victor's ribs with the flat of his blade. "Dead."
Victor snarled. "Cheap shot!"
Arin struck from behind, Timed Step carrying him into perfect rhythm. His blade bit air. Raul twisted, Flowstep folding his body like silk. He slid under Arin's guard, daggers kissing his throat.
"Dead," Raul whispered.
Arin gritted his teeth, shield snapping up just in time to block a slash aimed at his ribs. Sparks danced. Raul grinned, spinning away, his movements fluid, seamless, like clouds drifting on the wind.
Victor roared, hammer swinging again. Raul vaulted over it, landed lightly, and tapped Victor's forehead with his dagger. "Dead thrice."
Victor groaned. "I hate you."
Arin lunged, blade flashing. Raul parried, spun, and swept low. Arin leapt back, sword coming up instinctively. Raul wasn't there anymore, already sliding behind him, silent as a stain of darkness.
The fight lasted minutes. Raul never stopped moving, every step a ripple, every strike a whisper. Arin and Victor fought hard, sweat dripping, muscles screaming, but they couldn't touch him.
Finally, Raul stepped back, daggers gleaming, breath steady. "Enough."
Victor collapsed onto the moss, groaning. "I'm suing you for emotional damage."
Raul smirked. "You'd lose that case, bro."
Arin chuckled, wiping sweat from his brow. "You're a monster now."
Raul's grin was sharp, wild. "Hell Yeah"
Victor flopped onto his back, staring at the canopy. "Next time, I'm bringing a crossbow."
Raul snorted. "You'd miss."
Victor glared. "I'll aim for your ego."
Arin laughed, shaking his head. "Good luck. His ego now is the size of a mountain."
Raul smirked.
Victor groaned. "I need a drink."
Arin chuckled. "You need therapy."
Raul spun his daggers, eyes gleaming. "You both need training."
Victor threw a pebble at him. "I need you to shut up."
Arin settled onto a jagged rock, fingers moving almost on instinct as he opened Raul's panel.
___________________________
Subordinate: Raul Slade
Core Talent: Combat Sense
Rank: Soldier (67%)
Talent Skills: Sixth Sense, Martial Kinesthesia
Regular Skills: Advanced Dagger Mastery, Flowstep
----------
Upgrade Panel (Raul Slade):
Upgrade Rank to Captain — 1000 Lord Coins
Upgrade Skill: Advanced Dagger Mastery > Dagger Arts — 200 Lord Coins
Upgrade Skill: Flowstep > Phaseshift — 1000 Lord Coins
Current Lord Coins: 23
___________________________
A thousand coins again? Arin frowned at the panel.
Then again… skills didn't demand that kind of price without reason. Flowstep was already terrifying in Raul's hands. Whatever Phaseshift will become, it wouldn't just be faster; it would be something else entirely.
Arin exhaled and dismissed the thought. That was a thought for much later.
They were a long way from worrying about upgrades like that.
For now, surviving the forest was enough.