novelraw Chapter 127: Training Session
Chapter 127: Training Session
You have cleared Character Quest: [Escort Istellia and the refugees].
You have earned the immense gratitude of Istellise and the refugees.
This will influence the future course of the scenarios you will face.
It seemed that we didn’t really gain any tangible rewards this time for helping Istellise, not that it mattered. The escort had been far less troublesome than the previous scenario, and the fight against the gnolls had fulfilled the quota for the scenario’s objective and provided us with ample experience points. In a way, protecting the refugees had helped us accomplish multiple objectives at once.
Still, contrary to my assumption, Istellise walked closer toward us with a faint smile on her lips. “Before we part ways… there’s something we discovered during our journey to this place.” She gestured for one of the guards to bring a wrapped bundle. When it was unveiled, a metallic gleam caught the sunlight.
Meteorite Ore
Grade: Epic
Type: Crafting Material
A rare ore formed from the fragments of a fallen star. Imbued with celestial mana, it possesses extraordinary durability and resonance with magic. When forged by a skilled craftsman, it can produce weapons capable of channeling both mana and elemental energy in perfect harmony.
Tuilë’s eyes widened the instant she saw it, and she immediately shoved me aside. Hey, watch it!
“Wait—is that meteorite ore?!” she exclaimed, snatching the chunk from the guard’s hands. Her entire body seemed to vibrate with excitement, as though she might devour the ore if left alone. “I could make a couple of uniq—no, epic-grade weapons with this!”
“Ooh, nice,” I said with an amused smile, watching her spin the ore in her hands like a precious treasure.
Even Lucian’s usual calm expression twitched with interest, and Boris let out a low whistle. Michelle just chuckled amusedly at Tuilë’s enthusiasm.
Istellise observed our reactions with quiet amusement before clasping her hands. “Please, accept it,” she said softly. “Even if the ore remained with us, we wouldn’t know what to do with it. Something so rare would only invite trouble.”
I gave a small nod. “Then we’ll gladly accept it.”
As the first rays of sunlight bathed the ruins of the town, the eighth scenario finally concluded.
You have fulfilled the main quota of exterminating gnolls.
Congratulations.
You have cleared Scenario #8 [Gnoll Infestation].
You have fulfilled the first extra condition of the scenario — Kill 200 gnolls. (231/200)
You have fulfilled the second extra condition of the scenario — Kill 5 chiefs of the gnoll tribes. (6/5)
You have fulfilled the third extra condition of the scenario — Kill the great chieftain of the gnoll tribes. (1/1)
Basic Rewards: 5,000 Soul Coins
Additional Rewards: Two Gimmel-Tier General Lootboxes, Two Rare-Grade Elixir Vouchers, & Unique-Grade Armament Voucher.
Your Stamina has increased by 1.
Your Magic Power has increased by 1.
Predator’s Step has leveled up.
A white flash engulfed our vision, and in the next moment, the battlefield and the ruined town dissolved into motes of light, replaced by the familiar Rift of Scenarios in Fantasia.
“Phew…” Tuilë stretched, exhaling loudly. “That one was a blast! Literally.”
Boris cracked his neck with a grin. “Ha! Finally back. Felt like we were fighting mutts for days.”
Michelle chuckled, having seemed to relax compared to a few days ago. “It wasn’t too bad this time since it didn’t drag on too long, and we worked well together.”
Lucian nodded, closing his eyes rather pridefully. “You four weren’t half bad.”
Thinking back, we really weren’t much different from a bunch of murder hobos. The one who designed Divine Will clearly wanted us to suffer as much as possible for entertainment. Oh yeah, that person was me…
Before long, we gathered at the edge of the Rift Square near the side fountain. Tuilë turned toward us, her eyes gleaming mischievously. “So… since we’ve got some downtime, anyone want something forged? I’ve got plenty of ideas now that I’ve got that meteorite ore.”
Boris crossed his arms and snorted. “Not for me. I’m always without weapons. If I ever need blades, I can just turn my hands into one or jut them out from my body.”
“I’m good,” Michelle said. “My gear’s still holding up just fine.”
Lucian raised a hand thoughtfully. “If possible, a magic ring—something that enhances my magic power and mana capacity. Being able to fight longer and able to deal more devastating damage will be crucial in future scenarios.”
Tuilë nodded rapidly as she began sketching imaginary blueprints in the air. “Gotcha! I can totally do that.”
Then her eyes turned toward me, full of expectation. “And you, Maxxy?”
I took a moment to think before replying, “My spear. It’s still just rare grade.” Pulling it from my inventory, I handed it to her. “Reforge it with the meteorite ore. Make it something that can survive the toughest battles ahead.”
Her grin widened as she held the weapon up to the light. “Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about! Don’t worry, boss—you won’t regret it.”
I smiled trustfully at her confidence. After all, if anyone could transform that spear into something truly extraordinary, it was Tuilë.
Although the eighth scenario hadn’t been particularly difficult—thanks in part to me, Boris, and Michelle leveling up in the Great Wilderness—the upcoming ninth, and especially the tenth scenario, would be an entirely different story. There was nothing to lose by being overly cautious. If anything, we needed to prepare far more thoroughly for what was to come.
***
For the next two days, I threw myself into training inside District D’s training center as if my life depended on it. After all, I hadn’t had much time to train properly in the past week.
The battles in the Great Wilderness and the eighth scenario had shown me just how thin the line between victory and death could be. I might have dominated those fights, but there was no guarantee I’d do the same in the ninth and tenth scenarios, especially when they were special compared to the others, thanks to Istellise’s influence. If I wanted to survive—no, conquer them—I had to refine both body and technique until every motion became instinctive.
From morning to night, I was training my body and magic intensely. I started each session in the gym area, lifting enchanted dumbbells inscribed with runes that could scale up to more than two tons for the heaviest set. With a single thought, I increased the weight until my muscles screamed in protest. I focused on balance, control, and endurance, pushing beyond my limits again and again.
Your Strength has increased by 3.
Your Stamina has increased by 2.
Once my body could take no more, I moved to the magic training facility. In the mana endurance chamber, torrents of mana currents swirled violently, battering everything inside. The goal was simple: stand in the center and resist the intense current. Easier said than done. The moment I stepped in, it felt like my body was being torn apart from within, but each session toughened my mana channels, strengthening my resistance. Both my Magic Power and Stamina stats were rising steadily.
Your Magic Power has increased by 2.
Your Stamina has increased by 1.
Mana Manipulation has leveled up.
Of course, I didn’t forget to consume the Elixir of Mana Concentrate so that I would get the most out of my training. I’d also given two each to Boris and Michelle. Occasionally, other divine warriors entered to train nearby. Some sparred, others watched me quietly. A few, though, whispered my name, the “one who defeated Graham,” but I paid them no mind. Fame was fine, but results mattered more.
By the end of the first day, I had broken through another threshold.
Your Strength has increased by 1.
Your Stamina has increased by 2.
I focused on improving my Stamina most of all since it lagged behind my other physical stats. Meanwhile, I ignored Dexterity the most simply because it was the highest, and past four hundred, each point only improved half of what it did for the previous two hundred. As for Mind and Luck, the latter aside, the former was almost impossible to improve by doing physical training.
On the second day, I dedicated my efforts entirely to refining my techniques—swinging the sword, thrusting with the spear, and repeating Phantom Slash and Heavy Stab in seamless succession, weaving in spells like {Spinning Mana Arrow}, {Frozen Icicle}, {Gravity Launch}, and others for better combat coordination. Each motion was refined until I could chain them seamlessly without hesitation.
Your Stamina has increased by 2.
Heavy Stab has leveled up.
Basic Neutral Magic has leveled up.
Basic Cryo Magic has leveled up.
Your Magic Power has increased by 3.
Your Mind has increased by 1.
During breaks, I watched other divine warriors training and sparring, especially Michelle and Boris. They were both focused on pushing their limits, and I could see that their skills were improving by leaps and bounds. Boris was already very strong from the start, but now, he looked as though he had gone past his prime in pure martial arts.
Meanwhile, Michelle was the one improving the fastest in every aspect. As expected, she was a natural genius with the bow—nimble, precise, and always slipping out of her opponent’s field of vision. Her grasp of magic was impressive as well, seamlessly blending her signature skill, Nature’s Power, into her combat rhythm. Every divine warrior who sparred against her was defeated within seconds. If I were to duel her again now, securing a win would be far more difficult than before.
By dusk, I turned my focus to reviewing my duel recordings stored in the dueling cube, particularly the match against Erika Saito. Her swordsmanship had exposed the gaps in my form, and I analyzed every mistake with meticulous precision, correcting my timing, grip, and footwork until they felt natural.
Even now, with my Intermediate Swordsmanship, I was still far from her level and had no hope of defeating her in pure swordsmanship. But this time, I was confident that, by combining my magic skills, passive skills, movement skills, as well as the other utility skills, I should be able to eke out a win with relative ease without relying on pure luck like before.
“Ha! Erika, you’re not as strong as I thought!” I declared smugly.
“Oh, really?” came a familiar voice from behind in mock surprise, as though eager for a duel.
“That’s right…” I trailed off.
My body quickly froze on the spot as I slowly turned my head, only to see Erika’s face glaring at me while flashing an intrigued smile. Fuck! Just my luck!
“You look stronger than ever. Let’s see how much you’ve improved,” she said, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.