The morning after their intimate reunion, Leon and Elizabeth awoke tangled in warmth and the temptation to stay in bed all day. But after some playful teasing and mutual groaning about responsibilities, they finally dragged themselves up.
Leon, in particular, was determined—not to save the world—but for something just as noble: a real meal.
The two left the house together, strolling through the cobbled pathways of the stronghold to reach the central market. Despite being in the Trial World, where no natural food grew, humans had found a workaround—transporting supplies from the real world using spatial containers.
Trial takers often stayed up to 30 days before returning, so proper food was a necessity.
Leon was already sick of ration bars and he wanted to eat a proper meal especially since Elizabeth was an amazing cook.
The market was vibrant, packed with trial takers in light armor or casual robes, bartering for spices, dried meat, vegetables, and other goods. Elizabeth moved with elegance and familiarity, while Leon casually tossed items into his inventory.
They bought enough to fill a pantry—Elizabeth, of course, didn't bother buying for herself. She already planned to crash at Leon's place whenever she was in the Trial World.
"It's efficient and helps us save money," she said with a straight face.
Leon smirked. "Right... it's totally about saving money," he replied, playing along.
They were nobles, sure—but that didn't mean they couldn't be practical. Not that anyone would believe this wasn't just an excuse for the both of them to stay together.
When they returned, they organized the pantry with practiced ease. Elizabeth took charge in the kitchen, cooking a proper breakfast while Leon assisted—by giving her "emotional support" from the nearest chair. She cooked and he commented, occasionally passing her spices when ever she needed them.
When the meal was done they ate it slowly, enjoying it more than they expected, making casual conversation and laughing over how they should improve the taste of trial rations.
After they finished eating they washed the dishes together but didn't return to bed afterwards. It was their final day before stabilization, which meant tomorrow they could return to the real world.
But instead of lazing around, they headed out again—this time to the training center.
Upon arrival, they rented two separate private training rooms. A quick kiss goodbye, and they went their separate ways.
[Leon's Private Training Room]
As Leon entered, the ambient hum of mana-powered machinery greeted him. It was sleek and well-equipped—easily the best available to the public in the stronghold—but Leon who had trained in his family's elite facilities, wasn't too impressed.
He opened his status panel mentally.
Talent: {Attack} — EX Rank
Strength: 517 > 532 (+15)
Speed: 478 > 493 (+15)
Vitality: 470 > 485 (+15)
Stamina: 471 >486 (+15)
Senses: 438 >453 (+15)
Phantom Edge – Form 1: Flicker Fang
Last night, after Elizabeth had fallen asleep, Leon had silently allotted the remaing 9,000 attack points he had left after the battle with the goblin chief during his trial, converting them into 90 stat points. Elizabeth hadn't noticed since he had done it all mentally.
But today, it was time to start fresh and grind again.
He closed the panel and turned to the room's control interface, activating the training module. In a soft flash, a metallic humanoid robot appeared in front of him.
It was F-Rank, like him, but he manually set the difficulty to Tier VII, the highest level available.
He wasn't here to just swing his sword. He wanted to sharpen his skills, push his limits, and test his new skill Phantom Edge.
The robot's eyes lit up red.
"Attack protocol initiated," the machine's voice echoed.
Leon cracked his neck as he approached the robot.
"Alright, let's get to work."
Leon dashed forward, his sword gleaming under the training room lights. Though the robot was only F-rank, being a Tier VII model meant its strikes hit with the force of a C-rank fighter. Normally, one would need Tier VII gear or skills to keep up—but Leon didn't need either. His stats alone were more than enough.
As the robot stepped into his range, it launched a powerful punch. But Leon slipped past the blow with ease, countering with three quick slashes in return.
Three system notifications blinked in front of his eyes:
Leon didn't even spare them a glance. The robot retaliated immediately, but Leon parried the incoming strike with a clean sweep of his blade and responded with ten more rapid slashes.
Their battle continued in a rhythm—attack, dodge, counter, parry. For twenty straight minutes, Leon fought without activating any temporary stat boosts, relying solely on pure technique and raw power.
Finally, after a precise feint and a final strike to the core, the robot collapsed in a sparking heap.
Leon exhaled and glanced at his system.
[Attack Points: 10,000 / 10,000]
"Perfect," he muttered. "I'll distribute the points just before midnight."
Without wasting time, he navigated the training room interface and summoned another robot.
It was time to test his new skill.
Leon stood before the newly summoned training robot, gripping his sword tightly as his eyes narrowed. It was time to test his new skill—Phantom Edge: Form 1 – Flicker Fang. From the name alone, he could tell that this skill wasn't a standalone technique. It was part of a greater sequence—an Art.
Leon's prior knowledge filled in the gaps. Arts were series-based skill sets, each composed of multiple forms that increased in complexity and power. However, unlike normal skills, Arts had strict rules: one had to learn them sequentially, starting from the lowest-ranked form. You couldn't skip ahead. No one could learn a higher form without mastering the one before it.
Still, the payoff was worth it.
Arts were more than just combat styles—they were pathways to Enlightenment. The better one grasped the flow of an Art, the closer they came to unlocking the insight needed to rank up.
The more forms an Art had, the greater the potential. There were even rumors of Arts culminating in skills that surpassed SSS-rank, unlocking power beyond what the strongest humans had ever achieved.
But Leon wasn't fixated on that.
He had something better—Evo Points.
While others were bound by the natural limits of their skills and Arts, Leon could evolve his with enough effort.
Difficult as they were to earn, Evo Points gave him the freedom to surpass even the final form of an Art. He could break through any ceiling, bend any rule.
So no—he didn't revere the Art.
He saw it as a stepping stone.
A foundation he would soon outgrow.
And now, it was time to see how Flicker Fang measured up.
A/N: Please send power stones and leave reviews.