Anytng, who had unlocked the communication function, distributed replay stones to Parties 4 and 5.

He was trying to make up for the lack of experience in these two parties. The equipment workshop was continuously producing gear equipped with heat dissipation and ventilation functions tailored to the desert fields. Various protective items and potions were also being made in abundance. Anytng was diligently preparing for the raid.

‘I can’t call him a noob gamer anymore.’

I entered the training camp, feeling a subtle sense of unfamiliarity.

First, I saw Velkist and Neryssa sparring in the training ground. Jenna was sitting on a bench nearby, swinging her legs.

“Oppa, it’s been hard to see you lately. Seems like you’re quite busy.”

“I have a lot of places to visit.”

I sat down next to Jenna.

In principle, I didn’t interfere with other parties, but if I acted completely like a stranger, the efficiency of cooperation would decrease. Some level of interaction was necessary for the strategy in large-scale missions.

‘If we lost another party it would be troublesome.’

I looked at Velkist and spoke.

“How long have you been like this?”

“Um, since this morning. I haven’t rested much. I feel like something big might happen soon.”

Clang!

Neryssa, who lost grip on her rapier, stepped back three paces.

It seemed like the outcome of their sparring was nearing. Velkist firmly adjusted his sword and said,

“Pick your sword. And let’s start again.”

“…”

Neryssa pulled her sword, which was stuck in the iron cage, with a tired look.

The sparring began again. Velkist exuded heat from his entire body as he relentlessly attacked Neryssa.

‘There’s not much time left.’

The trajectory of the sword was changing.

The condition for intermediate swordsmanship that Ridgion had mentioned. I felt that I was subtly building my own domain. If he obtains a slight trigger, he would immediately break through the barrier.

“Oppa is impressive though. In a way, he seems to be working even harder than Aaron. It feels like he’s staking his life on it, not just practicing. Even during sparring.”

Jenna said with a wry smile.

“And are we not staking our lives on this too? If someone hears you say this casually, they might think we’re just playing around.”

I placed my hand on Jenna’s head and stood up.

Neryssa was retreating with sweat pouring down. She had focused on auxiliary skills related to information exploration and traps rather than pure combat skills, despite undergoing extensive training. Now, the gap between her and Velkist, a pure combatant, had widened considerably.

Bang!

Velkist, who had evaded Neryssa’s rapier, took a stance.

His ultra-fast and powerful thrust pierced into Neryssa’s chest. I immediately rushed out and opened the training ground door, then moved my right hand. The sword, drawn like a flash of light, deflected Velkist’s thrust.

“Neryssa, step back. I’ll take care of this guy.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Neryssa bowed to me and left the training ground.

“Where have you been since morning that you’re so late? I’ve been waiting all day.”

“My apologies for being late.”

I drew my sword.

“It was worth coming to Party 1 after all. If I were in Party 2, I wouldn’t have had this experience.”

“When did you become so talkative?”

Velkist chuckled.

At the same time, he swung his sword explosively.

‘This guy…’

His natural talent is inferior to Jenna’s, but his fighting spirit is tremendous. No matter how many times I defeated him, he would get up and come back for more. If it hadn’t been for this level of determination,

‘I would have kept Aaron, even if it meant forcing it.’

I laughed and dashed out.

That night, Velkist reached intermediate swordsmanship.

During the process, I was able to raise my own swordsmanship to level 3.

More time passed.

‘Status Window.’

[Han Israt (★★★) Lv. 29 (Exp 13/160)]

[Class: Warrior]

[Strength: 62/62]

[Intelligence: 10/10]

[Health: 58/58]

[Agility: 57/57]

[Skills: Intermediate Swordsmanship (Lv.3), Heavenly Sword Spirit (Lv.1), Power Strike (Lv.2), Insight (Lv.6), Fire Resistance (Lv.3), Pain Resistance (Lv.6), Composure (Lv.6), Frenzy (Lv.8), Invincible (Lv.3), Dragon Slayer (Lv.1), Equestrianism (Lv.1)]

My specs had already reached their limits.

Intermediate Swordsmanship was now at level 3, Power Strike had reached level 2, and I could also improve Composure, Frenzy, and even Invincible. However, there was one regret.

‘They don’t synergize.’

Composer and Frenzy were clearly supposed to work together, but they hadn’t perfectly complemented each other yet. I decided not to rush it. With more experience and training, it would naturally be resolved.

The statuses of the other members weren’t much different.

Their levels were in the late twenties, and they had raised their skill levels as much as possible. Handling a few minor tasks would not be a problem if they were to participate immediately tomorrow.

“…”

I tightened the ring on my left hand.

A chilling sensation traveled up my fingers. With my right hand, I wrote down the patterns and strategies of the missions I had observed as a Master. I couldn’t predict exactly what kind of mission would come up. However, that didn’t mean I would let my guard down.

The 30th floor would be more challenging than the 20th.

I was sure of that much. While Pick Me Up may seem like a game of luck at first glance, it has its own rules. The fact that an easy mission appeared meant that a much more demanding one would come later.

The overall difficulty of the game never followed a downward curve.

It only got tougher as you went deeper. However, within that, you could achieve relative strength. All you had to do was become stronger and prepare more thoroughly.

‘I’m not turning back yet.’

I gave up on staying in Niflheim.

To raise my own abilities. This was a kind of test. Whether I could survive in this world with my own strength. It wasn’t much different from when I first decided to survive in this world. The only difference was…

I glanced at the desk.

A crumpled cake was placed on a white plate.

Jenna had made it, as she always thanked me for my hard work. I picked up a piece with a fork and ate it.

“…Not very tasty.”

It’s too sweet.

I reluctantly ate the cake.

‘If possible.’

I didn’t want to taste that bitter feeling.

Like on the 5th floor.

And so, another night faded away.