It had been a full day since Luke and Charlie had been wandering through the forest. Not a single orc in sight.

Luke suspected most of them had retreated to the villages near the mountains after the chaos. What remained now were only wild beasts lurking between the trees. Honestly, it was almost a relief — as long as none of them were too big.

He walked slowly, his entire body practically shattered. A thick branch served as an improvised cane, each step a brutal reminder of the throbbing pain consuming him. Losing 2 HP per minute, he figured that, with full HP, he had about ten hours left to live.

That was... if nothing stronger crossed his path before then.

Charlie handled the hunting. She would track down beasts and drag them back to Luke, who, with sheer effort, wounded them just enough to activate Basic Blood Regeneration and drain their vitality.

It was slow. Painfully slow. But necessary.

Charlie knew that if she finished off any creature herself, it could jeopardize his survival. Every kill mattered. This was how he delayed his own death. How he bought time. Time to reach the Safe Zone... and heal.

He had already dumped all three free points from reaching Level 25 straight into Intelligence — because at this point, every extra point of mana was just extra time on his clock.

Luke paused, leaning against a rough tree trunk. His grip tightened around the branch. His breath came in sharp, ragged draws. This time, he didn't activate Meditation. He just... needed a moment. A moment to withstand the pain.

"In the future... I swear I'm investing in Endurance..." he muttered, like a vow whispered to the universe.

More Endurance wouldn't just increase his stamina. It would reinforce his body. Stronger bones. Tougher skin. More durability.

He sighed, closing his eyes for a second.

Still dying. But not as fast.

The thought was brutally clear. This was like patching holes in a sinking boat with duct tape — bailing water with one hand while paddling toward safety with the other. One breath at a time. One step at a time.

If he could make it to the Safe Zone... if he could just reach Thiara... he'd be healed.

He opened the system interface. The notification was still there, blinking — waiting.

[You have unlocked a new Class Skill]

He hesitated. The entire time, he'd avoided dealing with it. Focus was everything. A single distraction out here could be fatal.

But now... it was time.

Five options unfolded across the screen. His eyes landed on the first.

[Enhanced Speed (Uncommon)]: At the cost of stamina, your movement speed increases by 40% for a short duration. Perfect for flanking enemies, escaping ambushes, or launching a lethal strike.

Luke raised an eyebrow. Huh. Not exactly his usual style. But then again... maybe it was. A reflection of how much he'd learned to control stamina lately.

He already knew he could run faster by manually forcing his body — but an active skill meant less strain. More efficiency. More control.

Interesting... he thought.

Sure, he had Basic Dark Dash, but that was more of a burst. A sudden blink step. Plus, it cost mana.

The idea hit instantly. Enhanced Speed combined with Dash.

Stealth. Speed. Impact.

His brain immediately started piecing together the possibilities. But instead of locking it in, he scrolled down. He needed to see the other options.

[Bloodthirst (Rare)]: By consuming a significant portion of your mana, this skill weakens the target, reducing their stats by up to 30%. Both physical and mental attributes are affected. While active, the target is overwhelmed by fear, becoming more vulnerable to incoming attacks. However, this skill does not affect enemies who are too powerful or mentally strong, as they may resist the fear and avoid the stat reduction entirely.

The system, as usual, didn't specify the mana cost. Just that vague line — "significant" — which was always a bad sign. It meant exactly what it sounded like. It would burn through mana fast.

Still... a 30% reduction to an enemy's stats was beyond tempting. But the price... the price felt way too high.

Luke scrolled to the next.

[Critical Strike (Rare)]: When activated, your blades glow a deep crimson. For a short duration, your attacks gain a chance to deal up to 40% bonus damage, drastically increasing lethality.

He'd seen this before. Plenty of times. Enemies — even humans — whose weapons suddenly flashed with that crimson glow just before a strike. Now he knew why.

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If I'd had this against Morvat... I could've ended it faster. Maybe wouldn't be in this condition right now.

It was a solid option. No doubt. He moved on.

[Magnetic Mark (Rare)]: Allows you to mark a weapon or item from your inventory. If it falls from your hand, you can call it back using magnetic force. The range of this skill scales with the size of your Perception Field.

That caught him off guard. It was almost identical to the enchantment already embedded in his kukris.

"Wait... so I could use this on other weapons?"

For a split second, his mind flashed with the image of a knight throwing his shield and calling it back. Captain America would be proud.

But for him... it was redundant. His main weapons already had this function. It wasn't worth spending a rare skill slot on something he already covered.

His eyes dropped to the final option.

[Force Infusion (Rare)]: By channeling stamina into a weapon or projectile, the impact becomes drastically stronger, triggering a burst of power on contact. The more stamina consumed, the more devastating the strike. This can launch enemies, break defenses, and even destabilize the surrounding terrain.

Luke froze. His eyes widened, practically glowing.

"...What?"

His heart kicked into overdrive. This... this changed everything.

He glanced down at his hands, feeling the dull throb of broken bones. The realization clicked hard. This skill... it had appeared because of how far he'd pushed his mastery over stamina.

There was a reason why, during the fight with Morvat, he'd abandoned his weapons for most of it and relied purely on fists. Simple. He could only reinforce his own body. The stamina refinement was limited to boosting his punches and kicks. Weapons? Completely left out of the equation. Useless in that context.

But this? This broke that limitation.

This meant he could now channel stamina into his weapons. Into the blades. Into every piece of steel in his hands.

Even more — he could throw his knives, boosted by stamina-driven acceleration, turning them into absolute missiles.

And there was more. Much more. A huge advantage hiding in that skill.

"No more breaking my own bones..."

It was offensive. Versatile. Brutal.

And, more importantly — practical.

A natural extension of the fighting style he'd developed almost instinctively. He didn't even hesitate.

If he could reinforce his weapons with stamina instead of relying solely on his fists, he wouldn't have to shatter the bones in his hands every time he threw a heavy punch. Not only that — his kukris would hit harder. Cut deeper.

With this... he might've even been able to sever one of Morvat's limbs.

[You have acquired the Class Skill: Force Infusion]

Luke confirmed the choice and let out a long, satisfied breath. For a moment... the exhaustion felt a little lighter.

Until he realized... he was being watched.

Charlie stood next to him. Arms crossed. Mildly irritated.

He knew exactly why.

Luke raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I'm going back to Meditation. Promise. No dying on you."

She didn't move. Just stood there, dead still, staring in silence.

Luke pushed himself upright, lightly patting her on the back. The gesture landed somewhere between an apology and a nervous.

"No need to look at me like that."

***

A boar sprinted desperately through the forest, branches snapping under its hooves as it tried to escape.

A tall knight chased it down with ruthless precision. Charlie leapt between trees, dashed forward to close the distance, and with one clean motion, delivered a brutal kick that sent the boar crashing into a tree trunk. Without hesitation, she followed, fists glowing, and drove a punch straight into its skull.

[Princess Charlie has slain an Iron-Tusked Boar – Lvl 13]

*The [Pugilist] 2nd Class of Princess Charlie has reached Level 1!*

*[Pugilist 2nd Class Bonus: +3 Strength, +2 Endurance, +2 Agility, +2 Vitality, +2 Perception, +2 Intelligence, +2 Free Stat Points]*

A few moments later, Luke stumbled out of the bushes like a hundred-year-old man, leaning heavily on an improvised cane.

"So it's true! All it took was killing one weak monster with your fists and you leveled up!" He stared at her like he was witnessing a miracle. "Your second class is still at the starting level... it barely needs any XP... and it dumps this insane pile of attribute points on you. This is... busted."

[A skill of Princess Charlie is evolving due to her Second Class: Pugilist.]

The interface blinked open in front of him.

[Iron Fist (Uncommon)] -> [Steel Fist (Rare)]

Luke blinked, stunned. One of her most-used skills had just leveled up into something even stronger.

[Steel Fist (Rare)]: By channeling a considerable amount of mana and stamina into your fists, you can unleash strikes of immense power. These charged punches can break metal, shatter stone, and damage armor, turning it into a formidable ability against both enemies and physical obstacles.

"Your fists just got even more ridiculous..." Luke muttered, feeling a rush of excitement spark under his skin. "And you're gonna unlock even more skills now that you're leveling up this fast... this is broken. Completely broken."

Straightening his battered frame as much as he could, he pointed dramatically toward the forest, eyes gleaming with renewed purpose.

"Change of plans, Princess Charlie. We're going back. You're gonna punch every single monster we can find!"

Charlie stared at him. Her expression said everything. 'Look at the state you're in, you idiot.'

"I know I'm dying, but you've seen I can stall it!" he shot back, refusing to let go of the idea.

Luke turned toward the forest like he could already visualize the irrational orcs getting steamrolled by Charlie's fists.

"We've gotta hunt as much as possible, level you up quick, and—"

Before he could finish, Charlie stepped closer.

Without warning, she pulled him into a hug.

"Huh... what are you doing?" Luke asked, completely thrown off.

Instead of answering, Charlie lifted him off the ground like it was nothing. His feet left the dirt as she turned around and started walking... in the opposite direction.

"Wait—Charlie?! What are you doing? We need to go that way! The dangerous monsters are over there!"

She shook her head, firm and unmoving. Her eyes said it all. 'No. Getting you safely to the Safe Zone is what matters.'

And so, Luke — the demonic assassin, the nightmare of the orcs — was kidnapped by his own servant.

Carried like a princess.

All the way back to the Safe Zone.

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