Ethan stood at the edge of the grassy plain, watching closely as Risa and Leon faced each other.

Both stood a fair distance apart, considering Leon's attacks were long-ranged.

"Are you ready, Risa?" Leon asked.

Risa nodded. She stretched her magic staff forward and began chanting her defensive spell.

[The power of nature unites as one. Let nature witness how I endure and live in harmony.]

[My soul calls upon the spirits' power. Protect me from harm and danger.]

[Spirit Magic: Absorbing Blood Wall!]

She raised her staff, and a beam of red light projected forward, forming a transparent crimson wall in front of her.

Both Leon and Ethan were impressed, though neither knew how strong her defense truly was.

"Do I need to use a skill?" Leon asked.

"No. Just basic attacks," Ethan replied.

Leon nodded. He summoned his bow and drew the string back tightly. A magic arrow appeared between his fingers, ready to fire.

"Ready, Risa?" Ethan asked again. Risa nodded slowly.

Ethan turned to Leon and gave him a nod, signaling him to begin.

Leon released the string, firing a magic arrow that sliced through the air toward Risa's barrier.

Risa took a deep breath, steadying her arms and legs as the arrows struck her magical defense.

Leon's magic arrow hit the barrier, but no cracks appeared. Risa remained unharmed.

"I can hold out longer," Risa said.

"Ethan?" Leon asked.

"Use Skill 1."

Leon nodded again. He activated his first skill, summoning three glowing arrows at once. Tilting his bow horizontally, he fired.

The three arrows split into dozens of smaller ones, raining toward Risa's barrier. The arrows struck again, harder this time.

Ethan narrowed his eyes, noticing Risa slightly step back from the impact.

When the skill ended, Risa was still standing, though clearly exhausted.

Sweat covered her face, and her hands trembled from the strain. Leon hesitated to fire again.

"Should I keep going?" Leon asked.

"Once more. Skill 1."

Leon took a deep breath, tilted his bow again, and unleashed another volley of arrows. Risa had to push herself even harder to maintain the barrier.

CRACK!

"Stop," Ethan said firmly.

Leon lowered his bow. Ethan walked toward Risa and saw a small crack forming on her barrier.

Now he understood—Risa's defense was weaker than her attack magic.

"Your defensive magic is too weak. You're better at offense," Ethan said.

"Really?" Risa asked softly, still breathing hard.

Her hands shook, and her body trembled with exhaustion.

Ethan could see she was at her limit. If Leon continued attacking, her barrier might shatter and hurt her.

Slowly, Risa dispelled her magic wall and dropped to her knees, catching her breath.

Leon walked over, knowing the training was over.

"So? How did it go?" Leon asked.

"Risa's power works best for long-range offense. She's more effective attacking than defending," Ethan said.

"Same goes for me," Leon replied.

"Out of the three of us, I'm the one with the strongest defense," Ethan said.

"But isn't the best defense a good offense?"

Ethan nodded. Striking first and ending the battle before the enemy could retaliate was a common tactic.

It might work on lower floors, but as they climbed higher, the monsters and threats would only grow stronger.

"For now, we'll focus on offense and covering each other," Ethan said. Leon and Risa nodded in agreement.

"We won't continue exploring today. We'll rest and challenge the floor boss tomorrow," Ethan added.

Leon smiled, always excited when it came to boss fights. He didn't mind waiting a day—Risa was clearly exhausted.

Their training session ended. Ethan led them back to the inn to rest. They all needed it if they planned to face the boss tomorrow.

Risa followed behind them, tired but smiling. Despite her fatigue, she couldn't deny that sparring with Ethan and Leon was fun. It was a new experience for her.

When they reached their room, Risa collapsed onto the bed. Leon took the long sofa, while Ethan sat on the single chair.

As day turned to night, Leon went out to buy dinner, leaving Ethan and Risa in the room.

Risa lay on the bed, holding her staff and smiling softly.

"Nok would never believe I have my own magic staff now," she said.

"You can spar with her next time. I'm sure she'll be impressed," Ethan replied.

"I hope so. She's always been stronger than me," Risa admitted.

"The journey's still long. Don't worry. I promise you'll get stronger," Ethan said.

"Then help me, Ethan," Risa said.

Ethan smiled, meeting her eyes. "Of course. I'd be happy to help you."

Risa's face lit up. She couldn't wait to see if she could really grow stronger with Ethan's help.

The magical accessory he'd crafted for her was already proof enough that he could.

They kept talking for a while, the night growing later. Leon still hadn't returned with dinner, which began to worry Ethan.

The last time Leon disappeared without notice, he ended up beaten by another guild.

Ethan opened his digital map—Leon's blue dot was still at the tavern.

A moment later, the dot moved rapidly toward the inn. Leon was running.

What happened?

The door burst open. Leon entered, panting heavily, holding a paper bag filled with cheeseburgers.

Ethan and Risa exchanged looks, both wondering what had made him rush back so fast.

"What's wrong?" Ethan asked.

"LionArk… has been challenged by Silver Star."

"Challenged? What do you mean?" Ethan asked sharply.

"Jill told me through a friend chat. She said Silver Star came to challenge LionArk for control over Mavelard City," Leon said.

"A city authority challenge? But doesn't that need approval from at least 50 % +1 of the guilds?"

"Yeah."

Ethan's eyes narrowed. His fists clenched tightly as anger burned inside him.

There were traitor guilds inside Mavelard. They'd sold out their honor—and their pride—to Silver Star.

Whatever Silver Star promised them, it was enough to make them betray LionArk's leadership.

I'll kill them all.

"What should we do now?" Leon asked.

Ethan didn't answer right away. Risa looked at him closely. It was the first time she'd ever seen him this angry. His hands were stiff, his eyes sharp and terrifying.

Risa was sure—LionArk was something Ethan was determined to protect, just like she protected the Blood-Cursed Tribe.

"We're going back to Mavelard."

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