Nova smiled, his eyes fixed on Cassidy, searching her face for any hint that she might be joking. But her expression remained unwavering. Slowly, his smile faded, replaced by a more neutral gaze.

"Wait," he said, brow furrowing. "Are you serious?"

"Of course," Cassidy replied matter-of-factly. "Why would I joke about that?"

Nova didn't let it go. "But why? Don't you want to join Rachel, Amelia, and the others? You don't even know what I'm doing here."

Cassidy calmly leaned back in her chair. "The reason is…" She drew out the pause, forcing him to hang on her words. "I just want to. Isn't that the best reason? Or do you think I'm not capable enough?"

"That's not what I'm saying," Nova said quickly. "It's just… this is sudden. You barely got here. Shouldn't you give it some time before making a decision like this? What's the rush?"

Cassidy nodded. "It won't make a difference," she said coolly. "But if it gives you peace of mind, then fine—let's do it your way. I'll stay here, get to know everyone, and then give you the same answer I just did. Is that good enough for you?"

By the time she finished, a sly smile played at the corners of her lips.

'What's going on with her?' Nova wondered. 'Did something happen in the Blue Portal to make her change so drastically?'

The Cassidy he remembered wouldn't have taken such bold initiative… or would she?

'She was leading a group of four when this all began—but that was different. Back then, she barely fought anyone. Here, things are different. War could break out at any moment if Jonathan or that other group decide to drop the act and launch a full assault. Maybe she doesn't know how bad things are. Maybe if I explain, she'll back off.'

While Nova wrestled with his thoughts, head slightly lowered, Cassidy remained silent. Her gaze rested on his face, quietly watching the flicker of emotions pass through him.

"Alright," Nova said, meeting Cassidy's eyes. "I don't mind you joining—but before that, you need to understand what's really going on here. The situation is... complicated."

Cassidy gave a small nod, signaling him to go on.

"War could break out at any moment," he added seriously.

Her only reaction was a slight lift of her eyebrows—curious, not alarmed. Taking that as his cue, Nova began recounting everything. He moved quickly through the less critical details, focusing on the moments that brought him to the current state of things.

His voice filled the room, steady and clear, while Cassidy took the role of a silent listener. She didn't interrupt, didn't flinch—just listened.

Nova wasn't trying to scare her off. He would have done the same for any of his friends. But, since she wanted to join him, she deserved the full picture before deciding to step onto a battlefield she might not walk away from.

Hours passed before his story reached its end.

"…And that's why you needed to know everything before making a decision," Nova said at last, his voice quieter now. "So—did any of this change your mind?"

His gaze locked onto hers, searching for any crack in her calm, trying to tell if her courage was genuine—or just a mask she wore well.

What Nova didn't expect was for Cassidy to snort.

"Isn't it just war?" she said, almost dismissively. "I only spent a month inside the portal, but I had to fight for my life the entire time. And even if I skip this war, it's not like I'll get to avoid fighting later on."

A confident smile curved her lips as she added, "So… let's go through this fake trial period before I officially join, okay?"

Nova let out an exaggerated sigh and threw his hands up in mock defeat. "Okay, okay—I got it."

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

His theatrics made Cassidy laugh, a light sound that briefly softened the weight of their conversation.

Recovering from the moment, Nova straightened and said, "Since you're so eager to join, come with me." He stood up, motioning for her to follow.

"Where are we going?" Cassidy asked, puzzled, but she rose from her chair nonetheless.

"You should get a feel for the place—and meet some of the key people," Nova replied. "Right now, only Alaric is around from the seven Generals."

He reached into his pocket, pulled out the Distance Token, and whispered a few quick words into it before tucking it away again.

Turning to Cassidy, Nova said, "He's on his way. He'll introduce you to the commanders and captains and give you a proper tour of the place."

Cassidy frowned slightly. "Why him? Can't you do that yourself?"

Nova met her gaze and gave a casual shrug. "I'm not exactly great at that kind of thing."

Reaching into his Inventory, he pulled out another Distance Token and tossed it lightly in her direction. Cassidy caught it without effort.

"It already has my contact saved," Nova said. "Once you're done looking around, call me. We'll catch up."

With that, he gave her a short wave, turned on his heel, and walked off, leaving Cassidy standing there.

The faint frown on her face had already disappeared the moment he handed her the token. She looked down at it, a smile creeping across her lips. Her fingers curled gently around it.

"He says 'come' and then leaves me to wait for his general," she murmured, amused. "What a guy. He probably went to train somewhere."

While Cassidy was still lost in thought, Alaric approached, cleared his throat, and said, "Hey. Boss asked me to show you around. Where do you want to start?"

Snapping out of her daze, Cassidy turned to him. "I heard he captured three people from that same organization. Are they still here?"

Alaric blinked, momentarily surprised by the question. "Yeah… they're still here. You want to see them?"

"Yes. Please take me to them," Cassidy said with a firm nod.

Alaric returned the nod. "Alright. Follow me."

As he turned and began walking toward the basement, he muttered under his breath—so quietly only he could hear it—"Boss's friends are all weird."

///////////

While Cassidy descended into the basement with Alaric, Nova stood alone on the rooftop, the wind tugging at his clothes. In front of him stood two commanders, weapons drawn—Garrik and Neve. Nova had called them specifically to help him level up his sword skills.

"Are you two ready?" he asked, casually spinning the blade in his hand with a flick of his wrist.

Both commanders nodded in silent confirmation.

"As I said earlier," Nova continued, lowering into a stance, "I'll only block and parry. I won't attack so forget about defense and come at me with everything you've got."

The moment the words left his mouth, Garrik and Neve launched forward, closing the distance in a heartbeat.

What followed was a storm of movement. Blades clashed in a rapid-fire rhythm, the metallic clangs ringing out across the rooftop like drumbeats of war. Sparks danced in the air with every collision.

The sound was so loud and constant that the captains on the far end of the building looked up from their windows, drawn by the commotion. But all they could make out were flickering afterimages—blurs of motion too fast for the untrained eye to follow.

"Someone's fighting up there."

"Can anyone tell who it is?"

"I can't, but it's either General Alaric or the Boss. No captain I know can train like that."

While the captains murmured among themselves, speculating about the intense clash above, Nova's mind was flooded with the sound of notifications.

[Sword Block proficiency increased]

[Sword Parry proficiency increased]

[Sword Block proficiency increased]

[Sword Parry proficiency increased]

An excited smile tugged at Nova's lips as he thought, 'If only I could train everything this fast.'

The rapid progress was addictive—especially when he compared it to the grueling repetition he had endured with the spear. Millions of strikes, each one painstakingly carved into muscle memory, just to master a single skill and he had millions more to go.

This, by comparison, felt like flying.

Barely five minutes had passed when a notification, louder and sharper than the rest, echoed through his mind.

[Skill Sword Parry (4) (8,000/8,000) → Sword Parry (5) (0/16,000)]

[Title Sword Novice has been acquired]

Title: Sword Novice (Doubles proficiency gain for sword skills. Grants +5% to all stats when wielding a sword.)

But Nova didn't stop.

Minutes blurred into hours, and before long, he'd been training for six straight hours.

Across from him, Garrik and Neve were doubled over, hands on their knees, their weapons laying on the floor next to them. Both were drenched in sweat, gasping for air like they'd just survived a life and death fight. Meanwhile, Nova stood calmly, his breathing steady as he focused inward, scanning his Status.

'Sword Block and Parry are already at level 14… just one more and I'll hit the Sword Intermediate threshold,. I haven't become One with the Sword but it's not a problem. I can focus on that later and easily reach One with the World (Sword).' he thought, eyes gleaming with determination. 'The rest of the sword skills, I can level up on my own.'

Glancing at the exhausted commanders, he asked, "How long do you need to rest?"

"B… Boss… five min… utes," Neve said between breaths—the only one still able to speak. Garrik looked moments away from collapsing, his legs trembling, held up only by sheer will.

"I've met everyone and seen the whole place. Let's catch up now!"

The sudden voice broke the moment, and Nova turned as Alaric and Cassidy stepped onto the rooftop together.

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