"…Unbroken Guard?"
Arin frowned at the panel hovering in front of him.
"Wasn't it supposed to be Guardian's Stance?" he muttered, half to himself.
Victor leaned closer, arms crossed, eyes narrowing. "Hm. That is odd."
Raul tilted his head, thinking. "Maybe it's not an error," he said slowly. "Skills don't always advance the same way for everyone. We already know they advance once you exceed the limit of mastery. Maybe Arin's system forcefully pushes us past that limit, feeds our body and mind the entire mastery at once, and then the skill evolves naturally, based on the person."
He paused, then added with a dry smile, "That's just my theory. Mostly based on how much pain I've been through."
"That… actually makes sense," Victor said after a moment. "Different bodies, different fighting styles. So the end result wouldn't be identical."
Mina nodded. "Yeah. That explains why mine would be different."
Arin went quiet, piecing it together.
"So my Talent doesn't just upgrade skills," he said slowly. "It forcefully trains them to their limit using Lord Coins, coins we earn by killing monsters, and then lets them evolve into their natural higher form."
His gaze returned to Mina's panel.
"That would explain why you got Unbroken Guard instead of Guardian's Stance."
He exhaled. "Alright. If that's the case, then it's not a problem."
Arin looked at her. "We can continue, right? Mina?"
"Of course," she said immediately. "Who'd say no to an upgrade?"
Arin nodded and tapped the screen.
Command confirmed. Error. Subordinate Mina is not in her top physical condition. Cannot proceed with upgrade.
"…What?"
Arin stared at the message. "The upgrade failed. It says you're not in your top physical condition."
Mina blinked. "But why? The last upgrade worked."
Victor answered before Arin could. "The first upgrade, from Basic to Advanced, is usually painless. But starting from the second stage, the body takes strain. A lot of it."
He glanced at Mina's arm. "Your fracture probably triggered the cancellation."
"That's likely it," Arin said. "I'll upgrade you once you're fully healed."
Mina didn't argue.
She just looked… dejected. Like a pup who was told it couldn't play outside.
Still, she nodded. "Fine. I'll heal fast."
The days that followed passed in quiet routine.
Training.
Sparring.
Rest.
Victor spent most of his time in the smithy now, hammer ringing from dawn to dusk. Raul trained relentlessly, and the change in him was frightening. With Flowstep refined and Dagger Arts ingrained into his body, he wasn't just faster, he was sharper, more deliberate. A predator that knew exactly where and how to cut.
Mina, even with one arm still recovering, grew absurdly strong. Her Spear Form had stabilized, her movements cleaner, more decisive. Arin couldn't help but imagine what she'd be like once Unbroken Guard fully manifested.
Victor didn't need imagination.
With Guardian's Stance and Blackforge Technique, he was a wall, immovable, crushing anything foolish enough to test him with his Warhammer in hand.
After ten full days of proper rest and real meals, Mina finally healed.
That same day, Arin upgraded her.
Command confirmed. Skill has been upgraded. 200 Lord Coins consumed.
___________________________
Upgrade Panel (Mina)
1. Upgrade Rank to Captain — 1000 Lord Coins
2. Upgrade Skill: Spear Form > Spear Intent— 1000 Lord Coins
3. Upgrade Skill: Unbroken Guard > Shifting Aegis — 1000 Lord Coins
___________________________
The pain hit instantly.
Mina clenched her teeth, refusing to make a sound as the sensation tore through her body, like her muscles and bones were being reforged from the inside. It lasted seconds, but they were long seconds.
When it ended, she exhaled sharply.
She picked up her spear.
Then her shield.
Both felt… right. Balanced and Natural.
"Raul," she said, eyes bright. "Spar with me."
He grinned. "Gladly."
The moment it started, Raul lunged and vanished.
Flowstep carried him behind her in a blink, dagger already striking.
Clang.
Mina's shield snapped into place instinctively, the angle shifting mid-motion. She blocked, then countered, spear thrusting in rapid succession. Raul twisted away, blades deflecting steel as they exchanged blows again and again.
They were evenly matched.
Raul was laughing now, clearly enjoying himself. This was nothing like sparring Victor, whose defense he couldn't breach, but who could never catch him either.
Mina was different.
She was fast. Sharp and relentless.
Her spear was lethal, her shield never static, always shifting, never offering a clear opening. Raul slipped away again, but not before a spearhead grazed his sleeve.
Arin watched in silence.
Did I just create two monsters?
That evening, they gathered together as usual. Victor talked endlessly about the villagers and their commissions, about tools and weapons and absurd requests.
Eventually, Arin spoke up.
"All possible upgrades below a thousand coins are done," he said. "What's left costs too much. Not feasible right now."
"So… from here on, it's on us. Train harder, fight more." He paused. "Coins'll come either way. And when they do, we're better off making one of us Captain Rank than dumping everything into one skill."
Raul frowned. "Learning new skills isn't that simple. Nobles have manuals. For normal people, it's trial and error. Most never succeed."
Victor nodded. "Yeah. New skills don't come easy. Stuff like basic weapon mastery, you just repeat it until it sticks." He glanced at Arin. "Honestly, we've been stupidly lucky so far. Especially you, Arin. Timed Step is no joke. I still don't get how he pulled that off."
Arin blinked. "Is it that good?"
"It is," Victor said plainly.
Arin fell silent, then asked, "So… what's our way forward?"
The night stretched on as they thought.