Three days after leveling up, Duncan's injuries were mostly healed, and he could begin a range of adaptation training.
Thanks to his solid foundation, becoming a Level 2 adventurer didn't cause any discomfort. If anything, his already nimble body felt even faster and smoother. Because he was still young—well before the major growth spurt—his short stature did put him at a disadvantage in raw strength, but it gave him a meaningful edge in evasion.
Chardo once mentioned that Finn in Orario—being a prum—naturally lacked the brute force of other races, yet he turned that weakness into an advantage through agile footwork and compact movement, becoming one of Orario's top first-class adventurers.
Duncan wasn't a prum, but he could still exploit the same principle.
And the method was simple: get hit enough times and you learn how to dodge efficiently.
With his Dexterity development ability, Duncan's control and application of his body had become unusually refined.
Right after Duncan leveled up, the Shop interface—which had been dark and unavailable—finally opened.
From the menu layout, it was divided into four categories:
Weapons
Items
Skills
Magic
There was also a countdown timer in the top-right corner, and everything looked impressive—almost too impressive.
But then Duncan saw the price tags.
Eight or nine zeros, casually.
He immediately switched away. Not worth looking.
The rest of the inventory followed the same "expensive by design" rule—and it didn't even sell cheap junk. A basic healing potion started at hundreds of thousands of valis, a "panacea" was five hundred thousand, and the shop even "helpfully" offered a place to exchange magic stones and materials.
Whether the exchange rate was robbery or not didn't matter. Duncan had no other channel.
One consumable would wipe out his entire savings and leave him in debt. He was forced to accept a humiliating truth:
He was broke.
In the end, Duncan still emptied his wallet to buy a Spear Technique package.
Maybe it was divine malice, but the price was almost exactly equal to all his money. The effect was brutally plain: instant comprehension of basic spear technique—enough to use a spear properly. Anything beyond that depended on the user's own practice.
His duel with the Magic Wolf King had made his strengths and weaknesses painfully clear.
Against opponents whose attacks he couldn't withstand, defensive gear like shields was meaningless. A short sword's range was too short, and paired with his small body it made it harder to reach vital points.
The best solution was obvious:
Use his agility + a long-reach weapon.
That made the spear the natural choice.
The others didn't object. Their earlier caution had only been because Duncan was a complete beginner, and they wanted him alive. Now, as a Level 2, he already surpassed most adventurers—since more than half of people spent their entire lives stuck at Level 1.
Last month, the "Sword Princess" had taken a full year to reach Level 2.
Duncan did it in two months.
If he were in Orario, people would be breaking their skulls trying to learn how.
"Two thousand!"
After his final thrust, Duncan pulled back the long staff he was using and wiped the sweat off his forehead. Zeus—"the war god"—had laid out a full basic training regimen to ensure Duncan's spear skills improved. The old man might act unreliable most of the time, but when it came to martial training, he was the real thing.
At least he gave Duncan a clear path.
The only problem was the lack of a proper weapon, so Duncan had been using a staff as a substitute.
He was about to move to the next stage when a heavy impact sound rang out—followed by a scream.
Bell flew through the air in a perfect arc like a human projectile, then hit the ground like a rag doll.
It was the third time Duncan had seen that happen today.
The sheer brutality made Duncan's stomach clench. He'd gone through the same hell. And once he recovered completely, he'd have to go right back into it—except now that he'd leveled up, Alfia and Chardo could hit him even harder, and enjoy it more.
A bleak thought, that.
Alfia seemed to have forgotten that Bell was only seven. In her words, "back in our time, seven-year-olds were already going into the Dungeon," so this amount of pain didn't count as anything.
Duncan had half a mind to argue that Dungeon monsters weren't as terrifying as Alfia—
—but for the sake of survival, he buried that thought deep where it could never harm him.
Living was good. No need to volunteer for death.
He'd comfort Bell tonight.
The sound of wagon wheels interrupted them.
Chardo and Zeus returned in a carriage after going to exchange for supplies. As they drew closer, it was obvious Zeus's expression was… bad.
"What happened?" Duncan asked carefully, stepping forward to help unload.
Chardo shook his head. "Old man didn't say. Said he'll talk later. For now, help move things—and your weapon's finished."
He pulled out a wrapped spear and tossed it to Duncan.
Duncan caught it but didn't unwrap it immediately. Carrying both the spear and his training staff in one hand and supplies in the other, he moved quickly to the porch, set things down, and went back to unload more.
This time, besides daily necessities, they'd stocked up on a lot of medicine. Duncan and Bell's "training" had burned through Zeus's reserves in no time. Since they were in a remote area, Zeus bought plenty of healing potions and herbs—but most were basic-grade.
Not everywhere was like Orario, overflowing with gear and items. Even the best alchemist couldn't brew high-grade medicine without materials and money.
As Alfia walked toward the cabin, Duncan ran to the grass and helped Bell up. The kid's face was dirty and bruised, marked with obvious hits and blood.
"Bell, you okay?"
"It hurts," Bell said, "but I think I'm getting used to it. And every time I pretend I can't get up, Mama Alfia lets me rest."
He grinned mischievously and shared his "getting beaten survival manual," clearly hoping Duncan could benefit too. Fellow sufferers.
Duncan gave him a look of genuine pity.
"I appreciate it, but your 'playing dead' only works because Alfia's going easy on you. It won't work on me." He paused. "Also… you do realize a Level 7 has insane hearing, right?"
"…So she already heard everything you just said."
Bell froze.
"Huh?!"
He nervously looked toward Alfia by the cabin.
As if sensing the gaze, Alfia turned her head. Her heterochromatic eyes—one green, one gray—looked at Bell with a faint, almost amused smile. Then she turned away and walked toward Zeus.
Bell's face turned pale.
"It's over! Mama Alfia knows! What do I do?!"
Duncan offered his most sincere advice.
"…Figure out a comfortable 'collapse pose.'"
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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