As he walked, Luke reviewed the two skills Angie had gained. At level three of her class, she had received a skill that felt familiar, one Charlie already possessed.

  [Battle Roar (Uncommon)]: Let out a powerful shout that temporarily boosts physical strength, amplifying melee attack damage and enhancing actions that require brute force.

  At level one of her race, she had unlocked another skill he recognized immediately.

  [Demonic Servant Perception (Uncommon)]: Your senses have been enhanced by demonic influence, allowing you to detect subtle movements, hidden presences, and environmental shifts. Ambushes become less effective, and you may react to threats before they strike. At higher levels, your perception expands even further, capable of identifying magical disturbances and invisible entities with precision.

  Charlie had unlocked the same skill at level one. Something shaped by her bond with Luke.

  ***

  “Looking for something I do not even understand inside that dimensional rift is like searching for a needle in a haystack. At least in that example, you know you are supposed to be looking for a needle,” Luke said.

  “I can help you search for whatever you need,” Angie replied.

  They were talking about Azazel’s task.

  “As much as I would love to finish this as fast as possible, this is something I need to do myself. That guy loves riddles and games. I am not going to cheat.”

  Luke thought back on the few times he had interacted with Azazel, directly or otherwise. In the temple dungeon, he had been forced into a deadly game of chess wrapped in riddles. When Samael appeared, Luke had been made to choose the correct profession from hundreds of options. The demon had always seemed to enjoy elaborate puzzles. This task was no different. Find something without having the faintest idea what that something even was.

  After walking for a while, they stopped in front of a tree.

  “I am activating the skill now, Master Luke,” Charlie said.

  [Blood Core: 43/100]

  [Vampiric Leap activated]

  [-5 Blood Energy]

  [Blood Core: 38/100]

  Suddenly, Charlie leapt into the air. It was absurdly high. Higher than the Pugilist’s Leap. Beside her, Angie beat her wings to keep up, but Charlie shot past her in an instant. In terms of speed, the leap was frighteningly fast. It was better to test the vampiric skills now, while they still had time to recover Blood Core, before reaching the city.

  Charlie kept ascending, now bounding from branch to branch on her own. Angie continued flapping after her until both disappeared into the canopy. After a while, they reemerged.

  Charlie was high above the ground. She jumped.

  [Vampiric Softfall I activated]

  [-5 Blood Energy]

  [Blood Core: 33/100]

  She plummeted at high speed, but the moment the skill activated, her descent slowed sharply. She drifted down like a feather, almost giving the impression she was flying. She reached the ground and landed without any trouble.

  Angie descended right after her, touching down smoothly.

  “I can see the edge of the forest,” Angie said. “That means we are getting close to the city.”

  From what they knew, the city lay just beyond the forest.

  “If we had a wagon I could drive, Lord Luke. I don’t sleep. We’d be moving nonstop.”

  “I thought about it,” Luke replied, “but teaching all three of us to drive would take too long. Besides, I’m faster than a horse. And a horse definitely can’t leap between trees or jump off cliffs to cut corners.”

  “The lizards we saw in Camlann are faster than horses,” Charlie said.

  “If learning to handle a horse already takes time, I don’t even want to imagine how long it would take with lizard-horses.”

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Charlie glanced at the system screen hovering before her.

  “Should I test Vampiric Strength, Master Luke?”

  “Better not. We’ve already burned through too much Blood Energy.”

  That kind of thing was best saved for a real emergency, preferably in the middle of a fight.

  “All the jumping and fall-related powers are temporary,” she said thoughtfully. “I’m guessing the Strength one is too.”

  They kept moving along the path while Luke downed a potion, restoring a thousand HP in one go.

  ***

  Luke let Angie handle the weaker creatures. He already had an absurd amount of attribute points. She didn’t. With Charlie’s help, they tracked down more targets until they came across wolves with unusually dark fur.

  One lunged at Luke. He drove his kukri into it, the blade pulsing with the power of [Curse], then hurled the creature upward.

  Angie struck the wolf midair with her spear. As it crashed down, it slammed into the others. They tried to swarm her, but she was faster. When one of them turned to flee, she tightened her grip and threw the spear without hesitation. This time she knew exactly how to throw it to kill.

  The spear pierced the wolf. It let out one last whine before collapsing, dead.

  **The [Valkyrie] class of Angie has reached Level 5! (+5 Strength, +4 Endurance, +3 Vitality, +3 Toughness, +2 Wisdom, +2 Free Points)**

  [Angie has unlocked a new Class Skill]

  Luke’s attention snapped to a series of markings carved into nearby trees. He focused, activating [Assassin’s Tracking]. The signs sharpened instantly, glowing with faint mana particles. Footprints emerged where there had been nothing before, and he crouched to inspect them.

  “A very large paw print,” he murmured. “Something like this is close. These tracks are fresh.”

  The deep gouges in the tree trunks told him everything he needed to know. Whatever made them had claimed this area as its territory.

  “This is going to be a good hunt,” he muttered to himself.

  “Lord Luke, five skill options just appeared,” Angie said, pointing at her system screen. “I’ll have to choose one.”

  ***

  Charlie sat on a stone at the edge of a river, legs tucked in as she washed clothes. Hers and Luke’s. She had already scrubbed them clean in the flowing water. Charlie genuinely enjoyed household chores. She left the clothes soaking in a basin with soap, planning to finish rinsing them later.

  Still seated on the rock, she opened a book. One of many she had bought before the journey. This one was about cutting hair.

  Luke had mentioned it was time for a haircut, and Charlie wanted to do it. She wanted to cut his hair herself. She pictured him sitting quietly in a chair, not wandering off to hunt herbs or charging monsters on his own. Just sitting still in a corner while she took care of him, trimming his hair and talking to him.

  She wanted to be pampered, yes. But she wanted to pamper him too. That was why she was reading the book.

  I don’t think there’s any way to learn how to cut hair just by reading. I wish I had asked Anne to teach me back during the tutorial.

  Charlie looked down at her hand. On her finger rested the ring Luke had given her a long time ago, back when that moment still lived closer to the present than the past. She knew he did not see that ring the way she did. Even so, she had made it her own quiet mission to change that.

  ***

  They had set up camp in the forest hours earlier. Angie had spent some time resting within Luke’s soul, replenishing her stamina and allowing her injuries to heal. What surprised him was how naturally refined her control over stamina already was. She could channel it through her body with ease, reinforcing her movements without any conscious effort.

  If Angie used stamina to fly, then using it to run faster or strike harder felt like a natural extension of that skill. It was something intrinsic to her race.

  As they continued following the trail, Angie focused on her system interface, studying the skill options available at class level five.

  [Wild Punch (Common)]: The Valkyrie channels her strength into a direct, instinctive blow. The punch lands solidly, carrying greater impact.

  [Weak Intimidating Shout (Uncommon)]: The Valkyrie releases a loud, threatening cry born from sheer presence and ferocity. The sound has a small chance to briefly shake the confidence of nearby enemies, creating short openings in combat.

  [Brutal Headbutt (Common)]: The Valkyrie uses her body as a weapon, delivering a forceful headbutt. Though simple, the strike can momentarily disorient the target and create space for a follow-up attack.

  [Battle Instinct (Uncommon)]: The Valkyrie learns to trust her senses in battle. Subtle movements, changes in breathing, and shifts in posture become easier to perceive. This instinctive awareness allows her to react more efficiently and anticipate simple attacks, sharpening her combat judgment.

  [Hardened Skin (Uncommon)]: The Valkyrie’s natural resilience intensifies for a short time. Her skin grows firmer, partially reducing the impact of physical attacks while the effect lasts.

  Angie had not spent a single one of the free points she had earned. Luke was starting to suspect it was intentional. She wanted him to be the one to decide.

  “What should I do?” Angie asked.

  “Take off your clothes,” Artemis replied instantly. “Hey, Luke. No need to squeeze the necklace. It was just a… joke.”

  “What do you mean, Angie?” Luke asked, even though he already knew the answer.

  “I would like your help choosing,” she said softly. “Your opinion is very important to me, my lord.”

  “Well, Angie, that depends on your fighting style and what you’re aiming for.”

  “Hm… just a bit of advice, my lord. Hearing what you think would make me happy.”

  “See, Luke,” Artemis chimed in again. “Enjoy the angel. Help her, guide her… and ask her to show us those lovely armpits.”

  Armpits?

  Luke decided not to ask Artemis about that. It felt like the kind of question that led to discovering some deeply cursed fetish he would regret learning about later.

  “What about armpits?” Angie asked, genuinely confused.

  “Nothing,” Luke said quickly. “Just ignore her.”

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