[COMBAT INITIATED: KAEL & ZIK vs WOLVES ×6]

  The alpha lunged, jaws wide, fangs glistening. Kael parried with his short sword and stepped back.

  

[STANCE LOST]

  Shit. He quickly repositioned himself. Feet. Torso. Weapons.

  

[STANCE RESTORED: -15% MP COSTS]

  Two wolves attacked simultaneously from the flanks. Kael pivoted, parried the first, and dodged the second.

  

[STANCE LOST]

  Again.

  — Kael, you’re losing your Stance with every move. Maintain it!

  — I’m trying, damn it!

  He repositioned. But a third wolf leaped, forcing him to retreat abruptly.

  

[STANCE LOST]

  — It’s impossible, Kael gasped. I can't hold it while moving!

  — Yes, you can. Stop fighting like a static amateur.

  Zik took advantage of the wolves' distraction to sink his knife into the flank of one of them.

  

[SNEAK ATTACK: 16 HP]

  [WOLF #3: 34/50 HP]

  The wolf howled, turning toward Zik.

  — Hey, don't forget about me! Zik shouted, dodging.

  The alpha growled, coordinating his pack with a guttural bark. Three wolves on Kael. Three on Zik.

  — We’re separated! Zik yelled.

  — I know!

  Kael parried, dodged, retreated. But every movement broke his Stance. He reformed it, lost it, reformed it.

  

[CLOSE THRUST]

  [8 MP → 7 MP (STANCE)]

  [-20 HP]

  [WOLF #1: 30/50 HP]

  [PM: 58/65]

  Good. But too expensive in mana. Even with the Stance, he couldn't last long. A wolf slammed into his side, its fangs closing on his left arm.

  

[22 DAMAGE HP]

  [KAEL HP: 108/160]

  — DAMN IT!

  He struck with his short sword, pushing the wolf back.

  — You’re too static. You’re rooting yourself to the spot like a tree.

  — Then how do I do it?!

  — Remember. Valdris told you. During the knowledge transfer.

  Kael searched his recent memory. The images of the transfer. The movements. The words. And suddenly, he heard Valdris's voice, like an echo:

  Glide. Not anchor. Not dance. Glide.

  Kael took a deep breath. Resumed his Stance. This time, when the wolf attacked, he didn't pivot sharply. He glided. A fluid, lateral step. The Stance held.

  

[STANCE MAINTAINED]

  — Fuck... it works...

  He glided again, parrying and counter-attacking.

  

[CLOSE THRUST: 7 MP]

  [CRITICAL: 32 HP]

  [WOLF #1: DEAD]

  The wolf collapsed, throat punctured.

  — ONE DOWN! shouted Zik, who was fighting his three wolves with agility.

  Five wolves remaining. The alpha roared, furious.

  — You learn fast, human. But not fast enough.

  He leaped, faster than the others. Much faster.

  

[ALPHA - LEVEL 5 - HP: 65/65]

  Kael glided, parried. The force of the impact sent him back two meters.

  

[STANCE MAINTAINED WITH DIFFICULTY]

  The alpha followed up immediately. Bite. Claw. Charge. Kael glided, parried, dodged. The Stance held, but barely.

  

[LONG THRUST: 10 MP]

  [-28 HP]

  [ALPHA: 37/65 HP]

  — . Two other wolves converged on Kael while Zik was occupied. Three against one.

  Kael glided frantically, parrying and dodging. But his MP was dropping fast.

  [PM: 41/65]

  A wolf bit his calf.

  

[-18 HP]

  [HP: 90/160]

  Another clawed his flank.

  

[15 HP]

  [HP: 75/160]

  — KAEL! Zik screamed. You’re getting slaughtered!

  — What?

  —

  — But... people might see...

  —

  Kael hesitated for a second. Then he drew his dull quicksilver rapier, letting his short sword fall. The change was immediate. The blade was so light. So perfectly balanced. Like a natural extension of his arm. He resumed his Stance.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  And everything became... different.

  Time seemed to slow down slightly. The wolves' movements became more predictable. The blur intensified around them. The alpha leaped. Kael glided. Not like before. More fluid. Faster.

  

[CLOSE THRUST: 7 MP]

  The rapier sliced through the air. And it sang.

  A crystalline sound. Pure. Like vibrating glass. Mixed with something darker, a muffled, melancholy wail. The blade left a silver trail in the air, a luminous line that persisted for half a second. And it guided itself. Almost on its own. Toward the alpha's heart.

  Kael felt resistance. Then nothing. The blade pierced through ribs and heart, emerging on the other side.

  

[CLOSE THRUST - PERFECT CRITICAL: 58 HP]

  [ALPHA: INSTANT DEATH]

  Time froze for a suspended moment. The alpha fell in slow motion, eyes already glassy. Kael followed through. Glided toward the second wolf. The rapier sang again. Crystalline whistle. Muffled wail.

  

[LONG THRUST: 10 MP]

  Silver trail. Automatic guidance. Heart puncture.

  

[WOLF #2: DEAD]

  Glide. Third wolf. Song of the blade. Silver trail.

  

[CLOSE THRUST: 7 MP]

  [WOLF #4: DEAD]

  Fourth wolf. Fifth. Sixth. Six fluid movements. Six crystalline songs. Six silver trails crisscrossing in the air like a luminous spiderweb. Then silence.

  The six wolves lay on the ground, dead, each pierced through the heart with surgical precision. Kael stood up, panting. The rapier was silent again. Dull. But it seemed to vibrate slightly in his hand.

  — Holy shit, Zik whispered, eyes wide. What was that?

  — I... I don't know.

  — You moved like... like a silver serpent. I've never seen anything like it. NEVER. And that sound... that blade was singing.

  — You heard it too?

  — Everyone within a hundred meters heard it. It was... beautiful and terrifying at the same time.

  

[COMBAT ENDED]

  [+400 XP]

  [KAEL XP: 900/600]

  [LEVEL 6 REACHED!]

  

[MAX HP: 10 + (6 × 25) = 160 HP]

  [FULL RECOVERY: EVEN LEVEL - NO FULL HEAL]

  [CURRENT HP: 75/160]

  [MAX MP: 10 + (9 × 6) + 10 = 124 MP]

  [CURRENT MP: 21/124]

  [SKILL POINT: +1]

  Kael sat heavily against a tree, exhausted.

  — Level 6...

  — Set your point, Zik said.

  — Endurance.

  

[ENDURANCE: 25 + 1 = 26]

  [RECALCULATED MAX HP: 10 + (6 × 26) = 166 HP]

  [CURRENT HP: 75/166]

  —

  The narrator's tone was different. More serious. Graver.

  — Yeah?

  —

  — You’re being weird, Narrator. You okay?

  —

  — What?

  —

  Kael and Zik exchanged a surprised look.

  — Why the change in tone? Zik asked.

  —

  — What do you mean?

  —

  Kael nodded slowly.

  — You look... worried.

  —

  Kael and Zik looked at each other again. Then they nodded together.

  — Agreed, Kael said. We’ll work. Seriously.

  — Yeah, Zik approved. No more fooling around. Well... less fooling around. A little bit of fooling around, though.

  —

  — Understood.

  — But why the urgency? Zik insisted. What’s pushing you like this?

  —

  — Ok, Narrator. We trust you.

  Kael stood up, sheathing his rapier in the new, sober black scabbard.

  — Alright. We collect the wolf pelts. We head back to Hill-Furt. Hand in the quest. And then?

  —

  — Bear Rank?! Zik exclaimed. We’re Wolf Rank!

  — You’ve gone crazy, Narrator.

  —

  They harvested the six wolf pelts, tying them into bundles.

  

[WOLF PELTS ×6 OBTAINED]

  Then they began the trek back to Hill-Furt. On the way, Kael practiced the Stance while walking. Over and over.

  

[STANCE: +2 HOURS]

  [11/200 HOURS]

  Zik watched him, correcting him.

  — Front foot is turning.

  — Damn it.

  — Torso leaning too much.

  — I know.

  But he was progressing. Slowly. Surely. When they arrived at Hill-Furt, the sun was setting.

  They went straight to the Guild. Quest validation counter.

  — Wolf quest, Kael said, laying down the six pelts. Completed.

  The clerk examined the pelts, noting them in her ledger.

  — Quest validated. Six level 4-5 wolves. Excellent work. Here is your reward.

  

[50 COPPERS RECEIVED]

  [MONEY: 8 → 58 COPPERS]

  — Can we sell the pelts here?

  — To the tanner, two streets to the left. He’ll give you 5 coppers per quality pelt.

  They went to the tanner's. Sold the six pelts.

  

[30 ADDITIONAL COPPERS]

  [MONEY: 58 → 88 COPPERS]

  — We have 88 coppers, Kael calculated. We owe 10 to Kassios, 135 to Valdris. That’s 145. We need 57 more coppers.

  — Or we pay back partially, Zik suggested.

  — No. Keep the money. Take another quest tomorrow. A more lucrative one.

  — Which quest?

  — We’ll see tomorrow. For now, training. At Valdris's.

  They went up to the third floor. Knocked on Valdris's door.

  — Come in.

  Valdris was sitting at his desk, reading an old grimoire.

  — Ah, Kael. Back already? Good. Show me your progress.

  Kael assumed the Stance. Held it. Glided. Parried imaginary blows. Valdris watched in silence for two minutes. Then he nodded slowly.

  — Better. Much better than this morning. You practiced on the way?

  — Yes, Master.

  — Good. Continue. The private room is free. Train until your body refuses to move. Then train for another hour.

  — Yes, Master.

  — And Kael?

  — Yes?

  — That rapier... it sang today, didn't it?

  Kael froze.

  — How...

  — I see it in your eyes. In your posture. You felt its true nature. That is good. Very good. But do not rely on it. It amplifies your talent; it does not replace it. Understood?

  — Understood.

  — Now go. Train.

  Kael and Zik spent six hours in the private room. Stance. Gliding. Weapon passes. Thrusts. Parries. With the heavy sword. Always the heavy sword. Except for the last half hour, with the rapier. And then, everything became easy. Fluid. Perfect.

  

[STANCE: +6 HOURS]

  [17/200 HOURS]

  At midnight, they collapsed, exhausted.

  — We sleep, Kael said.

  — Good idea.

  They went up to the dormitory. Hard beds, but welcoming. And slept soundly.

  

[DAY 4/7 COMPLETED]

  [KAEL: LEVEL 6 - WOLF RANK]

  [ACCELERATED PROGRESSION]

  [NARRATOR POINTS: 297/600]