It took them five grueling hours to reach another of Victor’s properties, situated on the southern edge of Univara. Cassidy, Rachel, Thomas, Samuel, and Amelia were panting and drenched in sweat, struggling to catch their breath. In contrast, Nova, Jack, and Victor showed no signs of fatigue, having spent most of the journey waiting for the others to catch up.
Nova stood in front of the mansion, his sharp eyes scanning the towering wooden structure. The design had an old-world charm, but it clearly cost as much as any high-end estate. He raised an eyebrow. “This is the place you said was ‘spacious enough’ for us?”
Victor coughed into his hand. “Yes. Is it… too small?”
Nova’s eyelid twitched, but he refused to dignify the humble bragger with a response.
Jack, standing nearby, kept quiet, not wanting to throw himself into a verbal duel with someone so shameless.
Victor’s smile widened at their reactions. “Pick any room you like. There’s a gym inside, too. I’ll be back after I round up the staff I had to send away.” Without another word, he sped off toward the eastern edge of Univara.
Nova was the first to step inside, followed closely by Jack. The others remained outside, still trying to catch their breath.
“Are you going to start training now?” Jack asked.
Nova shook his head. “I’m going to pick a room and stay there for a while. Keep track of the group’s training for me.”
Without waiting for a reply, he disappeared into the first room he found and shut the door. Through the thick wood, he heard Jack sigh.
The room was as spacious as Nova’s old apartment—plenty of room to move. His pulse quickened with excitement as he retrieved the worn Spear Basics booklet. Flipping to the first page, he devoured its contents.
“In short” Nova muttered, “I need to become one with the spear. Use it as an extension of my body, like a limb. And to do that, I have to train until I catch that feeling.”
His eyes landed on a line scrawled near the bottom of the page: Reaching this stage within five years marks you as a genius. Ten years, you’re average. After ten? Don’t even bother trying.
“What a funny author” Nova muttered with a faint smirk as he stood up. He retrieved his spear from the Inventory, its polished shaft glinting under the soft light of the room.
He took a deep breath, then another, each exhale slowing his pulse. He then thrusted the spear forward with a fluid, practiced motion.
[Spear Thrust proficiency increased]
The notification flashed briefly in his mind, but he ignored it. His mind was already drifting, immersed in the rhythm of his movements. He thrust again, and again, his every action measured and deliberate. Each movement sought something beyond mere form—a connection, a harmony.
Minutes melted into hours. Nova lost all sense of time as sweat soaked his clothes and his breathing grew ragged. At last, after training through the night, he stopped, panting softly.
“I’m doing this wrong” he admitted aloud, frustration and clarity mingling in his voice. “I will carry the spear around with me from now on.”
Resolved, he stood and didn’t return the spear to the Inventory. Instead, he carried it with him as he left the room.
He made his way through the quiet corridors, each step echoing softly against the wooden floors.
When he reached the backyard, he paused. The area was empty and bathed in golden sunlight. A gentle breeze stirred the grass, bringing with it the scent of nature and earth.
Nova didn’t start training right away. He simply stood there, letting the sunlight pour over him. The hum of nature—the rustling leaves, distant bird calls, the soft sigh of the wind—began to weave around him. Slowly, the tension in his body released. His mind, once crowded with stray thoughts, blurred and emptied as he closed his eyes.
And then, the world disappeared.
No sky. No earth. No time. No self. There was only the spear.
It pulsed with life, a steady rhythm that matched his own heartbeat. Nova could feel it—not just as a weapon but as an extension of his will. A bond had formed between them, unseen but unbreakable. Every fiber of his being felt aligned with its essence.
His breath slowed, his awareness sharpened. He gave himself fully to the spear, offering his mind, body, and spirit to the connection. In that moment, the spear was no longer an object. It was part of him.
Recalling the words from the booklet’s first page, Nova’s mind echoed a singular thought:
‘A spear isn’t bound by form. A spear isn’t a tool. It’s will given shape.’
His body moved on instinct. The spear glided through the air, tracing arcs so fluid they seemed to ripple across reality itself. The world around him faded until there was only the motion, the spear, and his will.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
He didn’t move the spear. The spear moved him.
Their movements were one, bound in a harmony that defied comprehension. Every thrust was guided not by conscious effort, but by an innate clarity—free from doubt, free from distraction.
Nova forgot the techniques he had drilled for weeks. They no longer mattered. He simply thrust forward, pouring his entire being into the motion.
The air split apart in the spear’s wake, its edge carving through the world’s very fabric. Each thrust seemed to pierce through the fundamental truths of existence itself.
‘To become one with the spear is to become one with the Universe. The spear doesn’t have emotions. It simply is.’
Nova’s eyes opened, and the world returned to him. Yet it wasn’t the same.
Every blade of grass shimmered with life, each leaf vibrating with a faint hum of existence. The drifting clouds above looked sharper, clearer. His senses were heightened, and his awareness expanded beyond anything he had known before.
Beside him, the spear hummed softly, as though it too had transcended the mundane.
A familiar notification tone shattered the stillness.
[Skill: One with the Spear has been learned.]
Nova opened the system’s details, his eyes scanning the text quickly. His breath caught in his throat.
Skill: One with the Spear
(You have surpassed basic mastery of the spear and begun the path to mortal limits and beyond. +100% All Stats when wielding the spear.)
Nova stood stunned, absorbing the weight of those words.
“This is how I’m supposed to train” he murmured, realization lighting up his gaze. “I finally confirmed it.”
His hand tightened on the spear’s shaft, the connection now undeniable.
‘Status.’
He couldn’t help but check his new Stats.
[Status]
Rank: 0
Name: Nova Grey
Species: Human
Affiliation: None
Level: 3 (100/500)
Class: None
Titles: Goblin Exterminator, Kings Slayer, Survivor, Spear Novice, Troll Exterminator
Stat Points: 126
Attributes:
Strength: 112 (+129)
Vigor: 85 (+98)
Dexterity: 135 (+158)
Speed: 95 (+117)
Intelligence: 51 (+54)
Wisdom: 95 (+100)
Will: 9
Luck: 10
Skills
Active: Spear Thrust (11) (359785/1024000), Spear Jab (10) (16015/512000), Spear Sweep (10) (4423/512000), Spear Lunge (10) (789/512000), Spear Overhead Strike (10) (757/512000)
Passive: Regeneration (8) (48359/64000), Keen Reflexes (2) (1874/2000), Momentum Streak (2) (82/2000), One with the Spear (MAX)
‘The double Stats from “One with the Spear” and the +5% from “Spear Novice” are making me so strong I have no idea what my current limits are…the skill is also already maxed.’
Nova tightened his grip on the spear, trying to gauge his newfound strength. Yet no clear measure presented itself.
‘I was too caught up in training to tell the others what I needed to. But it doesn’t matter—I proved I was right. That’s part of the information anyway.’
A faint smile tugged at his lips as he thought of the group. ‘Victor should be back by now.’
Carrying the spear, Nova made his way back through the mansion’s corridors. The sight of bustling maids, servants, and guards confirmed Victor’s return. Their quiet efficiency underscored the stability of the estate—a testament to Victor’s influence.
The faint sounds of swishing and labored panting soon caught Nova’s attention. Following the noise, he arrived at the gym.
It wasn’t much different from the one in the main estate. ‘He probably designed all of them the same. Perfect layout for training’, Nova thought as he surveyed the room.
Inside, the group trained with fierce determination. Each of them pushed their limits, striving to grow stronger in a world that demanded nothing less.
From the corner of her eye, Rachel caught sight of him. She straightened, brushing her hair back. “Look who’s back.”
Everyone turned toward the entrance, their eyes landing on Nova’s relaxed, smiling form.
“Yes, I’m back” Nova said, stepping into the room. “I was testing something, but now I’m ready to share some news.”
Thomas curiously asked “What kind of news?”
“The kind that’ll help you understand the portals—and how to get really strong” Nova replied with a mysterious smile.
He half-expected them to beg for more details. Instead, they just stared at him, waiting.
‘Sigh. Tough crowd.’
He relented. “I didn’t mention a few things earlier. Partly because of the gravity of the situation, and partly because I didn’t have an answer to a key question at the time.”
Jack’s curiosity was piqued. “What didn’t you tell us?”
Nova’s grin turned sly. “I never mentioned how the portals are designed—not to kill you, but to train you.”
That drew their full attention.
“And the most important thing…” Nova glanced at Jack and Victor. “You noticed the difficulty spiked during your Green portal run, right?”
Victor nodded, the memory still fresh. “Yes. It was much harder than I thought it would be.”
Jack’s eyes narrowed. “Do you know why?”
“The portals scale their difficulty based on your base Stats and level” Nova announced.
The room fell silent, and expressions ranged from stunned to contemplative, some faces lighting up with newfound understanding.
Cassidy was the first to speak. “So that’s why my second White portal was harder than the first…”
The others nodded as memories of their own White portal experiences surfaced.
Nova continued, “Yes. If you keep increasing your base Stats, the portals will get harder to match your strength. But that’s not the real training they offer.”
Jack groaned, exasperated. “Stop acting mysterious and just say it.”
Nova smirked. “I was getting there. The portals are designed to test talent.”
Samuel furrowed his brow. “Talent? What does that mean?” His frustration was evident. “How are we supposed to improve talent without raising our Stats?”
“Hehe, talent is about becoming stronger without relying on base Stats or levels” Nova said. He let the weight of his words settle before continuing. “The way to do that is by acquiring titles, passive skills, through rigorous training or comprehension. And I’ve found a way to make you stronger without touching your base Stats.”
Victor frowned, doubt flashing across his face. “Training how? Also comprehension? How do you expect that to work? I barely survived the Green portal as it is. No way I could last a minute inside a Blue one.”
“I agree with Victor” Jack added from the side. “I’m not confident I could handle it either.”
Nova listened patiently, then grinned. “Let me show you the results of my training. I will explain after.” His eyes gleamed with confidence. “Are you ready?” he asked, locking eyes with Jack.
“Ready” Jack said, squaring his shoulders and focusing all his attention on Nova.
Nova took a single step forward.
In an instant, he vanished.
The room held its collective breath. None of them had seen him move. All they had witnessed was the first step—then nothing.
Jack stood frozen, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple. He could feel the cold, deadly point of a spear resting lightly against his neck.
A voice, low and chilling, whispered in his ear:
“This is true strength.”
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