The next day arrived in a dim, gray haze as clouds hung thick in the sky. Even before the faintest light had broken through, Laura had already woken each of her teammates, nudging them gently but firmly.
Eric blinked up at her, squinting in the early morning darkness. "Isn't it… too early to be awake?" he mumbled, barely audible.
Laura smirked. "Not in a world like this," she replied quietly. "Time for training. Let's move."
They descended the building, slipping quietly through the shadows, each of them rubbing the last traces of sleep from their eyes. Laura led them to an open street a few blocks away, the ruined cityscape eerily quiet around them.
"First drill: an hour of running," she announced, looking over the group with a no-nonsense expression. "No breaks. Let's go."
Miara groaned softly, exchanging a look with Essei. "An hour? Without stopping?" she whispered to herself, already dreading it.
"Yes, an hour," Laura cut in, overhearing her. "Stamina is essential out here. When you're running for your life, you won't get a break." She looked at each of them, her expression serious. "Think of this as survival, not training."
With that, she started running, setting a steady pace down the empty street. Eric fell in beside her, his breath puffing in the cold air as he adjusted to the pace. Miara and Essei trailed behind, struggling to keep up.
"Not exactly what I thought survival training would be," Essei muttered, glancing at Miara with a tired grin.
An hour later, they stumbled to a halt, each of them catching their breath. Laura, barely winded, waited patiently as they recovered. She allowed them a brief rest before starting on the next drill: basic conditioning with sit-ups and push-ups.
Eric dropped to the ground, groaning as he lowered himself into a push-up. "Laura, seriously," he panted, managing a lopsided grin. "Is this… a boot camp or the apocalypse?"
Laura smirked. "Consider it both. If you can survive this, you can survive anything." She eyed his form and adjusted his stance. "Watch your balance. Your strength is no good if it's all over the place."
Miara, struggling through her own push-ups, shot him a sympathetic smile. "Guess we lost 'luck' yesterday," she whispered.
~~~~~
After a solid session of conditioning, Laura finally allowed them a ten-minute break. They leaned against the crumbling walls of a nearby building, sipping water from their supplies, catching their breath. But before anyone could get too comfortable, Laura gathered them once more.
"Now that your muscles are warmed up, we move to the main training: combat."
Eric perked up, his hand instinctively reaching for the dagger at his side. Miara and Essei exchanged wary glances but followed Laura's lead, each of them gripping their weapons.
Laura demonstrated first, her grip on the dagger steady. "Combat isn't just about strength," she began, holding the blade close to her body. "It's about control. Start with three basics: stab, swing, slash. Do them in that order—smooth, quick, and precise."
She demonstrated each move slowly, letting them watch as she made sharp, precise strikes into the air, her movements balanced and purposeful. "Notice the grip, the angle," she instructed. "Power comes from precision."
Eric followed along, his face tight in concentration as he mimicked her stance. His first few stabs were wild and unfocused, and Laura stepped forward to adjust his hold, pressing his shoulders back. "Too wide, Eric," she said. "Make your movements smaller. Keep your center of gravity stable."
Miara was more hesitant, her strikes timid as she copied Laura's swings. Laura observed her quietly, then moved to her side, helping her straighten her posture. "Strength comes from confidence," she told Miara. "Trust your hands. You'll need them out there."
Essei, ever quick and agile, swung with more finesse, but her grip was too loose. Laura tightened her hands around the dagger, guiding her through a cleaner arc. "Speed is your advantage," Laura said. "But without control, you'll waste it. Keep the strikes deliberate."
They repeated the movements again and again, Laura correcting their form, sharpening each angle and swing until the motions became second nature.
For two hours, they drilled, sweat dripping down their brows as they learned to slash, stab, and swing with precision. By the time they finished, the sky had lightened, and the sun peeked through the clouds.
Just as the others dropped to the ground, ready to relax, Laura shook her head.
"Not so fast," she said, a small smile playing on her lips. "We're just getting started. The next step is to train your class skills."
Essei let out a groan, and Eric shot her a look of disbelief. "Laura… there's more?"
Laura nodded. "Yes. If you want your class to be useful, you need to know how to handle its skills as naturally as you handle that dagger. Mastering your abilities is what will make you valuable out there."
~~~~~
Eric's Fire Skills
Laura led Eric a few paces away from the others. "Let's start with your fire abilities," she said. "Try conjuring a small flame. Don't force it—let the mana flow as naturally as possible."
Eric concentrated, his brows furrowed as he focused on his hand. The first attempt yielded only a few faint sparks, but by his second try, a small flame flickered to life in his palm. His face lit up as he watched it dance.
"Laura! Look, I did it!" he exclaimed, holding up his hand proudly.
Laura smiled. "Good. Now, keep practicing. You have three abilities: Basic Fire Mana Manipulation, Flame Stick, and Fireball. Focus on each one. Make controlling them feel as easy as breathing."
Eric's eyes shone with excitement as he worked on conjuring small bursts of fire, each attempt becoming more stable. "This is amazing," he murmured to himself. "Almost too easy."
Laura smirked. "Just don't set yourself on fire, alright?"
Miara's Healing Abilities
Laura approached Miara, who looked at her with wide, uncertain eyes. "Healing isn't like attacking," Laura explained, her tone gentler. "It requires patience, control. You have to be able to feel the life mana around you before you can manipulate it."
Miara took a shaky breath and closed her eyes, her hands held out as she focused on sensing the energy around her. Laura spoke in a soft, guiding voice. "Don't force it. Think of it as a calm river. Let the mana flow to you."
After a few moments, Miara's hands began to glow with a faint green light, the first signs of her life mana appearing. She opened her eyes, her face glowing with hope. "I… I think I can feel it."
Laura nodded approvingly, then, without a word, made a shallow cut on her hand with her dagger.
Miara gasped. "Laura! What are you doing?"
"Testing you," Laura replied, extending her hand. "Use your Basic Healing skill. Focus on directing the mana gently, letting it seal the wound."
Nervously, Miara concentrated, the green glow surrounding her hands growing brighter as she placed them over Laura's wound. She was able to heal part of the cut before her mana reserves ran low, and she pulled back, looking winded.
"You did well," Laura said with a small nod. "Try to use less mana next time. With practice, you'll be able to heal efficiently."
Essei's Archery Practice
Finally, Laura turned to Essei, who stood with her Target Lock skill ready but no bow. Laura handed her a small pile of pebbles. "For now, use these. See those birds? Use Target Lock and aim for them with the pebbles."
Essei looked at the pebbles, doubtful, but nodded. "Alright. Birds it is."
Taking a deep breath, Essei focused, her Target Lock ability helping her zero in on a distant bird.
Fwoooosh...
She threw a pebble, missing the first few times, but she finally hit her mark on the twelfth try, watching the bird drop in surprise.
"Nice shot," Laura said, smirking. "You'll have a bow soon, but accuracy comes first."
Essei grinned. "Guess I'll start seeing pebbles differently now."