In the castle's training ground, a girl stood behind three of her classmates, who were currently fighting monsters. The first day in training had been hard on everyone, but it soon became normal for the class.
There was a small feeling of euphoria each time they gained a level up, and for some, it became an addictive sensation. Every time they killed a monster, a type of energy would enter their bodies, granting them strength and with enough of it they would level up.
As for Lisa, she had yet to kill, but for some reason, any kills made by her classmates with her included also granted her some of this energy. One of the guys mentioned earlier that it was like a game party system, making it easier for them to get experience points of some kind.
From her point of view, though, all she saw were magical letters that appeared in front of her, informing her about the skills, abilities, and some stats she possessed, something that Lisa did not fully comprehend.
Today they had been training for a few hours. Each kid was placed in a team of four and given weapons and armor to protect themselves. Lisa was the so-called Healer and was given a mace, a small light shield, and light leather armor.
The monsters they were placed against today were larger than those on the first day. Each had the size and even the look of a pig. They had hard stone-like hides which would take a few strong strikes before any weapon could hurt them. Magic was the easiest way to defeat them, but Lisa's team only consisted of front-line warriors.
"Lisa, watch the left! I will be attacking from the right, so it might get dangerous as I go forth. Keep your shield up," Brian screamed as he rushed forth.
Lisa felt her heart race as she watched Brian charge ahead. She tightened her grip on her shield, ready to support her teammates. The letters and stats floating in front of her became a blur as she focused on the immediate task of keeping her team safe.
The pig-like monsters charged, their hooves thundering against the ground. Lisa's teammates swung their weapons, each strike chipping away at the beasts' tough hides. Lisa kept a close watch on Brian, prepared to rush in and heal any wounds he might sustain.
Bending his legs, the young boy jumped between two beasts that were being pressured by his teammates. While wishing his two best friends, Jonathon and George, were here to help him, Brian got close to the first boar monster's rib cage and used his gauntlets to bash its side.
"Blaze Knuckle!" the boy called out like a madman. His fist, which had bashed the beast, suddenly roared with flames, searing the hard, stone-protected skin of the earth monster, leaving its fleshy part exposed. With a second punch, the beast's side seemed to have caved in, the devastating blow pushing it back like a rocket.
Brian, looking at his torn weapon before tossing it away, jumped back to avoid the second beast, which came to help its companion.
The squealing of the downed beast, thrashing about, caused the other to go berserk. It lowered its face, directing all its anger at Brian while ignoring the tank who had its attention just a few seconds ago.
"Kiel, slap it or something, man! Its aggro is being directed towards me, dude!" Brian shouted out in anger, seeing the Paladin standing flabbergasted.
"Calm down, all I need to do is… Savage Strike!" Another hero stepped in. His class, Warchief, was the pinnacle of the Barbarian class. A boy who was often laughed at for his size and weight, but during the last few days, this only served to fuel his berserker class.
"Finally, you do something right, Fat Albert. I will pay for your lunch today, man."
Lisa, who healed those that were close to danger, grimaced as she saw how their so-called party leader led the group. She was only safe from his nasty mouth because she knew the boy had feelings for her, something that did not please her, especially when his eyes lingered on every part of her body every chance they got.
"Heal, heal, heal…" she screamed, not forgetting to do her job. At level four, she was one of the class's highest leveled, mainly due to the church placing more effort into training her.
It was hard, and she did not take pleasure in watching monsters being killed or seeing her own team, at times, bleed so hard they fainted. But in order to survive and go back home, this was what needed to happen. Although, like the rest, she also couldn't say she was not influenced by the level-up high, as the class had dubbed it.
She had seen changes happen that had never occurred before. Her hair grew fast and shinier, her nails stronger, her skin glossier and healthier, and even a few marks from before began to slowly fade.
Her friend Alma, ecstatic by the new changes, did not like the fact her natural black hair began to grow back, making the blonde dye from just a week ago show.
"One more time, slash the eye this time, don't waste time looking," Brian told the Berserker, who missed a slash with his large axe. Two new beasts had been released in their direction. Like before, one was being tanked by the Paladin while the other was pincered between Brian and Albert, the stout boy.
"PING!"
[You have reached level 5, a new skill has been unlocked, Detoxification.]
After blinking a few times to get the mass of letters displayed in front of her like a hologram, Lisa focused on the Paladin who had sustained a few hits when his shield had crumbled.
"Guys, I need backup over here! My shield has turned to dust with so much damage. Are these beginner gear? Why give us this crap, don't tell me there are level-locked items in this world," he shouted, frustration evident in his voice.
"Level-locked what? Man, we are still killing weak animals. Why would they spend more on us at this moment? Just learn to use your skills, Kiel!" Brian said while trying to do the same tactic as before. Due to only having his left gauntlet, which wasn't his dominant hand, his strike was not as effective.
"Move, let me get this one also, Savage Strike!" Albert, the Warchief, shouted as he swung his large axe, hitting spot on the beast's head. Blood and fat splattered everywhere, some of it even reaching Lisa, who tried to cover herself with her shield.
"You idiot, can you make a clean kill, man? Look at all that mess! You even spilled some on Lisa!" Brian shouted, frustration evident in his voice while pointing to the mess.
"It's fine; it seems we are done anyway," Lisa said, wiping her face with her sleeve, trying to stay focused despite the unpleasantness.
"You're lucky, Albert. I will have to take back what I said about your food, though. Now everyone, let's head back; there seem to be no more beasts for our team."
"Yeah, whatever, Brian. You're only bossing us around because you sucked up so hard to the Princess. Don't think we don't know, right, Lisa?" Albert tried to make Brian lose face, knowing, like the rest of the class, of his strong attraction towards Lisa.
"What did you just say? I have done no such thing! Now let's go before you make me punch another pig in this place," Brian said, making his fist light with flames around it.
Lisa felt the tension rising between the two boys, but before she could intervene, the Paladin, Kiel, pulled Albert away, leaving her and Brian alone to watch the other two go.
"That, he is lying, alright," Brian said. "I was only called up by the king a few times, you know, he got interested in me since the first day and all that."
"I don't care, Brian," Lisa replied. "Let's just go back to the others. I need to take a shower."
As they rejoined the others in class, they noticed that Silvia's group had finished before the rest. The youngest in the class but possibly the smartest, Silvia was sitting reading a book in one hand while making a ball made of wind in the other. As soon as she noticed the newcomers, she turned to Lisa, erased her ball of wind, and gestured for her to come closer.
"You're dirty, here, let me help you…" Showing a face of apathy, the young girl snapped her fingers, causing a ball of water to surround Lisa.
Lisa was scared and tried to struggle, but as soon as she tried to move, the magic stopped and then turned into a ball full of wind, which surrounded her body.
"There, you don't stink anymore," the silver-haired girl said. Without waiting for a response, she returned to her reading.
"Thanks?" Lisa said in a low voice, standing there with her body still tingling from the magical cleaning. The shock of what had just happened left her speechless, but then she noticed that, like her, three other girls were sitting around, their hair a mess from the air-blowing session they received. Deciding to join them, Lisa took a seat and waited for the others in class to finish.
She tried combing her messy hair down, glad that at least Logan was not around to see her in this state. Looking around, she saw how, like her team, others were struggling, but unlike her group, they would only face one monster at a time.
Out of all those in class, only four were not present: Chris, the alchemist who went to the empire; a girl who stayed in her room all day and wouldn't come out; their teacher who was being taught somewhere else; and finally Logan, whose instructor hadn't arrived yet.
Lisa looked at her hand, seeing that at times, a red blood ring would appear on her finger.
"That fool, I wonder if he planned this to look like a ring…" A smile surfaced on her face.