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Chapter 45 Surprising Battle Training – Cassis

  Chapter 45 Surprising Battle Training – Cassis

  Cassis woke to the warmth of Arianna curled against him, her back pressed to his front. He tightened his arms around her, drawing comfort from the steady rhythm of her breathing. The events of the previous day still weighed heavily on him, but she had anchored him, her unwavering presence soothing the turmoil within him. He had feared his rage—that it, that he, had ruined everything—but then she had looked him in the eyes and told him, without hesitation, that she would beat him until he was sane again.

  He let out a quiet chuckle. Never in his life had threats of violence sounded so much like an expression of love. And yet, coming from Arianna, they were exactly that.

  She stirred at the sound, arching into him with a sleepy sigh. "Good morning," he murmured.

  Rather than replying, she simply burrowed closer for a moment before grumbling her way out of bed. He watched, amused, as she shuffled toward the bathroom, clearly not a morning person. With a smirk, he rose and made his way to the kitchen, brewing coffee and setting out a simple breakfast.

  As they ate, his phone rang. Liam.

  “I’ll be at your flat in about fifteen minutes to pick up the car,” his brother informed him. He sounded normal, casual even, but Cassis couldn’t help but wonder—was Liam afraid of him now?

  Time passed quickly, and before long, Liam stood at his front door.

  "Hey," Cassis greeted.

  "Hey," Liam echoed. A heavy silence hung between them before Liam broke it. "Bro, are you alright?"

  Cassis blinked, caught off guard. Liam rarely asked him that first.

  "Yeah," he answered after a beat. "Sorry again. I lost it."

  Liam nodded, accepting the apology without hesitation. "Do you... do you want to talk about it?"

  Cassis shook his head, though the offer meant something. Still, he didn’t want Liam to worry too much, so he added, "Thanks, but I'm already talking to someone. I... I have some small issues with anger."

  Liam snorted.

  Cassis narrowed his eyes. "Alright, fine. They're big issues. But I'm taking steps to deal with them. I talked to Arianna, and I spoke with Aunt Helen. She's helping me get in touch with a psychologist." He exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "I'm working on it. Don’t worry too much, Liam."

  Liam studied him for a moment, then nodded. "I'm also sorry," he admitted. "Not for wearing the bracelet—but for not telling you beforehand. I know that hit you hard."

  Their gazes met, understanding passing between them in the silence.

  No more words were needed.

  Cassis pulled Liam into a firm hug, and Liam held on just as tightly. Then, with a final nod, Cassis handed him the car keys.

  Liam took them and drove home.

  With their bags packed, Cassis and Arianna made their final preparations before heading to Fort Vale. They placed a call to Elena, putting the phone on speaker.

  “Elena,” Arianna greeted as soon as she picked up. “We’ve got an update on the website.”

  “Oh?” Elena sounded eager.

  Cassis took over. “Ben and Mr. Ranislav have started working on it. According to them, a rough version should be up in about a week—just the free content for now. Sapphires’ revelations and basic knowledge.”

  “We’ll be sent the passcodes as soon as they’re ready so we can start uploading information,” Arianna added.

  “Perfect,” Elena said, already planning ahead. “I’m going to set up some social media profiles for you guys. We need to capitalize on your fame after the Hall of Fame videos and the medal ceremony.”

  Cassis groaned, already regretting his involvement in anything remotely public-facing. “I don’t want to be famous.”

  “Well, too late,” Elena said cheerfully. “Also, I need some selfies from you two. Preferably together.”

  Arianna laughed, but Cassis frowned. “Why?”

  “To humanize you,” Elena explained as if it were obvious. “People want to connect with their heroes. Also, I’m annoyed that I can’t take screenshots from the Hall of Fame recordings.”

  Cassis exhaled in relief. “Good.”

  Elena huffed but moved on. “By the way, what are you planning to pay me?”

  Arianna grinned. “A percentage of the website’s earnings.”

  Silence. Then Elena let out a delighted laugh. “You’re actually paying me? I would’ve done it for free, but that sounds lovely.”

  Arianna smirked. “We pay people for their work, Elena.”

  “Then I won’t argue,” Elena said. “Oh, speaking of exposure—you guys should consider doing an interview. Reporters are already contacting me. They’re fast and know I’m your press agent.”

  Cassis’s first instinct was to refuse, but Arianna hesitated. “We’re training soldiers for the next week,” she said, thinking aloud. “And after that, we’re heading to a dungeon.”

  “Could you maybe tweak the schedule a little?” Elena suggested. “Like, squeeze in an interview one evening?”

  Cassis exchanged a glance with Arianna. He didn’t like the idea, but he also knew that controlling their narrative was important. “We’ll talk to Brice,” he said finally, shuddering when thinking of that vile man.

  “Great,” Elena said, clearly satisfied. “Let me know what he says.” In the end she reminded them to take some selfies, alone and as a couple and send them to her.

  Arianna then proceeded to take selfies of herself and then the two of them. First just sitting next to each other at the breakfast table, then more couple like photos. For that he was instructed to hug her sideways and ‘at least smile a little’. Next, he had to hold her hand. In another one he got a kiss on his cheek. For the final one she sat on his lap.

  It seemed like she actually had fun with that. Then she made him take some selfies of himself. He was made to take different poses and stand in different places of his apartment. Finally, Arianna was satisfied with the photos and sent them to Elena.

  For a moment, silence settled between them. They had done everything they could for now—it was just a matter of waiting for the next steps.

  Then, without warning, Arianna smacked her forehead with her palm.

  “I almost forgot!” she exclaimed.

  Cassis raised an eyebrow. “What?”

  She turned to him, eyes wide, and launched into an explanation about something called the Patron Chat—a mysterious forum, a way to communicate with other powerful beings. Then she spoke of becoming a deity, a water elemental, meeting an entity named Timeless Waterfall, and what she had learned about punishments, artifacts, and spirit companions.

  Cassis stared at her, completely speechless.

  “You forgot?” he finally managed, incredulous.

  Arianna grinned sheepishly. “There was a lot going on.”

  Cassis ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. “Arianna. You just told me you became a deity for real—and you forgot?”

  She winced. “Well… when you put it like that…”

  Cassis dropped onto the couch, shaking his head. He had long since accepted that Arianna was full of surprises—but this? This was on another level.

  Before Cassis could press Arianna for more details, the doorbell rang. He checked his phone—exactly 8 o’clock. Right on time.

  At the door, a young soldier stood at attention, waiting to escort them. Cassis and Arianna exchanged a brief glance before greeting him and heading out. The drive to Fort Vale was smooth, the silence between them comfortable.

  Upon arrival, Brice was already waiting for them, a woman around their age standing behind him. He greeted them briskly before turning to introduce the woman and the twenty soldiers under their charge. “This is Faith Morgan. She’s my assistant and will take care of you during your stay. And here are your ‘students’.”

  They were a mix of men and women, already at level five and sorted into the four main classes—Warrior, Ranger, Mage, and Cleric. Their names were rattled off in rapid succession, each accompanied by their rank—Corporal, Lieutenant, Captain, Private. It went straight over Cassis’s head. There was no way he would remember them all at once. Better to learn them gradually, in smaller groups.

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  Arianna, however, took it all in stride. She greeted the assistant and the soldiers with an easy, genuine smile, and to Cassis’s mild amusement, most of them, probably without even realizing it, smiled back. He could see the tension in their shoulders ease just slightly.

  He sighed internally. She’s too damn sweet.

  Then again, he only had to think back to yesterday, to her steady voice as she promised to beat him into the ground if he ever lost control, and he was reminded that her kindness was not weakness.

  Once introductions were made, Brice excused himself as he would get the trainees ready at the training ground and Faith Morgan led them to their assigned quarters within the fort. They had been given two rooms, side by side, simple but comfortable enough for a week’s stay with their own bathrooms. After setting down their bags, they changed into their training gear, wasting no time in getting started.

  The training facility consisted of both an indoor gym and an outdoor combat area. Cassis took a moment to scan the space before turning to Brice who had already settled the soldiers at the outdoor training facility the way Cassis had asked him to.

  “We’re planning a dungeon run right after this week of training,” he said.

  Brice raised an eyebrow, visibly surprised. “So soon? The dungeons won’t break yet. According to the system, we have weeks, sometimes months before they need to be cleared.”

  Cassis nodded, already anticipating the concern. “We need to test something. And, of course, we want to grow stronger.”

  “For that, an F-rank dungeon would be best,” Arianna added.

  Cassis continued, “We also need to prepare for E-rank dungeons—there will be at least one D-rank monster in there, and we need to be ready for it.”

  Brice studied him carefully. “Did your patron tell you that?”

  Cassis nodded but offered nothing more.

  Brice didn’t push, though his expression said he wanted to. Instead, he gave a short nod and let it go—for now.

  With that settled, Cassis turned toward Arianna and their trainees, ready to begin their training.

  Cassis took the lead, his tone even but firm.

  “As most of you probably know, I’m a Warrior, which means I’ll be the one training you in combat skills and system features. To do that effectively, you need to understand how the system works.” His sharp gaze moved across the group, ensuring he had their attention.

  “You’re all soldiers, which means you already have skills that should translate into system skills. The problem is that the system hasn’t recognized them yet. If a skill isn’t listed in your status, it doesn’t mean you don’t have it—it just means you haven’t demonstrated it in a way the system acknowledges.”

  He paused, letting that sink in before continuing.

  “What we’re going to do is get the system to see what you can already do. Your basic physical training should be enough to increase your stamina capacity over time, so I’ll leave that to you. Instead, I’ll be talking to each of you to determine which skills you’ve already acquired and which ones you should have but haven’t unlocked yet.”

  His expression darkened slightly, a challenging glint in his eye.

  “Then, we’ll have some mock battles.”

  That got a reaction. The soldiers didn’t say anything, but Cassis could feel their unease. He smirked.

  “Nothing forces the system to recognize your abilities faster than battle. And yes, we’ll be using real weapons.” His tone was unapologetic. “We have healers, after all.”

  He could already tell that most of them weren’t thrilled by the idea, but that would change soon enough. Once they saw how much easier it was to acquire skills in a combat setting, they’d stop complaining—at the end of training they wouldn’t have so much as a bruise thanks to the clerics.

  Then, Arianna stepped forward, her voice warm and light. “Well, after you’re all beaten up and healed again,” she added with a bright smile, as if to soften the blow.

  A few soldiers chuckled, but most still looked wary.

  “After that, we’ll start with mana sensing,” she continued. “Has anyone here discovered their elemental affinity yet?”

  The reaction was subtle, but Cassis caught it. Some of the soldiers—mostly the Warriors and Rangers—looked at Arianna with mild scepticism. They weren’t taking her seriously. He understood why. To them, she probably seemed like some cheerful, unremarkable girl who happened to be in the right place at the right time. Even if they’d seen footage of her fighting, it wouldn’t have looked special to the untrained eye.

  But the Mages and Clerics? They already looked at her in awe. And that awe would only grow. As for the sceptics… well, they would learn.

  At the latest, during her lesson after skill training.

  Cassis smirked—maybe a little evilly.

  Two of the Mages raised their hands.

  Arianna beamed at them. “That’s great! Wind and water. Well done.”

  Her tone was casual, as if it were obvious. But Cassis noticed it—the soldiers hadn’t told her their affinities. A few of them stiffened, realizing the same thing. But no one asked how she knew.

  “Alright,” she continued as if nothing was unusual, “that means I’ll help the rest of you meditate on your affinities, and for the two of you, I’ll teach you how to efficiently draw in ambient mana.”

  One of the Clerics hesitantly raised a hand.

  “Yes?” Arianna encouraged.

  “Thank you, ma’am.” His voice was polite but hesitant. “Do you mean… we’ll be able to heal as fast and as often as you do?”

  Arianna nodded. “Not immediately, but if you practice diligently—yes.”

  Cassis barely held back a snort. She actually believes that.

  He wasn’t so sure. Could anyone reach Arianna’s level just through practice? He doubted it. But why crush their dreams now? They’d figure it out in time.

  For now, he had other priorities.

  He turned to Arianna. “You’ll be in charge of the Mages and Clerics, I’ll take the Warriors and Rangers. Let’s go talk to them about their skills.”

  She nodded and walked toward them, already pulling them into conversation.

  Cassis turned to face the Warriors and Rangers.

  “Alright,” he said, cracking his knuckles. “Let’s get started.”

  During his talk with the Warriors, Cassis confirmed what he had expected—they had no trouble with Slash and Stab. As soldiers, they had been trained in knife combat and, occasionally, in spear techniques, and these were the weapons they had chosen. Among them, three wielded spears, while two preferred long knives.

  The knife wielders were the first to report additional skills. “We’ve already unlocked Dodge, Deflect, and Parry,” one of them admitted.

  Cassis nodded. Not surprising. Knife fighters had to fight in close quarters, which meant they either learned to defend themselves fast or they didn’t last long. The spear wielders, on the other hand, had more reach and could afford a different approach.

  The Rangers, however, faced a different challenge. Their primary training had been with firearms, not bows, which made their skill development more complicated. While they all had Slash, Stab, and Dodge from their training with combat knives, they lacked proficiency in ranged combat with bows.

  Still, one skill had helped them significantly—Critical Hit. Even though Precision Hit was specifically tied to bows and couldn’t activate otherwise, simply holding a bow allowed them to use it to locate a monster’s weak points and report them to their allies or use Critical Hit with a knife themselves. A smart system, Cassis admitted.

  “Bow training, though… that’s something you’ll have to work on separately,” he told them honestly. “I won’t be much help there.”

  The Rangers grimaced but accepted it without argument.

  With all this in mind, Cassis set their goal:

  “By the end of this week, I want everyone to have Unarmed Combat, Stab, Slash, Dodge, Parry, and Deflect at least at the Advanced level. Most of you will probably push even higher—judging by your combat training.”

  Arianna’s group, consisting of Mages and Clerics, would need the same defensive skills, but instead of Slash and Stab, they would focus on Bludgeon. The system only allowed skills to develop according to class-appropriate weapons, meaning a Cleric or Mage wouldn’t be able to learn Slash or Stab, even if they physically knew how to use a blade.

  But that was precisely why system recognition was so critical.

  Even if he and Arianna had the same strength, their damage output would differ drastically. If Arianna, for instance, slashed a monster with a sword, she could still deal damage, but if he did the same with the same strength, the impact would be far greater. It wasn’t because he was stronger—it was because the system enhanced his slash, allowing him to instinctively infuse his strikes with mana.

  That was what made system-recognized skills so powerful.

  But then a thought struck him.

  Could Arianna infuse her attacks with mana manually?

  Normally, he would say no. Nobody had achieved that in the other timeline.

  But then again… it was Arianna.

  Now, he wasn’t so sure. Another thing to test.

  With that thought, he refocused on his trainees. “Alright,” he said, cracking his knuckles. “Let’s begin.”

  Before Cassis had the soldiers spar, he and Arianna decided to demonstrate how it was done.

  “No body reinforcement,” he murmured to her. They needed to keep some abilities and spells secret—not everyone needed to know their full capabilities.

  Arianna nodded, then flashed him a grin, a little too mischievous for his liking. He suddenly had a bad feeling.

  They started slow. He wielded his sword, she her mace. Their movements were measured—strike, dodge, parry, deflect. Then, gradually, they increased their pace. Cassis knew he was faster, but he wasn’t here to win—he wanted to challenge her.

  And that was when it happened.

  She wasn’t quite fast enough to dodge one of his slashes. His blade bit into her arm, deep enough to make him flinch.

  “Ouch,” she muttered.

  He immediately prepared to stop, expecting her to heal herself first, but—

  Bludgeon!

  She didn’t even hesitate, swinging her mace at him with both arms like nothing had happened. Cassis barely had time to parry before his gaze flicked back to her arm—only to find the wound already sealed.

  He blinked.

  She could already fight and heal at the same time?

  That changed things.

  If she wasn’t stopping, neither was he. He pushed her harder now, driving her back with a flurry of strikes. But she adapted in a way that left him utterly fascinated.

  Her fighting style was chaotic.

  Sometimes, she would dodge, parry, or deflect his blows—other times, she would simply take the hit, letting his blade cut into her, only to heal the moment it was withdrawn. It was impossible to predict her movements. Would she defend? Would she absorb the damage and keep attacking?

  It threw him off balance, keeping him on edge, and for the first time in a long while, Cassis found himself grinning. This was fun.

  And then—

  His sword plunged into her stomach.

  His heart stopped.

  Horrified, he froze, ready to drop everything and pull back, but Arianna… Arianna didn’t even flinch.

  Instead, she swung her mace at his head.

  Cassis barely had time to react. He let go of his sword and dodged, but the strike still clipped his shoulder. The impact sent a numbing shock through his entire arm. He was fairly certain his shoulder was broken.

  Breathing heavily, he turned to her—only to see her grimacing.

  “Well? Take it out. I can’t heal it if it’s still in there,” she said impatiently, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth.

  Damn it, Arianna.

  Cassis swore under his breath and quickly yanked his sword free. The moment he did, golden light engulfed her, knitting the terrible wound back together as if it had never been there.

  Stepping close, he hissed quietly, “You’re crazy. Who fights like that?”

  Arianna wiped the blood from her lips, grinning. “Yeah, but I almost got you.” She put a hand on his shoulder and healed him too. “That style is actually the easiest way to use Force Absorption. I’m not even using my own mana to heal—I just recycle the energy from the attacks. And I’m confusing my opponent at the same time. Win-win.”

  She beamed at him. “Oh! Finally unlocked Pain Resistance.”

  Cassis exhaled, running a hand through his hair.

  During that fight, she had embodied exactly what her class had promised—a Warpriest, wielding healing magic while fighting.

  He shuddered. What craziness would she come up with next?

  Cassis suddenly remembered their trainees and turned to them, pretending this had been a typical sparring session. They were watching them like they had grown a second head. Especially Arianna was regarded carefully. Of course, she was. She had just shown them an impossible battle style. Something, that hadn’t existed before the system came. But now they needed to be careful of that. Some monsters would also fight the same way.

  Cassis took control and told the trainees to pair up. “Don’t worry about getting injured. As you have seen yourselves Arianna is quite proficient with healing.”

  Arianna commented cheerfully. “Just be sure to not die instantly or lose any body parts. I can’t heal that yet.” Why did her ‘yet’ sound so ominous. It would be good for her to be able to do that, wouldn’t it?

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