"Hey — are you okay?" Ethan asked as he crouched next to the girl, reaching out a hand to steady her.
The girl blinked hard, as if trying to piece together what had just happened. Her face was flushed, chest rising and falling in rapid breaths. But instead of gratitude, Ethan was met with a sharp glare.
"Don't touch me, creep," she snapped, swatting his hand away. "I don't need help."
Ethan blinked in surprise. "Alright, sorry… I just saw you pass out and thought—"
"Thought what? That I needed a knight in shining armor?" she said, already pushing herself to her feet. She was wobbly, but her posture was proud.
A few chuckles and low murmurs echoed from behind. Ethan turned slightly and caught the amused expressions of a few regulars nearby. One leaned over to a friend and said, just loud enough for him to hear, "That's the second guy this week. You'd think they'd learn."
Another laughed. "She chewed the last one out so hard he nearly cried."
The girl shot him a final side glance, brushing dust from her training pants. "Thanks for the concern," she muttered with a tone that barely masked irritation, "but next time, mind your own business."
With that, she turned and walked off toward the water fountain, leaving Ethan crouched and dumbfounded.
"Well," he muttered, rising to his feet, "that went great."
…
Day 1 of 7.
Before beginning his intense training, Ethan pulled up his system status, eager to see the difference a week could make.
[SYSTEM PAGE – ETHAN VALE]
Mana: 17
Spell Power: 14
F-Rank - Fireball
Mastery: 0.33%
He found an open lane a few spaces away from the mysterious girl and began his regimen. Firing off Fireballs every two seconds until his mana hit zero had become his routine. The rhythm was ingrained — cast, wait, cast again. Then came the part he anticipated most.
[DING]
[Mana Exhaustion Detected]
[Mana Overflow Activated]
[+1 Mana, +1 Spell Power]
Each time he regained consciousness, Ethan felt stronger. His mana pool expanded, his spell power increased, and his mastery of Fireball inched forward. Slow, steady progress — but undeniable.
In those first few days, he often caught the girl — whose name he still didn't know — stealing glances when she thought he wasn't looking. She trained with the same intensity, striking dummies with her sword enhanced by glowing magic. Just like him, she pushed herself to the brink. Once or twice, Ethan saw her collapse on the mat after a relentless flurry of strikes. And just like before, no one dared help.
By the third day, they ended up training side by side. Ethan flashed a small smile. "Still not gonna thank me for trying to save your life?"
She rolled her eyes. "Still thinking you're a hero?"
"Nah," Ethan said, stretching his arms. "Just a guy who saw someone faceplant. Happens more than you'd think."
That earned the smallest twitch of her lips. "You always pass out too?"
"Pretty much daily. Part of the plan," he grinned. "Gotta build a legend somehow."
She looked him up and down with skepticism. Her sharp blue eyes lingered on his well-built frame — tall, 186 centimeters, with broad shoulders and the toned strength of someone who'd grown up working a café. His tousled brown hair and bright green eyes completed the picture. He didn't look like the stereotypical Mage.
"What's your class?" she asked.
"Mage."
"Huh. Don't look like one."
"Is that a compliment?"
She shrugged, but Ethan noticed the faintest smirk before she turned back to her dummy. "Maybe."
She herself was striking — tall for a woman, around 170 cm, with an athletic build and confident posture. Her brown hair was tied in a ponytail, and her piercing blue eyes radiated intensity. She exuded the aura of a Knight — proud, focused, intimidating.
…
Over the following days, they spoke more. Sometimes trading jabs, sometimes sharing small parts of themselves. Her name was Lena, and she was indeed a Knight. Like Ethan, she had awakened with a low-ranking spell, though she remained cagey about its exact nature.
"Let me guess," Ethan teased. "Sword Glow or something basic?"
"It's called Blade Enchant," she replied flatly. "And it hits harder than your floating fire pebble."
"Hey now," Ethan said with mock offense. "That fire pebble saved a dummy's life yesterday."
She snorted. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."
Despite the rocky start, Lena gradually warmed up. Between cooldowns, they shared stories from school, mused about their classes, and even discussed food preferences.
"Let me guess," Ethan said on day five. "Protein shakes? Raw eggs? Carnivore meal plan?"
"Pancakes," Lena replied without hesitation.
He blinked. "Wait, really?"
"With syrup. Lots of it."
Ethan laughed. "You're not as scary as you pretend to be."
She gave him a side glance. "And you're not as charming as you think you are."
…
By the seventh day, they'd settled into a comfortable rhythm. Training side by side. No more sharp remarks, only playful teasing and mutual respect. They collapsed more than once, side by side on the mats, sharing exhausted silence. Lena trained as relentlessly as Ethan — maybe for the same reasons.
During a short break, Ethan leaned back on his elbows, looking her way.
"You know," he said with a smirk, "you never actually apologized for calling me a creep."
Lena glanced over, unimpressed. "Did I?"
"Yeah, pretty loud and clear."
She rolled her eyes and tossed her towel at him. "Alright then — sorry you acted like a creep."
Ethan caught it, chuckling. "That's better. I think. I'll take it."
He hesitated for a moment. "So… tomorrow I'm heading into a beginner dungeon. Solo run. About time, I think."
She raised an eyebrow. "Going alone?"
"Yeah. For now. I'll focus on it for the next few weeks. F-rank dungeons should be manageable solo."
He rubbed the back of his neck. "Should we exchange numbers? Just in case?"
After a pause, Lena nodded. "Sure. Just don't get yourself killed."
"No promises," Ethan grinned as they tapped phones together.
…
That evening, Ethan strolled home, the cool air washing over his sweat-soaked skin. The streets were quiet, and a sense of calm settled over him. His muscles ached, but it was the satisfying pain of growth.
He pulled up his system page, anticipation bubbling in his chest.
[SYSTEM PAGE - ETHAN VALE]
Class: Mage
Talent: Mana Overflow
Class Rank: F
HP: 110 / 110
STA: 110 / 110
Stamina Regen: 110 Stamina / Hour
Mana: 236 / 940
Mana Regen: 940 Mana / Hour
STR: 11
VIT: 11
AGI: 11
STA: 11
Mana: 17 → 94
Spell Power: 14 → 91
Spells: 1 / 6
Spell Memory:
F-Rank - Fireball
Mastery: 0.33% → 42.68%
Mana Cost: 10 Mana
Cooldown: 2 seconds
Range: 20 Meters
Base Damage: (50 → 70) → 134 (+64 from spellpower)
He'd figured out that every 10% increase in mastery raised Fireball's base damage by 5 — a 10% increase each tier. With his current pace, reaching 100% mastery in another week seemed possible.
It was absurd. Most fresh F-rank Mages, even with six spells, averaged around 40 Mana and 22 Spell Power. Ethan had nearly tripled that by focusing on one spell.
He felt powerful. More than that, he felt prepared.
Still, he knew better than to spread himself thin. Adding more spells now would slow his momentum. Better to wait until Fireball reached E-rank. Then, if funds allowed, he could pick up a D-rank spell.
Taking advantage of the rule that allowed one spell above your current rank — that was the move.
The thought made his heart pound.
"Tomorrow's the day," Ethan whispered, fire burning in his eyes. "My first dungeon… my first real paycheck."