For a moment both men stood still, then Gabriel activated Dash and exploded forward. Frank responded by using the same skill while moving backward, although doing so caused the speed to drop to half, it was good enough for his needs. With the speed of Gabriel’s approach reduced, Frank lashed out, forcing his opponent to cancel Dash and reel back. Seeing that he had Gabriel on his back foot, Frank stepped forward with another slash.

“Gah,” Frank uttered in annoyance as he saw Gabriel squat, then shoot forward along the ground, successfully ducking under the saber and latching onto Frank’s right leg.

Gabriel lifted Frank’s right leg and rotated his body, causing Frank to lose his balance and fall on his back. Gabriel followed after him, quickly moving to side-control, he held Frank’s right hand in place as he pinned it under his left knee. He reached over and grabbed Frank’s left hand with his right, laying across Frank’s chest.

“It’s your loss,” Gabriel said, as he imitated several punches with his left hand to Frank’s head, without hitting him.

“Is that so?” Frank gasped as he tried to buckle to push the other man off of him.

“Yes,” Gabriel chuckled, countering Frank’s attempt to free himself, “My top-control is rather good, plus, I have 20 strength.”

Several attempts later, Frank had no choice but to admit his loss. They got back to their feet and the fight reset. This time Frank was mindful to keep his attacks low enough that Gabriel couldn’t duck under his blade. He defended a few tentative attempts to close the distance, choosing to wait and see what else Gabriel would do, rather than pressing the action. He didn’t have to wait long, as Gabriel seemed to give up on closing the distance while avoiding Frank’s attacks, and simply bum-rushed him. For a moment Frank thought he’d won, as he slashed at Gabriel’s chest. The feeling of victory was cut short when his blade grazed along the man’s body, without doing any damage. There was no time to reflect on what happened, as Gabriel was upon him, hitting Frank with a quick left-right combo, that sent him to the ground, head ringing like a gong, vision swimming.

He watched Gabriel lean over and say something. But It took a good five seconds to regain his hearing and other senses. “Hey, you alright? I might’ve used too much power,” Gabriel said while looking at him with concern.

“Yea, I am fine,” Frank replied, as he touched his jaw, causing him to grimace, “although, I think I broke my jaw. Thought you were going to take it easy on me,” he added.

“Shit, sorry man. It’s just hard to pull back on punches when I have to go all out to avoid your weapon,” Gabriel said.

“It’s fine. Compared to what we just went through, a broken jaw is nothing. More importantly, what the heck was that? My attack didn’t do jack,” Frank waved him off.

“Stone Skin, the reward from Guardsman II grid.”

“Ah, I didn’t think you’d have both Skirmisher and Guardsman skills.”

“Feel free to use all of your skills, by the way, make it more interesting,” Gabriel offered.

After a minute, Frank’s injury was healed and the next round began. Frank cast Lightning Bolt, which, surprisingly, was dodged by Gabriel. Seeing his opponent activate Dash, Frank remained still, only using Mana Shield when Gabriel was upon him, the expanding bubble pushing him away before he could tackle Frank. The man responded quickly with a pair of powerful punches that shattered the Shield. Frank used the break in Gabriel’s movement to lunge forward with a horizontal slash, only to have his attack stopped by Stone Skin once more. However, he was prepared for this possibility and used Dash to retreat before Gabriel could grab a hold of him.

Both of them seemed pleased with the exchange, each one thinking they held the upper hand now. They circled each other, then Frank pointed with his left hand, launching another Lightning Bolt. As he expected, Gabriel avoided it by moving to the side. Smiling, Frank cast Lightning Bolt again, immediately lunging forward with a Phantom Strike, aimed at where he thought Gabriel would end up after dodging the spell.

Frank’s calculations proved right. Struck by the Phantom Strike, Gabriel stumbled as he tried to fight the effect of the attack. Taking advantage of his disoriented opponent, Frank stepped forward with a stab, his saber pierced flesh, but Gabriel had regained his senses just in time to roll away, minimizing the damage.

Frank didn’t let up, as he launched Phantom Strike after Phantom Strike, forcing Gabriel to continuously retreat. Hmm, I need to finish this soon or his abilities will come off cooldown, Frank thought as he considered his option. Bait him with Mana Shield again, he decided. He slowed down his attacks, then swung in a way that would make it easy for Gabriel duck under his blade and close down the distance. Gabriel took the bait, but as he dashed forward he swung his left hand at Frank, tossing a handful of dust in his face.

The heck? Frank thought as he reflexively turned his head away and raised his left hand to protect his eyes from the dust. It was too late, as some of it had already got into his eyes, compromising his vision. Frank still had the presence of mind to cast Mana Shield and even lash out with his saber, but it did little good without eyesight. The Shield was broken, and his attack avoided before he found himself tumbling backward after being kicked in the chest. Oxygen fled his lungs, leaving him gasping for air.

It took a bit of time for Frank to catch his breath, and to rub the dirt out of his eyes. With his senses regained, he got up and gave Gabriel an annoyed look.

“O for three,” Frank commented dejectedly, “I really thought I had the last one. What was that dirt-in-the-eyes skill?” He added curiously.

“You almost did. And it’s not a skill, it’s just dust,” Gabriel said, summoning a handful of ground dirt. “You can store it in your ring, then summon a handful when you need it. Just because there are Skills doesn’t mean you have to completely rely on the System” he explained, seeing Frank’s expression.

“Hmm, you’re right, I might’ve embraced the System too willingly. Anyway, that’s it for me,” Frank said after taking a bit of time to think over Gabriel’s words.

“Just three rounds? I expected a lot more persistence from you,” Gabriel said as the two shuffled toward the river to wash up.

“Guess I am just not in the mood,” Frank said, winking at the other man, “Those tests have pushed me more than I thought,” he added in a serious tone.

“Yea, that was some fucked up shit, we should’ve never agreed to the arm-cutting,” Gabriel nodded, his expression turning grim. “But, we’ve learned some valuable information,” he added as he patted Frank’s back.

“Still, I must’ve gone senile from the System, no sane person would agree to such torture,” Frank said shaking his head.

“What’s done is done though, no need to dwell on it. You don’t want to develop PTSD or some other shit over it.”

“Oh trust me, I’ve seen much worse,” Frank replied, “I served in Vietnam, you know,” he continued after a while.

“Vietnam? Damn, just how old are you?”

“Seventy-nine,” Frank replied with a chuckle.

“And here I was feeling all smug for beating up an old fossil like you,” Gabriel laughed. “Anyway, my point stands, don’t dwell on the fucked up shit we’ve experienced, just brush it aside and move on,” he said, his tone changing back to serious.

“If only it was that simple, it’s hard not to replay it in your mind, that surge of pain...” Frank trailed off with a grim expression.

“True. But we are stronger for having experienced it.”

“Are we?”

“Of course, now you know that you can endure that level of pain,” Gabriel replied with conviction. For a while, the two walked toward the river in silence. After a while, he spoke again. “I don’t suppose you ever trained Muay Thai?” After getting a negative reply, he continued. “It’s Thai kickboxing, low-kicks are quite popular in it. You can block them by lifting and turning your leg so that their shin hits yours, however, it’s extremely painful for both sides. Even after training for years, when you are in a fight and the other guy is throwing low-kicks at full power, it hurts like a bitch,” he paused briefly before continuing. “However, if you give in to the pain and try to avoid those kicks, you will lose.”

“Why is that?” Frank asked curiously.

“Because instead of focusing on the fight, your mind will be focusing on how to avoid the pain. All you can do is acknowledge the pain and keep going. Which is much easier to do if you’ve already experienced such levels of pain, and know that you can push through it.”

“I see. You’re afraid that if I dwell on the pain too long my mind will try to protect me from experiencing it again. Like if I am in a fight, where experiencing similar pain is a possibility, I won’t be able to act freely?” Frank asked as understanding dawned on him.

“Exactly. It’s similar to a glass-chin in boxing. Sometimes, a guy will get knocked out, and from that point on he will get knocked out every time he gets hit the same way. Not because of the damage the punch caused, but because his brain is trying to avoid taking the punishment he took during the initial knock out,” Gabriel explained.

“Well, no need to worry, I am not going to retire from fighting and become a cook or something. Not that such a thing is even an option in our circumstances. Still, I should probably take a break from masochistic activities. Somehow, I have forgotten that just because we have the System now, and injuries heal quickly, that doesn’t mean that psychological damage isn’t a thing. Our experiences stay with us,” Frank mused as they arrived at their destination.

“Alright take care of yourself, and let’s spar again when you have a better mindset,” Gabriel said as they reached the river.

“Sounds good,” Frank replied.

The two of them joined some other people as they washed up in the river before returning to the base. Originally, Frank planned to do some more training, but as he walked over to his teammates he felt exhausted. Not so much physically as mentally, it felt as if all of the pent-up tension and emotions of the last two days hit him at once.

“I am going to sleep,” he told the others, not even bothering to explain anything.

“Here, get a good night’s sleep,” he heard Amy say.

Turning, he saw that she was handing him a wolf pelt. “Sleeping bag,” she said after catching his wondering expression. He nodded and took the item from her. It didn’t feel as good as a bed, but it was much better than sleeping on the ground. Soon, the thoughts faded away as Frank fell asleep.

***

It had been the third night since the System came into existence, and Roger had once again woken up in a foul mood. The adrenaline rush of the first day was gone, leaving him with the pressure of responsibility he now shouldered. His mind constantly trying to assess potential threats, due to his training as an Air Marshall, only made things worse.

So far, things have worked out fairly well, thanks to his Leadership and Encourage skills. The former increased the likelihood of people following his orders, the latter made people more courageous and dampened their fear. It was due to these skills that the people were able to face off against monsters without faltering.

However, the fact that he hadn’t shared the existence of these skills resulted in a time bomb. And every day that went by would only make the eventual revelation more painful. Still, he chose to keep silent. If the existence of the skills was revealed, he would definitely get removed from his de facto leadership position. Although he didn’t care about it, his removal would most definitely weaken the cohesion of the group. The group could even split, people turning against each other if they couldn’t decide on a new leader. Such a scenario would decrease their chances of survival. He just couldn’t risk it.

Roger rubbed his eyes, I just need to deal with the problems in front of me. One day at a time, he told himself, an image of his wife and daughter surfaced in his mind. No matter what, I will get through this and find a way back.

The hope of returning home and reuniting with his wife and daughter filled him with strength. His composure regained, he thought about the activities for the day. We’ve done a decent job exploring the forest to the north, I should have the scout teams explore the forest to the south. Should the foraging teams be sent out in two’s? If they ran into a level 35 monster that would be bad. He took a moment to think it over before arriving at a decision. Yeah, better safe than sorry. Check with Steve regarding better weapons and armor for everyone. Have them stockpile healing and mana potions… check with Carol regarding her planting progress…

He sighed as his mental to-do list got increasingly longer, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was just busywork. Tomorrow the three-day break will be over and Monster Grounds will begin to spawn. What will that mean for us? The System made it sound like a major change, one that could easily upend our plans. Then there is the issue with that rapist group, luckily they are pretty far away, he sighed again.

He had spoken with Helen and Demi at length and was mostly certain that they were telling the truth. According to them, the unknown group was some 120 miles to the north. Placing the spawn location for their cruise ship some 200 miles to the north. It wasn’t as far as it seemed, given that with Running, Fitness, and stamina boosting attributes, most people could run ten miles per hour and keep it up for several hours. Still, it was far enough that the unknown group likely wouldn’t be an issue for a while. Roger grimaced when he thought about the cruise the women were on. Over three thousand people, most of them probably dead, just because no one took control, and they lacked someone with the Leadership skill. Such a terrible waste, he sighed. Pushing the gloomy thoughts aside, he began his day.

First, he stopped by one of the five outhouses they’ve built. He continued walking through the base, as he analyzed his surroundings. Five outhouses aren’t enough for the 162 people we have, the long wait lines in the mornings are already adding to everyone’s stress, but it’ll have to do for now. Hmm, people started to build shacks for housing, but there isn’t enough space inside the walls, we’ll have to use barracks with bunk beds if we want to house everyone. That would mean the need to separate men and women, but keeping families apart would be a bad thing, longterm. We’ll need to build a bigger base… Roger shook his head, trying to get rid of the thoughts running through his mind. The weather has been good, housing isn’t an immediate problem, he told himself, pushing the issue out of his mind. The temperature had been around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, with clear skies, ever since they appeared in this place.

He made his way to where Frank was, only to find the man still asleep, which was surprising considering he was one of the first to get up the previous two mornings. With a shrug, Roger went to the river to wash up. While returning he ran into Carol, and asked her about her planting progress, crossing one of his to-do items off.

“It’s very promising. We can use Mana Channeling to infuse R mana into both the soil and the plants, causing them to grow much faster than normal, or at least what I think is normal. I think they will start bearing fruits in about a week for the bushes, two weeks or so for the trees,” Carol explained. “Maybe it could be sped up even more if we could infuse more R mana, but there are only six of us working on some thirty plants.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” he told her, adding a new line to his mental list. Better than expected, but it wouldn’t be enough to feed everyone, we’ll need a literal farm if we want to stop relying on foraging. “What about crystal flowers?”

“Those are even more promising, we can grow all four types, and they should reach maturity in three days. Though it’s anyone’s guess how the crystal-growing process occurs.”

“Keep me informed,” Roger said, concluding their impromptu meeting.

Upon returning to the base, he went to check on Frank again. This time the old man was awake, most likely training some skill.

“Morning, Frank,” Roger greeted him. “No sword in your arm?” He asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

“I’ve overloaded on pain yesterday, so I am taking a break,” Frank chuckled.

“Ah, that… I told Kareem to run his tests on a captured monster, but he wanted to get the exact formula, not just a general idea,” Roger said, he wasn’t happy with, essentially, torturing people to figure out the System, even if they volunteered and the info was valuable.

“I am fine. It just reminded me to take the time to smell the roses, not just recklessly push forward.”

“That’s good to hear. Anyway, Helen and Demi want to join your team,” he informed the man. He chuckled seeing Frank’s surprised expression and explained. “Your team did save them, plus, they asked who here is focused on increasing one’s power the most, and your name came up.”

“I doubt that, Gabriel is way stronger than me, I am sure there are others,” Frank shook his head.

“Gabriel has four combat skills at over seventy, that’s a lot of extra GP most people won’t have. When it comes to training, you are the one pushing the most,” Roger said with a smile. “Anyway, they want to join your team and I see no reason to deny them. I’ve spoken to them separately, and am quite certain they are telling the truth. But, to be safe, I don’t want you going into the forest. Stay around the base, and keep an eye on them.”

“I wish you would’ve told me that ten minutes ago,” Frank said with an annoyed face, seeing Rogers' confusion he explained, “I just sunk fifteen points into Constitution. If I knew we were staying away from danger I would’ve used them differently.”

“I did stop by earlier, but you were sleeping,” Roger said and shrugged. “Anyway, train them well, their Second Wind ability is quite promising, would make them excellent scouts,” he added, then bid Frank goodbye.

Walking away, he thought about the quirky old man. He probably doesn’t realize his importance to the group. Not only was his discovery of skills paramount in preventing the initial panic, allowing me to get Leadership, but seeing him spend every waking moment training keeps everyone from complaining about their hardships. I am glad he was on our flight.