Chapter 52: The First Skill

The eighteenth floor did not give them time to relax.
After what they had faced on the seventeenth, none of them expected it to.

They didn’t rush forward this time.
They didn’t chase fights.
They didn’t act like they understood anything.

They trained.

Not blindly.
Not recklessly.

But carefully.

Kael made sure of it.

Their routine changed again.

Instead of fighting every creature they saw, they chose their battles. They observed first—how the creatures moved, how they reacted, how the environment shifted around them. Some days they fought only once. Some days not at all.

It frustrated Aerin at first.

“We’re getting slower again,” he said one afternoon, wiping sweat from his forehead after finishing a set of strikes against a tree trunk they had marked as practice.

Mira stretched beside him, her breathing controlled but heavy. “We’re not slow. We’re just… not rushing to die.”

Aerin made a face. “That’s not what I meant.”

Kael sat nearby, watching them instead of training at that moment.

“You struggled yesterday,” she said calmly.

Aerin paused.

“…Yeah.”

“You didn’t understand why,” Kael continued.

Aerin frowned slightly, thinking back. “It moved differently midway.”

“Then why would you rush today?” she asked.

He didn’t have an answer.

Mira smirked slightly. “She has a point.”

Aerin sighed, dropping back onto the ground. “I hate when she has a point.”

Kael ignored that.

“Train your mind,” she said. “Your body will follow.”

Mira tilted her head. “You’re starting to sound like a proper teacher.”

Kael gave her a flat look. “Don’t get used to it.”

They continued.

Days passed.

Fighting.
Observing.
Failing.
Learning.

And slowly—
They changed again.

Aerin’s movements became sharper, less wasteful. He no longer relied only on strength; he started anticipating, adjusting mid-fight instead of committing too early.

Mira became even faster—not just physically, but mentally. She read situations quicker, reacted without overthinking, and her use of herbs had become instinctive rather than practiced.

And Kael—

Kael was no longer holding back.

Not for them.
Not for herself.

She fought when needed.
Stepped back when necessary.
And guided without forcing.

On the fifth day of their training on the eighteenth floor, something changed.

It happened quietly.

They had just finished a short but intense fight against a group of smaller, aggressive creatures that attacked in waves. Nothing too dangerous—but enough to keep them alert.

Aerin leaned against a rock, catching his breath.

“…That was better,” he said between breaths.

Mira nodded, stretching her arms. “You didn’t rush in like an idiot this time.”

“I never rush in like an idiot.”

“You always rush in like an idiot.”

Kael almost said something—

But stopped.

Because something else caught her attention.

A faint glow.

She turned her head.

“Aerin.”

He looked up. “Yeah?”

“Your license.”

He blinked.

Then looked down.

“…What?”

In his hand—
His climber license was glowing.

Not brightly.
Not violently.

But steadily.

“…Why is it shining?” Mira asked, already stepping closer.

Aerin stared at it, completely confused. “I didn’t do anything.”

The glow pulsed once—
Then settled.

And something new appeared.

Aerin’s eyes widened.

“…There’s something added.”

Mira didn’t wait.

She grabbed the license from his hand immediately.

“Let me see—”

Her eyes scanned the surface quickly.

Then widened even more.

“You… you got a skill?”

Aerin froze.

“What?”

Mira looked up at him, her voice rising in excitement. “You got a skill! Already?!”

He snatched the license back, staring at it like it might disappear.

There it was.

A new section.

Skill Acquired: Iron Pulse

He read it out loud, still sounding unsure.

“…Iron Pulse?”

Mira leaned closer, practically bouncing. “What does it do? What does it do?”

Aerin swallowed slightly, reading further.

“It… enhances physical strength and impact force for a short duration… increases resistance against incoming attacks… consumes stamina continuously while active…”

He blinked.

“…That sounds… strong.”

“Strong?” Mira almost laughed. “That’s amazing!”

Aerin looked at her, then back at the license. “But how…? I thought skills only appear after level fifty…”

Mira froze.

Then immediately grabbed his wrist again. “Wait—what level are you?”

Aerin hesitated.

Then checked.

His expression changed.

“…I didn’t even notice…”

Mira leaned in even closer. “Tell me!”

Aerin looked up slowly, disbelief clear on his face.

“…I crossed it.”

Mira stared at him.

“…What?”

“Level fifty,” he said, almost laughing now. “I crossed it.”

For a second—
Neither of them reacted.

Then—

“You WHAT?!”

Mira’s voice echoed across the area as she jumped back in shock.

Aerin laughed, the sound loud and genuine. “I didn’t even realize! When did that happen?”

“WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?!” Mira repeated, grabbing his shoulders now. “We were literally training together!”

“I don’t know!” Aerin said, still laughing. “Maybe during the last few fights—”

“You just casually crossed level fifty like it’s nothing?!”

“I didn’t do it on purpose!”

Mira threw her hands up. “This is unfair!”

Aerin grinned, holding up the license again. “I got a skill…”

“…You got a skill,” Mira repeated, still processing it.

Then suddenly—
She grinned.

“Use it.”

Aerin blinked. “Now?”

“Yes, now!”

He hesitated for a second—
Then nodded.

“Okay.”

He focused.

And activated it.

For a brief moment—
Nothing happened.

Then—

A faint pulse ran through his body.

Not visible like light—
But tangible.

His stance shifted slightly.
His grip tightened.

“…I feel… heavier,” he said slowly.

Mira stepped back. “Hit something.”

Aerin looked at the same tree he had been practicing on earlier.

Then punched it.

The impact was louder.
Sharper.

The bark cracked deeper than before.

Aerin stared at his hand.

“…That’s new.”

Then suddenly—
He exhaled sharply.

“…And tiring.”

The effect faded.

He stepped back slightly, breathing heavier than expected.

“Stamina drain,” Kael said quietly.

Both of them turned to her.

She hadn’t moved.

Still standing a little away—
Watching.

Mira grinned. “Did you see that? He’s amazing!”

Kael didn’t respond immediately.

Her arms were crossed.

Her expression calm.

But her eyes—

Softened.

“…Not bad,” she said.

Simple.

Short.

But enough.

Aerin blinked—
Then smiled.

A real one.

Because coming from her—
That meant more than anything Mira could shout.

Mira nudged him. “Look at you, getting praised.”

Aerin laughed softly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah…”

Kael turned away slightly.

But the faint curve on her lips didn’t disappear immediately.

Because for the first time—

They weren’t just surviving.

They were growing.

Individually.

And as a team.

And somewhere, quietly—

Even Kael felt it.

A small sense of pride.

End of Chapter 52