'I defeated Evan.
But I still don't know anyone's exact level, plus my different stat increase makes it harder to gauge my actual combat level.'
Ren was sprawled on the ground, staring at the ceiling of the hall while thinking to himself.
Just then, a face blocked his view.
It was Caleb.
"Can we spar?"
He was itching to fight after seeing how Ren was able to defeat Evan, albeit just by chance.
Ren sighed and pushed himself up from the ground.
This spar came as a surprise to everyone.
Caleb with his machete used an aggressive style to fight while Ren too was a head-on fighter.
Caleb's strikes were too deadly and almost impossible for Ren to defend against only with his axe.
Ren stumbled multiple times but still held on due to his advantage in strength.
But what had actually surprised the others was the fact that there was no winner.
Both of them stood exhausted, panting like their lives depended on the air—and it did.
Caleb shook his head and stepped back, sitting on the ground as he leaned against one of the pillars of the training hall.
'It wasn't that he was bad, but that our matchup was the worst.' Caleb half-chuckled to himself, thinking how despite using a machete, he was unable to gain an advantage against a simple axe wielder.
A machete's swipe could be a lot deadlier and unless one had a shield or sword, parrying it was almost impossible unless they had a huge difference in strength.
That was the reason why the person whom Evan struggled against the most in the spar was him.
Evan's spear was redirected by Caleb multiple times due to this advantage. He never closed his eyes in a fight, even if just for a moment.
His advantage lay in his hand-eye coordination which made Caleb a tough opponent for everyone else.
But Ren, he was different.
He was able to stand on equal grounds with him.
'Is it due to the difference in weapons?' But he shook his head and denied that thought just as fast as it occurred.
Caleb was pretty sure that if it were Ronan or Evan wielding the axe, he could have a higher chance of defeating them than Ren.
Meanwhile, Ren just kept staring at his axe, wondering what he could do to compensate for his shorter reach.
By afternoon, almost everyone had finished sparring and were utterly exhausted because even if staying in the barrier could recover them—the speed was not that fast for one to be able to train endlessly.
Ren also returned to his room and slept like a log till evening.
Under the fading sunlight, he woke up and washed his face with the water stored inside the pot that he had brought back yesterday from the nearby river.
After washing his face and feeling fresh, Ren stepped outside and saw Ronan collecting wood for the bonfire.
'Winter is another issue in these harsh conditions.' But he was still happy for the fact that it didn't snow in this region, or else it would be nothing short of hell.
As he contemplated what to do for now, he saw a familiar presence moving towards him.
Lina walked to him with a slight smile etched on her face.
"Looks like you are fine now." Ren decided to initiate the conversation as he thought about how she had cried last night and was still sad in the training hall.
She stopped and blinked her eyes in confusion for a second before finally understanding what he meant.
"Oh, I am just worried about how I will live from now on. My parents… they are no more. And I cried… for days. But slowly, I started to realize that I had a new purpose in life."
She added, as her smile turned slightly bitter, but unlike the last time, she controlled her emotions.
"I won't take my last breath until I see the one who brought forth this apocalypse die before my eyes."
By the time she finished speaking, her fists were clenched, her eyes holding a newfound resolve.
'At least she has a reason to live on.'
'But what about me? Is surviving just because I am afraid to die a valid resolution?' Ren questioned himself as he looked at the shimmering trees.
The light-blue leaves swaying gently in the orange sunlight created a heartwarming atmosphere, prompting one to just stare at it as they felt the wind brushing past them.
This was the only moment of the day when Ren could think about what to do and sort out everything that had transpired.
Neither of them spoke. Just silently gazing at the setting sun, no birds could be seen in the air—at least not from the time Ren had arrived in this place.
As soon as his focus shifted to this, he thought of asking Lina, but seeing her unfocused eyes gazing at the distant forest, he decided not to mention it.
"Tomorrow, we will once again go on the hunt to level up, it was Evan's idea of alternating between leveling up and sparring each day to grow stronger while having some combat experiences to ensure maximum chances of survival."
She suddenly added, after finally remembering the reason she had come to talk to him.
"That's… a nice plan." Nodding his head, Ren couldn't help but appreciate how Evan acted and moved with practicality.
As if sensing his thoughts, Lina added—
"I know what you are thinking. And you are right.
He really is a freak to be able to mentally adapt himself in such a short duration. In a way, you both are similar but different from each other at the same time."
"What do you mean?" Ren asked in confusion, as he couldn't relate to Evan in any way.
Chuckling to herself, she spoke in a teasing tone,
"We all have seen your abnormality. You can physically adapt to some of the lethal attacks you have only perceived for the first time, almost like seeing through the essence of the strike.
Whereas Evan is the fastest in terms of adapting his mindset and thereby contributing the most to our survival."
"Oh…" Nodding at her words, he silently brushed a leaf from his shoulders that had drifted with the wind and landed on him.
"Yeah, if he wasn't there for us at our lowest, we might not be alive. Sometimes, I wonder whether he already knew everything that was going to happen from the start.
Oh, sorry. I am rambling again. Don't mind my nonsense."
Biting her lower lip slightly, she stood up and waved goodbye before going to help Ronan.