A Lesson in Pain.

Mammon had been focusing only on trying to learn and had completely neglected swordsmanship. But that was over; he was going to learn it, no matter how long it took.

He knew that the previous occurrence in the woods had been pure luck, and he was certain that kind of fortune wouldn't visit him again, so he stood up from his bed and went towards the barracks.

The sound of swords hitting wooden dummies in the distance reached his ears, steady and rhythmic. He walked quietly into the courtyard, observing the training. To the side, a rack of wooden swords caught his eye, and he moved over to inspect them.

Basic Wooden Training Short-sword (1h):

Grade: Common

Attack Power: 1

Durability: 10/10

Description: A short sword that is good only for training.

'Basic indeed,' he thought as he grabbed one from the rack.

The sword had a certain weight to it. Though he'd never held a real sword before, Mammon expected the game mechanics to take away any natural feel it might have.

The weight was manageable, and he guessed that some swords, like the trainer's long sword, would be too heavy for him due to stat requirements.

He tried a few practice swings, copying the movements of the other trainees around him. His strikes were sloppy at first, but after several attempts, they began to improve.

He continued practicing for hours. By lunchtime, most of the others stopped to grab food, but Mammon remained, still focused on his training. Eventually, a notification appeared.

*Ding!*

*Your non-stop training has borne fruit. Strength +1.*

'Nice,' he thought, walking over to the rack to swap his sword for a longer one.

Basic Wooden Training Long-sword (1h/2h):

Grade: Common

Attack Power: 1(1h)/2(2h)

Durability: 10/10

Description: A long sword that is good only for training.

Mammon grabbed the long sword and returned to the dummy. This one was heavier and harder to control at first, but he forced himself to power through, focusing on the movements until they became more fluid.

An hour later, another notification popped up.

*Ding!*

*You have learned 'Basic Sword Training.'*

Mammon didn't pay it much mind and continued practicing, hoping to unlock something more. That was when Elian stepped into the barracks.

"Good afternoon, Sir Elian!" The trainees chorused in unison.

Elian waved them off, his eyes falling on Mammon. He walked over and spoke.

"You're the newbie who killed that beast, right? What's your level?"

"Level Five, sir," Mammon replied, bowing his head slightly.

"Level Five! Pure luck, huh?" Elian said with a grin.

Mammon didn't know how to respond, so he remained silent.

"I assume you've learned the basics, but you won't get any further by just practicing these moves," Elian said, his voice serious.

Mammon nodded. "Yes, sir."

Elian smirked. "Wanna train with me?"

Mammon hesitated for a moment, then answered quickly. "I'd be glad to, sir. Sorry, I meant yes, sir."

Elian chuckled and picked up a wooden short sword. He led Mammon to the center of the courtyard, where the ground was more compact, the dirt hardened from years of use.

"I believe you know what we're going to do," Elian said.

"No, I have no idea,"

"We're gonna spar," Elian said, drawing his sword and adopting a combat stance.

Mammon dropped into position as well, though he felt unsure. He had no idea what to expect.

What followed couldn't truly be called a spar. Elian moved with terrifying speed, so fast that he was little more than a blur. Mammon barely managed to react in time, raising his sword to block a strike coming from the right.

The impact was so forceful that Mammon lost his grip on his sword, sending it flying from his hand. The force knocked him off balance, leaving him wide open.

Elian took advantage of the opening. With a grin, he kicked Mammon square in the chest, sending him flying into the nearby wall. Mammon crumpled to the ground, gasping for air, the pain in his chest overwhelming.

After a few seconds, he spit out blood, his HP dropping by half. Was Elian trying to kill him?

"That hurt!" Mammon growled, struggling to his feet.

"You'll face situations worse than this in the future. Grab your sword. We're not done," Elian said calmly.

Mammon, though bruised, did as he was told. He grabbed his sword and prepared to continue. The next few hours were more of the same, Elian attacking relentlessly while Mammon struggled to keep up.

The intensity of the training slowly wore him down, and by the end, he was battered and bruised, his body aching all over.

"Alright, we've trained enough for today," Elian said, his voice almost pitying as he looked at Mammon. "Go wash up and rest. I expect you back here tomorrow."

Mammon just nodded and stood to leave, as people around him were giving him pitying looks as they went back to training. 

Mammon was not lead the least discouraged. Those were the sacrifices he had to make to become the best player. Another notification popped up, making stop in his tracks.

*Ding!*

*Your training has borne fruit. Constitution +1*

He might not be leveling for now, but at least he was still getting strong in some way. He walked back to the river to wash up and then walked to his residence.

As he did, he checked his Stats.

Status:

Name: Mammon

Race: Half-Elf

Class: ???

Level: 5 (35/150)

HP: 90/90

MP: 100/100

Stamina: 100

Strength: 6 Agility: 5 Constitution: 6 Dexterity: 6

Wisdom: 5 Intelligence: 5 

Attack Power (Str): 20 Attack Power (Agi): 15 Magic Attack Power: 15

Luck: 0

Available Stat Points: 4

Available Skill Points: 4

Physical Condition: Normal

Mental Condition: Normal

Equipped Gear: Beginner Clothes

'Time to start distributing my extra points,' he thought, preparing to improve his stats.

Mammon knew that he had to increase his stats if he wanted to grow stronger, but for the skill points, he decided to leave them untouched for now.

He distributed the stat points, allocating one to intelligence and two to agility, leaving the remaining one for later.

Once in his residence, he collapsed on the bed, feeling too sleepy and tired to even log out of the game.

He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

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