Chapter 13

They spent the next three hours training. Every five minutes, Amy would fling an Arcane Bolts at Frank, who would lose his balance and fall, as the energy of the spell overwhelmed his mind. At first, Amy had plenty of D mana, and it was Frank who slowed the training down. However, at the two-hour mark, Amy's mana ran dry, and her slower regeneration became the limiting factor. Seeing how she needed some twelve minutes of meditation to cast a single spell, Frank started using his sword to train Pain Tolerance. Eventually, they were interrupted by Margaret.

"Congratulations, Frank. That's quite an achievement," Margaret said after approaching the two.

"What are you talking about?" Frank asked.

"It hasn't even been two days, yet you have already built a reputation for yourself. Crazy old man, they call you," Margaret explained, struggling not to laugh.

"Training is important," Frank said with a shrug, he wasn't sure why the others couldn't seem to grasp this concept.

"You don't have to tell me. I am sure knowing how to properly fall on your ass is the key to our survival," Margaret said with a straight face before losing it. Next to him, Amy laughed too.

"It looks pretty silly, I'll give you that," Frank said as he chuckled. "But it is pretty effective."

"It really is," Amy nodded as her laughter subsided.

"You do you, then. Anyway, it's almost time for dinner, Carol wants you to hand over the food you still have from our foraging," Margaret changed the subject after waving her hand dismissively.

"By the way, do you know what happened with the rescue team?" Frank asked as he stood up.

"Yeah. They found a level 25 bear in a cave and decided to fight it. However, during the fight they got surrounded by a pack of wolves, making them stuck in the cave until the rescue team got there. Everyone survived," she quickly told them the story.

Frank and Amy walked over to Carol, who was arranging various fruits on the tree stumps. Steve was there as well, cooking meat on the fire. As they got closer, Frank saw that the food was no longer placed directly onto the stumps, but rather on wooden trays. He handed over the fruits they still had from earlier and was about to ask about the trays when Carol's glare stopped him. She stared at Frank shaking her head.

"Are you seriously going to walk around with that thing?" She asked angrily gesturing at his left arm, which had a sword sticking through it. "You are scaring the children," she added.

"It's a cruel world out there. We must walk the path of pain and suffering..." Frank began trying his best to sound like a wise elder teaching a young Padawan. "Fine, fine. Kids sure are soft nowadays," he said, ignoring Steve who burst out laughing, as Carol rolled her eyes.

He pulled the sword out, storing it in his Spatial ring. He walked over to Steve and asked about the wooden trays.

"Made them with Magical Crafting," Steve replied proudly. "It really is a great skill. You can make all kinds of useful things, as long as you are making something simple, and the raw material is close enough to the shape of the finished product."

"Oh? What else did you make?" Frank asked curiously.

"Several bows, the arrows are pretty bad though. Also, a few ponchos. I tried to make some shoes, but didn't succeed," Steve explained, as he flipped a cut of wolf meat to the other side.

"Hmm, where did you get those grills?" Frank asked as he realized that the meat was being cooked on several grilling wire meshes.

"These are part of the reward for completing the Survivor grid. You get some good stuff from it, a flask, a knife, a shovel and so on. Get these as well," Steve said as he pulled a glass vial out and handed it to Frank.

He examined the item – made of clear glass, it was about five inches in length and two or so in width, it looked like a regular pill bottle. He pulled out the stopper, which felt similar to a cork, then put it back.

"Marshall thinks we can make some potions with it. Like alchemy or somethin'. I ain't sure how though," Steve said as he took the vial back, storing it in his ring. "Anyway, you got about ten minutes before all the meat is cooked," he added.

Frank thanked the man, then he looked around until he spotted the Marshall, sitting not far from the group of people building the fence, and started walking towards the man. The Marshall sighed when he saw him.

"What can I do for you, Frank?" He asked.

"Don't worry, I am not going to add any more work for you," Frank said with a chuckle. "Just some info and a suggestion. We should have everyone specialize in what they want and are good at. That way we can have people dedicated to construction, crafting, scouting, defense, foraging, etc. Once the fence is built, it will make little sense to have fighters cutting trees."

"They still get skill level ups, even if in non-combat skills," the Marshall retorted.

"Yes, but they are missing out on half of their regeneration if they aren't using Meditate during downtime. It's not ideal," Frank shook his head.

"Not everyone is a training maniac like you, but I see your point. Anything else?"

"We've figured out how the magic resistance skills work," Frank said with a proud smile on his face. "Take half of the resistance skill's level and divide it by the spell's level, the result is the damage reduction percentage. For example, if your Arcane Resistance is level six, and you get hit with a level 10 Arcane Bolt, the damage would be reduced by thirty percent."

"That is useful information," the Marshall nodded. "Although, I doubt most people would willingly get hit by the spells in order to train their resistances. People want to avoid pain, you know," he added with a chuckle.

"I am not a fan of pain either. It's just, with HP restoring any damage, it feels... less real. Sure it hurts, but that's temporary, a few seconds later you are back to normal. But the benefits? The benefits are permanent," Frank tried to explain.

"I get what you are saying. But to willingly embrace pain, that takes a certain... mindset," the Marshall shook his head. "Anyway, let's get some food," he added as he got up.

"The meat smells nice," Frank said as he breathed the aroma wafting from the fire.

They joined the fast-growing line and waited for their turn. It now felt like a real buffet – each of them got a small, wooden plate, that they would fill with food from the six large trays placed on the stumps. Carol would add more food as needed, while Steve continued to grill more meat. Sadly, they would have to go to the river to get a drink.

After filling his plate, Frank found Amy and Margaret sitting some distance away, having already gotten their food. He joined them, and soon, the rest of their team came over. While eating, they exchanged new information that was discovered, most of which came from Frank and Amy.

"You've been busy, all we have to show for the day is increased Wood Cutting, Physical Labor, Fitness, and Mana Channeling," Hank shook his head dejectedly when he heard about Frank's progress.

"You used Mana Channeling on your weapons to cut trees?" Frank asked curiously.

"Yeah. It makes a noticeable difference. The only problem is, you expend mana with every hit, plus the capacity is quite low," Bill said.

"The low capacity is probably due to the low grade of your weapons. My rare weapon can absorb 32 mana, but the uncommon bracer can only take ten," Frank explained.

"Huh, then we need to get us some rare weapons," Bill said with a laugh.

"Don't think we can create anything like that, yet," Frank shook his head.

"How about a shield? Think you could make me one?" Hank asked him.

"Actually, I've been thinking about it. I think I can. Not sure how good it will be though," Frank replied.

"I'll take what I can," Hank smiled at him. "Do you need anything from me?"

"Yes. Find a tree trunk of the size you want your shield to be, and cut a slice of it. It will serve as the main material," Frank nodded.

After finishing their meal, all of them went to the river to get some water and clean up. Upon their return, the rest of the group decided to train, while Hank and Frank went about creating a shield. Frank got some leather straps and a cured wolf pelt from Steve then walked over to the pile of sticks that were used to make stakes and cut several pieces. He returned to the group and started to flesh out the exact design of the shield he would soon create. After a while, Hank came back with a slice of a tree trunk, some three feet in diameter. Frank took it and shooed the man away.

"I can't do it with you watching!" He told him in a desperate, shrill voice, getting a laugh out of the rest of the group.

Still chuckling, Frank placed the leather straps, a piece of the wolf pelt, and the pieces of wood on the tree slice, then imbued all of the raw materials with mana. Once that was done, he closed his eyes and began to imagine the shield he wanted to make. The design was quite simple – a round shield with two straps. The biggest issue was the straps. There were no screws or nails to bind them to the shield, he would need to cut holes in the shield and secure the wooden pieces to which the straps would then be attached.

Slowly he visualized the shield. First, the main component, then the holes that would be drilled through it, the wooden pieces that would be inserted there, the pieces that would be added on the other side, the leather strap, and how it would attach to it. He then tried to push the thought that the shield should be tough and durable, especially the pieces that would be holding the straps in place. It almost felt like a design program, as he added layer after layer of details. Once he felt satisfied with all the details, Frank activated Magical Crafting, while maintaining the image in his mind. A few seconds of mental struggle and the spell ended.

Frank opened his eyes and found a round shield laying in front of him. Picking it up, he examined it. It was just as he imagined, a round shield with two one-foot long planks on the outside. Inside, there were two more wooden planks with loops of leather straps. He tried the shield on, sliding his arm through the first loop and tightening his hand around the second loop. It felt a little weird, but the item itself seemed fine. Focusing on it, he brought up the descriptions

Common Grade: Round Wooden Shield

No attributes, and only common grade, he thought, feeling a little disappointed. Still, a shield is a shield. He called Hank over and presented him with the item.

"Thanks, Frank. Now I can at least train with the weapon set I wish to pursue," Hank thanked him. "By the way, do you want to spar? Maybe you can give me some pointers?"

"Sure, though I know nothing about using shields," Frank agreed with a shrug.

Soon, they were fighting. Or rather, Frank tried to get his saber past the shield, while Hank tried his best to prevent that from happening. Twenty minutes later, Frank had to admit that the shield provided a tremendous increase to Hank's defenses. So much so that he could no longer get past it. Of course, due to his training in his younger days, Frank had the benefit of experience on his side. Even though he could no longer get past Hank's defenses, it was still easy to bait the large man into an attack, and then counter it.

After Hank had enough, he trained with Bill. The combination of increased attributes and two new skills nearly overwhelmed Frank. Dash allowed Bill to quickly close the distance between them, while a new skill called Weapon Toss allowed him to throw his weapon and have it reappear in his hand a moment later. Controlling distance was the basis of combat, and these two skills made it impossible. It wasn't all bad though. As he dodged and rolled, trying to avoid the other man's weapons, Frank picked up two new skills.

You have learned a new skill: Dodge, level 1: Those who have mastered Dodge can stand in front of an enemy, yet remain as elusive as the wind. Too bad you won't live long enough to achieve such competence. This skill improves your ability to avoid all types of attacks.

You have learned a new skill: Acrobatics, level 1: The knowledge of how to break a fall, how to roll, jump, flip, and other fun movements. There goes your chance to break your neck, doing a backflip, for a quick death. This skill improves your ability to perform acrobatic actions.

More defensive skills is good, Frank told himself after losing yet another bout to Bill. It was annoying to admit that he couldn't beat the man with just his physical abilities anymore. Then again, he could still win by relying on Lightning Bolt, Mana Shield, and Phantom Strike, to create enough of an opening to overwhelm Bill and win. And considering that his current build was focused almost exclusively on regeneration, the result could be considered more than acceptable.

They continued to train into the evening. Sparring, using their active abilities, and meditating. Frank's high regeneration showed itself once more, as he was clearly the most active of them all. He continued his training with Amy and was even joined by Hank, the rest of the group refusing to get hit by Arcane Bolts to get a resistance skill. Frank also asked Margaret to use her Fire Bolt attack on him, but that idea was quickly shelved due to the smell of burnt flesh that filled the air.

It was nearly midnight when they finally went to sleep. Frank felt quite satisfied with the day's progress, both his own and their camp as a whole. The fence was completed two-thirds of the way, the moat was now filled with spikes, they found plenty of food in the forest, not to mention all the wolf meat they still had. For his own achievements, his strategy of focusing on regeneration was starting to pay off, as his skills leveled up at a fast rate, and he was well on his way to having enough points for the promising Building Momentum grid. He closed his eyes and fell asleep, despite laying on the hard ground.

The night passed peacefully, and Frank woke up in the predawn. Seeing how most people were still asleep, he ran to the river to get a drink. Promising himself to craft a flask later that day, he spent the morning training. After a while, the rest of his team woke up and joined him. Frank felt disheartened as he watched his teammates struggle to get level-ups due to their low regeneration. For instance, Amy's regeneration was only 49 D mana per hour, with meditation it was 110, which was enough to cast Arcane Bolt six or seven times, giving her one or two level-ups. On the other hand, Frank's total regeneration was at an impressive 300, more than 600 with Meditation. Combined with lower cost for some of his skills, as well as a lower level, which meant faster skill levels, he was getting more than ten levels per hour. Faced with such reality, most of the group resolved to up their regeneration, so they could keep up with Frank.

It was around eight o'clock when Carol served breakfast – the remaining fruits from the previous day's foraging. After breakfast, the Marshall gathered all the team leaders and explained the various tasks for the day. Finishing the fence was number one on the list. Frank was pleased to see that some half a dozen people would aid Steve with crafting. As for his team, they were sent into the forest to forage once more, which would be a good break from their morning training.

The forest felt peaceful as Frank and his team foraged through it, picking up the exotic looking fruits, including the poisonous red berries. Hank had gained Poison Resistance skill after eating a bunch of them the previous night, which attracted not just Frank, but the rest of the team as well. The poison was easily counteracted with healing, and the berries were delicious, on top of providing free skill levels. They also gathered the flower crystals. While they still haven't figured a use for them, the crystals were the most unusual thing they've found since the System took effect. Frank refused to believe that there was no use for them.

It was around two hours later when they heard wolves howling. However, the howls were quite distant, so they decided to ignore them and continue. The howls continued, growing increasingly closer, and after five minutes the group decided to head in their direction to see what was happening. Also, it was somewhat risky, there was a chance another team was being chased by the wolves.

They ran towards the sound of howls and soon came across two running women.

"Hey, hold on," Bill shouted at them, as the group made their way through the forest.

The two women stopped and turned in Bill's direction. One looked in her late thirties, while the other looked younger, a senior in high school or so. They seemed apprehensive, unsure of what to do. They looked relieved upon spotting Amy and Margaret but remained silent.

"Are you being chased by those wolves?" Frank asked, the howls sounding extremely close.

It took a few seconds for the older woman to nod. "I am not sure how many," she added.

Everyone's attention was drawn to the wolves that emerged from the forest. There were only six of them.

Wolf, level 15

Frank saw in a pop up when he focused on one of the wolves. Level 15 shouldn't be too bad, we've grown a lot since facing the level 10 version, Frank thought.

"Everyone get ready. Conserve your resources, we don't know what else will show up to this party," Frank said.

The four men moved toward the wolves, who seemed hesitant to launch an attack, now that the prey outnumbered them. One of the wolves scowled at them, showing its fangs, as they approached. In response, Bill slammed his axe into its head. As if a signal to battle, all of the wolves lunged forward. Frank lashed out, his mana-imbued saber slicing half-way through the wolf's head. The others had similar results. Although, because of HP the wolves weren't actually dead, with such gruesome wounds they were taken out of commission for five to ten seconds or so. That was plenty of time for the group to continue to deliver damage, quickly draining the beasts' HP. After thirty seconds, it was all over.

"Get the wolves' bodies," Frank said, placing one into his Spatial ring. "Now with the threat gone, could you tell us who you are and how you got here?" Frank asked, turning to face the two women, who had moved some twenty yards away, seemingly ready to run.

"You first. Who are you, people?" The older woman asked, her eyes shifting between Margaret and Amy.

"We were flying on a plane to Bermuda when the System came into existence, after our plane crashed into the ocean, we were somehow transported here," Margaret explained.

"You are all passengers from that plane?" The older woman asked.

"Yes, as you can see we got quite a mix of ages," Margaret said with a gentle smile.

The woman opened her mouth to speak, but then her eyes widened as she looked behind them. Frank spun around and swore.

This is what I was afraid of.