CHAPTER 152: CONTINOUS TRAINING

He blinked twice, swallowed, and slid off the couch. The apartment smelled faintly of yesterday’s cold noodles and stale coffee. He tossed the blanket aside, stretched his spine, and flexed his fingers, old burn marks on his palm tingling.

—

Lucen met Varik in the lobby fifteen minutes later. The air in the elevator hummed slightly, filtered, recycled, cold.

Varik looked composed as always, hands folded behind his back. "You slept?"

Lucen nodded once. "Like a corpse."

Varik smirked faintly. "Good." He turned, and Lucen followed out into the morning street. Outside, the sun still low, the exhaust smell tangy and metallic.

"A new shift?" Lucen asked after a block.

Varik gestured toward a sleek black lightning-blue car parked at the curb. "Guild says we’re on standby. Expecting breach anywhere in the sector."

Lucen settled in beside him. "Expecting me to swing again?"

Varik glanced over. "You showed up as a wildcard. That’s valuable."

Lucen let that settle.

—

Back at guild HQ, the corridor felt emptier in daylight. Staff milled past with morning coffee, chat windows open, light chatter about yesterday’s fight echoing.

Gabe waited by his desk as he tapped in. She handed him a water bottle and a sanitized mana bar. "Breakfast."

Lucen took them both. "Thanks."

She nodded. "You level yet?"

He shrugged, glancing down at his system overlay. "Maybe not until tonight."

A glow appeared on his nameplate, Ghostweave (Ivara) , small spark of recognition.

At that moment, a junior A-rank swordsman stepped forward, nervous grin, clipboard in hand.

"Uh, Lucen? Ghostweave, right? I’m Corran. Wanted to say good job out there."

Lucen accepted the handshake. "Thanks."

Corran glanced at the sword strapped to his back. "That blade move... you tested it?"

Lucen shrugged. "Just did." His tone dry. Nothing flashy.

Corran stuttered. "Can’t wait to see what you... uh... do next."

He walked off muttering to himself. Gabe watched him go.

"You’re making fans."

Lucen just rolled his shoulders. "Great."

—

An announcement pinged through the overhead system: minor breach active in district 7B, sent squads to clear. Lucen handed his drink off to Gen, who’d just arrived with Juno.

Lucen nodded at Gen: "All set."

Gen grinned. "Yeah."

They boarded an armored van with mission tags flickering. Inside, pro-guild talk buzzed, hunters swapping hot takes. Lucen stayed quiet, eyes forward. His sword leaned against the wall.

—

The breach zone looked different in daylight. Cracks in buildings emitted pale purple light. Debris scattered. Civilians lined outside barriers. System overlays marked live glyph patterns in the air.

Gabe coordinated from a console: "We’re forming a cordon. Light mages slow down creature passage. Melee reserves, standby. Assist Lucen if needed."

Gen took position beside Lucen. "You thinking sword or hands today?"

Lucen tapped the sword handle. "Sword."

Moments later, the first creature twisted through collapsed concrete, a cluster of scaled limbs and flashing mandibles. Lucen drew steel.

He didn’t name the action. Didn’t need to.

The sword sang out as he split a limb with ritual precision. Flesh opened, mana surged, then still.

Lucen moved forward. A beast lunged.

He dodged, pivoted, and delivered a brutal backward strike to the chest. Blue arc-burst rattled through the spine. The beast slumped, knocked limp.

Gen followed with his shield glyph, holding rabbits at bay. Arrows zipped overhead from archers Juno and Corran.

Lucen pivoted, slashed across the next target’s hide. It dropped in two. The blade erupted with mana-blaze at the tip. Light-flare, then darkness.

Within minutes, the breach was cleared. Civilian alarms silenced. Citizens watched through windows and barriers as the last creature dissolved in dust.

Lucen stood in the middle of street rubble. Sword lowered. The hum faded.

Gen nudged him. "That was smooth."

Lucen nodded once. "Comfortable."

Gabe’s voice returned: "Breach sealed. Good work." On her comm she added, "No injuries. One unconscious. High performance."

Lucen handed his sword to Gen. "You know guys won’t stop talking about this all day."

Gen pocketed the sword respectfully. "Already posted."

Lucen just exhaled. ’Let them talk.’

—

That evening, in his apartment, Lucen logged into his system. His attribute window hovered:

EXP +150 from field.

Attribute boost:

Strength +2,

Dexterity +1,

He picked his sword off the rack. Weight felt lighter now. Or maybe he felt stronger. The glint in the blade reminded him of the shard from the dungeon. That shard lay on his desk, pulsing faintly.

His comm pinged silently. Varik’s face appeared in ghost-light.

"You’ve adapted your sword strikes to field conditions."

Lucen cocked an eyebrow. "That just sounded cooler than it felt."

Varik’s gaze didn’t shift. "Curious—your mana you channeled through that blade showed growth." He examined Lucen’s eyes thoughtfully. "We may test it formally."

Lucen closed his eyes for a second. Then said, "Tomorrow morning?"

Varik nodded. "Yes."

They disconnected.

Lucen set the sword down, sat. His reflection in the window was half-lit by the city glow. He ran a hand across the shard, sticky cold.

He exhaled softly as he said to himself, ’Feels good. Dangerous is good. Tomorrow’s practice.’

—

Twenty minutes later, Varik stood in the empty warehouse Varik used for training. It smelled of concrete, oil, and faint mana residue. Grand stone columns reflected ambient light. A single large target dummy sat at the far end.

Lucen stepped in, barefoot now. Varik watched him with crossed arms and steady breath.

"You slept?" Varik asked.

Lucen flexed his shoulders. "Fine."

Varik nodded, turning toward the dummy. "Begin. Focus on controlling energy rather than force."

Lucen lifted the sword, watching the steel pulse blue. He shifted his stance, rebalanced.

Then he moved. Step, slash low across the dummy’s leg. The blade flared softly, etching arc-lace across the surface.

No fight. No stakes. Just precision. The hum died out mid-swing.

Varik walked forward. "Now tune it."

He gestured to the blade. Lucen shifted the grip, channeled small mana ripple into the flat, making the metal shiver, not cut. A vibration so perfect it stuttered across the dummy steel, leaving a straight groove, glowing faintly.

Varik nodded. "That’s new."

Lucen exhaled. "Less break. More whisper."

Varik nodded again. "Now add pressure. But keep the structure."