"Stop. Fall back. Return to the clan."
They obeyed without argunt, turning back even as the sounds of pursuit echoed deeper into the forest. Even if I had let them continue, I doubted they would have secured any kills. This hunt required speed, lethality, and the ability to strike without hesitation.
None of them seed opposed to the order.
I also held Narg back.
His ability wasn’t built for coordinated combat, not in a chase like this. It was the kind of power ant to dominate a battlefield alone, the sort that turned its wielder into a walking calamity rather than a team player.
And right now, that wasn’t what I needed.
As they retreated, Zivra lingered for a mont, her gaze lingering on with a strange intensity, sothing unreadable flickering behind her eyes before she finally turned and followed the others back.
Sothing about that look bothered .
I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, couldn’t explain why it unsettled the way it did, but it sat in the back of my mind like an unresolved warning, subtle yet persistent.
In the end, I took it as a reminder that she possessed an ability that could screw up, and the one skill I trusted to anchor my mind against that ability, [Unyielding Will], was yet to be ranked up.
As the adrenaline finally drained from my body, I turned and began walking back toward the clan, my steps slow and deliberate, the crunch of dirt and broken undergrowth grounding in the aftermath of the fight.
I pulled up my status window, letting the familiar interface settle into view as I focused on what mattered next.
I needed to know how far I could push this.
I had 6,800 skill advancent points.
I opened the detailed breakdown on how to use these points, and the information expanded smoothly before my eyes:
[Skill Advancent Point: This point is used to raise the class of your skills and can be earned by hunting down monsters, leveling up, or fulfilling quests.]
The number of points required to raise each class is as follows...
Rank E to D = 100 points
Rank D to C = 200 points
Rank C to B = 500 points
Rank B to A = 1000 points
Rank A to S = 5000points
I exhaled slowly as I read that last number, my steps never breaking rhythm as I continued forward.
I had more than enough to climb several ranks if I wanted to.
With the number of points I had available, there was no need to hesitate or compromise; I could take [Unyielding Will] all the way to S-rank, and that realization sent a brief surge of exhilaration through .
I didn’t waste ti sitting on that feeling, as I got to work.
Ding!
[Would you like to rank up your skill [Unyielding Will] from C-rank to B-rank?]
[Cost: 500 Skill Advancent Points]
Yes.
The confirmation ca instantly, the system responding without hesitation.
Ding!
[Congratulations. [Unyielding Will] has advanced to B-rank.]
The updated description unfolded before my eyes, and this ti I read it carefully.
[Unyielding Will (B): The user’s ntal core is reinforced, greatly increasing resistance to fear, intimidation, ntal pressure, and low-to-mid tier mind-affecting abilities. Emotional shocks are dampened, preventing panic, hesitation, or collapse under stress.]
[The user gains a stable will anchor, a fixed point of self-awareness that prevents thoughts from fragnting under pressure. Attempts to confuse, frighten, or ntally suppress the user beco noticeably less effective.]
I could feel it already, not as a dramatic surge, but as a subtle tightening sowhere behind my thoughts, like steel bands settling into place around sothing fragile and finally giving it structure. It was a significant improvent, one that would’ve been enough for most situations.
But it wasn’t enough for her.
Not for what I had seen, or what I suspected she was capable of.
Ding!
[Would you like to rank up your skill [Unyielding Will] from B-rank to A-rank?]
[Cost: 1,000 Skill Advancent Points]
"Yes."
Ding!
[Congratulations. [Unyielding Will] has advanced to A-rank.]
This ti, I didn’t pause to study the details. I didn’t need to.
Whatever resistance A-rank granted, it still wasn’t the ceiling, and I wasn’t interested in leaving gaps, so I pushed forward without hesitation.
Ding!
[Congratulations. [Unyielding Will] has advanced to S-rank.]
The final description appeared, heavier than the rest, its wording carrying a different kind of weight.
[Unyielding Will (S): The user’s willpower transcends conventional ntal defense and becos a force of resistance in its own right. Direct mind control, possession, and sanity-breaking abilities are forcefully rejected unless the attacker vastly outclasses the user.]
[The will anchor evolves into a Will Core, capable of pushing back against invading ntal forces and stabilizing the user’s identity even under extre psychological assault.]
[At this rank, the user can continue fighting coherently while experiencing pain, fear, hallucinations, or emotional trauma that would instantly break others.]
As I read through the details, the restless clutter that usually crowded my thoughts began to settle, not abruptly, but with a quiet, deliberate certainty, as though an unseen hand had reached in and aligned everything that had been drifting out of place.
The sensation was strong enough that I slowed to a stop without realizing it, my feet coming to a halt as my attention turned inward.
The background noise of the world faded away, the distant movent of the clan, the rustle of leaves, even the lingering echoes of battle slipping into insignificance.
In their place was a heavy, grounded sense of self, as if my mind had driven deep roots into sothing unyielding, sothing that would not bend or crack no matter how violently the surface above it was shaken.
My emotions were still there, sharp and vivid, but they no longer threatened to spill over on their own. They felt clearer, more defined, not dulled or suppressed, but firmly contained, incapable of spiraling unless I consciously allowed them to. Fear no longer lurked at the edges, waiting for an opening. Doubt no longer felt like a fracture forming under pressure.
I grinned, genuinely satisfied with the state I was in, the quiet confidence settling into my chest as naturally as breath.
This was it.
There was no doubt in my mind now.
This would be enough to counter Zivra’s mindbreaker skill.
Relief...
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