Kana and Suri emerged from the dungeon, the entrance sealing behind them with a faint shimmer. They had taken down four goblins in total before deciding to call it a night. Kana leveled up once, while Suri gained two levels—something Kana found both impressive and slightly unfair. She did the killing after all.

  Looking up, Kana squinted at the twin moons hanging in the sky. “Still a bit early,” she murmured, “but better to head back now than risk being caught out too late.”

  “Yeah,” Suri said, stretching with a satisfied sigh. “Hey, tomorrow I’m going to grab my late grandfather’s sword. I want to see if my skill can actually be used in combat.”

  Kana raised an eyebrow. “That’s a good idea. It might be the shape that’s the issue. But if it can equip items…” she gave a short laugh, “then your skill is definitely on the cheat-tier list.”

  Suri nodded eagerly. “If it can hold a frying pan, it should be able to hold a sword.”

  Kana chuckled. “You’re more excited about this than I am.”

  “Well, it is fun! Sneaking out, fighting monsters, feeling stronger… plus, I can tell my mana pool has increased.” Suri giggled, clearly still riding the high of leveling up.

  Kana glanced at her friend, then mentally opened her party status window. Suri’s mana had indeed gone up significantly—unlike hers, which only saw a slight bump in health.

  “Interesting,” Kana said, narrowing her eyes. Maybe it depends on the class?

  …..

  “Stop,” It was early morning when Boris gasped, bending over with his hands on his knees, sweat dripping from his brow.

  “You can’t run anymore?” Kana teased, barely winded. “I could probably do another lap. Maybe two... or three?”

  Boris glared at her, wheezing. “Fine. I’ll let you beat me this time.”

  From a nearby bench, Suri crossed her legs and gave him a bored look. “You’re hopeless,” she said flatly.

  ……

  When night came, Kana and Suri snuck back into the dungeon. Same plan—Suri’s summon would scout ahead, sometimes drawing attention, while Kana finished the job with a clean shot to the head.

  Not long after entering, they spotted a lone goblin. Perfect for practice.

  Suri’s summon grabbed the sword they’d brought and swung it at the goblin. The blade bounced off harmlessly, the strike slow and weak.

  “What?” Suri frowned, clearly disappointed.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Kana couldn’t help but laugh quietly. “Well, I think that’s fair. But hey, you could try giving it a shield. Maybe even some armor. It’s still a great distraction while I handle the damage.”

  “That’s too much to carry. We can’t sneak that around every night,” Suri grumbled.

  “Hmm, how about we hide it outside somewhere?”

  “The patrols check this area too, you know.” Suri said.

  “Oh, right... wait, I have inventory skill.” Kana paused, thinking. “How do I use it?”

  She thought of the word inventory in English, and a small glowing grid of cube-shaped slots appeared before her. She grabbed an arrow and mentally tried to store it.

  The arrow vanished from her hand.

  “Where did it go?” Suri blinked in disbelief.

  “I think I have a system skill—like an invisible pouch.” Kana grinned, then retrieved the arrow. It appeared back in her hand. “See?”

  “That’s cheat!” Suri declared, half impressed and half annoyed.

  Their conversation was cut short by the goblin’s frustrated growl. It kept swinging at Suri’s summon, making no progress.

  Kana casually nocked her arrow and let it fly. The goblin dropped instantly.

  By the end of the night, they had taken down a dozen goblins. Kana reached level 7, while Suri made it to level 5.

  ……

  “Kana, I challenge you to a duel. You can use your daggers, right?” Boris said early that morning, full of determination.

  Kana blinked, then sighed. “That’s not a good idea.” She paused, her pride poked just enough. “But I won’t back down from a challenge.”

  He’s probably still level 1, Kana thought. I’m level 7. I should win... right?

  But this was a small village—less than two hundred people—and news spread like wildfire. The words Boris challenged Kana to a duel raced faster than she had thought. Some thought it would be a fun spar, maybe barehanded. Others were more intrigued: Kana was known for her bow, not for close combat.

  The event became bigger than Kana had imagined. The entire village seemed to show up at the training grounds. Few childrens around their age flocked around Boris, supporting him, elders dragged out stools, and even the usually grumpy baker came out to watch.

  Kana spotted her mom in the crowd—right beside Suri and her parents. She groaned inwardly.

  “Mom! Let’s bet on Kana. All in!” Suri said, clutching a pouch of coins with wide eyes.

  “I don’t think Kana will win…” her mother hesitated.

  “Come on, it’s just for fun! And I’ll split the winnings.” Suri grinned, practically glowing with mischief.

  “Alright.” Her mom gave in reluctantly. “But I want half.”

  “Looks like Suri takes after you,” her husband chuckled.

  Back on the field, Kana tightened the straps of her cloak and adjusted the dagger at her hip.

  Her mother approached her quietly. “Kana, are you sure about this?” she said, voice low but worried. “I heard you’re using a dagger. Boris… has all the advantages.”

  Kana looked up and smiled slightly. “I’ll be fine, Mom. I just need to prove something.”

  The murmurs in the crowd grew louder as Boris stepped into the center of the training field, twirling his practice spear with unnecessary flair. He wore a cocky grin and a sash someone had clearly tied around his forehead like a hero in a storybook.

  The duel was about to begin.