When Leo arrived at the training ground near the storage shack, he found the area empty—except for one familiar figure.
"Up with the sun, huh?"
Zach raised an eyebrow.
Leo replied with a calm smile.
Zach gave a small nod and said no more.
Leo picked up his bow and returned to his usual training spot. He nocked an arrow and began practicing again.
The first few shots weren't too bad—he could still pull the bow fully. But as the repetitions continued, the strain returned. Eventually, even using all his strength wasn't enough to draw the bow back completely.
He sighed, reluctantly setting the weapon aside to rest.
Just like in the morning, Zach came over to help, massaging his right arm with strong, practiced hands.
"Uncle Zach…" Leo glanced at him, embarrassed. He knew full well—if not for these massages keeping his blood flowing and muscles loose, there was no way he would've gotten this far today.
He wanted to say thank you, but the words felt too shallow.
Zach shook his head. "It's nothing. I can tell you're serious about this."
Leo forced a smile.
'Of course I'm serious. My life depends on it.'
After the massage, Zach gave him a solid pat on the shoulder and limped over to a group of recently arrived trainees.
"I guess it's time to keep going," Leo muttered to himself, getting back up and resuming practice.
Time passed.
Around mid-afternoon, somewhere between three and four o'clock, noise erupted from the settlement's entrance.
Leo looked up, puzzled.
"The hunting party's back!" one of the spear trainees shouted with excitement.
"Yeah! Looks like they brought something back with them!"
"Food!"
Another boy licked his lips subconsciously.
The meaning was obvious—there would be a fresh distribution tonight. Every household would get a share. There would be meat.
Zach let out a soft sigh and waved his hand.
"Go if you want. Just get back here once you've got your share."
He knew they wouldn't be back. By the time they waited in line and received their meat, the sun would be nearly down.
"Yes, sir!"
"Thanks, Uncle Zach!"
They dropped their training weapons and bolted down the hill.
"Little brats," Zach muttered. He was pretty sure most of them had been faking their exhaustion just now.
Leo watched them disappear and exhaled slowly.
'So that's what the fuss was about.'
Unlike the others, he didn't feel particularly excited.
Because relying on others meant nothing. When the food ran out—when protection failed—what you had left was your own strength.
Of course, if his father's team brought back meat, it was still a blessing.
"You're not going?"
Zach limped over again.
"I think I'll stay," Leo said, rolling his shoulder. "Shouldn't you go, though?"
Zach gave a bitter smile. "Guys like me? We're just… dragging out our time. I wouldn't last two days in another settlement."
He glanced toward where the others had disappeared. "If I show up early, I'll only draw looks. Better to wait a while."
Leo paused, then said quietly, "If you go too late… the meat might not be that great."
Zach shot him a sharp look. "Say that again, and I'm cutting off your massages."
Leo grinned. "Yes, sir."
'This old man really is something else.'
Another hour passed.
Thump!
An arrow struck the bullseye dead-center.
At the same time, Leo felt a warm current flow through his body. The fatigue that had been building up all day began to melt away. His right arm felt lighter—more responsive.
Within seconds, the warmth faded completely, like it had never been there at all.
"...Did I just get stronger?"
Leo clenched his right hand, whispering to himself.
'Status panel !'
He focused—and the panel appeared.
----------------------
Status Panel:
Rank: None
Level: 2 (0/2)
Constitution: 9
Strength: 8
Agility: 7
Willpower: 5
Skills:
Basic Archery – Lv.1 (0%)
— Trait: Reinforce Body Lv.1
— Trait: Iron Arm Lv.1
— Trait: Slowfire Lv.1
Stat Points: 0 (+1 per 24 hrs)
----------------------
"Whoa…"
Leo's mouth fell open.
The panel had changed—a lot.
He scanned it top to bottom.
One extra point in Constitution. Another in Strength.
"So it wasn't my imagination!"
He remembered clearly: Constitution had been 8, Strength was 7. Now, they were both one point higher.
Yet his overall level was still 2.
'So these boosts came from leveling up Basic Archery?'
He looked down at the skill again.
After a full day of grinding, the skill had finally reached Level 1.
And now… it came with traits.
'What are these?'
He focused on the first one.
----------------------
Reinforce Body: Increases Constitution by 1 for every skill level.
----------------------
He blinked, then focused on the second.
----------------------
Iron Arm: Increases Strength by 1 for every skill level.
----------------------
"Shit…" Leo breathed.
It all made sense now.
If Basic Archery reached Level 2, both Constitution and Strength would increase again. These traits stacked. Every level made him tougher, stronger, and sharper.
'And the third one?'
----------------------
Slowfire: Increases accuracy by 30% per skill level when shooting with proper form.
----------------------
Leo's hands trembled slightly from excitement.
'So traits are like hidden passives—some boost my body, others boost my technique. There must be more. Maybe one for Agility… or even Willpower?'
But the best part?
They all scaled.
Leveling the skill didn't just improve stats—it improved traits tied to that skill.
At Level 1, he already had +1 Constitution, +1 Strength, and +30% accuracy.
If he hit Level 2?
That would be +2, +2, and 60% accuracy.
At that point, he wouldn't even need a Level Up to match a grown man's base stats.
He could rely purely on skill growth.
Leo inhaled deeply, steadying his pulse.
'Alright… new goal.'
'Let's push Basic Archery to Level 3.'
'With a 90% hit rate, I'll be near unstoppable. And then… I'll be ready to step outside the walls.'