People always focus on the positive aspects when starting something new, yet often they end up far less satisfied than they had hoped.
Such was the life of a soldier.
When they were first selected as "successful candidates," including Leo, all six of them felt overwhelming joy. A stable job, a secure future—what more could they want?
But the reality of being a soldier was far more grueling than they had imagined.
"Damn it…"
Tiel spat out a curse the moment he opened his eyes. It had become his daily routine.
"This sucks…"
Arden muttered bitterly, adding his share of misery to the air. The remaining four, including Leo, silently dressed themselves, dead-eyed and numb to it all.
It had already been three months since their induction ceremony.
The endless running they thought would only last a day had been merely the beginning.
Though they were technically recognized as soldiers and even received a salary, they couldn't shed the "trainee" label until six months of training were completed.
There were no easy posts guarding gates or sitting in a watchtower. Every day they had to patrol the lakeside, do drills in the dust, and carry out the most mundane of tasks—like hauling water.
Even with all the exercise, their increasing strength brought no joy. It was just another demand placed upon them.
But today, something was different.
For the first time, the words "learning combat skills" came from Ray's mouth.
Ray was known for sticking rigidly to the schedule, so any change was significant. Even the two loudest complainers had secretly gone to sleep the night before with dreams of spears in their heads.
Still, the morning remained disappointingly the same—fetching water, physical drills, lunch.
Their hopes faded again, until finally, in the afternoon, Charles spoke the words they'd longed to hear.
"Everyone, bring the spears you received last time."
Finally.
They had polished those spears countless times but had never held them properly. Now, that was about to change.
"It's not as heavy as I thought," Arden remarked, gripping the long shaft with a bit of surprise.
Though the spear looked intimidating with its length, the weight was manageable—most of it concentrated in the metal tip.
Before letting them loose, Ray delivered a short but thorough lecture—how to grip the weapon, where to balance the weight, the posture for a thrust.
Following his instructions, Leo took a deep breath, gripped the spear with both hands, and thrust forward—
And something unexpected appeared before his eyes.
– Basic Spear Technique (N) / 0%
"Huh…?"
Leo nearly dropped the spear in shock.
But he had lived in the 21st century, immersed in games, novels, and simulations. He knew exactly what this was.
"A… status window?"
He whispered the words, and just like that, a faint translucent window opened in the corner of his vision—like a heads-up display in a game.
Unlike a full RPG character sheet, it only showed one thing:
Basic Spear Technique – (N) – 0%
It wasn't impressive. Yet Leo felt his heartbeat quicken.
"Where the hell has this been hiding all this time?!"
When he first awakened in this world, he had tried everything—calling out commands, shouting "menu," "status," "skills" like a madman. Even the villagers thought he had lost his mind. He got beaten for it. Deservedly so.
But now, a real system had appeared.
'Isel Basic Spear Technique... Normal grade, huh? No other stats listed. That percentage must be proficiency?'
"Leo! What are you doing over there?!"
Ray's voice snapped him back to the present.
"Why? Don't feel like swinging the spear already?"
Leo straightened up, embarrassed. But Ray didn't sound angry—just mildly concerned.
'That's thanks to all the effort I've put in,' Leo thought.
"No! Just had a weird feeling for a second!"
"Uncomfortable?"
"No! I'm good! I'll work hard!"
Ray nodded, satisfied, and resumed the lesson.
Leo gripped his spear again and started thrusting. Over and over.
After about thirty minutes, even with three months of physical training behind them, their arms started shaking. Spear movements were unfamiliar and exhausting.
Only then did Ray allow a break.
"They're doing well," he murmured. "Should be able to finish all six forms today."
Though he wore a strict expression, Ray was quietly impressed.
He had trained several batches of recruits before and could judge talent quickly. His eyes lingered on Leo.
"That kid's something else."
Leo's posture, power, and control—it was almost unbelievable for a first-timer.
"He shouldn't stay a common soldier…"
In another life, he could've been a knight. But Ray knew better. In this world, talent alone meant little if you weren't born noble.
Still, he said nothing and continued the day's lessons.
By sunset, they had practiced six fundamental spear movements—the entire Isel Basic Spear Technique.
It wasn't flashy. In actual combat, most soldiers relied on thrusting alone. But it was solid. Effective. Simple to teach, yet deadly in real battles.
Meanwhile, Leo couldn't stop thinking.
"Why is it so easy to learn?"
But after the shock of arriving in this world, his gamer mind just accepted it. There was no point questioning something this useful.
Even after practicing just a few hours, his proficiency had already risen past 30%.
"If I master the last three moves tomorrow, I might hit 80%."
He thought back to old MMORPGs. In those, skills took days to level up. Sometimes just 5% in a full session.
"This is either broken… or I'm lucky."
Either way, he kept swinging.
Day two.
Morning—physical training.
Afternoon—spear work.
By evening, he'd reached 70% proficiency.
Ray started looking at him differently. Shock, approval, even a bit of awe flickered across the man's face.
Leo's movements were precise, smooth, and heavy with intent. He looked like a veteran.
Still, Leo wasn't satisfied.
With such momentum, he had to push for 100%.
But from the third day on, the numbers slowed. Now that he knew all the moves, repetition wasn't enough.
"Only 4% after the whole day…"
It was frustrating—but expected.
"It's fine. There's no war. I have time."
He reminded himself of that often. After all, he was young, healthy, and most importantly, he wasn't new to grinding.
A few more days passed.
Then, finally—
"DONE!"
"Huh? What's wrong with you?!"
"Did you go crazy?"
"I—I need to go to the bathroom!"
Leo bolted from the training ground, ignoring the confused looks.
Inside the bathroom, he whispered excitedly, "100%! I hit 100%!"
And right on cue, a new notification popped into his vision.
– You have mastered the Basic Spear Technique "Isel." Proficiency: 100%
– Additional effect unlocked.
– You have received: Ardan's Feather ×1
"Effect? Feather?"
He opened his status window and saw it:
Proficient Isel Basic Spear Technique (N) – 100%
→ All spear attacks gain +10% power.
Leo's heart pounded.
"Ten percent… That's huge!"
Gamers knew. Ten percent could be the difference between a kill or a miss. Armor-breaking. Skill wins and clutch fights.
'If a normal-grade skill gives this much… what about higher grades? And do these stack?'
He tried summoning an inventory, but nothing came up.
"Ardan's Feather… Where is it?"
He finally noticed a faint feather icon in the top-right corner with a little "×1" next to it.
No tooltip. No info.
"Guess I'll find out later."
He let out a breath and grinned.
Whatever this world had in store for him—he wasn't powerless anymore.
He gripped the spear, a small smile forming on his lips, and stepped out of the restroom, ready for what came next.