I, the [Hero], was finally about to meet [The Shield].

  It had taken weeks to get our schedules lined up.

  Odd that an old man in his seventies would be so busy, but he was a [Unique].

  But weren’t retired people supposed to have lots of free time?

  Anyway, it was fine.

  I had been busy anyway, since…

  I forced myself not to think about it.

  Zack was long gone, by now, likely taken back to the demons’ lands.

  Even once they figured out he wasn’t the hero, he was a [Unique].

  They’d probably be studying him like a captured alien or something…

  I caught myself grinding my teeth and forced myself to stop.

  Rosimund, the [Guide], was right.

  The best thing I could do right now was train and grow stronger. Strong enough to find [Excalibur] and make the journey to the demon lands myself and rescue him.

  A Cardinal, one of the top dogs of the Church, had come to the Castle yesterday and checked my skill levels. Annoying as it was to have to wait for them, seeing the progress written down was heartening.

  Name: Bradley Northcourt

  Age: 18

  Level: 1

  Titles: [Hero] [Otherworlder]

  Growth Rates:

  -Strength: S

  -Dexterity: S

  -Vitality: S

  -Speed: S

  -Intelligence: S

  -Willpower: S

  -Charisma: S

  -Luck: A

  Skills: [Swordsmanship Level 5] [Shield Wielding Level 3] [Archery Level 1] [Spearmanship Level 2] [Dual Wielding Level 1] [Mace Wielding Level 1] [Axe Wielding Level 1] [Pugilist Level 2] [Universal Affinity Level 1] [Cantrips Level 1] [Poison Resistance Level 1] [Magic Resistance Level 1] [Command Level 1] [Tactician Level 1] [Strategist Level 3] [Fleet Foot Level 3] [Divine Favor Level 2] [Magic Perception Level 1] [Magic Control Level 1] [Trap Detection Level 1] [Holy Strike Level 1][Heavy Armor Level 5][Light Armor Level 4][Unarmored Level 4]

  Rosimund had declared me ready for combat training out in the forest outside the city, where there were monsters.

  “[The Shield] is ready now, Bradley,” Maria said as she entered the waiting room outside [The Shield’s] chambers.

  She hadn’t been the same since the kidnapping, either. More… suppressed, almost. I dunno the word. She obviously hadn’t liked Zack, but I don’t think she had wanted him kidnapped by demons.

  That they had managed to get into the Royal Castle had been a shock to everyone.

  “Thanks, Maria,” I gave her an encouraging smile, but she just looked down at the ground.

  The mood was just down now that Zack was gone.

  I missed his jokes.

  Oops, gotta focus.

  [The Shield].

  I stood tall and with my shoulders back, as befit the [Hero].

  I was here for pointers on defense from the best expert in the world.

  Sure, he was an old man, but I was only level three in [Shield Wielding]. He could definitely help.

  I stepped into a parlor, and there he was.

  His presence filled the room to bursting, and I could tell.

  Even inexperienced as I was, I could tell.

  I couldn’t beat this man.

  He was old, and thin. His skin sagged on his face, and his head was bald, and spotted. His eyes sank into his skull, and his lips were pulled into a frown by long habit, almost a pout. More loose skin hung on his jowls and neck, and what lay further down was covered by a blanket wrapped around almost the rest of his body, save for one arm.

  And in that arm he held a small buckler.

  It didn’t actually move. I could see that much.

  But it was ready to move instantly anywhere [The Shield] needed to block.

  I inhaled sharply, and as I did, the old man’s lips twitched up in a grin.

  “So,” he rasped, “we finally meet, young [Hero].”

  Next to [The Shield’s] chair was a side table with his own tea prepared. In front of him was the regular table, on which sat a tea service just for me, and a rather uncomfortable looking wooden chair.

  As I looked around, he dipped his head, and it wobbled disconcertingly. “Go ahead, take a seat.”

  Gotta remember to be polite.

  I sat down and dipped my head in return. “Thank you for making the time to see me.”

  The old man snorted. “Yeah, sure.”

  I looked up. What did he mean by that? His gaze flicked over my shoulder, to where Maria was standing, but when I turned and looked she looked confused too, and shrugged.

  “Ahem,” I cleared my throat. “I was hoping to get some pointers on [Shield Wielding], mister…”

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  Do I just call him [The Shield]?

  I hadn’t thought of this until just now.

  Oops.

  “Call me Aaron,” he helpfully introduced himself.

  I smiled. “Then call me Bradley, Aaron.”

  “Alright, Bradley, show me your stance.”

  I stood back up and picked up the heater shield I used most often. It was still a little heavy, but it was made of steel, and blocked strikes better than the lighter shields.

  Or so I thought.

  “Bring your hand up! Higher!”

  The shield trembled in my grasp as I brought it up to shoulder height.

  Aaron sighed. “You’re not ready for a steel heater yet. Switch to a targe or buckler.”

  I frowned. “Those are too small, though.”

  Aaron shifted the bucker in his lap. “Bigger than this, no? And yet with only this in my hand, you can’t lay a finger nor spear nor sword nor arrow on me.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “The point of a shield is to get between you and an attack. But you need to be able to move the shield.”

  He paused, as though the effort of speaking was wearing on him. He looked at my face and chuckled, wheezing. “Old age comes for us all, boy, never forget that. Or, well…”

  Once more his eyes looked over my shoulder.

  “Almost all of us.”

  I didn’t let myself get distracted.

  “Aaron, sir, I want to be a tank, er, I mean, I want to play a defensive role in the party. So I need—”

  But he interrupted me. “Defense is all well and good, but it’s not everything. Boy, you can’t lay a finger on me, even in this decrepit old body, but do you think I could do a thing to you? You can tell, no?”

  I frowned.

  I had total confidence that any attack I made on him would be blocked.

  Even Rosimund didn’t give me that sense, though I had yet to get through his guard.

  But whereas I knew Rosimund could take me down—he had done it often enough in my shield training—with [The Shield]…

  There was almost no threat.

  “Yeah,” I admitted.

  Aaron’s eyes once more looked over my shoulder before they turned to me, penetrating. “Bo—Bradley, [Hero], defense is all well and good. I wouldn’t have reached this old age without defense. My unique skill [The Shield] has saved my life more times than you can imagine. But look at me now—”

  Maria coughed behind me, and Aaron paused.

  “...Attack is important, too.” He paused, catching his breath. “A good offense is the best defense.”

  I perked up. I’d heard my coaches say that before, too.

  Aaron nodded knowingly. “So you’ve been told. Look, a monster you’ve already killed can’t hit you, and therefore, there’s nothing to shield against. Striking first is better than dodging, which is better than blocking, which is better than taking the hit on your armor, which is better than taking a direct hit.”

  Another pause to breathe.

  “Now,” he sat up a little straighter. “I will give you some pointers. You there, girl.”

  “I’m a [Priestess]!” Maria protested.

  “Whatever, go fetch a small buckler so we don’t wear out your new [Hero’s] untrained arm. What’re you, level one?”

  “Uh, yeah,” I said.

  Aaron’s eyes narrowed and he glared at me. “Then you’re incredibly vulnerable right now. You need to increase your level. [Skills]—techniques—can only go so far in overcoming level. That girl behind you, she could take you down no problem, unarmed, simply because of her level. Level one is nothing. And you don’t raise your level by blocking, you do it by killing.”

  My blood ran cold when he said ‘killing.’

  I mean, I knew that, right?

  I’d be grinding on monsters.

  That meant killing them.

  “Go on, get the [Hero] a buckler,” [The Shield] commanded Maria.

  I brooded while Maria went to the door and spoke with someone outside. Aaron clicked his tongue, looking annoyed, and eventually a buckler the size of his own was brought in. It felt like it barely covered my hand.

  “Good, now you can actually get some good training. Take your stance.”

  I lifted the buckler.

  “Higher. Lower. A little higher… there, hold that. Keep your elbow tight, and loosen up your shoulder a bit. Now move it side to side, keeping that height…”

  For the next hour, I got personal training from [The Shield], an old man just as crotchety as Rosimund sometimes muttered when he thought I couldn’t hear.

  But it was totally worth it.

  In the weeks since Zack’s kidnapping, I had only increased my [Shield Wielding] skill level by two, despite training every day.

  Eventually Aaron grew tired, and we had to leave.

  “Keep your eyes open, always,” he wheezed at me as I was about to leave. “Always watch your back.”

  “I will. Thank you, Aaron.”

  He broke into a coughing fit and we left.

  “Well, Bradley? Are you satisfied?” Maria asked.

  “Let’s swing by Cardinal Yeti again. I’m pretty sure my skill increased in there.”

  “Seriously? Fine.”

  Despite his funny name, Cardinal Yeti was pretty friendly. He never seemed bothered no matter how often I asked him to check my levels when he was around.

  And, to be honest, he was much gentler about it than the Pope had been that first day. It was more like a poking than groping, in terms of how it felt.

  “Oh ho?” he exclaimed, after a quick poke at my status. “This is remarkable…”

  “What is it?” I couldn’t help but get my hopes up.

  “Your [Shield Wielding] has improved dramatically…”

  “How much?” Now I was really excited.

  “It’s risen to level ten…” Cardinal Yeti said.

  Maria gasped.

  “What? Impossible! They only spoke for a little over an hour!”

  I was stunned speechless.

  Seven skill levels? Just from waving the buckler in the air?

  Cardinal Yeti smiled at Maria with a fatherly expression. “He is [The Shield], after all. What better trainer could there be in [Shield Wielding]?

  “Hey,” I said as a thought occurred to me. “What’s Aaron’s level in [The Shield], anyway?

  Maria and the Cardinal shared a look.

  “The level of his unique skill…” Cardinal Yet began, “is extremely secret information. I am permitted to tell you, but be warned, you must not speak it to anyone, not even hint at it.”

  I put on my serious face and nodded. “Secret, got it. So…?”

  “It is level ninety-nine,” the Cardinal said. “The maximum level a skill can reach. Only a handful of people have ever reached level ninety-nine in a skill in all recorded history. [The Shield] is one of those few.”

  “Even [The Sword] only ever reached level seventy-four in his own unique skill,” Maria added.

  I could feel my eyes widen. “Whoa…”

  And then, a thought struck me, as thoughts about poor Zack often did.

  His own unique skill had been level one, and had given him a 100% experience boost for learning skills up to level one.

  Just how would he have grown if his own unique skill had leveled up?

  “Bradley,” Maria called out to me, pulling me out of my thoughts, “it’s time.”

  Right.

  Today was the big day I’d been waiting for.

  Not just my long-awaited meeting with [The Shield], which had been super productive.

  Now it was time for interviews.

  We—Rosimund, Maria and I—had narrowed down the list of applicants to the [Hero’s Party] to a few people for each spot: [Fighter], [Mage], and [Scout].

  The last step was face-to-face interviews, which Rosimund was setting up now.

  “Right,” I nodded at Maria. “Let’s go.”

  Time to fill out the rest of the [Hero’s Party].

  This afternoon we’d train formations.

  And then, tomorrow…

  The forest.

  Level grinding would begin.

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