Chapter 9.1:

  The warm fire at my back welcomed me as I woke to someone gently shaking my shoulder. I blinked my eyes and rubbed them with my hands as I looked around. What? What happened? Where was I?

  I looked around and found the members of the Lesser Hall scattered around me. Men lay all around the floor, snoring atop furs that appeared from seemingly nowhere and were laid out in front of the many long hearths of embers. Everyone was either still sleeping or slowly getting up.

  Looking over, I saw Jonas squatting next to me, his hand pulling away from my shoulder. He gave me a quick nod toward the door. Remembering what we'd talked about the previous night, I stood up, stretched a little bit, and joined him as we walked out of the hall, leaving the furs behind.

  As we stepped onto the training field, my stomach grumbled a little. I nearly stumbled in shock. What was that? I hadn't remembered what hunger felt like until now. Even when I was feasting, it was mostly for the enjoyment of it, never to actually satiate my appetite. But now, I felt strangely empty as if I wanted some breakfast. Something I hadn't felt since I'd died. The memory of the smell of coffee in the morning made my eyes water slightly with how much I missed it.

  When we approached the weapons rack, we joined the others of our group and all picked up halberds. I tried to find the absolute lightest one I could, but it still felt extremely unwieldy in my hands. After watching Bjorn and Jonas spin theirs around their shoulders effortlessly, I had a sinking feeling that this was not going to go well.

  Jonas took a few looks at how I was handling the weapon and showed me some basic drills to get accustomed to the simple moves of stabbing and slashing. I was grateful for the tips, even as I knew I wasn't even close to ready to spar. The halberds felt off. The weight was much more than the spear I had gained some experience with. My rather pitiful proficiency with that would likely help slightly, maybe. But I had very low hopes, and I could see it in Jonas's eyes that he didn't have much hope for me either.

  Hugo, Mark, and Rolo picked it up quickly. I could tell that they would have no problem making it to the Lesser Hall. They worked a few drills over and over again with a little help. But despite how hopeless I felt, neither Jonas nor Bjorn gave up on me. They constantly rotated with each other, patiently coaching me through the basic steps. I promised myself that I would repay their kindness however I could.

  After several hours of basics, I graduated to more complicated things. The others swapped between their own training and doing rounds of light sparring with me. We had been working for hours, but I didn't feel tired at all. My muscles still felt mostly fresh. Maybe it was some training magic or just good old-fashioned desperation.

  It became obvious after hours of trying to work the halberd that I just didn't have the strength to wield it properly. With that in mind, they started trying to get me acclimated to facing down someone with a halberd. Bjorn hoped that if I could get in close, I could use some of my grappling skills—skills I knew I didn't have. I think he knew that, too. Despite my weaknesses, I wasn't as worried as I perhaps should have been. After all, I had a hidden ace.

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  It was a close thing in the end. I could move it around and do the positions, but it just wasn't fast enough. Right before they were about to enter the challenge, maybe ten minutes before, I stepped aside and crouched down on the ground.

  Taking the edge of the halberd, I carved the status rune into the stone. Cutting my hand, I waited for the results to show up.

  Status: Tier 3: The Lesser Hall

  Weapon proficiencies:

  Sword: F-4.

  Spear: F-2.

  Striking: F-3.

  Halberd: F-1.

  Stats:

  Strength: 10.

  Speed: 8.

  Constitution: 5.

  Blessing: Loki's Eye.

  Class: N/A

  Strength: +0.

  Speed: +0.

  Constitution: +0.

  Additional effects: ???

  Wow. I'd actually gained two strength from just this exercise. That seemed unusually fast, but I couldn't argue with the power boost. And the F-1 proficiency was proof that I had learned at least the basics. Perhaps I had a chance after all?

  Using my foot, I smeared the blood into illegibility. I didn't want anyone to see the blessing I had. I walked back over to the rest of the group and rejoined the conversation. Each of my friends clapped me on my shoulder as we prepared for the start of the challenge.

  Luckily, I was the last one summoned, and I slipped my hand into my pocket to grab my hard candy and got ready to chug it down. I was grateful for all the training, but there was no way that one day would be enough. If I used the boost now, I could pretty much guarantee at least having enough strength to wield the weapon properly tomorrow. Then, I could get into the Lesser Hall and have an extra day of training. Maybe I could bargain with Loki again.

  But my hopes came crashing down when I saw my opponent across the ring. There, standing silently with a stricken expression on his face, was Jonas. He held halberd low and ready to charge.

  "The gods are cruel, my friend. I am sorry." He murmured.

  Letting go of the candy in my pocket, I sighed in defeat. Even plus five strength wouldn't be enough to overcome his skill. I wouldn't be surprised if he had high E or even D-ranked proficiency with this weapon. Watching him best even the monster that was Bjorn made it crystal clear that there was no hope for me.

  I gave him a respectful nod. "Thank you for your efforts. And I'll see you soon."

  He returned the nod with a bow and smiled. "I'm sure you'll do fine, my friend."