Zanshin's meticulous low-level grind continued, but the goal had shifted from mere financial solvency to the rigorous internalization of kinetics.
Col was simply the necessary fuel to afford the time to train.
If the basic skills was the foundation of his defense, he needed an entire arsenal of reflexive options before confronting the lethal dangers of the next floor.
He spent the first half of the day completing his usual route for Marta, the herbalist.
This repetitive task was crucial; it calmed the frantic energy he felt whenever he considered the outside world.
"The wind today is troublesome, Swordsman," Marta observed as Zanshin delivered a stack of dewy Glimmer-Roots.
"It's making the Grass Hoppers jumpier," Zanshin confirmed.
"The increased movement speed makes their proximity detection wider, forcing me to use longer routes."
Marta finished the Col transfer. "And yet, you still achieve 'A' grade quality. You're finding a strange peace in these small details."
Zanshin sheathed his sword, the worn leather of the grip familiar under his palm.
"It's about separating the problem from the solution. The problem isn't the Grass Hopper. The problem is the geometry of the space between me and the root. The solution is efficient movement."
That evening, Zanshin took his training away from the desolate plains and into a quiet, heavily forested section, minimizing the risk of accidental party-ups.
Vertical Square, he thought, is a high-impact point strike. Effective for a guaranteed critical hit on a single mob.
I am now 85% reliable.
He executed the upward cut, the deep blue flash of the skill cue igniting the air before the blade returned to rest.
The movement was sharp, clean, and entirely reflexive. He had compartmentalized the trauma of failure into this single, repeatable kinetic motion.
Now for the utility, he mentally commanded.
This skill, unlocked at Level 5, was fundamentally different. It wasn't about piercing or elevation; it was about the wide, sweeping rotation of the body—a defensive measure that became offensive by hitting two or three adjacent mobs simultaneously.
Zanshin shifted his stance and attempted the movement: a broad, horizontal swing that required significantly more commitment in the core and less forward thrust.
Red Flash.
The skill cue failed to register. The move was slow, predictable, and left him horribly exposed. He tried again.
Red Flash.
He groaned, frustration pulling at the edges of his hard-won composure.
"Why the lag? The movement is committed."
Ah, he realized, dropping his shoulders. The transition.
He had initiated the Horizontal Slash immediately after his body had arrested the momentum from the Vertical Square attempt.
His body was still carrying the memory of the vertical force, polluting the start-up of the horizontal movement.
"Neutrality," he muttered, echoing the advice he'd given Ryo weeks ago.
"The starting point must be zero."
He forced a complete, two-second pause after each failed attempt, resetting his mind and muscles entirely.
Vertical Square: Blue.
Pause.
Horizontal Slash: Blue.
It took him nearly four hours just to achieve a 50% success rate on the transition.
The required discipline was maddening, but he knew the cost of giving up was permanent stagnation.
He hammered the rhythm into his soul: Attack -> Full Stop -> Reset -> New Attack.
The next day, while purchasing low-cost daggers for use as throwables (a low-damage, emergency distraction tool), Zanshin ran into a merchant NPC named Alina, who specialized in providing information on skill acquisition in exchange for Col.
"You have the look of a man who understands the value of a solid defense, Swordsman," Alina said, counting out his purchase.
"Defense is survival," Zanshin replied. "But I need more than just evasion. I need a skill that counters, not just avoids."
"Then you're speaking of the Slant cue," Alina stated, leaning over her counter.
"A Level 7 utility skill. It's not for damage, it's for posture breaking. A dedicated diagonal slice that absorbs a light hit and returns a stagger effect, opening the enemy up."
"I'm Level 6," Zanshin noted.
"Then you have one more level to go," she said, tapping the counter.
"But the training must start now. Most players treat it like a regular attack. It's not. It's a dedicated parry motion. You must anticipate the impact, not react to it. The cue registers if the trajectory is precisely diagonal—up-left to down-right—and it must occur within the enemy's pre-attack window."
Zanshin frowned.
"That sounds like a nightmare to train. It requires enemy participation."
"Precisely," Alina agreed. "No training dummy can teach you the rhythm of a hostile target.
The Slant is crucial for Level 7+ combat. If you want to move beyond that, you must also consider the Rage Spike."
Zanshin had read about the Rage Spike—a committed, high-penetration thrust that could break the outer shell of armored mobs, but which came with a severe delay on recovery.
"The Rage Spike is terrifyingly slow," Zanshin admitted. "It's a glass cannon move."
"It is required for the Level 8 mobs, the Stone-Faced Golems," Alina informed him.
"Your Vertical Square will glance off their shells, even with high STR. Rage Spike is the key, because it concentrates all the force to a single point. It's an all-or-nothing move."
"So the immediate path is clear," Zanshin summarized, his mind already calculating the hours of work ahead.
"Push to Level 7, master the Slant for defense, and be ready for Rage Spike at Level 8 for penetration."
Alina gave him a rare, genuine smile. "Most players ask for the flashiest combo skills first. You ask for the geometric essentials. You'll make it to the Second Floor, Swordsman. If you keep your discipline, you will survive."
Zanshin left the shop, his pace faster than before. He had a clear sequence of skills to master now:
Vertical Square: The burst opener.
Horizontal Slash: The AoE clear.
Slant: The defensive counter (Lvl 7).
Rage Spike: The armor penetration (Lvl 8).
His immediate goal was to gain Level 7 by grinding the slightly tougher Woodland Wolves, pushing his Vertical Square to its limit while forcing the integration of the Horizontal Slash as a mandatory follow-up.
He needed to make his sword arm forget hesitation and only remember geometry.
The patient, low-risk phase was coming to an end; the precise, technical phase was beginning.