The man in red armor looked at them for a moment, then turned without saying much. He pushed open a thick iron gate at the side of the training cage and motioned them in with two fingers. Inside, the space was wide, with a dirt ground and high wooden walls reinforced with metal bands.

"You fight until I say stop," the man said. "Low-tier beasts only. Do not act smart. Survive first."

Rohan and Eric stepped inside together as the gate closed behind them. On the other side of the cage, other Hunters watched from behind barriers. Some were already waiting for their turn. Others were recovering from earlier sessions.

A horn sounded once, then the ground shifted.

Small gates opened around the cage walls and beasts started to come out. They were not large, but there were many of them. Wolf-like creatures with dark fur and sharp eyes. Their claws scraped the ground as they spread out in different directions, not rushing at once, but slowly forming a circle.

Rohan and Eric had decided not to use their inventories yet and relied on the ones available for everyone who came for the training. Although it was dangerous, they decided to give it a try and understand their flaws more.

Rohan exhaled slowly and lowered his stance. Eric moved slightly to his left, then raised his hand.

"Strength Rune," Eric muttered.

A faint light formed on his arm, then spread into his legs. His muscles tightened. He moved first, stepping forward and striking one beast with the side of his spear. The impact sent it rolling, but two more came in immediately after.

Rohan did not rush immediately as he watched with careful eyes. The beasts were not random. They moved in small patterns, trying to cut angles and force mistakes. He adjusted his grip on the blade he was given for training.

The first beast came at him.

He blocked too late. Claws scraped his arm and he stepped back. He tightened his jaw and corrected his stance.

Another came, but this time he dodged.

A system window appeared in his vision.

[Frontier Experience +0.001%]

He blinked once but did not stop moving. The number was too small to matter, but it still meant something was changing. Eric was already in motion again, using short bursts of speed to keep the beasts from grouping on Rohan.

"Speed Rune," Eric said quietly.

His movement changed. He slipped between two beasts and kicked one away from Rohan’s blind side. The coordination was not perfect yet, but it was improving.

Rohan cut down one beast with a simple slash. The beast dropped, but another stepped over it immediately. He realized quickly that stopping to finish one target was a mistake here. They did not care about losses.

He adjusted immediately.

He started aiming for movement instead of kills. Small cuts to slow them, hits to push them back. His body moved more naturally now and the system reacted again.

[Frontier Experience +0.002%]

Eric noticed the change. "Don’t overhit," he said. "They don’t care about pain. Only space."

Rohan did not answer, but he understood. He stopped swinging with full force. He started controlling distance instead.

More beasts entered the cage. The circle tightened and the space became smaller. Rohan felt the change in rhythm. It was no longer a test of strength. It was a test of control.

A beast jumped at Eric from behind. Eric twisted and placed his hand on the ground.

"Reinforcement Rune."

A faint pattern flashed under his feet. His spear hardened mid-motion and he swung it upward, blocking the beast and sending it back. The weapon did not break this time. Earlier sessions would have snapped it in half.

Rohan was now moving without thinking too much. One step, one dodge, one strike. His breathing slowed. His eyes stopped chasing everything at once and started focusing on the nearest threat only.

Another system message appeared.

[Frontier Experience +0.01%]

The beasts became more aggressive as time passed. They started ignoring small injuries and aimed directly at them. Rohan took a hit on his shoulder but used the pain to push forward instead of stepping back.

Eric moved closer to him again. "Stay near me," he said.

Rohan nodded slightly.

Eric changed his rune flow. "Strength Rune. Speed Rune."

His body became faster for a short burst. He cleared space between them and pushed two beasts back at once. His breathing got heavier after each burst. The runes were not meant to be used together for long.

Rohan used the opening. He stepped in and cut down one beast properly this time and not just pushing it back. A clean hit through the neck. The body fell and did not rise again.

[You’ve slain a Common Weak Beast, Hungry Wolf. Frontier Experience +0.05%]

He paused for half a second. That was the first real kill in the session.

Eric glanced at him as they both exchanged eye contact.

Rohan nodded again.

The two of them started moving closer in sync. Eric created space. Rohan used it. When Eric was pressured, Rohan pulled attention away. When Rohan was surrounded, Eric broke the line.

The beasts started dying faster.

Rohan’s system notifications started coming more often.

[You’ve slain a Common Weak Beast, Hungry Wolf. Frontier Experience +0.1%]

[You’ve slain a Common Weak Beast, Hungry Wolf. Frontier Experience +0.2%]

[You’ve slain a Common Weak Beast, Hungry Wolf. Frontier Experience +0.5%]

His body felt lighter even as fatigue built up.

Eric’s breathing was getting rough. His rune use was steady but draining him. He switched tactics.

"Reinforcement Rune," he said again, but this time he placed it directly on Rohan’s blade.

The iron weapon felt heavier instantly. Rohan tested it with one swing and noticed the difference.

"Better," Rohan said.

"Don’t break it," Eric replied.

Rohan moved forward again.

The cage was now full of scattered bodies. The beasts were fewer, but more desperate. They attacked in groups, trying to overwhelm at once. Rohan felt one jump on his back and he rolled forward, smashing it into the ground and finishing it quickly.

[You’ve slain an Uncommon Weak Beast, Dire Wolf. Frontier Experience +1.2%]

He was breathing harder now. Sweat covered his arms and face. His movements were still clean, but slower. Eric was worse. He was relying on short bursts now instead of constant movement.

"Almost done," Eric said.

Rohan did not answer. He could see it too.

The remaining beasts gathered near the center. About five left. They circled again, but slower now. One charged.

Rohan met it head-on.

He blocked, pushed, then cut. The beast fell.

Two more came at Eric. Eric used a Speed Rune burst and dodged, but barely. He stumbled after landing.

Rohan moved without thinking and intercepted the next attack aimed at Eric. His blade hit clean again. The beast dropped.

Eric looked at him. "Thanks."

"Don’t slow down," Rohan said.

Eric smirked slightly even in exhaustion. "You too."

The last beasts rushed together. Both of them moved at the same time. Eric used his final burst of Speed Rune. Rohan stepped in with full focus.

The fight ended in less than ten seconds.

The gate outside opened again after a pause. The man in red armor looked at the cage, then at them.

"Done," he said simply.

Rohan dropped his blade slightly. His arms were shaking a bit. Eric leaned on his spear, breathing heavily.

System messages appeared.

[Evaluating Performance...]

[Calculating Frontier Experience Gain...]

Rohan waited.

His vision flickered once.

[Frontier Experience +2.5%]

He exhaled slowly and tightened his grip on the weapon once more, then relaxed.

Eric straightened slightly. "Not bad for a first real swarm fight."

Rohan looked at him. "We can do better."

Eric nodded. "Yeah. Next time."