“It’s not about ‘speed.’ It’s about ‘concentration.’ You must focus all your strength, your will, and even your breath into a single point, then release it in an instant.
Don’t just use your legs to build momentum or your arms to strike.
‘Project’ your entire body forward.”
Eisen walked back toward Rohan.
“Now, tell me—what did you learn?”
Rohan didn’t answer immediately.
The moment Eisen finished his lesson, a notification rang in his mind:
[Detected: Eisen is teaching you the Warrior skill ‘Flash Strike.’ Would you like to learn it?]
[Yes/No]
He silently thought, *Yes.*
[Skill learned successfully.]
[Flash Strike lv.
1: Requires Strength ≥ 10 and Agility ≥ 10.
Current attributes are insufficient; skill cannot be used.]
A new line of data appeared on his interface, though it was marked in gray and labeled as unusable.
Rohan opened his eyes and looked at Eisen.
“I’ve learned it, but it seems my physical condition is too poor to actually pull it off.”
“Then show me anyway,” Eisen said.
Rohan tried to channel his body’s strength, mimicking Eisen’s posture from moments ago.
He lowered his center of gravity, concentrated his mind, and activated the skill, visualizing the image of projecting all his power forward.
But nothing happened.
His body only leaned forward slightly; he couldn’t even take a single step.
His muscles trembled—not with the tension of gathered power, but with the strain of inadequacy.
Eisen watched him, his gaze shifting from playful to scrutinizing.
“Terrifying.
Your muscle activation was actually correct.
If I didn’t believe you were a human in your past life, I’d kill you right now,” Eisen said in an inscrutable tone.
“Too bad your body is so weak.
Your strength, speed, and endurance are all far below the minimum requirements—and by a wide margin.
This isn’t an issue of technique; it’s a problem with your physical foundation.”
Rohan stood there, panting.
He knew Eisen was right.
The requirements on the panel were clear: his Strength was only 4 and his Agility was only 3.
He was a long way off from the minimum standards for Flash Strike.
“Thank you, Mr.
Eisen,” he insisted.
“I will use this power carefully.”
Eisen glanced at him.
“It’s fine.
You learned it in one go.
Just make sure you train your body well.”
The dwarf warrior turned and headed back toward the cave.
After a few steps, he stopped but didn’t look back:
“I’m leaving Frieren in your hands.
I still don’t trust demons…
but for now, I’ll trust you.”
With that, he continued forward, his figure soon disappearing into the forest.
Rohan stood where he was, staring at his palm.
In his skill list, ‘Flash Strike lv.
1’ was clearly visible.
Even if it was grayed out for now, at least…
it was there.
That was enough.
The next morning, the group prepared to depart.
Eisen had already packed his things—though there wasn’t much to pack.
The dwarf warrior’s luggage was surprisingly minimal.
He stood by the main road, watching Frieren’s group of three check their gear.
“This is where we part ways,” Eisen said.
“Ende, the Place Where Souls Rest, is in the north.
It’s a long road ahead.”
“Right,” Frieren nodded.
“I’ll have a proper talk with Himmel.”
“You better,” Eisen waved them off.
“Now, get going.”
Fern already had her pack on her back, and Rohan had finished checking his items.
The group boarded their carriage and continued their journey.
After parting with Eisen, Rohan continued north with Frieren and Fern.
As the journey progressed, the climate along the way grew gradually drier.
The plains were replaced by rolling hills, and large stretches of farmland and scattered villages began to appear on both sides of the road.
Frieren maintained her usual pace, sleeping until she woke naturally every day.
She would stop to research anything that caught her interest and visit every village or town to search for potentially rare magic.
Rohan, meanwhile, began consciously training his body.
Every morning before Frieren woke, he would get up to perform various exercises—push-ups, burpees, and other modern fitness routines.
The attribute gains from these workouts weren’t immediately visible, but Rohan wasn’t in a hurry; increasing attributes through exercise was a long-term project.
At the same time, he continued studying defensive magic and utilized the essence of the Killing Magic he had obtained from Qual, the Elder Sage of Corruption.
[Ordinary Offensive Magic lv.
2 → lv.
4]
It was a pity he hadn’t encountered many monsters to fight; his plan to farm loot had hit a temporary stalemate.
However, about three weeks after leaving the Voll Basin, they entered the Wille Region, and an opportunity finally arrived.
The landscape here was different.
The hills became steeper, and the roads wound through narrow valleys.
The villages were built on hillsides or at the foot of mountains, with houses mostly made of grey-brown stone that almost blended into the surrounding rock.
“Let’s rest in the village ahead today,” Frieren said, pointing toward a cluster of rooftops in a distant mountain hollow.
“We’ll head into the mountains tomorrow.”
The village was small, consisting of only a dozen or so households.
The villagers looked curious when they saw Frieren’s pointed ears, but their attention was quickly diverted by Fern’s polite inquiries.
They found a family willing to provide lodging, exchanging a single silver coin for clean beds and a hearty dinner.
During dinner, the host chatted with them.
“Are you travelers?
If you’re heading into the mountains tomorrow, you’d better be careful.
Recently, things haven’t been peaceful in the mountains.
Many who came back said they saw ‘loved ones from their past,’ and several people have gone missing.”
“Loved ones from their past?” Fern asked curiously.
“It’s all very mysterious.
Not many have managed to escape back here, so everyone’s been avoiding that mountain path,” the man said, lowering his voice.
“Some say it’s a monster in the mountains that specializes in deluding travelers…”
Frieren spoke calmly, “Thank you.
We’ll be careful.”
“An Einsam,” Frieren said quietly to the two of them after the host had left.
“A monster that preys exclusively on humans.
They use phantom magic to read their prey’s memories and create the most psychologically devastating illusions.
They leave their prey defenseless in a state of fear or confusion, then devour their souls.”
The next morning, the three left the village and entered the mountainous area.
The mountain path was harder to traverse than expected.
The road was narrow and steep, requiring them to use both hands and feet in some places.
Rohan tried to use flight magic, but the mana consumption was too high.
Worried about potential danger during a battle, they ultimately chose to proceed on foot.
After walking for about two hours, they reached a relatively cramped, dense forest where a thick fog was beginning to roll in.
“Be careful.
An Einsam might be about to appear,” Frieren warned, looking back at the other two.
Just then, Rohan felt something was off.
The surrounding scenery…
seemed to warp slightly.
It wasn’t a visual distortion, but something deeper.
The light, the shadows, even the scent in the air began to feel unnatural.
“Lady Frieren,” he began.
Suddenly, a change occurred.
No, they weren’t real people.
They were two blurry, translucent silhouettes.
One could vaguely make out human shapes within the outlines, but they had no facial features or details—only a constantly fluctuating, water-like surface.
At least, that was how it looked to Rohan.
Presumably, Frieren and the others were seeing Himmel and Heiter.
They stood there silently, blocking the path.
Fern stared at the figure before her, visibly shocked despite being prepared.
“Lord Heiter?”
“Himmel, is it?” Frieren raised her staff, her expression flat.
She didn’t finish her sentence.
The figures from their memories instantly distorted and shattered.
They were ignoring Rohan.
Because Rohan was not human.
He was a monster—at least in essence, he was classified as one.
And Einsams were picky eaters; they only preyed on humans.
Rohan stood his ground.
After the Einsams appeared, he watched Frieren and Fern fall into their illusions, muttering to themselves.
His mind was racing.
This was a chance—a chance to steal the kill.
He couldn’t let it slide after finally encountering monsters.
The Einsams’ attention was entirely focused on Frieren and Fern; they didn’t even glance at him.
Their defenses were zero, their openings completely exposed.
And since this was a “closed mode” collision world, as long as he contributed enough, he would receive drops.
Rohan raised his staff.
He didn’t need to hesitate or hold back.
His opponents were monsters—monsters that only preyed on humans—and thus didn’t fall under the protection of his contract with Frieren.
[Ordinary Offensive Magic]
Two blue-white pillars of light erupted from the tip of his staff.
This was the first time he had used lv.
4 Offensive Magic in combat.
The effect was excellent.
The mana was compressed to the extreme.
The beams were as thick as wine barrels, their brightness as piercing as the midday sun.
The first beam swallowed the foremost Einsam.
The monster’s body shuddered violently as eerie blue light surged from its wounds.
It let out a silent scream, and its body began to disintegrate, vanishing into ash.
The other Einsam met the same fate instantly, turning to ash within the blue-white glow.
Rohan didn’t pause, giving them no time to react.
The life-or-death focus he had been forced to develop during the battle with Qual returned.
His eyes saw only the target, the trajectory of the mana, and the timing of the release.
The entire process happened in the blink of an eye—even Frieren and Fern hadn’t had the chance to get a good look at the old acquaintances in the illusions.
Their eyes gradually cleared.
“Is…
is it over?” Fern looked at the empty mountain path, then at the staff in Rohan’s hand.
“Yes.” Rohan lowered his staff, feeling pleased.
Two boxes floated in the middle of the mountain path.
Their surfaces seemed to have countless fine lines flowing and combining, emitting an aura identical to the Einsams.
*Huh, blue?* The last one was gold, but it turned out to be purple.
*I hope this one isn’t green.*
Frieren and Fern seemed completely unaware of the boxes.
Frieren walked to Fern’s side, checking her condition.
“What did you see?”
“I…
I saw Lord Heiter…” Fern still seemed a bit dazed.
“It was an illusion,” Frieren said calmly.
“Einsams dig into the vulnerable parts of your memory.
Don’t let it bother you.”