Refusing My God’s Advances

After finishing breakfast, I headed to the training grounds, my backyard, eager to test out my improved stats and abilities. As I approached the area, I saw Mary with all the demons along with Daryle already there, practicing his swordsmanship with swift and precise movements.

"Morning, Daryle! Ready for some training?" I called out as I approached.

Daryle turned to face me, a grin on his face. "Hey, Leon! Absolutely, I'm always up for some sparring... Wait... Did you really get that much stronger from Mary's training?!" 

"No, my trip yesterday that exhausted me did this, and that is part of the reason why I want to spar with you today," I explained and then pulled out my stats. "While you might not understand this all, these are numerical representations of my abilities."

"Oh, that is what you were talking about before! And you're letting me see?" Daryle asked, and I nodded.

"While it isn't something I will just show anyone, I want you to understand what I want to do today," I said, and Daryle nodded.

"I am all ears! This thing is pretty cool! The damn hero that told me my power is an old man that has been a hero for ages, but he keeps this hidden and only tells us our power level!" Daryle explained with excitement, and I smiled.

"What about this? You help me test out how my stat points affect my stats, and I will show you your status screen, deal?" I asked, and Daryle's eyes lit up like a child.

"No way, Brother! You would actually do that for me?! And you have the Identify skill?!" Daryle exclaimed, and I laughed, clapping my hand on his shoulder like he normally did for me.

"For you brother, I would," I said with a smile but then paused. Just saying those words stirred my emotions for some reason, and I looked away from Daryle.

I had closed myself off from everyone on Earth. No one seemed to get me, and I got tired of trying to understand them. I had people that I thought were friends when I was young. Yet, I felt like I always wanted to hang out with them, but they never asked me. 

In the end, no one seemed to care when I stopped talking to them. That was the moment that I knew that people were just stupid, and I was better off alone. No one cared, so why bother?

Yet, in this new world, I was sticking my nose into and doing things that I never would have before. I think that is why actually considering Daryle as my friend made me feel emotional. The girls also made me open up and try more, even if I didn't want to.

I joked in my mind about how messed up the people around me were. The truth was that I was the messed up one, I mean, except for Danielle. That woman had some real problems.

"Leon? You alright bud?" Daryle asked, and I turned back with a grin, but it slipped off.

"Yeah, I am just not used to having friends, and even less when it comes to accepting that they are," I said, feeling weird about being so open.

Daryle gave me a genuine smile, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Well, you've got us now, Leon. Friends stick together, right?"

"Yeah, you're right," I replied, shaking off the strange emotions and focusing on the task at hand. "Let's get started with sparring, and then I'll show you the stat points."

Daryle eagerly agreed, tossing me the practice sword, and we began our training session. The improved stats were immediately noticeable. My movements were faster, my strikes more precise, and I felt a surge of strength and agility. Daryle, being an experienced swordsman, adapted quickly to my increased capabilities, and our sparring session turned into a dynamic dance of blades.

After about ten minutes, I pulled back and put up my hand. "Okay... Now that you... have a better idea of my current power... I would like to try something," I explained between breaths.

"Sure! Just tell me what you want me to do!" Daryle laughed and I nodded.

"It will be pretty basic. I am going to incrementally increase my strength, and each time, I will make the same three attacks as hard as I can. What I need you to do is tell me when you can notice a difference. I think five strikes will let you know if I am getting stronger, and also let you register the new power level," I explained, opening my status screen.

"Pretty basic, but I get what you are trying to do, but one strike is enough. I can tell even if you just swing at the air if I am being honest!" Daryle laughed, and I grinned at his confidence.

"Alright then, let's get started," I said, focusing on my Physical Power stat. I allocated a single stat point and didn't feel any changes to my body, though I wasn't sure if I would.

"Here goes the first increment," I announced, lunging forward with a heavy strike.

Daryle effortlessly parried my attacks, but he frowned and squinted his eyes. "Huh, did you add the point thinger yet?"

I laughed at his look and nodded. "Yeah, but one clearly isn't going to do much, not that I expected it to."

"Considering your current stats, you did get stronger, but I was really just trying to keep you motivated. Even with that big boost, there wasn't a massive change in your strength output. That means that you will probably need to sink 20-30 of those points just to see any kind of progress," Daryle explained and walked over to me.

"So, are you saying that it is pointless to use these points right now?" I asked, and Daryle nodded.

"Considering what we know so far, I think that you should keep about 150-200 of those points free at all times. I feel like these would be better used in the heat of the moment. Giving yourself a massive boost to your strength, speed, or even endurance could be the difference between life and death someday."