Roman hadn’t wasted time accessing the Skills available after switching to the Swordsman Profession, as he already had Queenfang ready.

[You have acquired an F rank Skill, Typical Slash — A normal accuracy-enhanced sword strike made by a single sword slash. Delivers random physical damage increase based on a target’s level or rank. 30 to 100% efficiency.]

[You have acquired an F rank Skill, Blade Rush — A powerful forward charge delivered with the sword at full extension. Closes distance instantly and drives the blade through the target with the combined force of speed and full body weight behind it. Effective for breaking through an enemy’s guard before they can set their stance. 50 to 100% efficiency.]

[You have acquired an F rank Skill, Iron Guard — A defensive stance that significantly reduces incoming physical damage for a short duration. Movement is restricted while active, but incoming strikes land considerably weaker. Best used when surrounded or when a hit cannot be avoided. 50 to 100% efficiency.]

[You have acquired an F rank Skill, Cross Slash — Two rapid diagonal strikes delivered in quick succession, forming an X pattern across the target. The crossing impact creates concentrated pressure on the same point from two angles, making it particularly effective against targets with high physical defense. 50 to 100% efficiency.]

[You have acquired an F rank Skill, Tremor Strike — A heavy downward sword strike driven into the ground rather than the target directly. Sends a shockwave along the earth that travels forward and staggers every enemy standing in its path. Excellent for breaking up grouped enemies before closing in. 50 to 100% efficiency.]

[You have acquired an F rank Skill, Execution Edge — A single concentrated strike that deals random bonus damage to any target whose Life is below thirty percent. The lower the target’s remaining Life, the harder the hit lands. It is a finishing skill built for clean kills. 50 to 100% efficiency.]

[You have acquired an F rank Skill, Blade Aura — A passive skill that coats the sword in a thin layer of concentrated force, extending just beyond the physical edge of the blade. Every strike carries slightly more reach and impact than the naked blade alone would produce. At your current rank, the F rank, the extension is subtle but consistent. 50 to 100% efficiency.]

There were up to seven skills that he had gained, and he would say that that was quite a lot for an F ranker. But Roman wasn’t complaining at all, knowing that these skills could be very useful in different situations.

The first thing he did was activate [Typical Slash], which was something that he knew Rena wouldn’t notice to be a Profession Skill.

Since he had a sword, and [Typical Slash] wasn’t the type of skill that was too complex to be considered ordinary, he believed he would have no issues with suspicion using it.

Rena, as an Assassin that she was, was already ready to make her move.

They gave themselves a few meters’ gap and faced the Dire Wolves in their path.

About seven Dire Wolves were facing off against them at that point, and the more Roman looked, the bitter reality he kept figuring out was that he was about to have the biggest monster battle of his life.

GROOOWL!

GROOOWL!

GROOOWL!

GROOOWL!

Soon, the Dire Wolves declared that it was showtime, as they all charged at once.

Four of them came at Roman, showing him the evidence of how unlucky he would always be in any team circumstances. Roman accepted what was coming with open arms and positioned himself with Queenfang.

Rena immediately noticed that her boyfriend had no plans of using his Mage skills, as he seemed to glare with optimism.

’Did he learn to use a sword in his academy? Because that’s the only possible reason he could be so confident to use a sword in this type of situation,’ Rena thought.

She didn’t let that distract her anyway, as she had decided to trust him.

Whatever he was doing, she believed that he knew that risking his life was not the best thing to do in the first week of entering the Badlands.

[Phantom Shift Activated!]

Rena knew exactly when to vanish, and it was at that moment when she knew that staying longer would cost her life. A single more second wasted would result in instant, unforgiving devouring from the first Dire Wolf that had reached her.

She immediately reached for the next spot and had one of the Dire Wolves in her trap in an instant.

SLASH!

SLASH!

One Dire Wolf was attacked with full, clean force, as it fell right next to the next one, which had immediately turned after the very first slash.

Within a second, the remaining two Dire Wolves faced her, raging in uncontrollable hunger and vexation.

"Come on, dogs," Rena muttered.

This was when she loved it more—having to fight them after a successful rage bait.

There was no fun in anything else but that!

The two wolves threw themselves at her, maws opened so wide that gravity was already calling for her head.

Their claws alone were able to tear through her skin with the slightest contact possible, and Rena knew she couldn’t afford to fall victim.

Every move was timed and executed carefully to prevent dying a few hours after securing herself a handsome, courageous boyfriend.

’I won’t die here and let another girl have him. He’s going to be mine forever,’ she proclaimed inwardly after giving him a side glance.

...

Roman, on the other hand, already had two wolves down before he could even realize it.

[You have killed a Level 10 Ordinary Monster, Dire Wolf Omega. +60 EXP gained.]

[You have killed a Level 11 Ordinary Monster, Dire Wolf Omega. +70 EXP gained.]

At that point, the once raging wolves had settled into being reluctant and calculative. Roman’s brutal strikes had caused them to understand that charging heedlessly would only result in their deaths, and well, for a monster to figure that out was acceptable.

These creatures are controlled by powers that roam the Badlands, and that’s why when some monsters notice a battle they can’t win, they flee for their lives. Those moments are up to the attacker to finish the job by following them up, or else they might not get the rewards they plan to get.

Though these cases are only common among the Ordinary Monsters. An Extraordinary or Epic Monster has no reason to run when the odds are always in their favor.

Most times, it’s the Entrants who would flee for their own lives, because a monster would always respawn after dying, while an Entrant wouldn’t.

Roman noticed that they weren’t going to charge, so he decided to make a change.

"Ohh... okay then."

[You have successfully switched to the Assassin Profession.]

Since he had already lied to Rena that [Shadow Step] was his Talent, he was now free to use it as he wanted.

[Shadow Step Activated!]

Without wasting more time, he went for the monsters that had refused to come for him, and in a matter of moments, the rest was history.