Priya didn't often get to see Zarek be so serious. He was often such a goofball, though she loved that about him.
Even so, when he did get serious and she saw another side of him, she couldn't help but be all the more attracted to it.
While she had seen Zarek become serious before, she had never felt it to this extent.
When they first started their Godsfall Tear clearance, Zarek had decided to let Priya take the vanguard role while he crossed his arms from the back. He didn't seem to be ready to help her at all, and in just two days, they cleared three of them, and she had improved considerably.
With her current stats and proficiency, Priya felt like if she were to fight Van Hollen again, it wouldn't even be much of a challenge.
Granted, Van Hollen would certainly improve as well. These starting days of the apocalypse were the time where talents would explode forth the most—especially those with the support of large organizations.
But that went to show just how strong Priya's talent and Talents were. All things considered, she wasn't growing so much stronger because of rapid resource intake, but instead because her skill was rapidly increasing.
Her ability to manage several streams of energy at once, and her acuity in battle, were all being refined at astonishing pace, to the point where she had even been able to point out something that Zarek himself hadn't been able to sense.
This was the prowess of a woman with S Class Talent. It was more than just a little impressive on her part, and Zarek was more than proud of her for it. In fact, she was proud of herself as well…
Until Zarek no longer had the luxury to slowly train her.
Watching Zarek clear one Godsfall Tear after another with an almost maniacal efficiency made her realize just how far she had to go. He didn't even seem to be doing anything particularly special, but…
It was almost like watching a professional athlete through a TV screen. All Zarek had was a crossbow-shield and his Lurker's Whip, but he made every death and victory look so clean and unhurried.
It took Priya two days to clear three Godsfall Tears. Zarek cleared three in half of a day, and most of that time was wasted moving from one to the next.
He didn't rest, and he didn't even speak.
Priya just followed behind him silently, trying to see what she could pick up and learn from him.
But what she learned most importantly was that Zarek's style of combat… just wasn't for her.
She liked to think, to plan, to be ready for every possibility. But Zarek was so instinctual, his reactions were ingrained into his bones, and when he moved, he took initiative so that he could corner his enemies into acting how he wanted them to act, rather than hoping they would act in certain ways and being ready in case they didn't.
There were certain aspects to this form of combat that Priya could take, namely knowing when to press the issue. But ultimately, she and Zarek were two different people, and their strengths were also very different.
She had more range to her abilities, more flexibility, and a better chance at reading and adapting.
By comparison, Zarek was a close combat, brutish sort of specialist. He had an elegance to the way he defeated enemies, but that was underlied by a savage sort of primal instinct to destroy everything in his path.
She knew that she could never be that.
But she could definitely be the soft hand pressing against his back.
So she changed her perspective. From trying to learn from Zarek, she tried to understand him, to see how he moved, how he reacted.
When the time came, she would be ready to support from the back.
In the fourth Godsfall Tear they entered, she began to casually send out low-stakes ranged assaults in the form of bullet-shaped Godsfall.
Slowly, her impact began to increase.
**
Zarek stepped out of their eleventh Godsfall Tear, taking deep breaths.
He looked at his status screen and shook his head. His Intelligence was still at E+, not good enough. He didn't think that tonight would be enough to push it to EE either. He would definitely need another couple of days, maybe more.
"Do you need a rest?" Zade hopped out from a jeep, offering water and pointing to the back in case they wanted more food.
They had been here in support all the while, and Zarek was true to his word. Most of the rewards were handed over to them.
The vast majority of the Godsfall Tears were E-Grade, and provided equivalent rewards. None of them had been a real challenge to Zarek aside from one where he and Priya were separated.
This time, though, he let Priya go off on her own and they met up at the end.
That, of course, hadn't been hard due to sheer difficulty, but instead because of the distraction of not knowing how Priya could be doing. In the end, though, it had worked out.
Priya was rapidly adapting, and that was good. She could more than hold her own against most E-Grades now. And honestly, that might be selling her short given her talent.
"Not for now. I'll finish all of the E-Grade ones first."
"Are you sure? There are at least 20 more of those in our territory. Even if you can keep up this pace, it'll take you another four days."
"It'll take less because I'll get stronger. Two days should be enough."
Zade's eyes flashed and then he slowly nodded.
"And then?"
"Then the two D-Grades. They're not showing signs of destabilizing yet, right?"
"Not as far as our scouts say."
"Good."
Zarek took the water bottle and chugged it all in one go.
"Priya, you stay here and eat for a bit."
"I can still go."
Zarek shook his head. "It takes time to build up continuous focus. Your body might be fine because your Endurance, Intelligence, and Charisma—all the things you rely on more—are very strong, but your focus is already beginning to slip."
Priya wanted to refute, but in the end she slowly nodded.
"Alright."
"Oh, Zarek," Zade suddenly called out.
"Yes?"
"Pensare came to start another dialogue with us."
"Oh?" Zarek raised an eyebrow.
"They want to cooperate for a few of those spatial tears outside our territory. The plan is to coordinate some defenses so the zombies don't interfere, and then clear the biggest ones as quickly as possible so they don't cause problems later."
"When?"
"We haven't agreed yet because my brother wanted to hear your opinion. But if it did happen, it would be in over a week from now after we already dealt with our situation on this side."
Zarek chuckled. "Ignore them."
Zade's gaze flickered slightly. "… Okay."
"Oh? You're not going to ask why?"
"My brother trusts you, so I trust you."
Zarek gave Zade a deep look for a long while and then nodded.
"Not going will save you quite a bit of men. They're likely already in collusion with others. When the time comes, we'll wipe them all out and you can have the city. Also, when Priya is ready, enter the next one with us."
After saying this, Zarek shot off as though his stamina was endless.