@DarkShadow
progression and growth is typical for powerscaling shonen, which this manhwa is not. The people around Ed are bosses for the real protagonist of their world (swordsman) to take down. If you follow that one and his perspective, you will have the progression that you are looking for. But from ed's perspective, he knows that the world is a shimmy away from doom. While that swordsman classmate is taking down one boss after the other, Ed is stressing out from changing too many things in the timeline.
The story is not about getting stronger, it's about keeping the original story flowing and setting all conditions towards the only good ending that Ed knows about.