ã€ŠCeaseless Horizons [Old Version]ã€‹


 Prologue

    In the Year 3470 of the Great Expansion, The Empyrean Palace stood as proof of humanity''s achievements. Made entirely out of white and gold, the symbol of wealth and power, the palace stood proudly in the heart of The Capital. The bright rays of sunlight from the three suns shining down on the planet only served to amplify its grandeur, making even the residents of The Capital stop and look at it in awe.

    Today, the colors looked slightly dulled.

    The Empyrean Kingdom was besieged by monsters from every single corner. It started like any other threat, reports of a monster tide in an outer ring planet. A team of platinum-ranked hunters was dispatched to deal with the threat. When the hunters returned battered and bruised, bringing the news of multiple tides magnitudes worse than what was suspected, it earned the undivided attention of the Guilds. Unfortunately, by then, it was already too late. Far too late.

    ****

    Inside the palace, King Blaine sat on his golden throne. With long reddish brown hair and a chiseled face, the king possessed enough charisma to sway entire countries. Over 6 feet tall with broad shoulders, his attire only displayed his muscles more prominently instead of concealing them. Next to him sat the queen to his title of king, Queen Martha, and their two daughters, Princess Rose, and Princess Lara.

    A long yet simple black table sat in the throne room, modified for the occasion. The table, while outwardly unassuming and thoroughly out of place in the confines of the palace, was the most advanced variant of the Military Grade Projector. Many planets and the traveling routes between them were displayed. From green to red, the colors symbolized the extent of danger traversing them. The Capital was in the middle of the map whereas all the other parts of the empire were situated around it in spheres.

    The kingdom had first expanded in spherical rings around The Capital to achieve complete control over these areas before expanding further. As there had been no signs of civilization even on habitable planets, the nascent space kingdom took it upon itself to claim all these territories and resources as soon as reliable methods of space travel presented themselves. Without anything opposing their expansion, the era was named the Great Expansion. As the empire expanded in every direction, it formed the inner ring. The inner ring was where humanity had the most control and was the most densely populated. All important organizations and guilds were situated in the inner circle.

    As the expansion continued, more and more planets that were habitable or could be made habitable were found. But the further they got from the inner circle toward the north and east of the capital, the more dangerous the planets and space between them became. By the year 2900 of the Great Expansion, the world got the shocking news that their civilization existed inside a comparatively lower mana density region of the universe.

    Today, Red defined those two sides in the projection. The Limitless Tide came without warning and descended upon the empire like a storm. In just a handful of years, the tide was dangerously close to the outer ring. The more intelligent monsters were claiming more and more planets, infesting them with dungeons. As all living beings produced mana in some capacity, monsters banding together led to a sharp increase in mana density. This led to the birth of more dungeons, and more monster waves.

    ¡°My liege,¡± a general sitting on the other side of the table said.

    King Blaine looked at the man sitting across him. One of his most excellent strategists and trusted aides, he had seen him grow up into a fine man from a young age. ¡°Start the report.¡±

    ¡°By your will. The scouts have detected no abnormally large movements from within the tide recently. The detection technology that the Manatech Institute introduced has been a resounding success so far. It has allowed us to track all but the most stealthy and camouflaged monsters with ease. Three Elite squads from the trailblazer department have been transferred to Asora, Vemia, and Nil, which were hard-pressed for reinforcements. The Tide is expected to keep moving toward areas where the population is not as densely packed. More and more measures have been deployed to detect and eliminate those pesky Astral Walkers which keep opening gates to new planets,¡± the general''s face finally showed some emotion when he said the last part. ¡°The evacuation of the outer ring is progressing smoothly. It will remain focused on the planets closest to the tide.¡±

    The king let out a barely noticeable breath that could only be detected with very high Attributes and perception, ¡°Good, that is good. It is about time things start to stabilize. The people have been anxious for good news. I think it¡¯s time we show them something worth remembering.¡±

    Queen Martha shifted slightly by his side, a small smile formed on her face, ¡°What are you thinking of, dear?¡±

    King Blaine revealed a bright smile, one carrying all the weight of his charisma that could charm any crowd.  ¡°Contact Magus Nathan and Guild Master Kenny. We are going on a trip.¡±

    Even the generals and the princesses couldn''t hide their excitement hearing this. To everyone present, one of the strongest adventurers of their generation had just declared to march against the tide. Queen Martha, who knew him all too well, saw the excitement in her king''s eyes. The excitement to finally throw himself into battle, to stand against the hordes plaguing their kingdom, to be one with his skills and classes again. Like the good old days when their team was still amassing strength, going around and making a name for themselves under false identities. But this was different.

    The Empyrean Spearhead was officially going to stand up against the tide.

    ****

    The king and his team went from one frontier to another, completely decimating large parts of the observable tide, giving the soldiers and adventurers alike breathing room. The residents of each planet the king visited were left thoroughly enamored by his and his team''s prowess. By the time they left, the Hunters Guild saw a staggering increase in the amount of people registering.

    ****

    The Endless Tide only got worse. The name slowly morphed over the years. It went from representing the avenue of fame and power for those brave enough to challenge it to the inevitable march of doom. In 3512, the only part of the empire remaining was The Capital. Billions of people were evacuated and moved there. It currently represented the strongest force humanity had to offer.

    It also represented the last.

    King Blaine stood on the terrace at the front of the Empyrean Palace. Alone. The Endless Tide had taken his wife away from him a couple of years ago and was now threatening The Capital, the heart of the inner ring. Thinking about the Queen made his facial features contort into an ugly yet impotent rage for a moment, thinking of how their arrogance and negligence of the threat, treating it like they were infallible, had taken something so important away from him. But he quickly schooled them. He had to be presentable as a stalwart and a strong king, after all. A General and her two aides entered the balcony room, ¡°Sire, it''s nearly here¡±.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    The king nodded and walked up to the device perched on the balcony. It was a complex Manatech device that was supposed to project an image of him above the palace and amplify his voice enough to travel throughout the capital. The palace grounds and the lands facing the palace were supposed to be full of people, his people.

    But that day, there was no one. The palace grounds, as far as he could see, were lifeless and almost empty. There were going to be no people witnessing his speech in person. There would be no ear-shattering cheering or sky-high morale. The damned tide even took that away from him. But still, he stood at the balcony, addressing his people one last time.

    ¡°For over 3500 long years, we¡ª¡±,

    A telepathic connection reached him at the exact moment something massive entered the atmosphere of the planet. The monster had arrived far faster than they predicted. It was wholly on fire and descending with meteoric speed, on course to crash just outside the walls of The Capital. Its descent was loud enough to deafen anyone within hundreds of kilometers. After a minute that felt like an eternity and a second simultaneously, the creature made contact with an ear-shattering explosion of dust and debris.

    The shockwave reached the palace in a few seconds, unable to faze King Blaine but damaging many buildings and even cracking the palace walls in a few places. Before the dust cleared, more information reached him.

    ¡°Sire, it is an unidentified monster. Appraisal scouts are on their way to get anything useful against it.¡±

    There was a pause. ¡°Sire, it identifies as something called a Dragon. It is outside of our level identification range.¡±

    ¡°What do u mean outside of range?¡±

    ¡°... It is above level 750. Identify returns five marks. ¡±

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡°Assemble at the wall. Prepare for the final stand.¡±

    ****

    When the battle against the endless tides started going from bad to worse half a decade ago, the most prominent researchers of the Manatech Institute started developing backup plans in case the Kingdom fell. The most agreed upon plan, thus the most focused, was to create a transport ship that could travel stealthily and extremely swiftly.

    Hyper-efficient stealth evacuation ships were developed to cover extremely vast distances, utilizing mainly mana. Powered by mages leveled 200 to 350 and equipped with large food stores and daily-life facilities, these ships were capable of moving large populations. The next task was to find suitable planets to send these refugees to.

    To that end, two different planets were discovered. The first planet was similar to The Capital, opposite in direction to the advancing tide, and extremely far away. The second planet, however, couldn¡¯t be more different. The planet, aptly named ¡°Monarch¡±, was impossibly large and diverse. While it was most certainly possible to survive and thrive on it, the planet was so extremely big that it would take centuries to fully explore the surface with the technology the refugees would be taking with them. But all of that paled in comparison to the main issue.

    The planet was discovered deep inside the higher mana density region of the universe.

    Attempts were made to possibly find the cause of the Endless Tide and eliminate the threat once and for all. The observations led to nothing but monsters from countless dangerous planets assisted by Astral Walkers besieging the Empire. By sheer stroke of luck, one of the scout drones discovered a planet so vast that it kept getting errors in its readings for the estimated size, which it then gave up to record the surface phenomenons.

    As the drones were designed to be as fast as possible and completely self-sufficient, the first of them was sent out only two years after the tide made itself known. With the equipment necessary to capture and analyze light-based feedback, the drone made it to Monarch and back in thirty years.

    ****

    More than a dozen ships to evacuate the remaining humans were born of the combined genius of many artificers. With one exception. One of the ships was far smaller, manufactured to be exceptionally fast and unnoticeable. The ship was responsible for carrying the volunteers to Monarch, letting them start a new chapter of their life on the miracle planet.

    In the heart of the ship responsible for carrying refugees deep within the high mana density region, dead silence reigned in the control room. From the Captain to the janitor, everyone was anxiously waiting for the, potentially, final words from The Capital. The atmosphere remained the same for a few minutes before the speech began, making everyone straighten up and lean slightly forward, intent on not missing a single word :

    ¡°For over 3000 long years, we¡ª¡±

    Everyone in the control room was bewildered, caught completely unaware by the abrupt ending of King Blaine''s speech. For a minute, the audience held their breath, hoping for some words of encouragement or potentially good news. Nothing came. The device responsible for carrying the speech to the ship was utterly silent and remained that way for fifteen minutes. Then, abruptly, all the lights turned red. The main projector changed to display only a few words:

    ¡°Code: Red-Black.¡±

    ¡°Initiate Project: Monarch.¡±

    ****

    27 years later

    Far away from the Empyrean Kingdom, a giant planet was currently orbiting two suns in all its glory. With three moons revolving around it at all times, its appearance grew even more awe-inspiring. On this peculiar day, an extremely stealthy and lithe spaceship stopped at the edges of its gravitational field. The ship currently housed around 117,000 people. They were all tense, waiting for any good or bad news.

    Almost no part of the ship''s outer hull looked undamaged, giving it the appearance of an antique that belonged in a museum more than space. Stopping for repairs on different planets for months on end, the ship was still functional enough to proceed.

    ¡°The records are still accurate, the plains and river near this forest are ideal for landing and securing a perimeter immediately. The mana density similiar to the empire  means that the threats should be manageable. The dungeons that have formed are at a decent distance from the landing spot. All in agreement to start preparing for landing?¡± The captain asked everyone in the meeting room.

    As the vote was underway, a sudden commotion drew everyone''s attention toward the doors of the meeting room. Several immaculately dressed researchers followed their much less immaculate colleague with messy hair and dark bags under his eyes. Even more amusing was how he carried his research pad, holding it in front of him like some great treasure. The room quieted down to witness whatever happened next.

    ¡°Captain! The reports are undeniable. There have been several sightings of massive winged beings with four legs already in the extremely tall mountains on the far end of the planet. If our last records are to be believed, these are the same creatures our king faced. The same ones that made him signal the evacuation immediately upon identification.¡±

    Nobody made a single sound, but this time, everyone was shocked into silence. Slowly, all heads turned toward the Captain, who also held the highest authority on the ship, waiting for his decision. The Captain himself was staring at the messy-haired researcher, considering if he should strangle the idiot for saying this in front of everyone or praise him for his early warning to prevent a catastrophe. In the end, he did neither and ran his hand through his slightly graying hair and proclaimed in a solemn voice:

    ¡°Welcome to Monarch.¡±

 Chapter 1

    Orphanage Director Oriana P.O.V:

    Director Oriana observed the children slowly stream into the classroom and take their seats. She aimed to maintain order and carefully observe how the orphans responded to their first lecture. She wore modest clothes, covering most of her body. With the features of a beautiful woman in her late twenties, Oriana was well aware of how womanly charm affected teenagers. Her bright red hair went slightly past the shoulders. With her above-average height of nearly 6 feet, she was a sight for any sore eyes. Somehow, the choice of clothing didn''t diminish her looks in the slightest but her strict facade kept the kids in check.

    Mr. Richard, the teacher, sat at his table next to the Lightboard, waiting for the students to finish arriving. The first students to arrive were Lev and his little gang, no doubt woken up by him earlier than everyone else. He sent a smile her way, and she gave him a look telling him to sit down.

    I wonder what makes him so different. That boy is far too mature and hardworking for his age. Maybe it was the ambiance of the orphanage. Despite being the oldest here, I wish he took an interest in more mundane childish entertainment. He only focuses on games that make him exercise or involve a lot of thinking. At least his disciplinary record is perfect.

    Oriana observed him take a seat in the middle of the modest classroom, not near the front but not too far behind either. Lev was an odd child, somehow smart enough to understand most things but not enough to be left alone. He fluctuated from wanting to do normal teenage things to preparing for when he left the orphanage. In all of that, he had never looked at Oriana like an adoptive mother. It worried her, so she observed him. He was only twelve when he was first brought to the orphanage. When she noticed nothing wrong with him, she adapted. If he didn¡¯t treat her like a guardian, she wouldn¡¯t treat him like a child. Instead, she treated him like a much younger sibling.

    To her immense surprise, she cherished it. Treating someone like family brought her some long-lost warmth. Before long, she adored Lev and his antics. He was also much more comfortable with that arrangement and treated her like an older sister. They had only gotten closer since then.

    Within minutes, only one seat remained empty. The director knew exactly who was missing. She rose from her seat next to the teacher¡¯s table and went to look for the last missing student, who was nervously standing just next to the classroom door.

    ¡°Come on, the class is about to start. You do not want to be late on your first day, do you?¡± Oriana encouraged, extending a reassuring hand to the timid girl, who accepted it sheepishly. They moved into the classroom. The Director stopped in front of the teacher''s table till the class quieted down. ¡°Today, we have another girl joining our house. She is from Bluerock and has been transferred here due to technical issues. Why don¡¯t you introduce yourself in front of the class?¡± She finished, looking at the girl.

    The girl kept looking at the ground and shyly spoke. ¡°M-my name is Kayla. I am 11 years old.¡±

    The Director nodded and motioned towards Lev and his group. ¡°You should go next to them and pay attention in class today. Lev will show you around the orphanage later and teach you the ropes. Is that fine by you, Lev?¡± She asked with a bright smile.

    ¡°Not a problem, Ms.Oriana,¡± he replied with a little too much emphasis on her title. She suppressed the desire to roll her eyes.

    ****

    Lev P.O.V.:

    ¡°Why would she tell her to sit with us?¡± Jack leaned in and whispered.

    ¡°Probably because we are the only group who wouldn''t give her much trouble,¡± Amelia whispered back.

    By then, Kayla had found the last empty seat next to Amelia. She gingerly sat down, feeling the eyes of her new classmates upon her. When she looked up, she noticed Lev, Jack, and Amelia all looking at her.

    ¡°H-hi.¡± she sputtered.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Kayla. As you have already heard from the Director, my name is Lev, and these two are Jack and Amelia.¡±

    The two idiots waved at her with smiles on their faces, and she shyly waved back. Before Lev could continue, Jack superseded him. ¡°Why were you transferred here in the middle of the year?¡±

    ¡°O-oh, that is because Bluerock got hit pretty badly by a wave not long ago. The orphanage and many other small institutes were temporarily closed because of a lack of funding. Normally, that wouldn''t happen. Since only three orphans were living there, they decided to transfer them. I, the youngest, was sent here while some guilds took the other two boys as apprentices.¡±

    She certainly got some confidence back. Was it because of the entire class¡¯s attention?

    Before they could continue their quiet conversation, the teacher cleared his throat and motioned toward the lightboard, displaying a human body outline. The lightboard was an interesting device, allowing anyone with mana manipulation skills to direct their mana into the board and make it display whatever they wanted to. It supposedly used Light Mana to create images on the board and could even display text if the user was proficient enough.

    ¡°Good Morning, students. Welcome to your first class. My class will be focused on general knowledge you should be aware of and what you can expect to do in the future.¡± The class quieted at his introduction. Mr. Richard continued after a moment of observing everyone.

    ¡°All of you have heard about The System and its miracles for your entire life, but nobody has explained anything about it to you. That is intentional. When your interface first unlocked at the age of 10, it only showed you your Attributes and nothing else. That is because the Class selection is only available once you turn 14. So before that, children are kept unaware of how the system works for their safety. Every student in this classroom is now either 12 years old or almost there, which is why this class is only happening now. So, for our first lesson, we will focus on what is currently available, Attributes.¡±

    As he stopped talking, six words appeared in a vertical list on the right side of the body outline present on the Lightboard. These were the Attributes of any system user:

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    Strength

    Constitution

    Dexterity

    Intelligence

    Wisdom

    Perception

    ¡°Let¡¯s start with the first attribute: Strength. What is strength? Strength is your body''s physical power¡ªhow much you can lift and how hard you can punch. It is the explosive force that we can produce with our limbs. This concept may be confusing, but it will make more sense as time goes on. For now, note that strength also greatly affects how fast you are. I will explain further when we cover Dexterity.

    ¡°Constitution is the attribute responsible for our toughness and stamina. It makes your body more resilient and resistant to physical harm such as Slashes or Blunt damage. Additionally, it minorly increases the body¡¯s resistance to natural weather phenomena and their magical counterparts, such as Fire and Water attacks. But the most important aspect of the Constitution attribute is the ability to channel a higher amount of strength throughout your body. If your body is not robust enough to handle your strength, then a single punch will tear your muscles and break your arm. The attribute has a similar effect on Mana, where a higher Constitution allows for easier channeling of mana.

    ¡°Dexterity is what ensures that you don''t trip and fall with every step at high speeds. It is our body¡¯s reaction time and how much control we can exert on our body. Higher Dexterity will make it easier for a person to move faster and react to attacks quicker, but that doesn''t mean that the attribute is solely responsible for speed. The dexterity attribute and the Strength attribute work together to increase a person¡¯s speed. The strength attribute is what allows the user to produce enough force to move at high speeds, and the dexterity attribute is what allows the user to move precisely at such speeds. A person without enough dexterity will not be able to control their strength and may run straight into a wall.¡±

    Some of the students chuckled at the mental image while the teacher continued, ¡°Intelligence is a rather simple attribute when compared to the previous three but is no less important. The attribute increases how fine of a control a person can exert on their magic and how far from themselves they can control it, making it the most important attribute for mages who require strict control over their element. For example, a person who needs to control flying blades will need an increasing amount of intelligence to control their blades from further away without them falling outside of his control range.

    ¡°Wisdom is the bread and butter of any mage. The attribute dictates how much mana can be stored in their core and how much mana they regenerate. Its function may seem straightforward, but it is extremely vital for any caster or enhancer.

    ¡°The last attribute we will discuss today is Perception. It is arguably the most important attribute in my opinion, but that is irrelevant. I¡¯m sure you guys will notice its importance as well. Perception is responsible for what we perceive from our five senses. That''s right, it will improve all your senses and, at the same time, increase the reaction time of your mind. At higher levels, the Perception attribute is also known to slightly slow down your perception of time, allowing you to react to threats faster with your mind and body. What makes Perception even more important is the fact that monsters get faster and stronger with each level, but it is often grossly underestimated just how fast large monsters can get. Remember, physical Attributes are just as effective on monsters as on us. To have a chance for survival against them, enhancing Perception is a must.¡±

    The first official lesson concluded on that ominous note. Mr. Richard told them some more about Classes and how the attributes worked in tandem. The children slowly exited the classroom. As soon as Lev and his group got out of class, Jack spoke up, ¡°Hey, do you guys want to go to our river spot again?¡±

    ¡°Sure, let''s go. Kayla, do you want to come with us as well?¡± Amelia asked while looking back at her, who just nodded. When Amelia was about to ask Lev, he shook his head, ¡°You guys go ahead. I need to talk to the director for a bit, then I¡¯ll be there.¡± Amelia gave him a dubious glance and left with the others.

    Standing outside the director¡¯s office, Lev slowly knocked twice. ¡°Come in.¡± Director Oriana watched Lev enter and take a seat with a slight smile. ¡°How was your first class today?¡±

    ¡°It was different from what I was expecting. I thought it would be about something more mundane, like history. Instead, we finally learned something about The System. I was almost certain that it wouldn''t happen for at least a while.¡± He replied with a smile.

    ¡°So, what did you learn?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ from what I have understood, it''s important to make sure that no attribute is neglected because of how they synergize with each other. But that brings me to the question I wanted to ask. Why did it feel like the entire class was about monster combat or at least implied that?¡±

    For a moment, something resembling, but not quite pity, flashed across her face. She looked at Lev¡¯s face before replying, ¡°I am only answering this because you would somewhat understand what I mean. For anyone else, I wouldn''t answer this before the age of 14, but you are already fairly mature for your age. Remember this, Lev. The world is not a forgiving place. Monsters are a threat on every front, and it takes a lot of effort to keep them under control. The new transfer, Kayla, is a victim of a monster wave. Bluerock was fooled by illusions conjured by multiple shamans and wasn¡¯t prepared for extremely strong monsters to show up in the middle of the fight. Thankfully, they managed to hold on and eventually got everything under control. Do you understand why we need to mentally prepare everyone for monster combat?¡±

    ¡°...So we will be ready for it when the time comes instead of being scared.¡±

    The Director revealed a sad smile upon hearing his words and patted him on the head, ¡°That is correct, but you shouldn''t be worrying about such matters yet. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll start some physical training and teach you more about Attributes. Be prepared.¡±

    With that, Lev left the office and made his way back to his friends. He idly brought up his status to check if anything had changed:

    [

    Name: Lev

    Class: None

    Titles: None

    Attributes:

    Strength: 0

    Dexterity: 0

    Constitution: 0

    Intelligence: 0

    Wisdom: 0

    Perception: 0

    General Skills:

    -

    ]

    Nope. Still a grand collection of zeroes.

 Chapter 2

    Lev P.O.V:

    Lev had a lot of different thoughts going on in his mind on his way to the river. He had always been mature for his age, but as time went on, the reason was becoming more and more apparent. There was a second set of memories stored in his brain that was slowly being unraveled and was clearly not from this era or planet.

    It''s easy enough to understand the other perspective, though. Children our age aren¡¯t supposed to be worrying about fighting monsters or conditioning their bodies. We should only be worrying about playing by the river and how to spend the rest of the day. Studying history and literature instead of attributes and their effects on the mind and body.

    These memories also made it hard to fit in with everyone else. Whichever world or place these memories belonged to, it was much tamer than these dangerous lands. There were no memories of any sort of monsters or even combat in general. And precisely because of this, Lev was always more serious about training himself, both physically and mentally. He wanted to be strong enough to not just survive but also thrive. He wanted to explore every little bit of the fantastical realm that was Monarch.

    ¡°Look who finally decided to show up. What was so important that you couldn''t wait to ask later?¡± Jack¡¯s voice reached him while Lev was lost in thought.

    Lev stopped and looked around, just now noticing that he had reached their chosen spot by the river. The river was a modest offshoot of the mighty River Kran, its gentle flow a far cry from the main river''s powerful currents. Long ago, when the refugees had first arrived on Monarch, Kran was separated into multiple different smaller streams by mages that were still wide enough to be called a river. One such river flowed close to the orphanage where Lev¡¯s group lazed around. The river was situated on a tranquil plain area dotted with a few scattered trees in the distance.

    Jack, Amelia, and Kayla were lounging in a shallow pond created by the river''s gentle bend. The water barely reached up to their knees. It was safe from the currents and the perfect spot to relax in.

    ¡°Nothing much, just a few questions about the lecture and attributes.¡±

    ¡°Bah, always so serious. Come on, the water feels absolutely heavenly right now. Who knows how long we can enjoy this before the water becomes too cold.¡± Jack said with a grin.

    Lev just snorted but descended into the water. It really was amazing, not warm but not too cold either. Sometime later, while they were all enjoying themselves, Lev looked at Jack. He had been wondering when he should ask, but he figured this time was as good as any.

    ¡°Jack?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°What do you think you will do now that we know more about our attributes?¡± Lev asked.

    ¡°You mean what classes I want to go for? I gave it some thought actually, and you won''t believe what I decided on.¡± Jack replied with a toothy smile.

    Lev just looked at him, ¡°Let me guess, it is going to be something extremely showy?¡±

    ¡°You know it. I want to go for a class that uses a huge hammer and heavy armor. While looking extremely dashing and intimidating in full plate, I would beat the lights out of anything with my trusty hammer. Eventually, I will reach such impossible heights that the world will tremble with my steps and my blows will shatter the mountains. Everyone will know the name of the walking calamity, The JackHammer!¡± His voice rose with every word, and by the end, he stood with both hands in the air.

    Silence covered the spot for a few seconds before everyone burst out laughing. Even Jack was chuckling at his own performance. It took a few minutes for everyone to regain their composure, the smiles still on their faces. Lev observed Jack, who stood the tallest among their group. Lev knew that the man was going to be absolutely massive by the time his growth spurt ended. Since the months were also longer, their age did not correctly represent their physical growth on Monarch. Jack was already taller than most his age and showing signs of a budding beard.

    Jack continued speaking. ¡°I know I exaggerated a lot, but I want a class like that. It just fits my style more than being sneaky or throwing spells from a distance. Heavily armored, a massive Warhammer in hand, walking towards a monster or the bad guys while everyone looks upon me with awe. Also, every team needs someone focusing on defense to balance out the team. What about you, Lev? What are you aiming for?¡±

    Lev thought about it for a moment, but he had already made up his mind. ¡°I want to be a barrier mage.¡±

    Everyone perked up at that. Kayla addressed him first. ¡°You mean like Queen Martha from our history books? The famous Barrier Mage?¡±

    Wow, she figured it out instantly. Lev thought with a wry smile.

    ¡°Yeah. I read about her battle prowess a few years ago and it has stuck with me ever since. The classes Barrier Magic provides are incredibly versatile and can fill up a vast array of roles in any team. I want to focus on sharpness and toughness to cut into enemies while blocking projectiles and attacks. It should also provide many other options, even if they are not backed up by skills. Their potential overall is quite high.¡±

    Jack whistled, ¡°You¡¯ve given it some thought, huh? Is that what you are doing while brooding all day?¡±

    ¡°I do not brood,¡± Lev said while rolling his eyes. Then he looked towards Amelia and Kayla, ¡°What about you two?¡±

    They both looked at each other. Amelia answered first, ¡°I want to be fast, but I also don''t want to give up magic, so I think I am going to be a hybrid warrior. Go into melee range and use magic to defeat enemies. I will try to find out more about hybrid classes. If they work, I am definitely going to try and get one. Other than that, I want to be able to take a hit and hit back several times in return.¡±

    Everyone looked at Kayla, who looked both nervous and deep in thought. After a minute, she answered, ¡°I want to be in a more supportive role. Keep the team alive while increasing their strength overall, so I think I will look for classes that can heal my team and help them in other ways. Other than that, I haven''t given it much thought¡­ sorry.¡± She finished, looking genuinely ashamed at her lack of further consideration.

    ¡°There is nothing to be sorry about. You have done nothing wrong. We three are kind of outliers who have already planned this far ahead. Most other kids start worrying about this kind of stuff later.¡±

    ¡°Also it''s mostly because of Lev that we started thinking about this, seeing him always deep in thought is what pushed us to do some of the same.¡± Jack piped in while Amelia nodded in agreement.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    Lev looked at them in mock anger, pretending like they had exposed some big secret, ¡°So you guys are saying that I¡¯m the weird influence here?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± They both replied in unison.

    Everyone laughed at that.

    ¡°Alright, it''s getting late now. I still have to show Kayla around the orphanage.¡±

    ****

    The next day, all the children were standing in The Park. It was literally called just that. The park was expansive, bordered by towering birch trees that soared 30 meters high, and divided into various sections. They were currently standing on the jogging track where a few children of similar age were already running, making full use of the six-meter wide gray path. Parents were standing at the side chatting with one another and generally relaxing while they watched their children complete their laps.

    Director Oriana was standing next to Mr. Richard, surveying the students gazing around curiously, wondering why they were brought here. She caught my eyes and gave me a small smile.

    So it''s going to be a physical lesson today instead of sitting in the classroom. Lev thought.

    The Director clapped her hands once, and everyone turned towards her. ¡°Everyone form lines facing us and pay attention to Mr. Richard.¡±

    The children shuffled into four different lines, each with five to seven children in them. Lev ended up being in front of the second line with Jack, Kayla, and Amelia behind him in that order. Director Oriana nodded once she saw how quickly they had formed decent lines.

    Mr. Richard cleared his throat, ¡°Yesterday, I told you about the functions of each attribute. Today, you will learn by observing a practical demonstration. Does anyone remember which combination of attributes dictated how fast I can run on this track?¡±

    Many of the children raised their hands. The teacher pointed towards one at random. ¡°You.¡±

    ¡°Strength, Dexterity and Constitution.¡±

    Mr. Richard waited for more but the boy said nothing more. ¡°Anyone else?¡±

    The same boy spoke up suddenly, ¡°Perception.¡±

    ¡°That is correct, even if it took a while for you to figure it out. All the physical attributes are important, but one cannot make full use of them without the appropriate perception. Now watch.¡± Mr. Richard said and folded up the sleeve of his brown shirt. Before anyone could blink, they were buffeted by a blast of cool air, sending two of them tumbling while the rest barely managed to stay on their feet. And then, before anyone could say something, there was another blast. Mr. Richard was back at his spot.

    ¡°So, who can tell me what just happened?¡±

    ¡°You vanished!¡± a girl squealed excitedly.

    ¡°It may have looked that way for all of you, but that is not correct. Would you believe me when I say that between those two shockwaves, I ran a lap around the entire park?¡± Mr. Richard replied with a small grin tinged with a hint of pride.

    Everyone just stared at him with their jaws hanging open.

    ****

    ¡°From now on, everyone will take part in mandatory light exercises. It may seem hard, but believe me, it is more than worth it. I will explain more at the end. It would be better for you all to see it for yourselves. Alright, everyone, get on the track.¡±

    One by one, the children got on the track and formed loose lines. Lev and his friends obviously stuck together and stood in the center. Mr. Richard continued speaking, ¡°I should clarify that this is not a race or a competition. The point of this exercise is to exhaust your stamina and push past your limit. The reason for this will be revealed soon. Now, start jogging and complete five laps around the park. Maintain a moderate pace and don''t get in each other''s way. Also, help anyone who may be about to stumble.¡±

    With that, everyone started their first lap. As usual, the competitive spirit of children sparked some races into being. Lev¡¯s group was no exception.

    ¡°Come on, just one lap!¡± Jack pleaded.

    Lev rolled his eyes and flexed his shoulders, ¡°Fine, just this once. I want to be able to walk back by the end. Are you two joining as well?¡± he looked at Amelia, who was already nodding, and Kayla, who looked unsure but gave her assent regardless.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll countdown. 3,¡± Jack started.

    ¡°2¡±,

    ¡°1¡±,

    ¡°Go!¡±

    As soon as the words left his mouth, all of them bolted into motion.

    ****

    They didn''t stand a chance. Lev handily beat everyone else and was the first to finish the first lap. Breathing heavily, he was about to look back to see how far behind everyone else was when a sudden chime sounded in his head and nearly made him lose his footing.

    Constitution increased by 1.

    No way. How has this never happened before? This isn¡¯t even the most I have ever exerted myself!

    ****

    Director Oriana P.O.V:

    Oriana watched each student nearly fall or release short yelps in surprise as they got their first notifications. Most of them instantly picked up the pace after getting over the notification, and by the third round, everyone was running. It was a good thing that the track was slightly enchanted with runes to gather mana near it and absorb impacts to prevent any major injury.

    And then there''s that boy. Ever since Lev first got the notification, he hasn¡¯t slowed down, only pushed himself even harder. His friends followed in his footsteps as soon as they saw him run even faster, and even poor Kayla was trying her best to keep up. While everyone is in their third lap, he is halfway through his fourth. She shook her head with a small smile. I am not sure if I should be worried or proud.

    The first attribute points were easy to obtain. It would get more and more difficult. Within a few weeks, the children would need to work much harder for each physical attribute point. But the heavy lifting would come much later. Right now, they just needed to get used to daily physical effort without stunting their growth.

 Chapter 3

    3 Years Later

    [

    Name: Lev

    Class: None

    Titles: None

    Attributes:

    Strength: 8

    Dexterity: 12

    Constitution: 10

    Intelligence: 0

    Wisdom: 0

    Perception: 9

    General Skills:

    -

    ]

    The training had slowly ramped up in intensity. A lot of it focused on dexterity and perception. The Director often reminded the children¡ªwho were no longer children but would always remain that way for her¡ªto avoid any sort of heavy weight lifting that may stunt their growth. Staying true to her word, she had them focus on exercises that prioritized running and making use of their five senses. The constant exhaustion allowed Constitution to easily keep up with the rest of the attributes. Any doubts he had about Mr. Richard¡¯s words about speed requiring strength were dispelled when the strength attribute kept rising alongside dexterity.

    As Lev was walking down the hallway to his room to sleep for the night, he was starting to realize that it was empty and quiet. Once that fact settled into his mind, his guard was instantly raised. At first, he had thought that the orphanage was unusually silent, thinking he would start hearing sounds the further he ventured into the orphanage¡¯s halls, but that was not the case. Despite being close to his room, it was still eerily noiseless.

    Where the hell is everyone?

    Slowly peering inside his room, his gaze slowly swept from corner to corner, noting the absence of his friends. Moving on, he proceeded further into the hallway, where it separated into the Left and Right wings. Trying to look for his friends before anyone else, he took off to the right, toward the classroom. By now, sweat was rolling down his neck, and his heartbeat was erratic. Still, he was utterly focused on scanning his surroundings and making his footfalls as silent as possible. Stopping just before the classroom door, he leaned in and peered inside. It was completely dark and silent.

    Hoping to find something that would clue him on whatever the hell was going on, he went inside. Suddenly, there was movement to his right. Lev brought his arms up to defend against any potential enemy when all the lights turned on and¡ª

    ¡°Happy Birthday Lev!¡± rang out the voices of over two dozen people.

    ¡­

    Slowly, his adrenaline-fueled mind caught up with the present. He looked around as if in a daze, noticing his friends standing in front of a table with big, goofy, yet sheepish smiles. Director Oriana and Mr. Richard were sitting on padded chairs to their left while the rest of the kids were standing around the table in a semicircle. On the table was an 8-pound chocolate cake boasting three smooth layers. At the very top was a now-lit candle, and on the front of each layer was a word written with white cream.

    ¡°Happy¡±

    ¡°Birthday¡±

    ¡°Lev¡±

    Stunned into speechlessness, it took a few seconds for him to form any words. ¡°Y-you¡­¡± he started but thought better of it. As the adrenaline slowly wore out, an involuntary laugh slipped from his lips, ending in an explosive sigh. The next words that he vocalized came from the bottom of his heart, accompanied by a bright smile.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ****

    Lev was the oldest child in the orphanage and also the most hardworking of them all. Due to his unusual maturity, he had always been kind to the other orphans, willing to help them at every turn. It earned him a lot of goodwill among them, especially when physical training started, and he assisted others in maintaining proper form. All the members of the orphanage had collectively decided to throw a party for when he came of age, which resulted in today¡¯s night¡¯s festivities.

    Once again, Lev found himself in the Directors office. The circumstances, however,  were wildly different. Still all warm and fuzzy inside from the party, this might have been the worst possible time to have this talk, but it was necessary. He had turned 16 years old after all, and was at a suitable age to begin a new chapter in his life and move on from the orphanage. Sitting face-to-face with Director Oriana, Lev got comfortable in his soft chair, ready to face his fears head-on.

    Nobody spoke for a while, lost in their thoughts. It was the Director who broke the silence first.

    ¡°How old were you when you were first registered here, Lev?¡± she asked.

    ¡°12¡±

    ¡°If someone asks your age now, what would you say?¡±

    ¡°16¡±

    ¡°And if I ask?¡± she questioned, looking directly into my eyes. Lev¡¯s back was already covered in sweat, his earlier bravado already waning. But he was determined to not hide it from her, to whom he owed so much.

    ¡°40, technically.¡±

    Director Oriana scanned his face, looking for any signs of lying or trickery. Eventually, she let out a sigh when she discovered none.

    ¡°I had already suspected it,¡± she said in a somber tone.

    ¡°I know,¡±

    ¡°You never did think of me as a mother figure in your life, did you?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    She leaned back into her chair, staring at the ceiling, trying to get her thoughts in order and find the right words to ask the next question. Instead, she gave up on that and asked bluntly:

    ¡°How?¡±

    It took some time for Lev to formulate an answer, and after a minute, he simply answered, ¡°I have scattered memories of a young man who died in his early twenties. They are basically just social experiences and simple scientific and mathematical concepts. There''s no negative effect on my person or mind.¡±

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    ¡°Is this why you were always a bit stand-offish around other children?¡± she queried with a hint of worry in her voice.

    ¡°Well, kind of. It was odd having to wrestle with childish replies or adult responses in my head whenever I talked to anyone. It was only after the search and rescue party came back empty-handed and my parents were officially declared dead that I got access to these memories.¡±

    ¡°But if these memories are messing with your head, then they should be immediately removed before¡ª¡±

    Lev was already shaking his head before the Director¡¯s suggestion and cut in. ¡°I solved this particular issue a while ago. You don¡¯t need to worry.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± She asked with concern now plainly obvious in her words.

    ¡°It may seem much worse than it actually is. Believe me, I am Lev and will always be Lev. No foreign set of memories will ever decide who I am and what I will be in the future.¡±

    The Director scanned his face again, looking for any hint that would allow her to act on her worries, but all she found was confidence and acceptance of her worry. Lev matched her gaze with soft eyes. Releasing her breath that she had unknowingly been holding, she leaned back and observed Lev who was trying to stop a smile from creeping up on his face.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Your stoic facade is crumbling,¡± he replied with an innocent smile.

    That made her push air out of her nose before she laughed softly. Lev laughed too, slightly nervously.

    ¡°Relax, you haven¡¯t done anything wrong. Except for the one time when you eyed me up and down like a pervert.¡± She teased, delighted to finally see a normal teenage boy''s reaction when Lev became red up to his ears.

    ¡°T-that was only once and happened before I could catch myself. Sorry,¡± Lev fumbled over his words, staring at his feet and apologizing without even realizing it. He perked up when he heard the Director roaring with laughter. It took her a few seconds to control herself. The mirth never left her eyes. She continued with a smile,

    ¡°I know, I know. I also remember that a crisp sound rolled down the hallway immediately afterward as well,¡± She winced, clearly remembering the sound, ¡°Did you have to slap yourself so hard?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± he replied with confidence that left no room for argument.

    They both went silent after that, processing the conversation that had taken place so far. They were happy with how it had turned out despite fearing, yet being prepared, for the worst. The relief in Lev¡¯s posture was palpable, and the Director¡¯s slight stiffness had also eased. Eventually, Oriana broke the silence again and got up from her seat.

    Moving towards the door, she started speaking, ¡°When I first realized that you were too mature for me to treat you like other children, I instead acted like the big sister I always wished to be. Thank you for making that possible and treating me like a sister as well.¡±

    When she was about to open the door, she heard Lev come up behind her and nervously swallow before calling out, ¡°Director¡­,¡±

    When she turned around, Lev was standing there, fidgeting in place. Before she could say a word, Oriana suddenly found herself embraced in a stiff hug from Lev whose heart was hammering in his chest. Before she could say anything, a whispered ¡°Thank you for accepting me,¡± reached her.

    Lev broke off the hug and shyly sputtered, ¡°I w-would love to remain your little brother, i-if you don''t mind,¡±

    Oriana took a moment to realize what he had said. When she did, a big smile blossomed on her face, and grabbed him in another hug, ¡°And I would love to remain your big sister, Lev. But don''t you dare forget that there was never anything wrong with you in the first place.¡±

    The overwhelming tension vanished from Lev¡¯s body upon hearing those magical words. He practically melted into her embrace with immense relief.

    Neither of them mentioned the tears. It was the first time they could call someone family in so long.

    A small part of Lev felt horrible about not telling her the whole truth. How he had once again opened his eyes when it should¡¯ve been impossible. How his body should¡¯ve become a corpse, but didn¡¯t. The moment mattered too much, however, and he pushed the thought as far back as he could.

    ****

    Lev returned to his room with a tired smile. The earlier exchange took more out of him than he would have ever imagined, but it was the single most worthwhile thing he had done in his life. Every breath felt easier to intake, and his steps felt far lighter. It was late into the night when he finally reached his shared room, only to find his friends barely awake, sitting on his bed waiting for him. They all faced him when he entered and started to stand up to bombard him with questions, slowing down when they noticed his red eyes and relieved smile. Eventually, they all settled on his bed and just stared at him till he started explaining.

    ¡°Why are you all still awake anyway? Surely you trust me enough to not just disappear without even saying goodbye.¡± Lev started, leveling each of them with a firm gaze.

    ¡°Well, not everyone here is as det- determined as Mr. Ambition, so we couldn¡¯t be 100% sure even if we were like 99% sure that you wouldn¡¯t just dip on us,¡± Jack mumbled as he was interrupted by a yawn. Lev couldn¡¯t suppress a small laugh while the girls looked on with a smile.

    ¡°If you are here now with none of your belongings packed, does it mean you will be staying here for the night?¡± Amelia asked with a small voice, to which Lev gave her a reassuring nod. ¡°That¡¯s enough for me then. Good night.¡± Following which, she threw herself on her side of the girls'' bed and promptly fell asleep. Kayla, who looked like she was just about to fall over at any moment and couldn¡¯t form words to say, just went in for a hug. But the hug stretched on¡­ and on¡­

    ¡­

    ¡°Uhm, Kayla?¡± Lev queried when the hug had been going on for over 10 seconds. Her reply came in the form of soft snoring.

    Chuckling silently to himself, he picked her up in a princess carry and set her down opposite Amelia. Jack, who was the last one still awake, witnessed it with a twinkle in his eyes, ¡°I wish she was awake during this. Her face would¡¯ve been red like Mr. Richard¡¯s T-shirt,¡± he mused, making Lev chortle at the mental image. He went over to his bed, the one he shared with Jack, and wished him a good night before the exhaustion of the day slammed into him like a train. Lev¡¯s last thought before falling asleep was,

    The hell is a train?

 Chapter 4

    Lev woke up two hours after sunrise. Thankfully, the increase in constitution attribute had taken off nearly an hour of sleep from his schedule. From what he knew, such benefits would steadily decrease from the increasing constitution. Eventually, if they become strong enough, the need for sleep would be reduced to once every few days. Then, once a week, before some evolution or threshold inevitably removes the need for sleep. There was still a very long road to get there.

    Breaking out of his daydreaming, Lev took care of his morning routine and went to Oriana¡¯s office, where Lev was firmly reminded that he was way too early. Whoops. He returned to his room to find his roommates groggily rousing themselves. Once they were all fresh and ready for the day, they sat down on the boys¡¯ bed¡ªwith the boys on one side and the girls on the other¡ªand began their interrogation.

    ¡°So, what exactly is your plan?¡± Kayla started with the question that was on everyone¡¯s mind. Lev had hidden from them his exact plans for once he came of age, often saying things like, ¡°You will know when the time is right,¡± which kept them on their toes.

    Before replying, Lev and Jack shared an amused glance, confusing the girls to no end. Lev then stated his plans, ¡°To begin with, me and big sis will go to the Crafters Guild¡¯s Protection and Healing Branch to meet up with a senior artificer renowned for creating the best barrier artifacts. There, I will learn the General Mana Manipulation skill under his tutelage and then spend the remaining time learning about barriers from both written material and practical demonstrations¡­¡± He trailed off, realizing everyone was looking at him as if he had grown another head.

    ¡°What¡­?¡± he asked nervously under the combined unblinking gazes.

    Everyone just stared at him silently. Surprisingly, it was Amelia who spoke up first in an incredulous tone, ¡°Big sis?¡±.

    ¡°Oh¡­ that. Well, long story short, after our talk last night, I asked Director Oriana if she would accept me as a little brother and she did so gladly. But please don''t reveal this in front of everyone else, only if Oriana does first.¡± he replied sheepishly.

    After a minute of stunned silence, Kayla shook her head before leaning towards him with the intensity of a thunderstorm, ¡°What? That¡¯s it? THIS IS SUCH BIG NEWS, YOU BIG, MATURE DUMMY!¡± She punctuated her point by pulling him towards her and Amelia and tightly wrapping his arms around him. That prompted a group hug where everyone offered him congratulations and expressed their happiness for him.

    After half a minute of the bone-crushing hug, Lev finally wiggled out of the embrace while holding up his hands defensively, ¡°Alright, alright, this is enough physical contact for the rest of the season. I understand that I am underplaying this a lot but trust me, nobody here is happier than me. You know how I am.¡±

    Jack rolled his eyes, ¡°We are well aware of your penchant for trying to be cool and mysterious,¡± he said dryly, making Lev choke on his next word and send him into a coughing fit.

    Clearing his throat one last time, he shot Jack a mock glare before solemnly announcing, ¡°You are not supposed to give away my secrets,¡± making Amelia roll her eyes as well and getting a snort out of Kayla.

    ¡°As I was saying before being rudely interrupted, I will be studying under Senior Artificer Alec. Since he is a busy man, he will only be teaching me for a total of two months before I register for the Adventurers Guild and their mandatory training.¡±

    ¡°Just two months? Isn¡¯t that too little for an apprenticeship?¡± Kayla expressed her concern.

    ¡°It really depends on how much effort I put into learning and well¡­ Do I need to explain more?¡± Lev mused.

    That mollified his friends. While two months was very short compared to the average apprenticeship, it would be enough if Lev believed it to be enough. Although he never let it show on his face, Lev was worried if sheer hard work would be enough to see him through to his goal. But he was good at schooling his face, so none of his friends noticed his inner turmoil. Four hours later, Lev made his way to the office. There, he joined Oriana before heading toward the Crafting District.

    The weather outside was slightly chilly, announcing the end of the Spring season and the start of the Winter season. On Monarch¡¯s plains, there were only three seasons. Summer, Spring, and Winter. Each season lasted for 100 days, making each year 400 days long. The Summer season marks the start of a new year, whereas the Winter season marks the end. Each year had two Spring seasons. There were still two weeks left before Winter started, and Lev was hoping to see snowfall for once in his life.

    The Crafting District was exactly how Lev had imagined while also being much grander. It was relatively small compared to the other districts but possessed an aura of distinctness that was unmistakable. A Large stone road cut through the district in a straight line. Large triple-story buildings lined up on both sides, with a single large building at the end of the road. All of the buildings were equally spaced apart, allowing a small road to cut through after every three buildings that led to individually owned Crafting stores. The imposing five-floor structure at the end of the road was the Crafting Guild Headquarters. The floors were both long and high, resulting in the building being much larger than a usual building with the same number of floors.

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    The three buildings of the Healing and Protection Branch and the Defense Branch were on the left side of the main road, whereas the Attack Branch and the Provisions and Essentials Branch were on the right side, bringing up the total number of buildings on each side to six. All of the buildings were made primarily from white stone and marble, mixed in with colors corresponding to the branch they were associated with.

    The Attack branch had the red color mixed in with white. The melee to short-range attack sub-branch had more elaborate red patterns, similarly in conjunction with white, whereas the Medium to Long-Range Artillery sub-branch had red strips running along the structure. The Defense Branch had shades of blue blended in with white in its different sub-branches. However, The Healing and Protection Branch only had one design for all of its buildings. It was also the fanciest of the bunch because it was not as heavily protected and armed to the brim with different tools compared to the Attack Branch and was not as Robustly built as the Defense branch. The lack of excessive tools and defenses made room for decorations, which the designers made phenomenal use of.

    The Protection and Healing Branch had no clear distinctions like the different sub-branches of the other two Branches. Healing and protection synergized extremely well with each other, making all three buildings combined known as one. The last branch of the Crafting Guild was called the Provisions and Essentials Branch. This was where all the tools of daily life and other necessities were created and distributed. The Crafting Guild made sure to remind everyone of the importance of the last branch and treated it as an equal to every other branch. Or at least that was how it seemed to Lev from his rare trips to the district. Like every other district, the Crafting District was also heavily policed by guards. They patrolled along the roads and observed the crowd from the top of branch buildings, ready to act at a moment¡¯s notice.

    Lev and Oriana made a beeline toward the third building of the Healing and Protection Branch. There were two stoic and intimidating guards standing at the entrance, glaring at them like they were criminals being escorted to prison. Once they entered, the first thing Lev noticed was that the Hallroom they ended up in was crowded. People in all sorts of gear and getups were milling about, some interacting with the three reception booths on the right side. Sweeping his gaze from right to left, he took note of the hallroom splitting into two different corridors with multiple rooms. A set of stairs went from the left of the receptionist booths to the next floor. On the left side of the hall room was a massive shop displaying the wares of Branch, ranging from common and affordable to extremely expensive artifacts.

    Oriana moved towards the stairs, not sparing anything a single glance, and ascended without stopping her stride for even a moment. The second floor was a long hallway with rooms on both sides that began with another receptionist booth on the right. Oriana took the next flight of stairs without pause, where they eventually ended up in the residential area, mess hall, lounging area, and classrooms. All branches of the Crafters Guild had classrooms with apprenticeships in mind. Lev¡¯s mind was distracted by the cleanliness and fresh air. Somehow, the interiors were always fresh. Whatever tools or artifacts were at play, they were advanced enough to work while hidden from sight.

    Passing many rooms, Director Oriana stopped in front of the door of room 7 and slowly knocked twice. A few moments later, the door was opened by a middle-aged man. He was on the shorter side, being around 5¡¯ 8¡¯¡¯, with dark blue hair that almost seemed black. He was currently wearing a casual black T-shirt and black pants. With his small stature, white-colored skin, and dark blue hair, he looked decently charming. He had a relaxed expression on his clean-shaven face while he observed the duo.

    ¡°Senior Artificer Alec,¡± The Director nodded in greeting.

    ¡°Director Oriana,¡± Alec dipped his head significantly in return. He then looked towards his new student and nodded once, prompting Lev to bow lightly and introduce himself.

    ¡°Greetings Senior Artificer Alec. My name is Lev, and I am very grateful that you have taken me in as an apprentice. I''ll make sure to make the best out of your time and prove that taking me in was a worthwhile endeavor.¡±

    Alec observed Lev with a flustered expression before he burst out laughing. Frozen at the spot, Lev just watched as the artificer tried to control his laughter. He looked towards Oriana for any clues, but she was suspiciously avoiding his eyes while trying and horribly failing to hide a smile. Slowly, it dawned on him that he had been set up for her entertainment, manipulated into thinking that laying it thick from the start would net him some positive points. By the time Alec got himself under control, Lev had already come to terms with the harmless prank.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so stiff, boy. I don''t know what Oriana here told you, but I am not one of those old coots who are hellbent on proper traditions and titles. You can call me Alec or Sir Alec if you prefer. Now, please come inside and make yourselves at ease.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate the offer, Alec, but I need to finish up some work before sundown. Besides, Lev is a smart boy. I¡¯m sure he won''t give you any trouble.¡± Oriana said and started walking towards the stairs. Lev gave her a slightly sour look, to which she just winked back. Alec, watching the exchange silently, looked at Lev¡¯s face and then at Oriana¡¯s retreating back. Eventually, he just shrugged to himself and beckoned Lev to follow him.

 Chapter 5

    ¡°So, what do you know about barriers?¡± Alec asked once they were inside and seated on opposite couches. The room wasn¡¯t very big, but it looked pretty homely. There was a bed on the right side with a dressing table next to it. In the center were three white couches placed around a table. They were currently occupying two of them.

    ¡°Barriers are somehow created by mana and are incredibly useful for blocking and deflecting.¡±

    ¡°But how are they made?¡± Alec questioned with a smile, seemingly enjoying the casual exchange.

    ¡°Umm¡­ mana?¡± Lev lamely drawled.

    ¡°That is only partially correct. What you are going to learn today is just how varied barriers can be in their formation. I would explain it to you myself, but I brought something with me for this exact purpose.¡± Alec announced and put a book on the table with a thump. He motioned for Lev to pick it up, which he did, and read the title.

    ¡®Beginner Barrier Theory¡¯

    ¡®By Senior Artificer Alec Zar¡¯

    ¡°Yes, I had it published for future apprentices and any aspiring barrier user out there who would need it. I need to get back to my work now, and I¡¯ll come back to you in 4 hours. Also, snacks are already prepared in the kitchen if you feel hungry,¡± Alec answered his silent question and prepared to leave.

    ¡°It should be easy to find me on the second floor if something comes up,¡± with that reminder, Alec left, and Lev found himself alone with a book in hand. Having nothing better to do, he started reading.

    ****

    True to its name, the book described the basics of barriers with a simplicity that anyone could understand. It covered the formation and manipulation of barriers at a novice level, allowing Lev to grasp the basics easily.

    I still need to get the general Mana Manipulation skill before I can do anything with this knowledge.

    The book primarily focused on two things¡ªthe formation and uses of barriers. The uses of barriers were pretty much everything that Lev already knew, such as blocking or deflecting attacks, protection artifacts, and warding off monsters. Hints to higher forms of manipulation were present, but the topic was left mostly untouched. The formation of barriers, on the other hand, was a completely new field for Lev.

    The formation of a barrier was straightforward yet extremely customizable. Normally, whenever a barrier mage formed a barrier, they used their mana to interact with ambient mana in the atmosphere while also making use of elemental mana types to introduce different properties into the barrier. The elemental mana normally came from skills, it could be taken from the environment or created by specialized mana converters. While elemental barriers had their own unique advantages, such as water barriers being supremely effective at stopping fire-based attacks or earthen barriers being able to absorb massive amounts of damage or alter the terrain to the fighters¡¯ favor, these were not the ones Lev had his sight on. The type of barriers that Lev aimed for were Arcane Barriers. These barriers were made entirely out of pure mana and usually obtained elemental properties through uncanny methods, generally dictated by class skills.

    A few hours later, Lev¡¯s reading was interrupted by the door opening and Sir Alec striding in. Moving straight towards Lev, he asked with a casual smile, ¡°I hope you found the book enlightening?¡±

    ¡°I really did. Most of the things I was curious about were addressed. Nothing was particularly difficult to understand either.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s great to hear. Anything you would¡¯ve wished to see in the book?¡±

    Lev thought about it and shook his head. ¡°Not really. Pretty much all of my questions were answered.¡±

    ¡°But not all of them?¡± Alec raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°It didn''t mention anything about Mana Manipulation, so¡­¡± Lev trailed off, leaving the unvoiced question hanging in the air.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you eager? Don''t worry. We will get to that soon. Let me change into more casual clothing before we depart.¡±

    Not long after, Lev and Alec made their way to the classrooms. Entering the room labeled as Practical Lab, Lev found himself surrounded by tools that he couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of. The room stretched on for about 30 meters and was wide enough to accommodate half a dozen large equipment tables of different professions side by side. At the end of the room were three cylindrical tubes with a length of 5 meters and a radius of half a meter. They were placed horizontally on the ground, spaced equally, so that two of them were next to the walls and one was in the middle of the room. In front of them were comfortable black padded chairs with high and long armrests, clearly designed for lengthy sitting periods. The armrests were connected to a hole in the tube, sealed by a transparent barrier.

    ¡°That barrier you see is pretty unique, as it does not have any physical substance. Instead, it is pure mana. Its visibility comes from a property that stems the flow of mana, both from going in or getting out.¡±

    What does the property have to do with visibility? Lev thought, but Sir Alec had already moved on.

    Placing a hand on the rightmost tube, he gestured for Lev to sit on the chair while he explained, ¡°These things are called Awakening Ducts. And as you may be able to guess, they are used to obtain Mana Manipulation, marking the beginning of a mage¡¯s journey. Since there¡¯s not much time left before the classrooms are closed, let''s get started. The first thing you want to do is find a comfortable sitting position.¡±

    Following his instructions, Lev eased into the chair and put his hand through the duct''s opening. The hand passed through the barrier without any sensation, the only indication his hand entered at all being entirely visual. Inside, the air felt weird, as if it was putting slightly more pressure on his hand.

    Huh, is the tube full of mana? Lev thought, to which he asked Alec the same thing.

    ¡°That is correct. You figured it out pretty quickly, even if it was obvious in hindsight. Most people don''t. Now, I want you to focus on moving the mana inside the container. Remember, your core can control ambient mana even when unconnected to your own mana. Just think about moving the mana inside.¡±

    Taking a deep breath, Lev closed his eyes and focused on his right hand inside the container. The passage of time lost meaning as he tried to observe the mana in contact with his hand. When he couldn¡¯t find anything there, Lev tried to make the mana move away from his hand. At first, nothing happened. The mana stubbornly clung to his hand, refusing to move. But slowly, ever so slowly, small amounts of mana stirred. First, small bits of it started to move away from his hand, only to be instantly replaced by others. Lev moved his attention to a much smaller area above his palm, trying to create a bubble devoid of mana. As the first dregs of mana started to move away from the area, a notification broke his concentration.

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    [

    General Skill Learned

    Mana Manipulation - Level 1

    The basic skill required to become a mage. The skill allows the user to exert control over mana.

    ]

    Lev opened his eyes, only to be assaulted by a headache. Grimacing, he looked around to see Sir Alec in the middle chair, reading a thick tome. Noticing movement, he looked up and found Lev gently rubbing his forehead.

    ¡°You alright?¡± Sir Alec asked with a poorly hidden smirk.

    ¡°Just a mild headache. Is it supposed to be this way?¡± Lev questioned back, not giving Sir Alec the satisfaction of noticing the smirk.

    ¡°Yep, it is one of the most important lessons for any fledgling mage. Overexerting your control will eventually give you a headache. It is not a sign of weakness but one of approaching your limit. Ignoring it will result in an increasingly painful headache before you inevitably pass out or risk mind damage.¡±

    Lev committed the lesson to memory after noting his mentor''s serious expression and humorless tone. Looking out the window, he noticed that the sun had moved considerably further from when he had started.

    ¡°How long has it been since I started?¡± Lev asked.

    ¡°A little over an hour.¡±

    It felt like ten minutes. Lev mused before shaking his head. ¡°What do I do now?¡±

    ¡°Pushing beyond the headache is always a bad idea. Return home for now and do whatever you want. From tomorrow onwards, we will focus on training your Intelligence and Wisdom attributes before moving on to forming barriers.¡±

    ****

    Blissfully, the headache had only lasted till he got back to his room. Seeing that his room was empty, he went around the orphanage only to find it similarly vacant. Deciding that there was only one remaining place everyone could be at, he started making his way towards the park.

    One of the two suns had already set, creating a breathtaking vista across the sky that, unfortunately, far too few people appreciated. The roads and homes close by were already lit by lamps. They were powered by mana during the day, allowing them to shine for a few nights. Somebody patrolled to fill them daily, not letting the mana storage dip below half. Striding through the gates of the park toward the jogging track, Lev found the teenagers doing various exercises. Most of them were doing stretches on the lush grass while a few, including his friends, were running on the track. Spotting Oriana close to the stretching group, he approached her.

    ¡°How long have they been running now?¡± Lev asked with a smile.

    ¡°They just started their final 3-lap set. Should be done soon,¡± Oriana replied, looking at the progress of the runners. ¡°You are back pretty early. Everything went well?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we already achieved our goal for today and were stopped from doing anything further because of the headache.¡± Lev finished with a slight grimace, making her chuckle.

    ¡°It''s intentionally kept from the apprentices to make it memorable. As a mage, you will draw from that experience for the rest of your life. Better get used to it early.¡±

    ¡°I gathered that.¡± Lev quipped back with a snort. ¡°How long will it take for Jack, Kayla, and Amelia to start their apprenticeships?¡±

    She hummed. ¡°Let''s see, Jack and Amelia should be able to start theirs in a few months, but with Kayla being younger, she still has another year to spend in the orphanage. An exception can be made if she expresses interest in starting early. The girl has shown enough drive to warrant that.¡± The Director stated with a small smile, clearly proud of how far the timid girl had come from hesitating to enter the classroom on their first day. ¡°You didn¡¯t say what you achieved on your first day. I can tell you used mana if the headache is anything to go by. What else?¡± she asked with a raised brow.

    ¡°Nothing much for the first few hours. I read a book about barrier theory. Then Sir Alec took me to the awakening ducts. There I got Mana Manipulation after an hour of trying.¡± Lev answered in a dismissive tone, more interested in the future of his friends.

    ¡°Wait, you got the skill in just an hour?¡± Oriana furrowed her brow, ¡°Most people take at least two days to get the skill, and even that is on the faster end. How did you obtain it so quickly?¡±

    That surprised Lev. Until now, he had thought that everyone got the skill in a similar timespan, making him pretty average. His thoughts were further solidified when Sir Alec didn''t mention anything about his unusually fast success.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t Sir Alec say anything about it then?¡± Lev asked in confusion, which made Oriana sigh. Looking over, he saw her shaking her head with a knowing look on her face.

    ¡°It makes sense. Alec is also a genius among his generation, so he probably saw nothing noteworthy about it,¡± she explained wearily, making Lev snort as well.

    Before Lev could say anything, he noticed his friends making their way toward the duo. As he was about to take a step toward them, he found his hair being ruffled by Oriana before she moved over to the other children. Lev focused on making sure nothing unusual showed on his face, lest he is made fun of by his friends for all of eternity.

    I absolutely cannot let anyone know how much I like this.

    Luckily, neither his friends nor Oriana noticed anything amiss. Crisis averted. ¡°If you¡¯re gonna be home this early, then I really don''t think your apprenticeship will be enough. It''s barely been 6 hours since you left, and you¡¯re already back, looking fresh to boot,¡± Jack said, stopping next to him. Kayla and Amelia also stopped their conversation to listen in.

    ¡°You worry too much, big guy. I have already studied all the basics and obtained the Mana Manipulation general skill,¡± Lev gave him a reassuring smile, taking in Jack¡¯s stature again after some time. Where Lev was lean and tall, Jack¡¯s clothes could hardly contain his developing muscles. He stood well over 6 feet and was almost two heads taller than the girls. His sandy brown hair and matching brown eyes accentuated his face, making his sculpted jawline stand out even more and giving him a rather menacing appearance.

    Amelia, being 5 feet and 8 inches, looked tiny in comparison. With her long, lustrous silver hair resting below her shoulders and icy blue eyes, her presence demanded no less attention than Jack''s. To anyone else, her relaxed expression would look dismissive and detached, but her friends were long used to her expression.

    Kayla¡¯s height matched Amelia¡¯s, with long black hair resting against her waist. She had soft features and an oval face, constructing a delicate appearance. But in reality, she was the fiercest in their group, whether it be with training or arguing.

    Lev, in comparison, looked the most unassuming. Standing 6 feet tall with black hair and a face that didn¡¯t stand out as noteworthy, his straight posture and body features exuded calm confidence.

 Chapter 6

    Making their way home, his friends situated themselves comfortably on their beds before questioning Lev about his day. ¡°Why did you come back so early though? Aren¡¯t apprentices supposed to be worked to the bone?¡± Jack asked as soon as they sat down.

    ¡°It''s different for mages, apparently,¡± Lev leaned back. ¡°if they use too much mana without the attributes to back it up, they get a severe headache. It¡¯s also pretty dangerous to ignore that early warning since overuse of mana can cause mind damage. I read a short book about beginner barrier theory first before Sir Alec took me to the equipment used to obtain Mana Manipulation. You won¡¯t believe how amazing those things were¡­¡±

    Lev described the Awakening Ducts to his friends, who all listened with rapt attention. An excited Lev was a rare occasion, and so was any knowledge about mana usage. He then told them how he got the skill in just one hour, the actual time slightly reduced to brag, before explaining how he was allowed to go home because he was already showing signs of overuse.

    ¡°Can we try doing it as well? If we can get the skill earlier, we can train it up even more before starting our apprenticeship,¡± Amelia asked excitedly, Kayla nodding at her words.

    ¡°I don''t know if you can even get it without the ducts, but you¡¯re free to try. Just make sure to stop as soon as a headache starts forming,¡± Lev warned them with a stern look.

    ¡°What about me?¡± Jack piped up, a thoughtful look on his face.

    ¡°I don''t see the downside of having the skill. At most, you will be offered body enhancement classes along with the pure durability classes you¡¯re aiming for. Who knows, maybe durability enhancement classes are even better,¡± Lev said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll learn more about this during my apprenticeship, but you¡¯re right. There shouldn''t be an issue with having the general skill. I won''t be focusing too hard on it, but I¡¯ll work on obtaining the skill before going to sleep.¡±

    ¡°By the way, Kayla. I asked Big Sis if you could start your apprenticeship early. She said that she will likely accept if you continue to keep up with the training like you usually do.¡±

    ¡°Really? Does that mean I¡¯ll be able to start at the same time as Jack and Amelia?¡± Her eyes brightened up, leaning forward in eagerness.

    ¡°Probably, but you¡¯re gonna have to prove yourself first. Knowing you though, don''t push yourself too much. She''s already happy about your performance. Better not give her a reason to give a lesson in moderation and keep you here.¡± Lev quipped with a smirk.

    ****

    The next day, Lev stopped in front of Sir Alec¡¯s room and knocked twice. The door opened after a few seconds, revealing a casually dressed artificer who gestured for him to come in. Taking their seat on the couches, Lev looked at his mentor.

    ¡°What are we going to be working on today?¡°

    ¡°Not we, just you. Today''s activity will be the same as yesterday''s, training your intelligence and wisdom attributes. Considering how you are doing so far, I decided on a more hands-off approach and let you figure it out for yourself. The improvements will be better like this, letting us move on to other things faster. Any questions you had in mind before starting?¡±

    Lev had none, so Sir Alec followed him to the ducts before going about his day. He started with the same exercise as the last, aiming to make the bubble bigger and move it further away from his hand. Slowly, the mana started to convene just above his palm before he tried moving it slightly to the right.

    ****

    [

    Intelligence increased by 1

    ]

    The notification brought him out of his training, making him look out the window. Lev had started three hours ago. By now, a strong headache was assaulting his head. Rubbing his forehead with a grimace, he stood up and headed home. Barely noticing the absence of his friends, Lev curled up in his bed and buried his head under the pillow.

    Shouldn¡¯t have pushed so hard. The slow progress is making me impatient.

    He had started his training two weeks ago, and so far, it had only netted him 6 points in intelligence and 8 points in wisdom. It would¡¯ve been an insanely fast pace of progress for anyone else. For someone who only had six weeks left in his apprenticeship, it wasn¡¯t even close to enough. Studying under Sir Alec was no doubt an excellent opportunity, only marred by the fact that it was also extremely short. Senior Artificer Alec was not only one of the best Protection Artifact creators but also well-known for his adventuring accessories, such as his portable lodgings and storage artifacts.

    Thinking about his plans for the future and the times when he lived without this abominable headache, Lev drifted off to sleep.

    ****

    Lev slowly awoke to someone softly calling his name. Rubbing his eyes, he noticed Oriana sitting on his bed, looking at him with a sweet smile.

    ¡°Come on, you don''t want to miss this,¡± She helped him get up and beckoned for him to follow her when he was done washing his face.

    Lev was still slowly coming to his senses when they exited the orphanage, only to notice it was raining. Well, it looked like it was raining, except it was too white. The normal smells of the city had taken a backseat. The air was fresher than usual, cool and crisp. There were no telltale sounds of droplets falling from the sky.

    Eventually, it dawned on him.

    It''s snowing!

    All the remaining grogginess instantly evaporated and gave way to childish excitement. A blanket of snow covered each surface. Making their way towards The Park, Lev found himself standing in a field of white. Everywhere he looked, only snow greeted his eyes. Noticing his friends and fellow teenagers near the jogging track, Lev made a snowball before hurling it towards Jack¡¯s wide back with all his might.

    The snowball connected with enough force to make him stumble forward, prompting an angry look seeking his unknown assailant, only for the anger to dissipate upon spotting Lev¡¯s wide smile.

    ¡°YOU¡¯RE ON!¡± Jack roared back his challenge, starting a snowball fight of epic proportions.

    For a few minutes, the park was alive with the sound of laughter and the thuds of snowballs hitting their targets. Out of the corner of his eye, Lev noticed Oriana wiping away tears with a smile on her face. Walking up to her, he gently brushed the still-flowing tears from her cheeks and embraced her in a warm hug. They stood there for a minute, enjoying the embrace before breaking off. For some reason, Jack decided that inviting someone far stronger than them to a snowball fight was going to be a good idea. Lev and his friends teamed up against Oriana and collectively got their backs handed to them.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    ****

    Two weeks later, Lev had achieved his goal of 10 points in both Intelligence and Wisdom. Proceeding to Sir Alec¡¯s room, he brought up his status.

    [

    Name: Lev

    Class: None

    Titles: None

    Attributes:

    Strength: 8

    Dexterity: 12

    Constitution: 10

    Intelligence: 10

    Wisdom: 12

    Perception: 9

    General Skills:

    Mana Manipulation - Level 6

    ]

    Lev had pushed himself to the limit, returning home every day with a headache just to have more time to focus on learning about barriers before his apprenticeship ended. According to Oriana, he had made more progress than she had ever seen someone do, which was only natural as probably no one else she had seen was as pressured for time.

    Knocking twice, he found himself face to face with Sir Alec. Taking their seats on the two couches, Lev told him how he had achieved his goal and waited for his mentor to take the lead. Sir Alec took his time, contemplating the next course of action for a few minutes. Lev missed the few times his mentor briefly glanced toward him.

    ¡°What type of barriers are you aiming for?¡± he asked abruptly, breaking Lev¡¯s own train of thought.

    ¡°Arcane Barriers,¡± Lev replied with finality. All of his plans depended on the barriers being resilient and sharp.

    ¡°With the effort you¡¯re putting in, I wouldn''t have expected anything less. Let''s go over the theory again before I demonstrate one for you.¡±

    They reviewed what Lev knew about Arcane Barriers, Sir Alec adding little tidbits here and there. Before long, they had outlined everything he needed to know, prompting Sir Alec to continue.

    ¡°The last thing you have to remember is that barriers get weaker the more ambient mana you add to them, which is especially true for Arcane Barriers. They suffer the harshest penalty. Now watch. I will slowly form one.¡±

    Lev watched in a trance as a transparent and colorless square shape materialized in front of him. Gradually, the edges started solidifying towards the center of the square. In less than ten seconds, a fully formed barrier almost the size of his head rested in front of his face.

    ¡°Normally, being colorless and glassy is not guaranteed to be pure mana, but it''s instinctually recognizable for the caster. If any elemental mana had been used in its formation, the mana¡¯s color would have been apparent. The main thing you should note is that there was no gesture or chant involved in this. All of it formed under the guidance of my intent. That is important. Everything about the barrier depends on how your intent forms it. If the shape, density, and width are not concrete, the barrier may not take form or even explode in particularly bad cases. They will also explode if overloaded with mana without sufficient stability, which can come in handy whenever you need improvised fireballs.¡± He finished with a wink.

    ¡°So, how do I go about this?¡± Lev asked, excited to finally get started. He had trained so hard for this moment.

    ¡°The same way you trained for the past weeks. Start small and near yourself as you think about solidifying it into a certain shape. The more you practice, the more instinctual it should become.¡±

    After that final advice, Alec left Lev to his own devices. He trusted Lev enough to not hurt himself.

    Let''s see, I should start with something simple and easy to fill, so just a flat circle instead of a bubble.

    Tuning out the rest of the world, Lev narrowed his focus toward the top of his palm. As he watched, a small and barely perceptible transparent mana circle, with a diameter of 15 centimeters, slowly materialized in the air. Upon completion, he concentrated on slowly solidifying the outline of the floating shape. Finding it harder than anticipated, he closed his eyes and diverted his full attention toward the solidification process. Gradually, the circle started filling out until it was completely rigid. Opening his eyes, he gazed upon his finished creation.

    Lev should''ve been elated by his first creation, but his excitement was muted. The barrier felt, for lack of a better term, soft. His suspicion was proven correct when he poked the barrier with his finger, only for it to shatter when he applied a little more force. But Lev was nothing if not hardworking, so he put the end result out of his mind and started working on the next barrier¡ªhopefully something tougher than the last one.

    ****

    One and a half weeks later, Lev and Sir Alec were standing in the second equipment room of the building. In front of them was a device that fired projectiles made of mana with an adjustable intensity. Currently, it was set to 10% of its maximum limit, which was just barely enough to shatter all of Lev¡¯s barriers. Focusing, Lev conjured another circular barrier in the predetermined path of the upcoming projectile, making sure that the barrier consisted of only his own mana and that its surface was both uniform and resilient.

    The Projectile Dispenser was firing at an intensity that would be lethal for a person with 0 attribute points in constitution, depending on if a vital area was hit. As the next arrow flew towards the barrier, Lev ensured the floating foot-wide circular disc would be hit dead center. With bated breath, he watched as the Projectile flew true¡­ and was stopped in its tracks by the now-cracked barrier.

    ¡°Hell yeah!¡± Lev exclaimed, pumping his right fist into the air. The abrupt movement made him wince, reminding him of the consistent headache that had plagued him throughout the testing.

    ¡°Well done,¡± Sir Alec slowly clapped from his chair. He had been observing Lev¡¯s progress. ¡°Even when I first started, I only made it to 8% before moving on to obtain the class.¡±

    If, out of everyone, Sir Alec is praising me, then it probably means that I grossly overdid it. But who the hell cares, my goal is finally in sight.

    The next day, Lev focused on deflecting projectiles away from their course, which was infinitely easier now that the barrier could withstand the initial impact. The training exercise proved to be rather trivial, no doubt because of his ever-increasing perception attribute. Even while Intelligence had stagnated and the physical attributes hadn''t risen in a long time, Perception and Wisdom kept on climbing. When Lev started to reliably deflect each projectile, making his barriers even stronger in the meantime, Sir Alec wanted him to work toward qualifying for a class. However, he was stopped at Lev¡¯s request.

    For the next two weeks, Lev focused on refining barrier movement and improving his control. When he felt his preparations were adequate, Lev put his right foot on the circular barrier only to be slammed by an immense mental weight. Doggedly persisting, he tried to fully step onto the barrier but was forced to back off by a pounding headache.

    Realizing what Lev was aiming for, Sir Alec tried to warn him that he may be biting off more than he could chew. But Lev wouldn''t back off. Couldn''t. Even if his build would work fine without this, it would be much more effective if he accomplished his goal.

    So, for the remaining four days, Lev focused entirely on supporting increasing weights with his barriers. Taking different weights from the equipment room, he started to pile them up on a circular barrier. At first, he started with small weights, observing how it affected his mind and how to best deal with it. Then, he gradually increased the weight before it inevitably became too much to handle, and the barrier fell and shattered. For the first three days, he focused on nothing but supporting the weights and doing so with increasing efficiency.

    Testing different ways to hold up the barrier, he found that even the smallest changes made a big difference. It took a while to find a good mix between letting the barrier support the weight of objects and pushing it upwards. Lev also had to make sure that the technique was feasible for making the barriers spin. When the barriers were resilient enough to not shatter upon coming in contact with a hard surface at high speed, he worked on making their edges faster and sheared through many practice logs.

    On the fourth day, Lev was ready to be done with this training once and for all.

 Chapter 7

    Alec P.O.V:

    Alec watched his pupil hype himself up for the final hurdle and couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious. The last training exercise, where Lev wanted his barriers to be able to support his weight, was not part of the original training plan. Alec had believed that his student was overly ambitious and would get off his high horse after his first defeat. But the more he observed Lev, the more he doubted that thought.

    Alec and Oriana knew each other from their apprentice days and were still good friends despite their busy schedules and vastly different jobs. Alec had given Oriana his word that he would have no problem training up any prodigy who would show interest in any of his fields of study. Sparing a few months for an apprentice was nothing compared to the longevity provided by Constitution and class evolutions. Lev was the first ever child Oriana had brought to his doorstep, so he decided to test the boy¡¯s nature of thinking by letting him try and get Mana Manipulation on his own.

    When Lev was able to slightly move mana after 15 minutes of trying, he knew that the boy had some talent. When Lev got the skill after an hour and six minutes, Alec concluded that the boy had a decent degree of talent. It was not nearly comparable to the absolute best, but good enough to excel compared to most mages. But on the second day, he pushed past his headache for a good five minutes or so. That was as bad as it could get at the boy¡¯s level, making Alec hope that headache would teach him a lesson and stop Lev from overdoing it.

    That did not happen.

    Every day after that, Lev continued pushing past the headache and obtaining attribute points faster than Alec had ever seen. By the end of the first week, Alec was starting to worry about his student¡¯s mental health. At the end of the second week, he went to Oriana¡¯s office to discuss Lev¡¯s stubborn behavior and to try and dissuade the boy from trying too hard. Despite Oriana¡¯s assurance that Lev was smart and self-aware enough to not cause permanent self-harm, Alec was unconvinced.

    The next day, the Senior artificer was ready to bring up the boy¡¯s reckless behavior and get him to slow down. Even if he was only free for these two months, the apprenticeship could be extended after a few months when he was available again. But when he learned that Lev had already obtained 10 points in both intelligence and wisdom, he hesitated.

    That was¡­ unheard of. Getting 10 points for each in just two weeks was impossible with the effort Lev was putting in during the day, which all but proved that he was also training during the night. It became apparent that Lev also knew that his mentor would connect the dots. In the end, neither of them said anything about it and started working on forming barriers. It would have felt like an insult to Lev¡¯s resolve if Alec tried to get him to slow down now.

    That is how Alec found himself standing next to Lev in his room, ready to step on his half-a-meter-wide barrier. The suns were just disappearing below the horizon, meaning Lev had been preparing for this moment for over 5 hours now. Taking a deep breath, Lev lightly put his right foot on the barrier and made a fist with his left hand to count the seconds. Before he could have any second thoughts, Lev fully stepped on the barrier. Immediately, Alec heard him ground his teeth and tightly shut his eyes.

    One second.

    Lev¡¯s hands were already shaking from the strain. Somehow, he managed to open one finger to count the first second.

    Two seconds.

    His breathing became heavy, the mental effort making his whole body sag as if carrying an immense physical burden.

    Three seconds.

    Tears were now flowing from his eyes, falling gently on the barrier. Only the thumb and little finger were left.

    Four seconds.

    Whimpering in pain, Lev almost stepped off the barrier but persisted. By his side, Alec nearly scooped him off the barrier to stop this torment.

    Five seconds.

    Moving faster than Lev would be able to perceive, as soon as he moved his thumb, Alec grabbed the foolish boy and set him down on a couch. The idiot barely had the presence to open his left eye to look at his mentor and shoot him a smug yet pained smile before passing out.

    ****

    Lev P.O.V:

    The first thing Lev noticed after waking up was a phantom headache. Immediately preparing himself for the worst, he waited for an intense headache that didn¡¯t come. Waiting for a few more seconds to confirm it, he opened his eyes and found himself in his bed at the Orphanage with all his friends asleep. Looking out the window, he noticed that it was dark outside, telling him nothing about how long ago the suns had set. With nothing better to do, he laid down again and waited for sunrise.

    Sleep eluded Lev, leaving him awake for another few hours. Lev found that he had woken up two hours before sunrise. Daydreaming for another two hours, he noticed Kayla rousing from her sleep. She slowly got up and rubbed her eyes before glancing towards his bed. Finding him awake and sitting with his legs hanging over the side of the bed, she did a double take before her shoulders sagged like a great weight had been lifted.

    Making her way towards him with silent steps, she sat beside him and asked quietly, ¡°Did you have to scare everyone like that? The Director kept reassuring us that you were just overtaxed and would wake up after some time. It was hard to be calm when you looked completely out of it. Even she looked concerned when you didn''t wake up throughout the entire day.¡±

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Wait, entire day? I slept for over thirty hours?¡± Lev exclaimed in surprise, forgetting to whisper to avoid waking up the other two. Jack, hearing the commotion, woke up and immediately focused on Lev. Grabbing him by the shoulders, he threw him onto the bed before towering over him and looking down like an angry deity.

    ¡°You dumbass! Do you have any idea how worried everyone was when you showed up in that state? Even if the girls weren¡¯t here, I saw how your mentor was carrying you like a big, human-shaped brick. The Director sat by your side for a few hours after that but she left after you showed no signs of waking up. The entire building has felt gloomy ever since.¡± Jack admonished sternly, losing steam as he went on. Observing Lev¡¯s face again, he asked, ¡°Are you completely fine now? And for your sake, the answer better be yes.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Lev replied with mock seriousness, making even Amelia laugh. She had also woken up sometime during Jack¡¯s booming scolding.

    After a few minutes, Lev found himself escaping a group hug, only to be embraced again as soon as he entered Oriana¡¯s office. Pulling back from the hug, she looked at him directly in the eyes for a moment. Seeing an appropriate amount of nervousness in them, she nodded and went back to her seat, and beckoned for him to take a chair.

    ¡°Alec told me about your stunt,¡± Oriana said, ¡°Don''t ever do something like that again.¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°And don''t ever call me ma¡¯am again.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sister. By the way, can I call you Oriana now? I think I¡¯m old enough for it.¡± Lev asked with a smile.

    ¡°You may,¡± Oriana replied with a small smirk.

    ¡°Thank you, Your Highness. This one shall be eternally grateful for your benevolence.¡± Lev replied reverently, bowing his head for added effect and making Oriana roll her eyes.

    ¡°Enough of that. Tell me, were you able to accomplish your goal with the mad stunt?¡± Oriana inquired, unable to hold her curiosity at bay.

    Lev, who had been ignoring a lot of notifications ever since he woke up, just gave her a wide smile in response. Oriana¡¯s eyes also brightened a touch. Leaning back in her chair, she waited for Lev to check them out.

    Status first.

    [

    Name: Lev

    Class: Pending Selection

    Titles: None

    Attributes:

    Strength: 8

    Dexterity: 12

    Constitution: 10

    Intelligence: 13

    Wisdom: 15

    Perception: 14

    General Skills:

    Mana Manipulation - Level 10

    ]

    Damn, I got a point of Intelligence just from standing on the barrier for 5 seconds.

    Appreciating how much progress he had made in less than two months, he moved on to the list of notifications. A week ago, he had met the requirements for his first class but he ignored it, seeing it was completely different compared to what he had in mind.

    Let¡¯s see what my efforts have produced for me.

    As soon as he thought about seeing his options, a list materialized in front of him.

    [

    Blazing Barrier

    Dispersing Waves

    Tempest Shield

    Stonebound Barricade

    Arcane Aegis

    Bladewalker

    ]

    Lev¡¯s smile stretched even wider when he saw the option that sounded exactly what he wanted. Dismissing the first four options after finding them to be standard elemental barrier classes, he focused on Arcane Aegis.

    [

    Arcane Aegis allows the user to wield barriers formed of pure mana. From fist-sized barriers to towering shields, no threat would ever get past the wielder¡¯s defenses. With unmatched perception allowing them to manage the battle, nothing goes unnoticed on the battlefield. Be it arrows or devastating explosions, all will be stopped dead in their tracks.

    ]

    The option was good, great even. It completely focused on barriers and micro-managing the battlefield, which Lev was aiming for. The only downside was that the class was made for pure defense, with no hint of attacking present in the description. With that thought, he moved on to the next option,

    [

    Offense and Defense. Blade walkers are a deadly mix of both. Equipped with razor-sharp barriers and lethal perception, they are a force to be reckoned with on any battlefield. Moving like the wind on unfailing barrier platforms, they strike down enemies with relentless attacks while using their spells to shield themselves and their allies from harm.

    ]

    There wasn¡¯t much to think about. Delaying only for a moment, Lev selected the Bladewalker class.

 Chapter 8

    Multiple chimes sounded in his mind, and Lev eagerly started reading.

    [

    You have selected the Bladewalker class:

    + 5 Strength

    +5 Dexterity

    +5 Constitution

    +10 Intelligence

    +10 Wisdom

    +10 Perception

    Class Benefits:

    <ul>

    <li>Mana capacity is increased by 50% and mana regeneration by 20%</li>

    </ul>

    <ul>

    <li>The range of manipulation granted by the Intelligence attribute is doubled.</li>

    </ul>

    <ul>

    <li>Barrier formation is more efficient.</li>

    </ul>

    <ul>

    <li>Barriers are more resilient.

    </li>

    </ul>

    You have obtained a class skill:

    Arcane Barrier Manipulation- Active:

    Form a barrier out of pure mana in your base manipulation range. Any barriers formed by this skill are 75% more durable. Wielding barriers becomes more natural as the skill increases in level.

    You have obtained a class skill:

    Incisive Edge - Active:

    Extreme lethality is the best friend of Bladewalkers. Any barriers formed with a cutting edge will have their sharpness increased by 60%. You will find barriers faster and easier to move, increasing their speed by 25%.

    You have obtained a class skill:

    Whirling Rim - Active:

    Increase the penetrating power of your barriers by making them spin. Any barriers formed by you spin 50% faster and have their penetration power increased by 10%.

    You have obtained a class skill:

    Barrier Armor - Active:

    Cover your body in transparent armor to protect you from your foes. This armor is considered one whole instead of individual pieces. It can be manipulated like normal barriers, but the shape cannot be altered.

    You have obtained a class skill:

    Opportunity - Passive:

    Spotting weakness is the specialty of Bladewalkers. Perception during combat is increased by 75%. Finding weak points and predicting the trajectory of moving objects/targets is considerably easier.

    You have obtained a class skill:

    Swiftfoot - Passive:

    Moving on barriers conjured by you is made trivial. Maintaining your balance and moving between different barriers is easier. Manipulating barriers to support your movement is 100% easier. Dexterity during combat is increased by 25%

    You have obtained a class skill:

    Heavy Lifting - Passive:

    Supporting your weight on your own barriers requires 50% less focus. Balancing objects on barriers is easier.

    You have obtained a class skill:

    Needle Precision - Passive:

    All barrier manipulation is 25% more effective. Increases intelligence by 10%.

    ]

    Holy moly, what are these numbers? 75% perception increase?? Straight up 10% more intelligence¡­ wow.

    ¡°Are you going to say something, or am I going to be in the dark forever?¡± Oriana¡¯s impatient voice brought him back to reality. She was getting tired of watching Lev¡¯s changing expressions.

    ¡°What do I start with?¡± Lev asked her.

    ¡°Class name.¡±

    ¡°Bladewalker.¡±

    Oriana raised an eyebrow, ¡°That''s a pretty fancy name. What are the benefits like?¡±

    ¡°50% increased mana capacity, 20% increased mana regen, doubled range of manipulation from intelligence, stronger barriers in general, and increased efficiency.¡±

    Oriana whistled, ¡°You hit the jackpot, Lev. Those are some of the highest mana benefit numbers I have heard of. I think there''s only a single case of an arcane mage class getting 60% increased mana capacity and 25% increased mana regen, otherwise yours is pretty much the highest.¡±

    ¡°I doubt that. It¡¯s almost guaranteed that people are hiding the strongest classes,¡± Lev said while shaking his head.

    ¡°You are only partially correct. While the strongest classes are kept for the most privileged, knowledge about other decent classes is not tightly guarded. There are a lot of people from common beginnings who lucked out with their classes and provided information about them. Some of them rivaled the strongest classes that humanity has ever seen.¡±

    Lev chewed on that, raising his overall trust in humanity slightly. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s compare the rest of the numbers¡­¡±

    Sharing them with Oriana, Lev found out that while his class was pretty good, its individual skills were only great. The numbers on them were decent. What really made it stand out as exceptional, however, was the last passive skill. Needle Precision improved everything in his class except barrier formation. This type of skill was extremely rare and often only seen in the strongest specialized classes. The 10% increase in his primary attribute was also absurd, considering it was also a part of the same skill.

    ¡°What does manipulation for supporting movement mean?¡± Lev inquired once they went over the numbers.

    Oriana thought about it for a moment, ¡°Basically, it applies whenever you manipulate a barrier with the intention of aiding your movement. A simple example is when someone jumps from some height and calls a barrier to move below them, allowing the person to land on it. Does that make sense?¡±

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Lev nodded, then asked a question he kept forgetting about. ¡°Is there a way to calculate mana regeneration? I always fell asleep before figuring it out.¡±

    Oriana smirked, thinking of the times when Lev returned rubbing his forehead and falling asleep as soon as he hit the bed. ¡°Generally, a mana pool fully regenerates in 12 hours. This is not a fixed rule, but the fluctuation between people is minimal. Now that your mana regen is 20% more effective, it will fully regenerate in slightly less than 11 hours.¡±

    That was amazing. Not only did Lev have much more mana than a normal mage, but he also needed considerably less time to replenish it fully.

    And for how much exploration I crave, I¡¯m gonna need every bit of regeneration I can get my hands on.

    ****

    Breaking the news to Sir Alec went pretty much how Lev expected it to. The artificer expressed his heartfelt congratulations before talking about the exact numbers and moving on to the testing grounds in the Attack branch. The first test they tried was a level 10 goblin simulation.

    As soon as Sir Alec set the device up, a blue goblin materialized in the middle of the testing field.

    Before anything, I want to see if working so hard on making the barriers spin was worth it or not.

    Forming a barrier disk the size of his hand, Lev made it as sharp as his skills allowed before launching it toward the goblin¡¯s wrist at half speed. The barrier produced a whooshing sound and covered the 10-meter distance in less than a second and penetrated flesh to till bone. Recalling it back and throwing it at the other wrist with as much speed as he could manage, the barrier slammed into it with a cracking sound before severing the wrist completely. In doing so, the disk had lost the majority of its momentum. The edges were also damaged.

    Testing against a new goblin, Lev dismissed the old barrier and let it fade into ambient mana. Creating another barrier disk of the same size, he focused on making it spin as fast as possible. As the barrier was thin, colorless, and transparent, the sound the spinning barrier generated was barely audible, and it hardly looked any different from when it was stationary.

    Lev tried moving it around slowly to avoid damaging himself and gradually got acclimated to moving and spinning barriers at the same time. Once he got the hang of it, he launched the barrier towards the neck of the goblin. Producing a low yet sharp whistling sound, it cut cleanly through flesh and bone. The disk had faced only a hint of resistance. The minimal damage to its edges was repaired within moments.

    Lev and Sir Alec shared a glance full of childish excitement and immediately moved on to test the barriers on more monsters.

    The testing continued for over 30 minutes before Lev¡¯s mana started to run low. The conclusion that they reached left him elated. While the barriers were slightly less durable than those specialized in defense, they were simply outstanding at fulfilling their intended purpose. The stationary barrier edges were comparable to the sharpness of a high-quality mundane sword. The penetrating power produced by spinning and the associated skill was simply superior to any mundane weapon. Only class skills completely specialized in piercing or penetrating power rivaled it.

    For their last test, which was definitely not born of youthful excitement, they moved away from the simulation dummy. When the goblin was at the edge of Lev¡¯s manipulation range, he formed a small barrier. Slowly filling it with mana, he kept going till its structure started to destabilize. Holding it together while continuously overloading it, he hurled it toward the poor goblin before releasing his control over it as soon as it made contact. The barrier violently exploded, charring the dummy and launching it to the other end of the field.

    ¡°How much mana did you put into it?¡± Sir Alec asked once the noise died down.

    ¡°Around 10%,¡± Lev replied, still observing the result of the explosion.

    ¡°Not bad at all. That was almost three times stronger than a fireball launched by a newly minted fire mage.¡±

    That pulled Lev up short. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the explosion was fairly impressive for a Level 1,¡± Sir Alec responded casually.

    ****

    ¡°Make sure to only hit the center,¡± Lev repeated and formed a half-a-meter-wide barrier.

    ¡°The edges may still be sharp.¡±

    Lev had returned shortly after the explosive experiment and was promptly dragged to The Park to show his skills to overly curious friends. Jack being Jack, instantly asked Lev to form his toughest barrier for him to punch. Obliging, Lev conjured a barrier and waited for Jack¡¯s move.

    Twisting his body to produce the maximum force, Jack¡¯s punch packed enough power to snap the neck of a 0 Constitution human with a direct front hit. It made contact with the barrier with full force¡­ and was stopped completely with a thud.

    ¡°Damn, it didn''t even budge. How close was I to damaging it?¡± Jack asked, rubbing his knuckles to ease the pain.

    ¡°Breaking? Not even close. Cracking it would only take a little more force, however. And I stopped it from moving because I wanted to see if a full-power punch from you would break it. Letting it move would¡¯ve absorbed less force.¡±

    ¡°Can I try kicking it?¡± Kayla piped up, looking at the barrier thoughtfully.

    Lev shrugged, ¡°If you are fine with the pain that comes after, sure.¡±

    Hearing that, she shook her head and backed off. Amelia questioned him after a few moments of silence, ¡°What are you going to do now?¡±.

    He answered pretty much instantly. ¡°Nothing much, a whole lot of training and obtaining as many attributes as possible before you guys finish your apprenticeships. After that, either the hunter¡¯s guild or the adventurers guild. We can decide later.¡±

    Jack, Kayla, and Amelia shared a look. They knew where Lev wanted to go very well.

 Chapter 9

    The next few months were peaceful and relaxing for Lev. They were also very boring. Every day, he woke up with the other kids and went to The Park for physical exercises. At noon, he would move on to a simulation room booked for him by Sir Alec. For two hours, he would test his barriers against increasingly high-level dummies while trying to improve his formation and manipulation. None of his class skills leveled up, but he didn¡¯t care. Combat class skills were painfully slow to level outside of monster combat.

    In the afternoons, Lev would move to the group¡¯s favorite spot by the river and practice incorporating barriers in physical combat. Even if he had no plans for engaging in close combat, one had to be prepared for everything outside the walls. Starting from trying to create a melee weapon, he found that forming a sword-shaped barrier was simple enough. Though it was laborious, the barrier weapon was sustainable. That didn¡¯t mean it was usable. The short sword was far too light. Making it fit his grip perfectly and balancing its center of gravity while keeping it light proved impossible.

    Giving up on creating a weapon without proper knowledge of its formation, he moved on to including barriers during movement. At first, the whole idea was horribly inefficient, resulting in a headache after just a few minutes of light practice. Slowly, he learned to be lighter on his feet and started introducing barriers to step on while running. Every step on a barrier was taxing on his mind but gradually got easier. Where he risked a headache after five minutes of practice before, after two months, he could keep going for half an hour. The increase in attributes and accumulating familiarity made his footing more stable and let him balance on top of his barriers more easily. The skills also helped greatly despite being level 1. Interestingly enough, moving barriers where he needed to step next was almost instinctual, like he was greatly accustomed to it. Again, no doubt aided by the skill. A 100% increase was nothing to scoff at.

    Two and a half months after he obtained his class, Jack and Amelia started their apprenticeships. Not wanting to be left behind, Kayla also applied for her apprenticeship early and was approved. Jack was trained by a group of vetted adventurers who were currently on break. From what Lev was told, Jack would be taken outside the city to train against monsters under their watchful eyes. On the other hand, Amelia was taken in by a master swordswoman. Since her class of choice was supposed to be centered around swordsmanship, the hybrid aspect was also covered by the physical fighter. High-level melee fighters often used artifacts and weapons similar to hybrid class skills.

    Kayla¡¯s apprenticeship was similar to Lev¡¯s. Taken in by an artificer from the Healing and Protection branch of the Crafting Guild, she would focus on mending simulated injuries and observe artifacts and entire fields that buffed everyone in them to replicate the effect. Her preferred class would show up after she became slightly proficient in both.

    Four months into the training, Lev and his group stood on top of Whitefall¡¯s 30-meter-tall walls. Facing southeast, the edges of an endlessly sprawling forest were visible on the horizon. They waited patiently for something to happen. Looking around, several dozen other kids around their age were standing on the wall, facing southeast. Most of them had someone older, like Director Oriana, accompanying them. Unable to hold back his curiosity, Jack finally asked the question on everyone¡¯s mind.

    ¡°What are we waiting for?¡±

    Oriana looked at the impatient group with amusement in her eyes and said nothing while maintaining her smile.

    I know for a fact that she is far older than us, meaning this little bit of delay probably doesn¡¯t bother her at all. What level is she? That reminds me, I still don''t have the Identify skill.

    Focusing on Oriana with the intention of seeing her level, a ding went off in his mind.

    [

    You have obtained General Skill - Identify:

    Identify - Active

    Focus on a target to glean basic information about them. This skill does not level up.

    ]

    Thank you, almighty System.

    Looking at Oriana, he used identify.

    [Mage - ???]

    ¡°Huh, what do the question marks mean?¡± Lev asked upon seeing the result of Identify.

    ¡°Did you only now get the skill?¡± She asked in exasperation. Lev squirmed under her gaze and muttered how he had forgotten about it. ¡°Everyone who has a class gets a single question mark, with another added after every evolution.¡± Oriana clarified.

    ¡°Which brings me to the next question. Are evolution thresholds fixed?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they are the exact same for humans and monsters. The first evolution always happens at 100. The next two are at 250 and 500, with nobody alive having killed anything with an evolution higher than that. It can only be 750 or 1000. Nobody is strong enough to kill something that strong and get a notification confirming it. Also, you can only see the level of a being at your stage of evolution or below.¡±

    Lev nodded and returned to his musings about longevity at higher levels. Not long after that, an incredibly loud chime went through the city. It was loud enough to be clearly audible on the walls despite originating from the city center.

    Oriana faced his group when the sound passed and adopted a serious tone, ¡°Now is a good time as any. Remember this, kids. There¡¯s a similar bell in every city currently present on the plains. It signifies an approaching monster wave. Every able-bodied Adventurer and Hunter is required to take their specified positions surrounding the city. The number of times the bell is sounded corresponds with the size and danger of the wave, with ten being the maximum. For anything between six and eight, a request for reinforcements is sent before the city is locked down with all defense measures deployed. Evacuation protocols are deployed if nine or ten chimes go off.¡±

    Shifting her attention towards the horizon, she continued. ¡°Normally, a wave this small and harmless would be dealt with by a single high-level combatant. For the sake of demonstration, it is allowed to approach the walls so the apprentices and heirs can get a good look. In the end, a small number of weaker monsters will be kept alive for those brave enough to try and face them. Under scrutiny, of course.¡±

    Getting a questioning look from Oriana, he nodded his assent and prepared for what was to come. Five minutes later, figures started to show in the distance. The wave was over halfway between the wall and the forest, rushing towards it with reckless abandon. Not long after, Lev finally got his first good look at the monsters.

    Goblins and Hobgoblins. Around 150 monsters, give or take.

    ¡°Notice how there is no cohesion in the wave. The lack of a shaman is also a clue. This group was most likely almost completely eradicated by a stronger predator and forced to move out of the forest, resulting in one final charge towards the walls. The lower mana density also makes them more ferocious.¡± Oriana¡¯s voice resounded from his side, explaining the origins of the wave

    When the monsters were only a hundred meters away, a group of five Hunters in various states of armor moved to intercept them. As Lev watched, the archer fired a single arrow toward the right side of the wave that created copies of itself in the air. First, it became two, then four before turning into two dozen arrows. Lev had difficulty perceiving them despite the archer holding back. None of the arrows missed their target. Literally. As far as Lev was able to see, every single projectile found a target. They went through flesh and bone alike without slowing down and hit the ground far behind the wave, where they dissipated. The original arrow also teleported back to the archer¡¯s quiver.

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Not to be outdone, the mage formed three blue fireballs before launching them at the left side of the wave. The first fireball landed among the frontline, somehow exploding only towards the monsters. The second fireball did not land on the ground but instead exploded within the first fireball¡¯s explosion. The explosion once again expanded in the direction of the approaching wave like a blanket of fire. The third followed the same pattern. Within moments, 80% of the wave was completely decimated. Out of the remaining goblins, two were kept alive for each approaching apprentice, whereas the rest were disposed of.

    While Lev and seven other kids made their way towards the carnage with their supervisors in tow, the surviving 16 goblins were lured away from the bloodbath and held off by the combatants. Lev noted that despite witnessing the massacre, the goblins showed no signs of fear and attacked thoughtlessly.

    ¡°Alright, listen up! Dale will throw two goblins away from here. One by one, each of you will face them. Don''t worry about your own safety. Focus on taking down the monsters to the best of your abilities. Oriana¡¯s boy, you come up first.¡± The archer said and motioned towards Lev.

    ¡°You know Oriana?¡± Lev asked curiously.

    ¡°Not many do. We were only told about her when we inquired the guild master about it.¡± Looking towards Oriana for permission, she continued after getting a nod in response. ¡°She is one of the survivors from the refugee ship that came to Monarch.¡± Lev almost stumbled when he heard that. Looking towards Oriana, she just smiled gently.

    I have to slip in a hug later.

    Taking his position where the archer directed him, Lev waited for his adversaries. When Dale got the signal, he blurred in place. Before Lev could even think about it, two goblins fell 30 meters away from him.

    Forming two half-a-meter-wide circular barriers, he tried to calm his wildly beating heart to no avail. A second before the first goblin started to dash towards him, the world slowed ever so slightly. The difference was only noticeable because Lev was so focused.

    That would be my perception increase. Mentally preparing myself activates the passive, convenient.

    The somewhat fast goblins now seemed marginally more manageable. Lev started to spin his barriers and waited for the monster to enter his manipulation range, now nearly 17 meters. Focusing on a single barrier, he launched it toward the goblin that predictably raised its rusty dagger to deflect it. Lev paid close attention to its movement, twisting the barrier in mid-air so it was parallel to the dagger¡¯s trajectory and going past it without ever making contact. Before the goblin could even understand what happened, its face was split in two.

    Suppressing a gag at the disgusting scene, Lev prepared himself for the second goblin wielding a short sword. Recalling the first barrier faster than the goblin could reach him, he sidestepped an opening diagonal slash. Jumping back to dodge another wild swing, he called forth a barrier and focused on the trajectory of the sword. Not forgetting to keep an eye on the limbs of the goblin, Lev watched the monster thrust the short sword toward his stomach. Positioning the barrier in front of him, the weapon left a white line on the surface of the barrier as it was redirected. Fixing the slight damage, he slammed the barrier on the goblin¡¯s face. Before it could come to its senses, the second extremely sharp barrier cleaved through its neck.

    For a few moments, Lev just stared at the corpses in case they showed any signs of movement. When nothing of the sort happened, he took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Looking around, he noticed the archer had an arrow nocked and ready to fire at a moment''s notice. She nodded when Lev met her eyes.

    ¡°Good showing, kid. You should have no problem becoming a Hunter with that kind of drive.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m aiming to be an Adventurer, actually. Exploring Monarch has always been my motivation.¡± Lev replied with confidence once his heart calmed down.

    ¡°Even better then. By Monarch, we really need a safer area to live in.¡± She flashed him a smile and motioned for the next kid to come up. Lev walked next to Oriana and faced the next apprentice¡¯s battle.

    ¡°Well done. Did you have to fight in close range?¡± Oriana praised.

    ¡°Since my life was never at risk, I had to try. Most of my skills are also great in the melee range. I wouldn¡¯t have gotten another opportunity for a while.¡± Lev shrugged, more focused on the ongoing training session.

    The next person in line was a girl with sharp eyes and above-average features. Forming two fireballs before the goblins were even thrown, she launched the first one sooner than the goblin could stand up. It struck the monster in the chest and exploded, hurling the smoldering goblin several meters away, where it lay motionless. As the second monster ran toward her without sparing a glance at its comrade¡¯s plight, she channeled more mana into the remaining fireball. The spell visibly brightened, giving off enough heat for her hair to sway in the hot air. Hurling it when the goblin was only 15 meters away, the fireball slammed into it before exploding violently. The boom made all the kids, including the caster, cover their ears.

    Lev looked at the remains of the monster and was surprised to find only its body parts scattered on the ground. The explosion had torn it into pieces. One after another, the remaining volunteers fought two goblins. Surprisingly, none of them had to be saved by the overseers. Returning to the wall after all the monsters were dead, Lev was showered in praise by his friends.

    ¡°That was pretty damn clean. I wish I had my class already to join you down there.¡± Jack expressed his yearning, looking at the spot where sixteen goblin corpses were lying.

    ¡°Thanks. My barrier held up against the sword better than I expected. Goes to show just how strong my class is already.¡±

    ¡°What level are you now?¡± Kayla spoke up, reminding him to look at his notifications.

    [

    You have slain [Goblin - Level 20].

    You have slain [Goblin - Level 21].

    Bladewalker has reached Level 2.

    Bladewalker has reached Level 3.

    ¡­

    Bladewalker has reached Level 6.

    25 Free Attribute Points awarded.

    ]

    The goblins were 20 levels higher than me?? That doesn''t make sense.

    Looking toward Oriana, who was silently observing the group, Lev asked, ¡°Why were they so weak for their level?¡±

    ¡°What do you think?¡± she replied with her own question.

    The group fell into thought, trying to come up with an explanation. Amelia responded first after only a few seconds. ¡°It''s because attributes only enhance what is already there, meaning they were way less effective on the goblins.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s correct. You guys will find out that the more well-built and cohesive the monster¡¯s body is, the stronger it is compared to others of its level. If you really think about it, there are many species of monsters out there that are inherently superior to humans. They are cunning in their savagery, widening the gap between them and humans even further. But the world is not fair, never was.¡±

    With that solemn note, they made their way back to the orphanage. On the way, Lev put 10 points into intelligence, five into perception and wisdom, three into dexterity, and one into strength and constitution. Lev stopped when he felt the changes in his body. It felt like a warm energy coursing through his veins, caressing both his body and core. He shook off the feeling before catching up with the others.

    Let the training montage continue.

 Chapter 10

    As the months with varying numbers of days passed, the 400-day year ended. Lev and his group celebrated Jack and Amelia¡¯s birthday before celebrating Kayla¡¯s a week before the year''s end. All of them had acquired their classes.

    Jack¡¯s class was almost entirely focused on defense. It gave him bonuses while wearing heavy armor and provided a skill for heavy one-handed weapons. With a shield and Warhammer, he was going to be a formidable presence on any frontline. Amelia and Kayla got their classes within the same week. Amelia¡¯s class ended up being different from what she originally aimed for. Focused equally on physical and magical capabilities, she could use her sword as a conduit for fire magic while controlling the heat in her surroundings. Despite her initial misgivings about selecting the class, it turned out to be rather extraordinary. Her Heat Perception skill allowed her to make out most monsters from afar. Heat Manipulation allowed her to absorb heat. She could use the absorbed energy to channel it into her sword to cast skills and power her body enhancement instead of using her mana.

    Kayla¡¯s class was an aura class. The class primarily had area-of-effect skills and was extremely useful in large groups. No less effective in smaller groups, it allowed her to buff everyone passively in a fixed radius around her. Her active skills were healing injuries, a single attack and defense skill, and a final skill that allowed her to increase the main attribute of a teammate. The latter had a very high initial cost and required a constant supply of mana to keep running. When she leveled it to the maximum of level 10, she would be able to buff five people at once, getting to buff one more person every two levels.

    Lev continued his attribute hunt while the others accustomed themselves to their classes. Theoretically, humans could gain 30 points in each attribute with sheer hard work and practice. While that was true, the effort required for each point increased exponentially after 25 points. That is why Lev stopped training for an attribute as soon as he obtained the 25th natural point. The first attribute to hit this self-imposed cap was Intelligence. Lev trained it day and night, every time he got a chance. By now, he could stand on his barrier for a few minutes without any major strain on his mind. Moving the barrier around while standing on top of it was barely faster than walking, but it was a great start. Slowly, every other attribute except Perception also hit the cap, which refused to move past 22 natural points.

    Changing his approach, Lev started making rounds in the Merchants and Crafters district. Informing the guards about his intentions so he didn¡¯t get into trouble for hours of walking around, he practiced picking up on details that would normally elude him. An adventurer with a cracked shield, an official-looking person trailed by guards blending in with the people, the gazes of patrol guards lingering on some people longer than others, all of this sent him on thinking tangents more than once. He had to bring himself to the present multiple times and focus on observing.

    In the beginning, it was incredibly exhausting. The tiredness that came from training his perception forced him to take naps even if his body felt fine. Slowly, he narrowed his training to focus on specific areas more than others. That was even more tiring than his initial practice, limiting him to training for only half an hour every day before being forced to rest. Four weeks into it, the attribute finally hit the cap. Instead of stopping there, Lev continued his rounds for another week and picked up details that he had missed before.

    Everyone that went in and out of Crafters and Merchants Districts had subtle signs showing bits and pieces of their story. Some people were far more sure in their steps, signifying bright future prospects. Some were hopeful, while others were resigned. A group of adventurers sauntered around with heads held high, clearly proud but not looking down on others. Another group of Hunters held traces of bitterness in their eyes as if yearning for acknowledgment of their efforts. These idle observations proved that the human emotions that Lev had observed in his past life were still present but with lower intensity.

    They are muted. Lev realized. Everyone is united to ensure their continued survival. Goes to show how precarious the overall situation is, even if the general consensus is that everything is okay to maintain a semblance of calm and balance.

    ****

    [

    Name: Lev

    Class: Bladewalker - Level 6

    Titles: None

    Attributes:

    Strength: 31

    Dexterity: 33

    Constitution: 31

    Intelligence: 45

    Wisdom: 40

    Perception: 40

    Class Skills:

    Arcane Barrier Manipulation - Level 1

    Incisive Edge - Level 1

    Whirling Rim - Level 1

    Barrier Armor - Level 1

    Opportunity - Level 1

    Swiftfoot - Level 1

    Heavy Lifting - Level 1

    Needle Precision - Level 1

    General Skills:

    Mana Manipulation - Level 10

    Identify

    ]

    Lev inspected his status as he walked back to the orphanage. Nodding in satisfaction because of the ever-increasing attributes, Lev¡¯s mind drifted off to his immediate future. All four of them had completed their apprenticeship and were ready to enroll for the short yet mandatory examination for joining the Hunters guild. Not long ago, when Lev and his friends returned to the orphanage after seeing the monster wave decimated, Oriana told him about needing to be a sufficiently successful and trusted Hunter to be an Adventurer. The job was not only extremely lethal for an average Hunter, best investments and results also needed to be ensured. To that end, Lev and his friends had to prove themselves before being allowed to explore the surrounding regions.

    Entering his room, he found Jack and Amelia talking about their apprenticeship while Kayla was staring at the ceiling, daydreaming. Lev sat down on the bed beside the former two.

    ¡°It''s about time,¡± Lev exhaled as he stretched his limbs and yawned.

    ¡°What¡¯s gotten you so tired already?¡± Jack asked, exasperated.

    ¡°Weelll¡­ I might not have noticed that I was focusing on training perception despite having hit 25 in it. I just need to rest for a bit.¡± Lev slowly explained himself, not wanting to delay anything due to his antics.

    ¡°If you say so. I am quite excited about our bout today. Watch me beat you all with sheer resilience.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see how long you survive after I burn your hair off,¡± Amelia snorted.

    Opening his eyes wide in mock terror and a hint of genuine fear, Jack exclaimed. ¡°Don''t you dare! The entire build will fall apart if I don''t look sufficiently dashing.¡±

    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.Everyone laughed at that. Kayla came over and sat next to Amelia. ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan, boss?¡± Kayla asked as she hugged her knees.

    Lev rolled his eyes at that. ¡°The plan is what WE decide for it to be. Don¡¯t call me boss.¡±

    ¡°Whatever you say, boss.¡± Kayla retorted with a cheeky grin. ¡°I¡¯m genuinely curious though. What¡¯s stopping us from going to the Hunters Guild and registering right now?¡±

    ¡°Simply because we have absolutely no experience fighting as a team. I really don¡¯t want to be learning how to cooperate as a team outside the city walls for the first time.¡± Lev reasoned, imagining how badly a single misstep could be when fighting against monsters.

    Kayla looked sheepish at that, most likely thinking how it was obvious despite it not being so. Everyone in the group had focused only on improving themselves for the past year, making teamwork unimportant for the time being.

    ¡°Also, despite everything all of us have gone through so far, I won¡¯t feel as confident as I want to be without reliably beating a lot of simulations. We need to train.¡±

    ****

    Lev and friends found themselves in Oriana¡¯s office. After they had collectively decided to train together for a week, the group wanted the Director to know.

    Oriana tapped her fingers on the table, ¡°What are your guys¡¯ goals? How far are you willing to push yourselves?¡± She asked after a few seconds of silence.

    The group looked at each other. The thought of when they were going to stop felt so alien when they hadn''t even started yet. Lev answered for all of them.

    ¡°How are we supposed to know? Probably till we have no more need to fight?¡±

    ¡°I mean, what rank will be your goal?¡± Oriana clarified. When she noticed that all the kids looked clueless, she sighed. ¡°There are many ranks that are shared between Hunters and Adventurers guild. They start from bronze and go all the way up to Rhodite, Irinite, and Oscium. The last three were extremely rare metals found in the kingdom lands, but only Irinite has been found so far on Monarch. They are differentiated based on levels and have radiant combatants or squads starting from Platinum rank.¡±

    All four of them were leaning forward in their chairs, not wanting to miss a single word. ¡°What about the level ranges and the rest of the ranks?¡± Jack complained when they got nothing more.

    ¡°What about them?¡± Oriana raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°Come on, surely you can''t expect us to not be curious when you mention only the first and last three ranks,¡± Lev whined, making Oriana roll her eyes.

    ¡°Fine, even if most of them don¡¯t matter at all right now. The first rank is Copper, the one you guys will start with. It¡¯s for people who are newly initiated and below Level 30. Most copper missions are done within city walls and generally do not require any monster combat. Your group being potential Adventurer candidates, crossing copper should be easy after your examination. Normally, Hunters are required to complete a certain amount of missions and have a decent level of competence in combat before ranking up. All Adventurer candidates are tested way more thoroughly and need to be vetted, which earns them a few merits, such as skipping the first rank.

    ¡°The next rank is Bronze, covering levels 30-75. This is where monster combat becomes the norm and is the third-most achieved rank across the plains. After Bronze comes Iron, going up all the way to level 100. Anyone who has evolved is eligible for Silver, going up to level 150. Gold is for levels 150-200 and is the last rank defined by levels. Platinum, Mythril, Rhodite, Irinite, and Oscium are earned based on feats and merits, rarely seen in Hunters. The plains, while dangerous, do not require many teams above platinum to ensure their safety. The exploration of Monarch was supposed to be a priority ever since we first came here. Unfortunately, it had been ignored in favor of making the plains more hospitable and only recently has been prioritized again.¡±

    Lev and his friends digested that information, noting the extra information about them being Adventurer candidates. Pondering in silence for a few minutes, Lev broke the silence by asking something he couldn¡¯t wrap his head around.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have been better to have some strong squads continue adventuring and amass enough power to stabilize the situation? The history books said there were many strong combatants on the ship.¡±

    Oriana leaned back in her chair, thinking about how to answer this. When she leaned back forward, her eyes were much more serious than before.

    Oh shit, I forgot she was on the ship too. Lev realized, lamenting that he made her live through bad memories.

    Oriana sighed. ¡°This isn¡¯t written in the books, so please keep it to yourselves. History paints a much better picture of continuous struggle and survival without this knowledge.¡± Just trying to form her next words, she let out a deep breath, making Lev feel even worse for asking the question. ¡°When the ship first started to descend, many parts of the thruster system responsible for landing failed in a short period. They were deemed responsive enough to make it to the surface of the planet, only to be disrupted by the sheer mana density in the higher atmosphere. By the time we were halfway through the fall, the mana density had been reduced enough that most of them were operational again. That didn¡¯t matter, however, as even with the remaining capabilities, the ship would¡¯ve survived the landing mostly in one piece. What did matter was that by then, the stealth systems were almost fully broken, and nothing masked the mana being channeled into the ship by hundreds of mages.¡±

    The four of them sucked in a sharp breath at the turn of events, but Oriana continued without noticing, staring somewhere past them while being lost in her memories. ¡°The first to attack us were large avian monsters. Somehow, they detected us from beyond even the forest and reached us before any other monsters. Immediately, all combatants above level 500 were deployed to intercept them and keep them occupied while the ship continued its descent. The battle between such high-level monsters and humans completely ruined any remaining strategy for stealth and broadcasted their presence to the plains, forest, and the sea on the opposite side.¡±

    ¡°The ship¡¯s landing was just barely better than a crash landing, preventing any deaths inside it. Before they could celebrate, the front hull of the ship was torn open by a few of the flying monsters that slipped by the combatants. By then, almost every monster roaming the surface in the surrounding regions was moving towards their landing spot. Soon, they were streaming in through the opening. Before they could slaughter everyone, the civilians and low-level combatants were escorted and locked into the storage rooms. For two months, monsters roamed the inside of the ship while we waited for salvation. When it finally came, nearly 40% of the survivors had perished. By now, the plains house a population well into the tens of millions, but back then, only less than 70,000 humans had touched the surface alive.¡±

    Oriana sagged into her chair and looked ten years older just from retelling the events.

    ¡°All exploration beyond the forest was put on hold, to not attract any more of the avian monsters or similar calamities. Humans huddled together in the plains and slowly dismantled the ship, salvaging the surviving technology and using the metals to strengthen their combat capabilities.¡±

    Lev looked at his friends and signaled them to leave. Thankfully, they took the hint and left. When only Lev and Oriana were left in the office, Lev took her hand and made her stand up before pulling her into a tight hug.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Lev whispered.

    She looked at his face and gave him a tired smile. ¡°I have had more than enough time to process this, Lev.¡±

    ¡°I believe you,¡± saying that he kissed her forehead but made no move to release her from the hug. Eventually, she relented and leaned into it, savoring the comfortable silence.

 Chapter 11

    The next day, Lev and his group followed Oriana to the basement of the Defense Branch. Stepping into their rented room, Lev found Sir Alec already inside. He moved ahead to greet his mentor.

    ¡°I was not expecting to see you here, Sir.¡±

    ¡°It''s still early in the morning, I have time to spare. Besides, my disciple is going to apply for the Hunters Guild. Even if it may not seem like it, I am still a platinum-ranked Hunter. All of your friends have some combat training, but you are mostly self-taught. About time I also teach you a thing or two about it.¡±

    Lev¡¯s eyes lit up at that. He was slightly worried about a poor first showing but those concerns melted away. Now, he only had to care about absorbing Sir Alec¡¯s teachings. Looking around, he noticed that Jack had already donned the full-plated armor from the armor stands. Kayla and Amelia were trying out different weapons.

    Lev turned to Sir Alec. ¡°What type of armor do you think will suit me best?¡±

    ¡°Definitely Light,¡± Sir Alec replied instantly. ¡°Speedsters like you need something that does not hinder your mobility. Let''s try that one,¡± He pointed at a stand holding a few pieces of armor.

    Trying it on, Lev found it only had a light breastplate with gloves and boots. The exact terms for the pieces went over his head. In addition to those, the armor was designed to be worn over leather pants and a vest, providing some protection for his arms and legs.

    ¡°This seems¡­ minimal. Does it even do anything?¡± Lev voiced his suspicions, looking at his barely armored body.

    ¡°It does. Do not rely on it too much. The armor is not your main defense. Armor skills like yours will take over mundane armor rather quickly. Physical armor is a backup before you can order a custom-made enchanted armor.¡±

    One by one, they all found their preferred armor and weapons. Once they were all ready, Lev and Amelia stepped into the ring situated in the middle of the room. According to Sir Alec, the ring dulled the edges of all weapons inside it and healed any bruises that may have formed.

    Taking their positions 5 meters apart, Lev brandished his shortsword. It was the weapon he could use best with his high dexterity. Forming four small barriers, he observed his opponent. Amelia was covered in armor that looked just a step away from being as heavy as Jack¡¯s armor. In reality, it was much lighter and more flexible overall. Taking a stance with her longsword, they both waited for Oriana to start the match.

    ¡°Remember, nothing is at stake. This is just for training. Observe, learn, and improve.¡± Oriana announced with a smile, knowing damn well both of them were not going to hold back.

    ¡°3.¡±

    ¡°2.¡±

    ¡°1.¡±

    ¡°Fight.¡±

    Lev summoned his barrier armor and felt his perception slow down slightly as the air heated around Amelia. She made the first move and shot a fireball from the tip of her sword. Blocking it with a barrier, Lev moved sideways, not letting the explosion impede his vision. Stopping the fireball and withstanding the explosion, the barrier shattered. Before he could plan his next move, Amelia was upon him. Her skin had a reddish hue, eyes glowing slightly.

    Her body enhancement has a visual effect as well.

    Lev tried to match her in strength and blocked her strike with his short sword, only to stumble back a step and barely keep himself from falling. The strength difference was higher than he anticipated. Making use of his speed, he dodged as many strikes as he could and tried to slip in his own attacks. At first, Lev thought he was doing half-decent, only for Amelia to become faster and stronger. Lev tried to adjust to the increase in power before realizing that Amelia was becoming even stronger and faster.

    Before long, Lev was on the back foot, dodging and deflecting to the best of his abilities with awkward movement and overextended sidesteps. Understanding that she outclassed him in swordsmanship, Lev formed another barrier and jumped back, manipulating his barriers to attack from left and right simultaneously. She sidestepped the left barrier aiming for her knee, and cleaved the right barrier in half. Seeing an opportunity, Lev dashed in to score a hit but faltered in his step when Amelia¡¯s enhancement suddenly shone much brighter. She reversed her strike and launched a diagonal Fire slash. Barely reacting in time, Lev jumped, called his third barrier under his feet, and kicked it to dodge the diagonal slash by a hair''s breadth. Before Amelia could regain her bearings, Lev¡¯s fourth barrier slammed into her throat and threw her to the ground.

    Breathing heavily, Lev closed his eyes and focused on controlling his heartbeat. Opening his eyes when he heard something, he found Kayla clapping while Jack looked ready to jump into the ring. Oriana and Sir Alec were discussing something off the side while looking toward him.

    ¡°I¡¯m starting to realize just how absurd your class will be. Already, you can attack from many different angles at once.¡± Amelia said as she stood up.

    Lev snorted. ¡°You say that and use fire spells while being a better swordswoman. Not only can you use both short and long-range fire spells, but you can also manipulate heat in your surroundings and be a better scout than me. Have I mentioned that you will always be physically stronger than me?¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright. Damn, it really doesn¡¯t seem that way when you put it like that.¡± Amelia hummed thoughtfully.

    Walking back to his friends, he and Amelia sat down on metal chairs with their friends.

    ¡°When did you learn to fight like that?¡± Kayla asked him as soon as he sat down.

    ¡°I practiced by the river every day.¡±

    ¡°Against whom?¡±

    Without realizing it, Lev replied. ¡°Shadowboxing.¡±

    All three of them blinked and echoed in unison. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I mean, I imagined opponents and imitated fighting against them as if they were real.¡± Lev hastily clarified, not letting his friends dwell on the foreign word. He didn¡¯t notice Amelia looking at him oddly. ¡°So who¡¯s going next?¡± Lev changed the subject. Jack looked over to Oriana and Sir Alec, who motioned for him to take the ring.

    Jack and Kayla stood 5 meters apart and took their stances. With his full-plate armor and massive hammer, Jack looked the complete opposite of Kayla. Her armor was similar to Amelia¡¯s, covering most of her body without impeding movement too much. Her wooden staff was nearly as tall as her, giving her more reach than Jack.

    To an outsider, the match couldn¡¯t have looked more one-sided. That changed when The System was introduced into the fray, making even the smallest humans more dangerous than most.

    Jack made the first move, closing the gap before swinging his hammer in a wide arc. Kayla dodged it with ease, taking advantage of her opponent being wide open. A piece of wood with a sharp point formed mid-air and shot towards Jack¡¯s arm, aimed at the armor joint. It bounced off without leaving a scratch.

    Wood, huh? Looks very mana-intensive to form.

    Jack retaliated with more wide swings, forcing Kayla into a corner. To avoid being trapped, she used her defensive spell. A wall of vines rose from the ground and blocked Jack¡¯s strike, bending inwards without breaking. Kayla fixed the damage by spending more mana but conceded the match shortly after. The vines and piece of wood dissolved into mana at her command.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Lev asked once they sat down next to him and Amelia.

    ¡°After my attack spell failed to do any damage and my vines were damaged from a single strike, I realized that there was no way to win. I needed mana to keep Jack at bay. Without being able to damage him, my mana was going to run out far faster than he ran out of stamina. Naturally, I conceded after realizing that.¡± Kayla explained with a pout. ¡°His armor is as thick as his head.¡±

    That made all of them laugh. Oriana and Sir Alec moved to their group in the meantime.

    ¡°That went better than I thought. Well done,¡± Oriana praised, and Sir Alec nodded by her side.

    ¡°Most newbies would try to overpower their opponents regardless of how unlikely it may be to succeed. Good thinking on your part, disengaging and not wasting any resources.¡± Sir Alec complimented Kayla, who looked down and muttered a quiet thanks.

    ¡°I was almost certain Amelia would win. Good job, Lev.¡± Oriana nodded toward him, making a smile blossom on his face. ¡°Now that you have seen each other¡¯s skills, how long do you guys think you need to practice before undertaking the examination?¡±

    The group fell into silence, thinking about what they needed to accomplish. Lev answered first. ¡°We need more than a week, that''s for sure.¡±

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Jack expressed his agreement. ¡°After we get used to each others¡¯ style, we also need to learn to work together as a team. That will surely take even more time.¡± He concluded. Everyone, including Oriana and Sir Alec, nodded at that.

    ¡°Very well. I will inform the guild to conduct the exam two weeks from now since it needs to be prepared in advance,¡± Oriana said. ¡°Already, they have delayed it once at my request. Do not make them wait any longer.¡±

    ****

    For the upcoming days, Lev and his friends sparred as much as they could. Learning the ins and outs of their abilities and testing the limits of their skills, they learned a lot of helpful things. Sir Alec stuck around for the first thirty minutes every day, pointing out where they could improve and telling them to use their skills in new ways.

    Kayla¡¯s wood skills were similar to Lev¡¯s barriers. She could form the attack in any form, even a shield. While it may not be very useful in combat, she could form wooden tools anywhere. Her vines, on the other hand, could be wrapped around the limbs of their enemies, constricting and immobilizing them. The impairment improved the usefulness of the spell by many notches.

    Amelia¡¯s heat perception was hampered by the amount of material between her and the source she tried to track, completely bypassing thin surfaces. They could potentially hide themselves out of sight while tracking their enemies through the emitted heat. She could also constantly cool their surroundings for half an hour before running out of mana, providing relief if they found themselves in a hot region. Jack also pointed out how she could light up wood created by Kayla and produce a decent light source anywhere.

    Jack¡¯s class was pretty rigid. They did not find anything special about it. Lev¡¯s class was also similar. While barriers were incredibly versatile overall, he was stuck with sharp and durable arcane barriers till he could imbue them with different types of mana or enchant them outright.

    After three days of sparring, they decided to fight in groups. Surprisingly, whenever Kayla and Lev teamed up, they dominated. With Kayla¡¯s ability to root Jack in place for a few seconds while buffing Lev¡¯s intelligence attribute by 25%, Lev was able to deal with Amelia alone. The more they fought, the more they got used to each other¡¯s moves. Kayla¡¯s buff made all the difference in their fight, empowering all of his abilities. His barriers were faster, more durable, and sharper, not that he used sharp barriers during sparring. He could also just barely control a fifth barrier with the increased attribute and heightened perception during combat. The healer¡¯s vines were also slightly resistant to fire.

    At the start of the second week, they moved to a new rented room in the Attack Branch. The refugee ship had brought with it simulation technology that was almost completely destroyed during the disastrous landing. It had been used to create new technology from scratch, reliably imitating creatures up to level 100. Evolved monsters were still too much.

    ****

    The group stood in a large empty field, waiting for a small goblin horde to be generated. Jack and Amelia stood in front of the formation, with Lev taking position behind them. Kayla stood between them, allowing her spells to reach all three of them with ease.

    By the time the 12 Level 20 goblins finished materializing, they had taken their stances and prepared their spells. Lev formed four round barriers, sharpening their edges and spinning them as fast as possible. Eight of the goblins focused on the frontline, while the rest targeted the mages. As the goblins were about to engage the frontline, two barriers went through the necks of two unlucky goblins while three of them were ensnared by vines slithering out of the ground. Focusing back on the goblins running towards Kayla and him, he killed one with his barrier and blocked the other from reaching them. The third goblin went down when a sharp wooden piece embedded itself in its skull. Stepping up with his short sword to block the last goblin, he dodged its wild swing and lured it away from Kayla. Before it could attack a third time, one of the barriers that Lev had sent to assist the frontline had moved back and cleaved through its neck.

    Gazing at the frontline, they were finishing the last remaining monsters. Silence returned to the field, a stark contrast to the war cries and screeches.

    ¡°That went well,¡± Kayla commented. Lev nodded and looked around, noticing how he could have killed all the monsters without much trouble alone. Some of his skills had even leveled up for the first time.

    [

    Whirling Rim leveled up to 2.

    Arcane Barrier Manipulation leveled up to 2

    Opportunity leveled up to 2

    ]

    Reading their descriptions, Lev noted that his barrier durability, barrier spinning power, and perception increased by 2.5%. Penetration power of his barriers meanwhile increased by only 0.5%

    Skills with bonuses up to 10% increase by 0.5% per level, and skills with bonuses above 50% increase by 2.5%. So the increase for bonuses between 10% and 50% might be different. Need to test this, but it seems pretty straightforward.

    ¡°I don''t think they are going to make us face anything level 30 or above. We should still try and fight against something of that level,¡± Jack asked for their opinion, satisfied with his progress. When all of them agreed, they moved into formation to fight monsters level 25 and above for the last time before the exam. Looking through the options, they settled for a pack of level 25 forest wolves with a single alpha. Since they were fighting simulated monsters, any attacks that landed on Lev or his group would be harmless.

    Within a few minutes, five gray wolves materialized in front of them. Four of them looked exactly the same, with the fifth being a larger wolf covered in darker fur. The alpha was level 30, while the rest were level 25. As soon as they noticed the humans, the alpha howled. The smaller wolves immediately started charging them, leaving the alpha behind that circled the battlefield. Feeling the attribute buff from Kayla, Lev formed five half-a-meter-wide circular barriers. Making them sharp and heavy, he launched two of them at the wolf leading the charge. Separating them, the first one kept moving in a straight line while the second moved higher up in the air. When the wolf jumped over the first barrier, the second barrier moved in to cleave through its head. With agility befitting its level, the wolf dodged to the right as soon as its feet touched the ground, leaving it with a long, bloody gash along its side instead of dead.

    Jack and Amelia tensed, moving forward to intercept the charging wolves. Jack slammed his hammer into one¡¯s side while shoulder-tackling the other and throwing it to the ground. Amelia ducked the injured lunging wolf, carving through its entire underside with her sharp and burning hot long sword. With one taken out of the fight, she moved in to support Jack while the last wolf made its way towards the backline.

    Trusting Lev to have the situation under control, Kayla cast her vine skill to snare one of the wolves fighting the frontline. No longer able to pay attention to the others, Lev focused on the wolf running towards him, keeping track of the alpha that had started moving as soon as Kayla had cast her spell.

    ¡°It¡¯s coming!¡± That was all he could yell before the wolf was upon him. Dodging left at the last moment to avoid being tackled to the ground, he slammed a barrier on the side of its face before it could fully turn toward him. Taking advantage of its disorientation, he severed one of its legs. Robbed of its mobility, the wolf was dead within moments.

    Facing the alpha, it was about to lunge and tackle Amelia to the ground. Moving one of the two barriers he had kept above his friends for this moment, he rammed its flat side directly on top of its head. The alpha lost its footing and fell, sliding forward due to its momentum. Before it could get up, Jack¡¯s hammer hit it in the ribs with full force. Howling in pain, it was about to charge Jack before Lev¡¯s second barrier hit one of its rear legs at the joint as a wood projectile sank into its front leg. Stuck in the bone, the barrier dissolved. The alpha, suddenly unable to use two of its legs, stumbled with a yelp. As it was about to unleash a roar of defiance, a barrier cut directly into its skull, and a red sword beheaded it.

    The group immediately sagged in relief, heaving deep breaths. The battle had barely lasted a minute. To the group, it had felt far longer.

    ¡°Yeah, we are as ready as we can be. Anything with a higher level will be too much for us,¡± Kayla spoke up first, mirroring their thoughts. Lev mulled over that, replaying the fight in his mind. He had the attribute buff from Kayla, five full-powered barriers, and time to prepare. Even then, his barriers were barely enough to kill the level 25 wolf in time. His perception and intelligence let him stop the alpha¡¯s charge at the last second and cut just deep enough to disable its leg. Amelia easily took out the first wolf because it was injured and made a hasty lunge. She and Jack held off the rest because Kayla supported them instead of him. They faced the alpha in time because it was so far away, allowing Lev to track it. To top it all off, they only succeeded because they could prepare everything they had. Amelia¡¯s class allowed her to overcharge the body enhancement in exchange for taking damage from the extra heat funneled into it. Out of everyone, she was the only one slightly hurt because of her skill.

    ¡°I agree, we should head home and rest. Tomorrow is a big day. We need to be as fresh as possible.¡±

    [

    Needle Precision leveled up to 2.

    ]

    1% increase to manipulation bonus and 0.5% to intelligence. My theory was correct. 0.5% for 1-10%, 1% for 11-49%, and 2.5% for 50-99%. The last one still needs to be confirmed. My only skill with a 100% bonus is a barely used movement skill.

    Stumbling back to the orphanage, they called it an early night despite the still-setting suns.

 Chapter 12

    Lev and his group marched towards the Hunters Guild, guided through the streets by Oriana. Dawn had come and gone two hours ago, bringing with it the examination they had been preparing for. Moving through the twisting paths, Lev observed the sprawling district in front of him. Like the Crafting and Merchants districts, Hunters and Adventurers guilds had an entire dedicated district. Pillars were common in all buildings, and still relevant despite being a practice from the old kingdom. White color was in abundance, matching the name of the city.

    Oriana didn¡¯t spare any of the Inns or shops a second glance, leading them directly to Hunters Hall. The Guild Hall towered over all the other buildings in the district, with four large floors and an imposing doorway.

    Stepping through the double doors big enough to fit giants, Lev witnessed a scene of organized chaos. Clerks ran around with stacks of papers, careful to avoid tripping or running into any Hunter. To the left, neatly arranged tables and chairs were occupied by Hunters of different shapes and sizes. To the right, clerks dealt with people standing in lines in front of the reception tables. Everyone present strode with purpose, not delaying any longer than necessary, creating a steady stream of people entering and exiting the building. Weirdly enough, the boisterous atmosphere with drinks going around Lev expected to see was nowhere to be found.

    While Lev and his friends waited beside the door, Oriana moved in alone and asked a clerk where the examinees were supposed to gather. Getting her answer, she once again led them through the city. After 15 minutes of walking, they exited the city through the main gates. Waiting on the side of the wide road were four hunters and 11 boys and girls. The hunters were the same group that had defeated the small wave and let Lev and the other children fight against the goblins. They nodded toward Oriana as she passed, getting a nod in return.

    They took their place next to the other examinees and waited for the others to arrive. Within 15 minutes, another four groups had joined them.

    ¡°This is getting much bigger than I thought,¡± Jack noticed, observing the now 21 boys and girls waiting with their guardians. The girl who had fought after Lev was also present, boredom apparent on her face. Less than a minute later, multiple carriage carts pulled by horses moved through the city gates. The animals were brought to Monarch in the refugee ship since it was predicted no animals would live on these harsh plains. Another group of hunters followed the carts, guiding the horses toward the gathered group.

    The leader of the approaching group shared a look with a hunter standing by the examinees, prompting the latter to step onto the road and grab everyone¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Listen up! My name is Dale, and my team, along with my team and Paul¡¯s team, will be conducting your exam. The specifics of the exam are still a secret, and that is intentional. Using the carts, we will travel to the nearest patch of forest within the plains. Further information will be divulged when we get there.¡± Having said his piece, Dale moved back to his team and directed the examinees to get in the carts.

    Lev and his friends mounted the same cart, as the second team of hunters had brought ten with them. The six occupied carts started moving when all the groups were comfortably situated. Oriana waved at his group, and they waved back.

    Looking outside, Lev noticed that he couldn¡¯t make out the edges of the forest region. Despite the lack of obstacles, it was far enough that he couldn¡¯t see it. Lev leaned back into the cart and looked toward the driver. Realizing it was the archer who had oversaw him fight the goblins, he moved ahead and sat close to her. He looked up, only to see her face toward him.

    What? I didn¡¯t even feel her move.

    ¡°Hey, I just wanted to know how I should address you. Don¡¯t think we ever got your team''s names.¡± Lev asked politely.

    The blonde archer smiled slightly. Taking in her appearance for the first time, she had shoulder-length hair and a small stature. Her face was delicate yet stern, creating a beautiful appearance. ¡°The name¡¯s Sara. We wanted to give you kids space to fight by yourselves, so we never got to introductions that day. What¡¯s your name?¡±

    Lev introduced himself and his friends, telling her a bit about their lives when she asked. Before long, the conversation steered back to his first fight.

    ¡°What was it like, facing monsters for the first time?¡± Sara asked, still entirely casual.

    ¡°... Exciting, if I''m being honest,¡± Lev replied truthfully.

    That got a full smile to bloom on her face. She examined Lev again and explained. ¡°That is a good trait to have in this field. It may not seem like that at first, rightfully so, because the world is too dangerous to not take very seriously, but that outlook changes everything. Fighting monsters no longer remains a necessity to defend humanity and gives way to something better, something more enjoyable. Hunters who fight for thrill and to push themselves further seem to excel more than others. They fight to fight and to push themselves to the limit, to improve and adapt, to get stronger, and to face even bigger challenges. Just remember that most of the people who hunt for sport often tend to overstep their limits and find an early grave. If you survive till becoming an adventurer, life will have taught you plenty of valuable lessons. Take them to heart and pace yourselves. It takes a certain degree of patience to succeed with that lifestyle. Let me tell you about this team I once met¡­¡±

    After that, the conversation shifted to her adventures and the type of hunters she had met during her career. Lev had already noticed that the horses were moving far faster than normal animals from his second memories. Identifying their horse, it was level 38.

    Makes sense, otherwise no animals would ever survive.

    The more the group listened to Sara, the more they realized just how massive the plains were. Despite having super-fast transportation, it still took weeks to go from city to city. Even more mind-boggling was the fact that most cities were present in a straight line, going from the edge of the forest to halfway to the middle of the plains, meaning less than a quarter of the region was properly explored. Whitefall was the last city in the metaphorical line, the last stop before teams left to explore the forest. It also explained the population and unusually high number of hunters and adventurers. Compared to other cities that was, it was just the norm for Lev and his friends.

    Seven hours of high-speed traveling later, they entered the White Grove forest. They stopped in a clearing after 10 minutes. The examinees dismounted and separated into groups. Dale walked into the center and clapped to get everyone¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Now that we¡¯re here, the first day of the exam will be team-based combat. Each group will be led to a different part of the forest by us, where they will fight monsters. Before sunset, we will all return to this clearing. Those who cannot continue will return here early and wait for others.¡±

    The hunters shared a look before walking in their chosen directions with their groups in tow. Lev noticed that no one went straight down the path they were traveling in their carts.

    Something too dangerous for us, probably.

    He identified Sara out of curiosity.

    [Hunter - ??]

    Above level 100 but below 250. Yeah, I doubt anything here can get past her. Should be safe to go all out then, even if we run out of mana.

    Lev and his groups once again followed Sara, asking her about what they were supposed to do. Seeing how she refused to answer that question, Lev nodded to Amelia, who started scanning their surroundings with Heat Perception. It was taxing, only made slightly more manageable by one of Kayla¡¯s passives that slightly increased mana regeneration for herself and her allies. For 10 minutes, nothing happened, only Sara changing directions slightly. After another five minutes, Amelia suddenly tensed before holding up five fingers and mouthing the word ¡°wolves¡± to everyone. Sara nodded approvingly.

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Lev summoned his armor and formed four round barriers, sharpening and spinning their edges. Kayla withheld her buff, saving it for when they needed it. The wolves, thinking that they were still unnoticed, tried to circle them. Jack shattered those delusions when he charged directly towards them with Amelia. Seeing them, the wolves wasted no time and charged toward the running humans. Halfway to them, the rear wolf suddenly fell when a barrier cleaved through its neck from above. Another one barely dodged a second barrier coming in from its right, losing its leg from the attack redirected at the last moment.

    Jack reached the lead wolf that immediately pounced and was smashed into the ground by his hammer. Before it could get up, a pointed piece of wood smashed into its skull and ended its life. The remaining two monsters were finished quickly after.

    Lev was conflicted. The wolves had tried to circle them, displaying at least some form of intelligence. Monsters were supposed to be entirely mindless. He asked Sara about that.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know who taught you that, but monsters have their own instincts similar to animals or humans. To begin with, normal wolves would¡¯ve never survived in this forest because monsters continuously form from mana. If they were animals, they would¡¯ve never attacked us in the first place. It¡¯s easy enough to tell monsters from animals. Don¡¯t worry.¡± She patiently explained, keeping an eye on their surroundings.

    Following Sara deeper into the forest, Lev checked his notifications.

    [

    Your group has slain [Gray Wolf - Level 12]

    ¡­

    Your group has slain [Gray Wolf - Level 13]

    Bladewalker has reached Level 7

    5 Free attribute points

    ]

    Lev put three points into intelligence and one into wisdom and perception.

    I need to find a balance for all attributes. For every four levels, I will put one level¡¯s worth of points in physical attributes. Should ensure that they don''t completely fall behind.

    None of his skills had leveled up, so he focused back on his surroundings. A screech pulled his attention above them, where ¡­ something was about to pounce on them. It looked like a monkey with four spider limbs. If only the monkey came straight out of a nightmare. Lev and his group tracked its movement, trying to perceive any others in their surroundings. The creature moved from tree to tree with exceptional agility, only to jump straight at them when they didn¡¯t move. Its leap was stopped dead in its tracks by a barrier smashing into its face, sending it tumbling. As soon as it hit the ground, a sharp wooden projectile pierced its chest, and a fireball exploded on its face.

    The group stared at the dead monster, marveling at its stupidity. It would¡¯ve posed a great challenge if it had continued to jump between the trees and looked for openings. Instead, it decided to leap a great distance, losing its ability to dodge mid-air.

    [

    Your group has slain [Thornling - Level 29]

    Bladewalker has reached Level 8

    Bladewalker has reached Level 9

    10 Free attribute points

    ]

    Distributing the points the same way, Lev thought about the last fight. The monster, despite being way higher in level, had died due to a stupid mistake. The thornling, which got its name from the thorny limbs, should¡¯ve been the toughest adversary his group had faced so far. But it gave up all its natural advantages to get to them faster.

    If this is how most monsters behave, I can see why waves become extremely dangerous.

    They followed Sara for another two hours before visibility started to become an issue. On the way back, Lev checked his notifications.

    [

    Your group has slain [Gray Wolf - Level 17]

    ¡­

    Your group has slain [Brown Wolf - Level 19]

    ¡­

    Your group has slain [Thornling - Level 22]

    Incisive Edge leveled up to 2

    Bladewalker has reached Level 10

    Bladewalker has reached Level 11

    10 Free attribute points.

    ]

    Putting five points into his main attributes, he put two points into dexterity and constitution and one into strength. He identified his friends to check their progress.

    [

    [Warrior - Level 10]

    [Warrior - Level 10]

    [Mage - Level 10]

    ]

    They had defeated 11 more monsters after the first thornling. The second one proved to be no smarter, jumping at them and getting killed shortly after. Lev still had around 30% of his mana, but Amelia and Kayla were almost completely tapped. Jack was only slightly tired, ready to fight for hours due to his high physical attributes and associated skills. Returning to the clearing, Lev gazed at the spread-out tents and camping gear. Their group was the last to return, no doubt because of Kayla¡¯s passive buffs. Apart from the passive mana regeneration bonus, it also slowly healed everyone in her surroundings while letting them regain their stamina faster. The last passive buff slightly increased the effect of attributes for her allies, except wisdom.

    Sara led them to their tents, where they ate a hearty stew. The cook who had made it got the most out of minimal ingredients and made something delicious. Their exhaustion caught up with them shortly after, seeing them all fall asleep in minutes. Lev briefly inspected his status before turning in for the night.

    [

    Name: Lev

    Class: Bladewalker - Level 11

    Titles: None

    Attributes:

    Strength: 32

    Dexterity: 35

    Constitution: 33

    Intelligence: 57

    Wisdom: 44

    Perception: 44

    Class Skills:

    Arcane Barrier Manipulation - Level 2

    Incisive Edge - Level 2

    Whirling Rim - Level 2

    Barrier Armor - Level 1

    Opportunity - Level 2

    Swiftfoot - Level 1

    Heavy Lifting - Level 1

    Needle Precision - Level 2

    General Skills:

    Mana Manipulation - Level 10

    Identify

    ]

 Chapter 13

    A few hours before dawn, Lev awoke to an examinee yelling for everyone to wake up. Scrambling out of his tent, he realized none of the hunters were present.

    If I didn¡¯t have to worry about impressions, I would¡¯ve laughed at how badly staged this feels.

    Lev was almost certain that the hunters were observing the camp, scrutinizing their response. There was still a small chance that this ambush was not staged, but Lev was not worried. They hadn''t seen anything his group couldn¡¯t deal with this far into the forest.

    The trees around them were almost 15 meters tall. As Lev and his friends donned their newbie armor, he signaled Amelia. She turned on her Heat Perception and scanned the surroundings before turning back to him.

    ¡°They are all hiding in the trees in the distance, definitely observing us.¡± She informed him with a small laugh. ¡°Monsters are coming in from each direction, a lot of them.¡±

    ¡°What do you think, Jack?¡± Lev turned towards him once the large man had put on his armor.

    ¡°I say we hit ¡®em hard and fast like real men,¡± Jack¡¯s exaggerated voice boomed, successfully completing its purpose of making the girls roll their eyes. Lev just laughed.

    Moving out in formation, Lev kept an eye out for directions where currently no examinees were paying attention. Lighting up a wooden stick created by Kayla, they marched into the forest from their side of the camp. Amelia pointed out the pack of wolves about to show themselves. Getting the jump on the wolves, Lev killed two of them outright, whereas Kayla killed another before they even knew what had happened. The last one was put down by a few swings of Amelia¡¯s swords.

    Moving counter-clockwise to reach the other side of the camp faster, they felled another two packs of wolves that put up decent resistance. When they reached the other side, they realized where all the monsters were.

    ¡°Kayla, can you cast the buff on me?¡± Lev asked her while looking at the tree branches, forming a plan. Feeling the increase in his main attribute, he jumped on a barrier before floating up. ¡°You guys go help the others. I¡¯ll support you from above.¡±

    While the others moved into the fray, Lev jumped from tree to tree. Using his barriers as stepping stones, he reached his destination within seconds. Almost directly in front of the examinees, Lev noticed how five heavily armored warriors, including Jack, were holding back the monsters while examinees were launching spell after spell in a controlled panic. Amelia and other non-defensive warriors were protecting the mages.

    ****

    Lory was rethinking her life decisions. When her Ma had warned her about the dangers of monster combat, she had ignored them and put on a brave face. She even believed it, ready to make a name for herself and do her parents proud.

    Now, the resolve was slowly falling apart. Her earth mage class gave her all the necessary tools to fight, but her tremor sense also vividly allowed her to sense the dozens of monsters attacking them. More still slowly streaming into the clearing. She barely noticed something jumping in the trees, gone before she could focus on it.

    If monsters start jumping on us from above, we¡¯re dead.

    Firing an earth bolt at a wolf lunging for a melee fighter, she moved on to trip another, trying to circle around. Before she could do anything, however, its head separated from its body. The darkness of the night and the shadows formed by the torches masked the attack.

    What?

    Unable to spare any more attention to the weird occurrence, she focused on supporting the frontline. Lory was casting another earth bolt when a thornling jumped at a water mage next to her. Lory wanted to shout a warning, to push the mage out of the way with her earth manipulation, but before she could do any of that, the thornlings body was split in two. She briefly noticed something flying away.

    What the hell is going on? What was that?

    To her left, a warrior launched a fireball from her sword towards a group of five goblins, throwing them all to the ground. Before they could get up and move any further, three of the same circular objects tore them apart.

    Are those some energy constructs? Barriers?

    Slowly, the monsters fell to the examinees. When the last wolf corpse hit the ground, a screech pulled everyone¡¯s attention to the treetops. A thornling, bigger and bulkier than its brethren, was about to get a jump on the hybrid warrior. Before anyone could react, round barriers lodged themselves into it one after another. By the end, the thornling was embedded into a trunk, very much dead.

    Everyone stared at the terrifying corpse, wondering the same question.

    Who did that?

    ****

    Lev felt something to his far left, away from the clearing when the monster jumped at Amelia.

    Probably Sara or someone else was about to launch an attack. Guess my perception was high enough to pick up something even at that distance.

    Lev recalled his five barriers, still stuck in the corpse. Jumping on them, he landed next to Amelia and Jack. Everyone present was giving him looks of respect and gratitude, which he graciously ignored. Despite everything, he noticed that nobody was injured beyond a few scrapes and bruises. Everyone present was competent enough to be selected as a candidate.

    ¡°Wooh, that was fun,¡± Lev exhaled, looking at the carnage they had caused. Jack laughed while Kayla shook her head. Amelia was silent, gazing solemnly at the corpse of the thornling.

    She jumped when Lev suddenly put an arm around her shoulders. ¡°Cheer up! I¡¯m pretty sure you could¡¯ve dealt with it by yourself anyway.¡± Lev tried to lighten the mood.

    ¡°I froze when it mattered the most.¡± She muttered in a small voice.

    ¡°Then it¡¯s a good thing you froze when we were still around. Besides, I¡¯m pretty sure Jack was a moment away from jumping in front of you, and Kayla¡¯s roots were almost done casting. The whole thing wasn¡¯t nearly as bad as it looked.¡± Lev laughed and ruffled her hair. Expecting her to move away, she made no move to stop Lev.

    Damn, she¡¯s not taking it well.

    Taking a deep breath, she looked at him with steel in her eyes. ¡°I just have to not freeze the next time. Simple enough.¡± She nodded to herself as if it made all the sense in the world.

    Never mind.

    Two minutes later, the hunters returned and announced that there would be a briefing about why this happened and who did what wrong. Before long, they told everyone to go back to sleep. They all slept like logs.

    ****

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    Lev and his group ate the same tasty stew after they woke up. Gathering in the clearing, they chatted about the last night before a ranger from Paul¡¯s team stood up and garnered everyone¡¯s attention. When he spoke, his voice was hard but not unkind.

    ¡°I am sure some of you have guessed why we set up the ambush last night. For those who have not, we let it happen because it is the reality of being a hunter.¡± He paused, letting his words sink in. ¡°Being a hunter is not easy. We roam the plains under the constant threat of monster waves and ambushes. It takes mere minutes for monsters of an area to band up and form a small wave. We do not know how, but it happens far too fast to allow any sort of preparation. All of you were brought here as adventurer candidates, aiming for the very top. Some of you did well, some of you did subpar.¡± He gave everyone a long look, as did the rest of the hunters. ¡°Think, and think hard about if you still want to be an adventurer. Last night was an average night for a hunter. The other regions of Monarch, while barely explored, are far more dangerous than the plains. Be smart.¡± With his speech finished, he moved back to stand by his team.

    Half of the examinees looked resigned, wary. Some looked conflicted, while others looked even more determined. Lev¡¯s group was part of the latter. Lev himself just looked around casually.

    I already expected this, but others seem to have just realized what it means to be outside the walls.

    Dale took the ranger¡¯s position and proclaimed loudly. ¡°The exam was supposed to test individual prowess today. We have already seen enough through last night. The monsters showed up in greater numbers than we expected, giving us ample opportunity to see how everyone performed.¡±

    Five minutes later, they were again in the carts going back to Whitefall. On their way back, Lev checked his notifications.

    [

    Your group has slain [Brown Wolf - Level 13]

    Your group has slain [Brown Wolf - Level 14]

    ¡­

    You have slain [Thornling - Level 38]

    Heavy Lifting has Leveled up to 2

    Bladewalker has reached Level 12

    Bladewalker has reached Level 13

    ¡­

    Bladewalker has reached Level 19

    40 Free attribute points

    ]

    Lev distributed his free points according to his plan, putting 18 in intelligence, 6 in perception and wisdom, 4 in dexterity and constitution, and 2 in strength.

    He felt his manipulation range and mana capacity increase slightly, along with a warm tingle across his body from the physical attribute increase. The sensation vanished after a few seconds. He joined his friends in idle chatter afterward.

    ****

    A heavy voice told Dale to enter moments after he knocked at the impressive wooden doors. Stepping inside, he found himself in a simple office. Whitefall¡¯s Guildmaster Hakim motioned for Dale to take a seat.

    ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± Hakim inquired, looking up from the reports he had been reading.

    ¡°It went well, Guildmaster,¡± Dale answered respectfully.

    Hakim rolled his eyes. ¡°How many times do I have to tell you to drop the formalities?¡±

    ¡°Ah, but it wouldn¡¯t do to address the exalted Guildmaster so casually,¡± Dale answered with a smirk.

    ¡°Then just don¡¯t do it in front of anyone else, idiot.¡±

    They both chuckled at that. Dale had known the man for decades, during which they had become close friends.

    ¡°Anything you want to add to these reports? I still don¡¯t really understand why the exam ended early.¡± The Guildmaster asked as he reclined in his chair.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t supposed to. That only happened because more monsters followed us than intended. The amount was just enough for the kids to handle without overwhelming them. By the time they defeated the monsters, we had seen enough to conclude the exam.¡± Dale clarified.

    ¡°I see, I see. Hmm. What brings you here today?¡± Hakim put the papers into a drawer, no longer in business mode.

    ¡°Actually, I came here because of the exam. Open the reports on Oriana¡¯s kids.¡± Dale replied. Hakim perked up at that.

    Opening the mentioned pages, Hakim found out they had the approval of every hunter and were recommended for an immediate bronze promotion. ¡°Impressive but nothing special. What about them?¡± He asked Dale in confusion.

    ¡°It¡¯s about the boy, Lev. Out of the 81 monsters his team killed during the night, Lev killed 35 of them, including a level 38 thornling.¡±

    Hakim perked up even further, scanning the reports intensely. ¡°Interesting, very interesting. And what type of class does this young man have?¡±

    ¡°Barrier Mage.¡±

    Hakim blinked. ¡°Barriers? A defense-focused class?¡±

    Dale shook his head. ¡°No, his barriers are sharp and fast. They were almost invisible in the night, cutting through monsters easily. They also spin really fast, making them even sharper.¡±

    Hakim leaned back in his chair again. Barriers were notoriously hard to form properly at a level that low and ate through mana. ¡°Any clue how he managed that?¡±

    Dale nodded. ¡°He is a disciple of Alec Zar. Even if the apprenticeship lasted only two months, Lev achieved his class in that time.¡±

    All the pieces clicked in Hakim¡¯s mind. Oriana personally oversees the progress of an orphan, apprenticing said orphan to a prodigy, the boy¡¯s exceptional showing, and Dale¡¯s visit.

    ¡°You want me to ensure that the boy gets treated well. Why?¡± Hakim asked Dale.

    ¡°Because he has both the potential strength and drive to become a good adventurer. I gave it some thought. Lev¡¯s class can fill a lot of different roles. If nurtured properly, he could prove valuable in the near future.¡±

    Hakim chewed on the information, conceding about the usefulness of a barrier mage. From great offense to defense, the class also offered a remarkable level of utility. It would indeed be very useful.

    ¡°Makes sense, makes sense. Anything else you want to add?¡±

    Dale thought for a moment. ¡°He and Oriana seemed fairly close.¡±

    That brought a genuine smile to Hakim¡¯s face. ¡°Good, that is good. If anyone deserves better in life, it''s that poor soul. Keep an eye out for anyone trying to mess with her orphanage. It cannot be allowed.¡±

    Dale, already aware of Oriana¡¯s personal strength and kindness, gave him a stern nod. Making small talk for a few more minutes, he bade farewell and left the office.

 Chapter 14

    Arriving at the orphanage, Lev made his way to Oriana¡¯s office. He walked inside with confident strides and took a chair. Oriana just observed his antics with an amused smile.

    ¡°You seem happy,¡± Oriana raised a brow.

    ¡°Of course, my shock and awe tactics worked wonderfully,¡± Lev replied cheerily. Oriana¡¯s face fell flat at that. She stared at him long enough to make him slightly nervous.

    ¡°What did you do?¡± She asked with a bit of steel in her voice. Lev explained how the day had passed without anything interesting of note. When he finished explaining the ambush during the night, she sighed in relief.

    ¡°Sorry, you made it sound like you might have messed around with others in the test to show off.¡± She explained herself, making Lev roll his eyes.

    ¡°Have some faith in your little brother,¡± he muttered.

    Oriana smiled brightly at that, walked up to him, and grabbed him in a hug. ¡°Congratulations. If even half of what you said is true, then getting bronze should be easy. Let¡¯s go meet the rest of your team. Tomorrow, we will announce this to everyone in the orphanage and hold a celebration party.¡±

    ****

    There was nothing alcoholic at the party, so Lev and his friends slept soundly. Waking up completely fresh, they waited for Oriana. She showed up not ten minutes later, wearing simple clothing that covered her arms and legs completely. Looking no less amazing despite the modest clothing, she led them to her office.

    ¡°Not a single child has ever walked out of my orphanage without something to help them along with their life. You guys will be no exception.¡± With that, she put up four boxes on the table. She had kept them under the table as a surprise.

    Kayla¡¯s box looked very much like it contained a wand, which she opened to find that there was indeed a wand inside. It was mostly green, formed with multiple different metals. Very small runes were visible on its surface, too obscured for Lev to make heads or tails of.

    Amelia¡¯s box had a pair of bracers inside. She immediately checked how they interacted with her class skills and found them able to store heat that she could use at will. The bracers reached their limit rather quickly but could hold enough heat to let her use her enhancement for a few more minutes at low intensity.

    Jack¡¯s box looked suspiciously like a hammer. Opening it, he found a silver hammer with flat ends on both sides. With Identification, he found that it had an enchantment to enhance the blunt force delivered through the weapon. The weapon itself was long, giving him enough reach to contend with a longsword user easily. The shaft made up most of the length, thick enough that Lev would barely completely wrap his hand around it. Jack¡¯s large hands had no problem accomplishing that.

    Lev¡¯s box was long like Kayla¡¯s, which he opened to find a pair of short swords and a simple message. It read,

    ¡®Congratulations Lev

    -Alec¡¯

    Eagerly grabbing the shortswords, his face fell when he realized that they were slightly hollow, with only empty space in place of its sharp edge. Prodding the swords, he found a channel. Guessing its use, he formed a small tendril-shaped barrier through it. After a moment, the channel ended where it had started, forming a fully closed loop. Realizing the purpose of the swords, he expanded the barrier. It grew to imitate the curved edge of the sword. With a mental command, the barrier started to spin like a chainsaw, creating a short sword that fully utilized his skills.

    Laughing at the discovery, he further cemented his resolve to enhance his movement by manipulating his armor. It could be moved like normal barriers, after all.

    Stopping his Giddy testing, Lev noticed that everyone was staring at him oddly. Clearing his throat, he tried to change the subject. ¡°What does your wand do, Kayla?¡±

    She beamed at him. ¡°It reduces the cost of spells cast through it by up to 25%, depending on how long it has been allowed to gather mana.¡±

    That¡­ was pretty good, Lev decided. He looked at Oriana, who was observing them with a smile. Amelia addressed him before he could say anything.

    ¡°What exactly do your swords do?¡± Amelia questioned, looking at his now hollow swords. Instead of answering, Lev flourished a single sword and brought it in front of her. Sending a barrier tendril inside, he grew it until the edges were filled out. Realization dawned on her face, and before she could say anything, Lev spun the edge at full power.

    Moving away from everyone else, he swung it a few times. The sword produced a crisp whistling sound, cutting cleanly through the air. It was also easier to move around compared to a normal sword. The barrier parted the air and decreased resistance.

    ¡°That''s a mighty gift for an apprentice. You must¡¯ve left a great impression on him to create something like this for you,¡± Oriana remarked.

    ¡°He can smith swords?¡± Lev asked in surprise.

    Oriana shook her head. ¡°No, but he can design them.¡±

    The gifts proved to be a great distraction from the dreadful moment waiting for them. Testing out their gifts for a few moments, they left for the Hunters Guild. This time, they all followed Oriana to the clerks. Instead of talking to them, she motioned for Lev to take the lead.

    Lev didn¡¯t let his nervousness show and walked up to the clerk with confident steps. ¡°Hey, where can we see the results for the last recruitment exam?¡±

    The lady behind the counter replied in a professional tone. ¡°We have the results with us. Please give me your names so I can check.¡±

    ¡°Lev, Jack, Kayla, and Amelia.¡±

    The clerk looked at the result papers before her eyes widened slightly in surprise. ¡°You and your team are immediately given bronze rank and will be eligible for iron rank as soon as you hit level 75.¡±

    She then went inside and brought four badges with her. ¡°These will be your identification badges. Please send a bit of mana inside them to bind them to you.¡± The badge was made of bronze, with a bow and arrow etched on its surface. Lev wasn¡¯t sure if the material was going to match a hunter¡¯s rank because that would get very expensive for the guild.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    When they did so, they looked back to find Oriana missing. Less than a minute later, she came back accompanied by an imposing man with dark brown skin. He was even taller than Jack, nearly two meters in height, but didn''t sport massive muscles. That only served to make him lithe and even more imposing.

    ¡°Greetings, greetings. I am Hakim, the Guildmaster of Whitefall¡¯s Hunter Guild.¡± His voice was deep and carried weight beyond just the sound. The clerk bowed her head to show respect. Lev identified him.

    [Warrior]

    The Guildmaster saw the confusion on his face and guessed that Lev had identified him. ¡°Blocking Stones are very useful when you don''t want to publicly announce your level.¡± He winked at Lev.

    For a moment, Lev was scared Hakim had noticed his Identify before realizing he must¡¯ve read Lev¡¯s expression. Oriana had reassured him that humans couldn''t feel the skill being used on them, and so far, none of the monsters had been reported to be able to do so, either.

    ¡°I came down here to clear some confusion you must be having. The special treatment is not to curry any favors, as someone suspected,¡± He glanced at Oriana and smiled. His smile widened even further when Oriana rolled her eyes. By now, everyone in the hall was observing them.

    ¡°It is a reward for your own efforts. All of you were fully approved for immediate bronze rank by the examiners. A few even spoke highly of your team. Especially you.¡± He looked at Lev. Oriana gave him a look at that.

    ¡°Thank you for your kind words, but it was a group effort that allowed me to succeed.¡± Lev bowed his head slightly in gratitude.

    ¡°Hah! Humility in a hunter, that is rare.¡± Hakim boomed a laugh. ¡°Personally, I¡¯m also curious about your abilities. Barrier mages are vanishingly rare outside of crafters.¡± He had a twinkle in his eyes that resonated with Lev. He formed a simple barrier and floated it in front of the Guildmaster.

    The Guildmaster observed the barrier closely, flicking it with a finger. The barrier moved back a bit. Flicking it harder, the result was the same. He took a stance and punched it dead center. The barrier cracked at that. The excitement in Guildmaster¡¯s eyes dimmed.

    Realizing what he wanted, Lev formed another barrier. This one was bigger and much more robust than the previous one.

    With a smile, he motioned Lev to move it where no one would be present behind it. Taking a stance, he punched it much harder than before. The barrier was once again hit in the center and flew back at high speeds before Lev got it back under control.

    The barrier was undamaged.

    He¡¯s controlling his strength and putting on a show. Why?

    The Guildmaster laughed and took a stance again. Lev obliged, bringing the barrier back in front of him. The following punch almost moved too fast for Lev to track and hit it in the center for the third time. The barrier shot backward with a shockwave before slamming into the wall.

    Despite being riddled with cracks, it was still whole.

    ¡°Interesting! Very interesting. That is one fine class you have, young man. I¡¯ve heard that they are also extremely sharp. Care to demonstrate that?¡± The Guildmaster looked giddy, too excited for a simple demonstration in Lev¡¯s opinion.

    At Lev¡¯s assent, a clerk bought out four different wooden dummies. Each of them looked more resilient than the last. The Guildmaster motioned for him to go ahead.

    Forming a large barrier, he sharpened its edges, commanding it to spin at full speed. Lev launched it at the weakest dummy. The barrier cleanly bisected it at the waist. The second dummy also met the same fate. For the third dummy, Lev formed a smaller barrier and pushed his skills to the limit. Making it as sharp as possible, Lev aimed it at the dummy¡¯s neck. It cleaved through with only a hint of difficulty. Doing the same for the fourth dummy, Lev watched as the barrier slammed into its neck with a loud crack, using all of its forward momentum and centrifugal force in an instant, followed by the sound of the wooden head hitting the floor.

    ¡°Marvelous! Well done, Lev. Can I call you Lev?¡± The Guildmaster asked him, continuing at his nod. ¡°Those dummies cover training for most of the Bronze rank. You managed to behead the Level 50 adjacent one at the end. Albeit barely, it is still impressive, considering you are still in the Copper rank level range. Does anyone here think Lev does not deserve the Bronze rank despite his level?¡±

    Ah, that was also his goal all along.

    A few people looked jealous. None of them tried to create a scene, though. Lev considered it a fair trade for showing his abilities publicly. He knew from experience that such matters could escalate very quickly.

    ¡°Welcome to the Hunters Guild, kids. I expect greatness from each of you.¡± With a grand thumbs up, Guildmaster Hakim blurred back to his office. The crowd dispersed, and people went back to their business.

    Lev, Jack, Kayla, Amelia, and the clerk looked at each other before the four of them burst out laughing. Even the clerk cracked a smile.

    ¡°Well, that happened.¡± Lev mused once he calmed down.

    ¡°So, Mr. Bigshot. How are your barriers so durable?¡± Amelia asked while poking him in the ribs.

    Dodging the deadly attacks, Lev hastily replied. ¡°They aren''t. The Guildmaster held back considerably and made the last punch look much stronger. In reality, it was not much stronger than the one before it. He slowed his fist at the last moment. There¡¯s no way my barriers would¡¯ve survived a punch of that caliber.¡±

    Satisfied with the answer, she stopped her barrage. They all looked toward Oriana about what they were doing next, but she just shook her head.

    ¡°You are Bronze-ranked hunters now. Congratulations. You have graduated from the Orphanage. With your rank, there are many inns available for you to stay in and get a discount.¡± She said with a sad yet proud smile.

    All of them knew this was coming, but it still felt like a punch in the gut. They just stood there, looking at her. She moved toward them, giving them all a tight hug one by one. She handed Lev a small pouch.

    ¡°Visit me whenever you get the chance, okay? All of you.¡±

    They all nodded dumbly, and before long, they were left by themselves at the Hunters Guild.

 Chapter 15

    Lev and his friends sat around one of the tables present in the Guild Hall, still reeling from suddenly becoming homeless. Sort of. The mood was glum and sad, and nobody spoke for a few minutes. Eventually, Lev sighed and closed his eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. She¡¯s still going to be in her office. We can visit her whenever.¡± Lev said out aloud, both for himself and his friends.

    Opening his eyes, he noticed his friends were still lost in thought. Before he could say anything, curiosity made him open the pouch Oriana had given him.

    ¡°What the hell,¡± Lev exclaimed in surprise at the pouch¡¯s contents, getting everyone¡¯s attention. They all leaned closer to look inside.

    Inside the pouch were 15 silver coins. The currency in the plains worked the same as the ranks in the Hunters guild, except for iron. Copper was the lowest-value coin. A person could buy a day¡¯s worth of rations with ten coppers. A bronze coin was worth 100 coppers. Silver coins were worth 100 bronze coins. Gold and platinum coins scaled similarly, but only the richest ever got a whiff of them.

    Lev and his group fell in thought again. Oriana had given them too much money. They could live for years on just that much without ever having to work. None of them wanted that, but it was nice to have that backup plan. Anything could happen at any time.

    Jack, noticing how the mood remained glum, spoke up first. ¡°How about we go check the bulletin board? See what quests we can take as Bronze ranks.¡±

    Quietly agreeing, they made their way to the board. Scanning it from top to bottom, Lev realized that bronze-rank quests were rare. There were only a few of them, and even those would take weeks to complete. Discussing it with his friends, he narrowed it down to two. They had all the time in the world, so any reasonably long quest was fine.

    All the quests were caravan quests, asking for a few bronze-rank adventurers to join up with a team of silver or iron ranks. They picked the quest of escorting a caravan to Windkeep. It was the third city from Whitefall, requiring a month of travel. Windkeep was famous for its perilous location. The caravan was traveling through completely mapped safe routes, but the general location of the city was far from safe. The caravan was going to depart in three days.

    The decision was not hasty. They already knew that Whitefall was far beyond them when it came to hunting and progressing. Even the weakest of monsters at the edges of the forest region could tear them apart. The lack of dungeons and White Grove simply paled in comparison to the opportunities offered by Windkeep. The goblin wave Lev was allowed to see was originally thousands strong, and those thousands were fleeing for their lives. That made their choice of avoiding the nearby regions and traveling to Windkeep even more convincing. It was the City of Hunters, famous for providing multiple avenues of progression.

    They made their way back to the table and pondered their next steps. Amelia kept track of everything they needed. ¡°Rations, one of the recently invented refillable water bottles, clothes, camping gear, and anything useful we see.¡± They all nodded at the list. Lev stayed behind to gather more information about the city while the other three went to hunt for the supplies. All of them were familiar enough with the Merchant¡¯s district to avoid any trouble.

    Walking up to the same clerk who had given them their badge, Lev voiced his question. ¡°Where can I find information on the surrounding cities and the general area around them?¡±

    The clerk smiled at him. ¡°You¡¯re in luck, hunter. Clerks in any Hunter or Adventurer guild halls are required to memorize general information about surrounding cities and offer it freely. What would you like to know about?¡±

    ¡°Anything about Windkeep you can tell me, and your name,¡± Lev added as an afterthought.

    ¡°My name is Mary. I have been working here for two years. Windkeep is roughly a month of travel away from Whitefall. The general location is at a higher elevation than the surrounding lands for reasons unknown. Windkeep is situated in the middle of the highland and gets its name from the constant breeze that flows through it. The land itself is plain, just with a very slight curve. By the time one gets there, there¡¯s nothing to tell that they are hundreds of meters higher than the surrounding cities.

    ¡°The area around the city is dangerous, some parts far more than others. To the east are plains with few trees. The monsters in these parts are lower leveled in comparison, ranging from 30-100. To the west are the Dreadwoods, getting their name from the fact that they harbor monsters up to level 220 on the outer edges. Anyone below platinum rank is banned from entering, but anyone with common sense avoids the place like a plague. Unlike Whitefall, there are many dungeons present in the general vicinity. Overall, it is the most lucrative city for hunters to advance. The population also crossed a million in the last decade.¡±

    Lev thanked her for the information and moved back to their table. The Hunters Guild was rather empty today. Lev thought about Windkeep and what they could achieve there. It provided a straightforward path of progress towards Level 200, but that was going to take years or even a decade. And that was still a generous estimate. Their leveling speed was going to slow down gradually, the last ten levels before Level 100 taking much longer than ten levels would now. Their skills would upgrade to the 2nd rank after level 10, giving them a new effect. All of that needed time and, more importantly, monsters to fight against. Money would not be an issue when taking rank-appropriate quests. With the beginning of a plan in mind, he waited for others to return.

    The rest of the group returned after an hour, having scouted everything they needed to buy. They sat around the table and discussed their next steps.

    ¡°The refillable water bottle alone costs 40 bronze coins. It''s so expensive.¡± Kayla huffed, already attached to their money. ¡°Everything else combined costs less than 20 bronze coins.¡±

    ¡°How does it even work?¡± Lev asked, interested in why the price was so high.

    It was Amelia who answered. ¡°You just put mana into the container, and it pulls water from the atmosphere. There''s also a small filter, so it¡¯s safe to drink.¡±

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°That sounds like it¡¯s worth every copper. Why are you complaining?¡± Lev looked at Kayla.

    ¡°That¡¯s still so much money, even if it is worth it. I haven¡¯t ever held a silver coin.¡± Kayla glared at the table as if it had personally offended her. Chuckling, Lev tossed her one of the silver coins that she scrambled to catch before it fell. Glaring at him for a moment, she focused on the coin and inspected it. Done with her inspection, she tossed it back.

    ¡°What do we do now? Lev asked after everyone fell silent.

    Amelia shrugged. ¡°Relax?¡±

    And so they relaxed for two days. They visited one of the inns sponsored by the Hunters Guild, getting two decently large rooms in just 20 coppers each per night. The next day, they explored the city alone, looking for things they might have missed by not being able to afford them. The Crafter¡¯s District was filled with exciting items and potions, but all of it was extremely expensive. The unenchanted gear for sale was decent for beginners, so they each bought a set of armor or weapons they lacked. Jack¡¯s was the most pricey, covering his entire body from helmet to boots. Amelia¡¯s was not as heavy, giving her ample room for movement while protecting all vitals. She also got a helmet. Lev and Kayla¡¯s armor was light, letting them run around the battlefield easily.

    Seeing nothing else of interest, they gathered in The Park and idly chatted till nightfall. Much of the next day went the same way, with them buying everything they needed before dusk.

    Waking up on the day they were going to depart, Lev and his friends gathered their few supplies and went to say their goodbyes to Oriana. She was already waiting for them at the entrance of the orphanage.

    ¡°Of course, you already knew,¡± Lev muttered with a smile.

    ¡°Windkeep is probably the best choice all of you could¡¯ve made. When do you leave?¡± Oriana asked.

    ¡°Within two hours,¡± Kayla replied.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably best if you get there early. Can never be too sure.¡± She motioned for them to come closer.

    One by one, all of them said their goodbyes and hugged her. Before they left, she handed Lev a letter and told him to give it to Windkeep¡¯s Guildmaster. Fifteen minutes of leisurely walking later, they found themselves at the city gates again. Passing through, they noticed two dozen carts stationed at the left side of the road. Marching up to them, the hunter sitting on a cart close to the road looked them over before scanning a list in his hands. Nodding, he got up with a smile before it froze. He checked the list again and looked at them with doubt.

    ¡°Are you the bronze team going to leave with us today?¡± The man asked once he had looked over them again.

    ¡°Yeah, recently registered team, as was asked for,¡± Lev replied, offering his hand for a handshake. Realization dawned on his face as he shook Lev¡¯s hand.

    ¡°The name¡¯s Peter. I¡¯m the leader of the iron-ranked team escorting the caravan. Come, I¡¯ll introduce you to the rest of the team.¡± He led them past two carts, where four people were milling about on grass. All of them were male.

    [Warrior - Level 89]

    [Warrior - Level 90]

    [Mage - Level 90]

    [Mage - Level 90]

    Lev inspected the man who had brought them here.

    [Warrior- Level 90]

    Very similar levels. Matches with the slower leveling at higher levels.

    ¡°Why are a bunch of coppers here?¡± One of the warriors asked.

    ¡°We were directly promoted to bronze rank,¡± Kayla answered, a bit of annoyance seeping into her voice.

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense. Did ya pay-¡± The warrior got cut off by a slap at the back of his head. The mage who slapped him spoke up. ¡°Of course not.¡±

    Before the warrior could question him, the leader spoke up. ¡°They are adventurer candidates who performed well enough to be promoted even before the required level. Is that correct?¡± He turned towards Lev, who responded with a nod.

    ¡°Should¡¯ve bloody started with that. Welcome onboard.¡± The warrior smiled a smile missing two teeth.

    For the next two hours, they waited for the merchants and their goods to show up. The carts they were traveling in were larger than the ones they used for the exam. Slowly, most of them filled up with different types of merchandise, leaving enough space for the iron and two bronze teams to comfortably sit in. Lev and his friends settled in a cart half filled, with enough space for them to lie down side by side. The journey was going to take over a month, so they made themselves at home.

    When the carts started moving, Lev and his friends gazed upon the retreating wall of Whitefall. The place they had spent their entire lives. Even if it had not felt truly like a home because of their unfortunate past, it was the next best thing. All the memories were going to remain with them forever. Even if they were not going to be leaving for good, the moment was too bittersweet. Lev was going to miss Oriana and the little menaces he had seen grow up alongside him in the orphanage.

    The journey to the closest city went without a hitch. Timberhold was the first city in the line of cities, known for the great amount of trees and vegetation surrounding it. Not enough to be called a forest, but still the main provider of wood. In eight days, they stopped briefly outside the gates to restock. The merchants, who were clearly regulars in this field, made short work of their restock list. They were back on the road in less than two hours.

 Chapter 16

    The journey to the second city, Bluerock, went uninterrupted and they kept moving without stopping at the city. Twenty days into their quest, the caravan halted at the start of the most perilous road on their route. This part was notorious for its roaming monsters and packs. When they entered the area, the leader of the iron party called for a brief stop.

    ¡°The area we are about to enter is called Roaming Wilds. Most notably, Trolls, Orcs, Bears, Goblins, and Hornstrikers constantly move throughout the region. From now on, I want all of you to remain vigilant and report any unusual occurrences and all monster sightings.¡±

    Both bronze teams gave him a stiff nod. Something about the area they were entering set him on the edge. Lev noted that it wasn''t just him acting weirdly, everyone looked tense. The grasslands around them stretched as far as they could see and evoked an ominous instinct.

    After only 10 minutes, they were attacked by an Orc raiding party of 14. Lev identified the closest ones.

    [Orc - Level 55]

    [Orc - Level 52]

    Shit, too high for us.

    The iron team moved ahead and met their charge while the leader shouted orders. ¡°Stay behind, and do not let any of them go around us. Focus on protecting the carts and Merchants!¡±

    Lev looked back at the two dozen or so merchants. They looked ready to fight if the need be, despite their non-combat classes. Mentally approving their resolve¡ªor greed, Lev focused on the Orcs. He moved closer to the fight to get them inside his manipulation range, stopping just twenty meters away from the iron team and looking for any openings to exploit. The iron team noticed the bronze team mages coming closer and created small opportunities.

    When one of the Orcs tried to jump on a mage from their blindspot, it didn''t notice the whirring barrier aimed for its neck. The skin parted with little resistance before the barrier stopped dead after hitting the bone, unable to damage it. But it had done its job as blood was rushing out of the wound like a fountain.

    Dismissing the barrier, Lev looked for any more opportunities. An orc had a fireball explode in its face, disrupting its obvious slow overhead attack. Before it could regain its bearings, a sharp piece of wood smashed into its eye. Roaring in pain, a barrier cut halfway through its neck before it could even take a step. With a carotid artery severed, it bled out in moments. The mages in Lev¡¯s team could not find another opening as the remaining orcs were too close to the iron team. Another Orc went for a slow attack, disrupted by the other team¡¯s mages. Despite both bronze teams¡¯ constant attention, only one more orc fell to their tactics.

    About five minutes later, all of the Orcs were dead, but that did little to ease their worries. The leader of the iron team looked slightly disgruntled, and everyone else was considering if moving further was worth it.

    Less than 10 minutes in, and we were already attacked. And there''s still more than a week of travel remaining before we get to Windkeep.

    Peter looked at the lower-ranked teams and nodded to both of them. Even if there was no room for the melee combatants, they had done well. Slowly, his expression eased as he walked up to the merchants.

    None of the previous uncertainty was present on the iron team leader¡¯s face, unlike the merchants. Peter scanned each of them, taking in their expressions and body language. The usually money-hungry traders were tense, unwilling to stay here any more than necessary, one way or another.

    ¡°We need to make a decision,¡± Peter started. ¡°Either we turn back now or make a run for it.¡±

    The Merchants looked uneasy, and one of them stepped up. He looked like a man in his thirties if longevity from levels was ignored. With a deep sigh, his eyes roamed the monster corpses before looking at Peter.

    ¡°How likely are we to run into something above your Level?¡± He asked the leader.

    ¡°I am sure you are as aware of this as I am. The chances are minimal,¡± Peter explained.

    The merchant looked back at the others and nodded. ¡°I say we make a run for it. Who agrees?¡± Most of the merchants agreed with him, so they mounted their carts again.

    Members of both bronze teams looked slightly confused and worried, but they believed if Peter did not deem informing them worth it, they would not ask. Somehow, both teams deduced that they were better off not knowing.

    Lev checked his notifications before they started moving.

    [

    You have slain [Orc - Level 51]

    Your group has slain [Orc - Level 50]

    Your group has slain [Orc - Level 50]

    Arcane Barrier Manipulation Leveled up to 3

    Opportunity Leveled up to 3

    Bladewalker has reached Level 20

    ¡­

    Bladewalker has reached Level 26

    35 Free attribute points

    ]

    I need mana. Lots of it. If nothing changes, we will be fighting all the way to Windkeep.

    With that in mind, Lev put 2 points into Intelligence and Wisdom and one in Perception from every level.

    Feeling his mana pool expand, he grinned. The class provided far more mana than what was typical. Looking at his status, he decided that his attributes were now high enough to start using his barriers for movement during fighting. The strain was still too much to fight on them while manipulating other barriers and maintaining the shortsword edges. Grabbing his short swords, he meditated on how to make them more efficient. As it stood, they used far too much mana and conscious effort.

    Half an hour later, Peter''s voice brought him back to reality. The carts stopped. Everyone stepped out and faced Peter.

    ¡°The plan is pretty simple. My team and I will stop anything too strong from making it to the carts. And you. Your job will be to defeat the lower-level monsters and protect the merchants. Do not let the carts get damaged if you can help it.¡±

    The orders went unquestioned by both hunters and merchants, and the carts moved to form a circle. The merchants barricaded themselves between them, preparing for the worst. The iron team moved to his left, where Lev saw what they were dealing with.

    Goblins, Trolls, and ¡­ are those goats? Probably the hornstrikers Peter mentioned.

    The two mages of the other bronze team stood on top of the carts. Jack, Amelia, and the rest of the bronze team moved ahead. Kayla stayed behind to heal and support anyone in need. Lev glanced toward her, which she understood. Feeling the Intelligence buff kick in, he formed a barrier and floated above the bronze frontline.

    The meaner and tougher-looking Trolls and Hobgoblins engaged the iron team, letting the smaller monsters move around them. As soon as they got in range, the mages atop the carts launched their spells. Fireballs, earth projectiles, and wood projectiles killed half a dozen on the spot. Jack readied his hammer, undeterred despite his lower level compared to everyone else. The air heated around Amelia, ready to attack directly or fuel her body enhancement.

    Finding a decent angle, Lev launched three of his six barriers in a straight line through the monsters. His increasing attributes and skill levels allowed them to pass through their frail bodies easily. The barriers left a line of corpses and severed limbs in their wake. Stopping them just before they went outside of his manipulation range, he was about to call them back up before three fireballs flew at him. Blocking two with his remaining two barriers, he jumped to the left to avoid the third. The barrier beneath him smoothly flew under him again to provide a platform. Lev narrowed his eyes, barely managing to catch a glimpse of the camouflaged goblin shaman.

    Floating back down, Lev killed as many goblins as he could before warning the frontline. ¡°There¡¯s a shaman in there somewhere, using some spell to hide. Be careful.¡±

    Mages also noticed the fireballs, firing their own spells in hopes of hitting the shaman. The iron team had taken out two of the giant trolls and was currently dealing with the remaining hobgoblins and a single troll.

    Focusing back on their fight, Lev noticed a hornstriker running up to Jack, which he observed intently. The monster had coiled muscles visible beneath its little fur and a pair of horns far too big for its stature that ended in sharp points. Its head was similar to a goat but elongated, its mouth filled with sharp teeth, turning it into something much more terrifying than the mundane animal. Jack sidestepped the mindlessly charging monster before Amelia beheaded it. Lev was about to float up before two more fireballs flew at him. Now that he was wary and waiting for them, he intercepted with little trouble. The barriers withheld the explosion without cracking, and the slight damage was repaired at a low mana cost. Moving to not let the explosions impede his vision, he focused on where he had last seen the shaman. His perception was just high enough to see it. A surge of excitement went through him as he finally spotted the distortion of the shaman¡¯s hiding spell. The battle fervor clouded his mind, and he ignored the safer option of cooperating with the other mages and started running.

    Weaving through the goblins and hornstrikers, he eventually took to running on his barriers to avoid their increasing numbers. By now, his intelligence and perception were high enough to reliably put one barrier in front of the other to run on them, even if the task was still strenuous. Kayla¡¯s buff made it considerably less demanding.

    His mad dash was interrupted when he noticed a large amount of mana gathering in front of him. The momentary lapse allowed his mind to break out of whatever trance he had fallen in, and he scrambled to get all his barriers in front of him while he crouched to make himself a smaller target. The monsters avoided the shaman¡¯s vicinity, letting Lev hunker down without worrying about watching his back. No sooner than his knee touched the ground, the world turned white. A thick bolt of lightning shot toward him, breaking through all six of his barriers before petering out on his armor, cracking it at his stomach where the attack had landed.

    Lev was too focused and defenseless to think of retreating after checking for any damage to his body, so he concentrated on creating a small barrier with the sharpest edges he could manage. Forming one in record time, he sent it toward the center of the distortion. The spell wavered and disappeared, revealing the shrieking form of a staff-wielding goblin holding its left arm. The limb was no longer whole, ending in a stump coloring the grass red with fresh blood. Not wasting a single moment, Lev recalled the barrier and beheaded the stunned monster.

    Instantly, he called the barrier below him and floated higher before running to the frontline. Slowly forming four more barriers, he stopped above the frontline and took care of any stragglers.

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    Ten minutes later, the hunters were back at the carts. Lev knew he had messed up badly, and he was met with glares from everyone. Peter held a stormy expression on his face as well.

    ¡°Why would you do that? Why would you run directly to a monster double your level through a horde of goblins and hornstrikers.¡±

    Lev remained quiet, but Peter continued.

    ¡°Even if you had it planned out, could you have predicted the lightning bolt?¡±

    Peter preemptively stopped his scolding after seeing the boy¡¯s regret and acceptance. He took a deep breath to calm himself. ¡°For the sake of everyone who cares about you, go sit in your cart and think about how stupid that was. You are lucky that goblins are the weaker monsters for their level.¡±

    Lev wanted to say something, but no words felt right. Peter¡¯s words further underlined how close he was to losing his life. All because the above-average was getting to his head. Lev mounted the cart and sat inside, sullen and disappointed in himself.

    He tried to figure out what came over him. Lev had cleared a path toward the shaman and accounted for the position of higher-level monsters. That was supposed to facilitate both bronze teams as they hunted the shaman, not for him to take on the task alone. As he was thinking this, his friends also sat down close to him. Kayla spoke up first.

    ¡°That was dumb.¡± She continued before Lev could say anything. ¡°I know you thought it was a viable course of action, but what if it was hiding hobgoblins next to it?¡± Nobody else said anything, increasing the sting of the words.

    That further dampened his mood. Adding Kayla¡¯s perspective, the risk of his plan seemed tenfold. Even if he had survived the full-powered bolt by some miracle, a single thrown weapon from a hobgoblin could¡¯ve skewered and ended him. The interaction emphasized his delusions even more if Kayla thought he had found the plan viable. He couldn¡¯t bear to tell her he had lost himself in the battle.

    Don''t throw your life away, Lev. Bluerock suffered from the same tactic that Kayla just mentioned.

    ****

    The caravan moved throughout the day and a few hours after sunset. When it was completely dark, they parked the carts together and slept inside without creating any sources of light. Mercifully, nothing attacked them during the night.

    Sleep eluded Lev for the first two hours. He was both confused and angry at himself. Running through a horde of enemies to face a foe that could kill him on the spot was the height of stupidity. For a while, he just lay down and thought about his actions. Kayla and Peter¡¯s words kept ringing louder and louder in his mind. Eventually, he broke out of that negative train of thought. Sitting up, he looked outside the cart and the plains extending as far as he could see. Or would¡¯ve been able to see during the day.

    So much more to explore, yet I risked my life this early without a second thought.

    The realization evoked a mixed response, both amusement and weariness. Lev was swept up in the battle and let it cloud his judgment. Sara, the archer¡¯s words came to mind. The implications were more clear than ever. If he didn¡¯t pace himself, it would only result in an early grave. There was a reason why people who hunted monsters for sport didn¡¯t last long.

    Sleep eventually came. Lev checked his status before going to sleep.

    [

    Name: Lev

    Class: Bladewalker - Level 31

    Titles: None

    Attributes:

    Strength: 34

    Dexterity: 39

    Constitution: 37

    Intelligence: 100

    Wisdom: 64

    Perception: 51

    Class Skills:

    Arcane Barrier Manipulation - Level 3

    Incisive Edge - Level 2

    Whirling Rim - Level 2

    Barrier Armor - Level 2

    Opportunity - Level 3

    Swiftfoot - Level 2

    Heavy Lifting - Level 2

    Needle Precision - Level 2

    General Skills:

    Mana Manipulation - Level 10

    Identify

    ]

    Barrier armor gaining a Level was another reminder of his recklessness. His class benefit and intelligence both strengthened it, allowing him to survive. Not letting himself dwell on his blunder even more, he looked at the first triple-digit attribute in muted satisfaction and drifted off to sleep.

    The next day, everyone unanimously decided to rush to Windkeep as fast as possible. One of the mages in the iron team focused on long-range spells, so they kept watch from atop the carts, redirecting them to avoid any roaming monsters. They made great progress, only stopping twice to deal with unavoidable encounters. Unbeknownst to them, Kayla¡¯s buff greatly helped the horses keep going.

    The second time they stopped was because of a big Orc party. Lev counted 22 of them, all of them higher level than the ones they had faced before. Grimly, the iron team moved ahead to intercept them and left the others to provide support while defending the merchants and carts. This time, however, the Orc leader led 13 of the Orcs to occupy the iron team while the remaining Orcs charged the carts. The leader Orc itself looked bigger, a few inches taller than the rest. Its muscles were more defined, and its face was less misshapen. Just by gazing upon the monster, Lev knew it was different from the masses.

    Stony resolve was apparent on Peter¡¯s face before he steeled himself. With a single order, all of the iron team stopped conserving their mana. The melee warriors enhanced themselves to the limit while the mages loosed massive spells on the orcs running toward the bronze teams. A massive bolt of lightning arched between three orcs, killing them on the spot, and a massive fireball hit the center of their loose formation.

    Wasting no time, Lev got the buff from Kayla and formed six barriers, each one half a meter in diameter. He launched three of them at the stunned orcs, aiming for as many weak points as he could. Necks, arm joints, and knee joints were carved, impairing four of the standing orcs or disabling them with pain. Jack and Amelia moved ahead with the other three bronze warriors, not wasting any time and letting the orcs recover. The defense-oriented fighters took the lead, most of them focusing on Jack and the other full-plate warrior because of his taunt skill. The first Orc reached Jack, already unable to use its left arm after being wounded from Lev¡¯s attack. Jack¡¯s shield shone brightly, and he hit the monster straight on. It was completely disoriented and swiftly decapitated by Amelia.

    No other monster fell as swiftly. Before long, all of the Orcs were on their feet again despite the injuries. The frontline turned into a slugfest, both teams methodically focusing on singling out Orcs and taking them down one by one. Every time someone was out of position, Kayla¡¯s roots or Lev¡¯s barriers would be there to cover them. His high perception allowed him to keep his barriers close to the combatants and react at a moment¡¯s notice. Strikes from blind spots or thrown weapons, his barriers blocked most of them in time to avoid fatal injuries. Jack had it the hardest, being the lowest-level melee fighter and taking the attacks head-on. Lev¡¯s barriers were also becoming increasingly less effective on higher-level monsters, but the Orcs were eventually taken down without any debilitating mistakes.

    Lev turned his attention to the Iron team¡¯s fight, seeing how only two orcs had fallen so far, no doubt because of the addition of the orc leader. As he watched, the leader orc kicked Peter in the chest. Getting up his arms just in time to block, he went skidding back a meter before preparing to charge the Orc again. His arms were probably bruised but whole. The Orc was about to roar a challenge, but a barrier flew towards it at high speed. Dodging the straightforward attack, it somehow noticed the second barrier flying at its head from above. Getting out of the way of the second attack, it glared around to find the aggressor. A moment later, a barrier lodged itself in its knee from behind. Suddenly unable to properly support itself with its right leg, it tumbled to the ground. Peter wasted no time in using the opportunity, dashing in and evading the Orc¡¯s punch by a hair¡¯s breadth. Its head fell to the ground shortly after.

    With the pressure of the leader Orc gone, the fight accelerated, and the remaining monsters were dead within minutes.

    Back at the camp, Lev was slightly nervous. He had interfered with Peter¡¯s fight without him asking for it. When all the combatants were finished cleaning themselves and ate their fill, Peter looked at Lev.

    Instead of the reprimand he was expecting, he got a ¡°Well done¡± and a nod before Peter walked to his cart. Sighing in relief, Lev also made his way to their cart.

    ¡°My knees hurt,¡± Jack whined jokingly when he and his friends sat down. ¡°Why the hell do my knees hurt from blocking their attacks?¡±

    Chuckling, Lev replied. ¡°Probably because they deal with a lot of pressure when you brace yourself.¡± Jack just stared at him for a few seconds.

    ¡°Huh, so there is an actual reason. Makes sense.¡± Lev just rolled his eyes at that. The girls also laughed softly. Lev identified his friends.

    [Warrior - Level 36]

    [Warrior - Level 38]

    [Mage - Level 37]

    Jack was still the lowest level out of them, but he had almost caught up. Lev noticed that they were slightly behind him in terms of progress, which he attributed to him assisting with more monsters. He checked his own progress.

    [

    Your group has slain [Orc - Level 55]

    Your group has slain [Orc - Level 53]

    ¡­

    Your group has slain [Orc - Level 71]

    ]

    No wonder Peter wasn¡¯t able to kill the leader faster. That¡¯s the highest-level monster I have assisted in killing so far.

    [

    Arcane Barrier Manipulation has reached 4

    Arcane Barrier Manipulation has reached 5

    Opportunity has reached 4

    Whirling Rim has reached 3

    Incisive Edge has reached 3

    Needle Precision has reached 3

    Bladewalker has reached Level 32

    ¡­

    Bladewalker has reached Level 41

    50 Free attribute points

    ]

    ¡­ Why? Just because of the Level gap? This is the most progress I have seen at once, and I wasn''t even a part of the main battle. Or is it because of the higher danger? Or some messed up combination of both of them?

    Lev shook his head. The System¡¯s provided path of fast progress was the most obvious death trap he had seen. Thinking about his free points, he decided to start investing in physical attributes again. The situation was not getting better, and could call for a hasty run at any moment.

 Chapter 17

    The journey continued the same for four more days. Thankfully, none of the monsters they had to fight were as strong as the Orcs. Worryingly, however, the number of monsters they had to fight kept increasing. Oftentimes, they never stopped when encountering a horde, just letting the mages attack the monsters from afar. The monsters usually stopped chasing them after getting tired and taking too many losses or injuries. Some of them were more stubborn and dealt with by the melee combatants.

    The nights were much more perilous than before. The caravan was ambushed twice every night, but they were prepared for it. No losses occurred during their travels. The bronze teams were tired and unable to properly sleep at night. The days were filled with non-stop fighting for survival, only getting worse as they got closer to Windkeep. By the fourth day, even the merchants were using every tool they had. Mages adopted an extremely conservative approach to using mana, keeping it always over half the maximum capacity. Lev had a massive advantage over others. His 25 base attribute points in wisdom, 50% increased capacity, and 20% increased regeneration allowed him to use his abilities more freely.

    The swiftly increasing levels of the bronze team greatly eased their burden, allowing the combatants to fight for longer before getting tired or running out of mana. Thankfully, no one lost any limbs, and Kayla¡¯s healing patched up all other injuries. The presence of a support mage like her proved invaluable.

    The situation kept getting worse. On the fifth day, the melee fighters were running along with the now much slower caravan, constantly defending it from hordes or stray monsters. The area felt off, and the general mood reflected it. Everyone expected something massive to happen at any moment, even more so when the monster density reduced drastically during the second half of the day. They picked up the pace and only rested for a few hours.

    Finally, on the sixth day of entering the Roaming Wilds, they spotted Windkeep. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief when they first spotted the walls in the distance. Two Iron rank teams were dispatched to escort them safely to the gates when they were noticed from afar. They appreciated the gesture even if they didn¡¯t need it.

    As they got closer to the gate, Lev realized that the walls here were even taller than WhiteFall. He could not guess the exact height, but the nearly 10 meters thick walls were made even more imposing by the multitude of archers manning the top and the slits present throughout the walls at fixed intervals. A squad of guards and people in green robes made their way to them long before they got to the wall. Lev identified a person in green robes out of curiosity.

    [Caretaker - Level 79]

    The caretakers undid the straps of the horse harness and pulled the animals aside, checking them for any injuries before feeding them and letting them rest. The guards were already taking account of the merchants and their goods, particularly impressed by the lack of casualties. A short interrogation followed, and they were let in after a few minutes. Lev¡¯s addled mind barely paid attention, tired but amused at the horses getting treated better than humans. He couldn¡¯t blame them, as he would¡¯ve done the same. Horses were precious.

    Lev¡¯s perception allowed him to pick up more details as they got closer, especially the unusual amount of defenders on the walls. He was too tired to really think about it, and seeing how they were ignoring the newcomers, he ignored them, too. The gates were dark gray and imposing, positively brimming with mana from its enchantments. They were let in without delay.

    Windkeep was beautiful. The people were vibrant, moving around with purpose, while some observed their group. The buildings and houses were much more tastefully built and decorated compared to Whitefall. The streets were narrow, with the buildings tightly packed together, probably because of the constant breeze. The breeze in question was flowing through his hair at all times for a few hours now. Lev still enjoyed the sensation. The streets were packed with people of all shapes and sizes. The population seemed even higher than Whitefall. After the vacant space between the city and the walls, mostly residential buildings could be seen. A fountain was situated in the middle of a large crossroad after they had walked for 10 minutes, turning left to get to the Hunters Guild as soon as possible.

    The Hunters Guild Hall looked almost the exact same from the outside, and Lev found the same interior with minor differences. The bronze teams waited by the chairs and tables while the iron team talked to the clerk. When they finished their report, the clerk signaled a runner to confirm the status of the caravan. Ten minutes later, the runner returned with the same details, signifying the completion of the quest. Three coin pouches were handed over to the iron team. Peter checked the contents before giving the clerk a nod. With that done, one of the mages gave a pouch to the other bronze team while Peter made his way toward Lev¡¯s group. He scanned their faces before speaking.

    ¡°Do you know why we took two bronze teams with us instead of another iron team?¡± When they all shook their head, he continued. ¡°Because it¡¯s a cycle of generosity. Whenever someone hits iron or gold rank, they take newbies along to show them the ropes. It ensures that the first experiences of most new teams are in safer environments. It¡¯s also because of this long-standing tradition someone taught us the ropes of escort quests. And now, we helped you through the same cycle. Remember this, and make sure to show the same kindness to others. Humans haven¡¯t survived thus far by being selfish. You have a good team keeping your back.¡±

    With that soft reprimand, Peter gave Lev the pouch he was holding and left the guild hall with his team. Looking inside, Lev counted his payment.

    40 additional bronze coins. Probably for a job well done. Definitely not for that stupid risk.

    Informing his friends about the payment, they sat at one of the few tables strewn about. After just relaxing in silence for ten minutes, Lev got up.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna go look for the Guildmaster and deliver the letter. Wait for me here.¡±

    Lev walked up to the clerk who had marked their quest as complete. With a practiced smile, the clerk asked him.

    ¡°Welcome to Windkeep. How may I assist you.¡±

    ¡°I want to see the Guildmaster.¡±

    The clerk raised a brow. ¡°And why do you want to see him?¡±

    Lev showed the letter to the clerk, who scanned it for a stamp. Seeing the stamp from Whitefall¡¯s Hunters Guild, he motioned for Lev to follow him. On the second floor, they passed a few rooms before stopping in front of ornately decorated wooden doors. A male voice told them to enter after the clerk knocked twice. The clerk stayed outside and waited for him to move in.

    The Guildmaster was a well-built man with black hair and light skin. He was slightly taller than Lev, with considerably more muscle. He observed Lev for a moment and pointed towards a chair.

    ¡°Greetings Guildmaster. I just arrived with a caravan from Whitefall and was told to give you this letter.¡± Lev politely introduced himself and put the letter on the table. The Guildmaster grabbed the letter and opened it.

    ¡°Well, this is a surprise. I was expecting a request of sorts, not a recommendation letter.¡± He scanned Lev once again, evidently more interested. ¡°What Level were you when the caravan departed.¡±

    Lev thought for a moment. ¡°19, I think.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re already Level 46. Makes sense with the current conditions.¡± The Guildmaster nodded. ¡°Hakim is not easy to please, yet he approves of you. What element do you wield?¡±

    ¡°Barriers,¡± Lev replied, a little wary.

    The Guildmaster paused. ¡°Barriers¡­ What sort?¡±

    ¡°Arcane.¡±

    ¡°Show me,¡± The Guildmaster challenged. Lev was getting nervous now. There would be no Oriana in Windkeep to save him. Tensely, he formed the strongest barrier he could manage.

    The Guildmaster observed it closely. ¡°What else?¡±

    Lev made the barriers spin at maximum speed. With the large increase in intelligence and higher leveled skills, the barriers produced a much higher sound from spinning. The Guildmaster remained silent, gauging the barriers before a smile finally found its way on his face.

    ¡°You will have to forgive me, young man. Hakim hasn¡¯t issued any recommendations for a long time now. I needed proof to make sure that the letter was not forged. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time.¡± He stood up and offered his hand to shake. ¡°My name is Shawn. I am the Guildmaster here in Windkeep. If it was in my control, I would apologize about the rough welcome, but alas, it¡¯s just you being unlucky.¡±

    Lev was still happy about avoiding any sort of trouble when that thought froze. ¡°What? Why?¡±

    The Guildmaster looked at him oddly. ¡°You aren¡¯t aware? A wave is forming, and it is expected to be at least a 6, likely to be a 7.¡±

    Lev urgently jogged his memory, recalling what Oriana had taught him. ¡°The city will go into lockdown?¡±

    The Guildmaster looked thoughtful. ¡°That remains to be seen. As you are no doubt aware, there are far more hunters in Windkeep than almost anywhere else. The scale for monster waves we use is a little skewed. What would normally be an 8 or 9 is a 7 here. We will get through just fine. I would recommend joining the patrols to reduce monster numbers whenever you can.¡±

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°I see. Thank you for explaining.¡± Lev bowed his head slightly.

    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s not every day we get to nurture strong adventurers. Come find me if something is troubling you.¡±

    As Lev descended the stairs, a part of him was suspicious. Both Guildmasters had looked happy to see a mere bronze team aiming to be adventurers. Surely, there were many of them out there. Lev banished those suspicions, even his tired mind not allowing him to believe that Oriana would let harm befall his team.

    When Lev returned to his friends, he found their heads drooped and eyes barely open. Days of traveling with the threat of monsters and ambushes hanging over their heads had made them sleep poorly. Finding the first Guild-sponsored Inn, they rented two rooms. They showered and changed into casual clothes before promptly falling asleep.

    ****

    They slept through the evening and night, waking up at dawn feeling much better. Ordering breakfast, Lev got roasted meat that looked absolutely delicious. Digging in, he found that it tasted as good as it looked. Devouring the meal in a minute, he waited for his friends to wake up. The first to join him was Jack, who looked fresh like he had been awake for a while already. A few other tables were occupied, but the room was quiet.

    ¡°Meat? Really?¡± Jack asked once he noticed the remains of Lev¡¯s devouring.

    ¡°Yeah, why?¡± Lev replied as innocently as he could manage. Jack just shook his head and sighed, making Lev continue. ¡°Come on, it has been a while since I have eaten meat this delicious.¡±

    ¡°Just like you will eat it at every chance you get.¡±

    ¡°I am putting points into constitution. I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Lev muttered under his breath, which Jack picked up on.

    ¡°Wait, surely you aren¡¯t putting more points in it to be able to eat more meat without drawbacks?¡± Jack questioned incredulously.

    ¡°N-no?¡± Lev responded, much like a liar would. Jack just rolled his eyes in response. Twenty minutes later, Amelia and Kayla were next to them. Their choice of breakfast was a nice stew with bread. Lev made sure to dump the bones from his meal beforehand. Jack had already eaten his meal before Lev and was lying in his room to pass the time.

    It took the girls fifteen minutes to finish the generous meal. They sat there for another half an hour as Lev informed the party about what the Guildmaster had told him. They had no plans to take any quests immediately, so they decided to join the patrols. Lev and his friends simply could not sit still while monsters were gathering by the thousands.

    Donning their armor, the group made its way to the Hunters Guild. The clerk manning the reception table was different. She looked up when she felt Lev approach.

    ¡°Hey. I was told there would be patrols we can join.¡± Lev greeted casually. The clerk looked him and his friends over before bringing out a map.

    ¡°What level of monsters can you guys reliably handle.¡± She asked bluntly, trusting them enough to not overstate their abilities and sign their deaths.

    ¡°Around 60, more or less.¡± Lev looked toward his friends, who nodded. That was impressive for a team mostly below level 45. The clerk didn¡¯t show anything on her face.

    She pointed at the east of Windkeep, where it was mostly grassland with small forests in between.

    ¡°In an hour, a group with one iron team and four bronze teams will start patrolling this part. The patrol will return to Windkeep after four hours, where you may let another team take your place or keep going. It is recommended to stop after one round, but the final choice is up to you.¡± She explained.

    Lev and his friends signed up for one of the patrols and waited. In 45 minutes, they stood next to 14 bronze-ranked hunters and four iron-ranked hunters. The patrol overall consisted of 22 Hunters. The iron team stepped up, and a warrior spoke loudly.

    ¡°Any questions before we start?¡±

    No one had any, so they started moving toward the city gates. The patrol was going to stop during their run after two hours. After a 10-minute rest, they would trace back their steps. Clearing their specified area, they would wait for another hour before restarting the patrol. If the fighting was not too intense, Lev intended to join the second round as well.

    Lev¡¯s jaw dropped as he stepped through the gates. The two carts waiting for them looked beautiful. Not because of any decoration but because of the majestic look overall. The carts were wide and bound to two horses each, the integral parts completely covered in metal. They were roofed, like all carts, but these had space for mages and archers to poke out of and launch their attacks. They looked like small mobile fortresses.

    His friends watched in amusement as Lev observed their cart from every angle, taking in its fortified wheels and sturdy structure.

    It''s like a medieval tank. Lev surmised in wonder.

    The iron team gathered everyone together for one final check, seeing if they missed anyone scheduled to ride with them. Names were spoken, and hands were raised like they were kids sitting in a classroom, but that only made it funnier. There were smiles all around, even from the iron team. The preliminary check was complete, and the teams boarded the carts with an even split among both. Lev and the group were lucky enough to not be separated and ended up in the same cart.

    Before long, they were moving eastward, looking for any monsters wanting to challenge them. The first horde they found was big, almost fifty monsters. They were mostly goblins and hobgoblins, but the patrol did not even stop. Mages readied their spells, and archers nocked their arrows. Once they were within range, all attacks were let loose.

    Lev¡¯s manipulation range was an impressive 23 meters by now, and he prepared six barriers. Even without Kayla¡¯s buff, his attributes were high enough to form six barriers, even if it took a lot of effort to reliably control them. The carts never stopped moving, and soon, the surviving horde of goblins was upon them. The first thing Lev noticed was the four fireballs flying toward them, so he intercepted two of them. The remaining two were detonated by water bolts colliding with them. Lev got a nod from the iron team¡¯s mage in his cart before the mage started charging a spell. It took less than two seconds, and with an incredibly bright flash, a two-finger-wide bolt of lightning fell in the middle of the horde before chaining to other monsters nearby. That single attack took out both of the shamans.

    Lev could tell that the mage had not poured all he could into the attack, probably to conserve mana and let others earn experience. The carts circled the horde in a wide arc, letting the ranged attacks mow it down in two minutes. Without sparing any effort for the corpses, they continued the patrol. Mana accelerated monster decomposition, retaking the corpses within weeks if they were not eaten first. It was a blessing, considering the sheer amount of monsters roaming the plains.

    The area was teeming with monsters. Goblins, Hobgoblins, Trolls, Orcs, Hornstrikers, and the occasional wolf packs and thornlings. The fourth horde they faced was much bigger but with a low average level. The carts stopped close to each other, intent on standing their ground and facing the horde head-on. The melee fighters grabbed their shields and formed a wall, with the tanks -Lev¡¯s mind automatically translated the word for defensive fighters to tank- forming a line and the more offense-focused warriors a step behind them. Mages readied their spells, and archers nocked their arrows, ready to unleash hell on their enemies.

    The iron team leader gave the order to hold their attacks until the goblins were in medium range. As soon as the half of the horde was only seventy-five meters away, the order reached them.

    ¡°FIRE!¡±

    Fireballs, water bolts, a beam of hot light, lightning, boulders, and a wooden dart flew from the carts. The first few rows were instantly decimated, turning the air into a bloody mist with limbs flying around. More projectiles were launched with varying charge times, thinning the horde further before it made contact with the frontline. All shieldbearers activated their skills in preparation, taunting the enemies and hitting as many as they could with wide attacks of their large weapons.

    Lev, limited by his manipulation range, stood on a floating barrier slightly behind the frontline. With him and Amelia getting Kayla¡¯s buff, now that she could buff multiple people, he formed six barriers and applied his skills. Seeing how everything was under control, he focused on any monsters trying to circle them or attack occupied combatants from their blind spots. As he was assisting the frontline, an icicle flew towards him at an incredible speed, seeking to end the exposed target. Lev barely managed to bring a barrier in front of him, and the icicle pierced through the defense but got stuck halfway in.

    The fighters tensed after witnessing that powerful attack. The voice of the iron team¡¯s mage standing on the cart reached him. ¡°Block any more range projectiles with your constructs. I will try to locate the caster.¡±

    Nodding his assent, Lev peeled his eyes for any more projectiles, paying close attention to the surroundings of his friends. His perception pulled his attention to the right a moment before the attack came, allowing him to block the next icicle effortlessly. Before he could signal the mage, an incredibly loud bolt of lightning struck the general vicinity from where the attack had originated. The area, including the caster, was decimated as Lev¡¯s vision turned white from the flash.

 Chapter 18

    The rest of the horde went down in time, leaving the patrol tired but unharmed. They continued the first half, conserving their mana and stamina. They only faced one small horde and stray monsters, giving them plenty of breathing room. Halfway through their route, they stopped for 15 minutes. Since it had only been two hours since they had started, the tiredness was minimal and the horses would be ready to go again soon.

    Everyone was sitting in the carts, meditating on the recent fights or working on something else. Lev was focused on making his short swords less demanding. The rest of the group had their eyes closed with their backs leaning against the carts. The hunters were relaxing and replenishing their stamina and mana when the iron team¡¯s warning reached them.

    ¡°ORCS! Ranged hunters! Take your positions!¡±

    The hunters, including Lev and his friends, scrambled to get up. He took his position in ranged attackers. Looking at the approaching Orc raiders, Lev felt a chill go down his spine.

    20¡­ 30¡­ 50¡­ almost 70. That is too many. Far too many.

    Lev identified a few of them, along with the leader.

    [Orc - Level 58]

    [Orc - Level 58]

    [Orc - Level 70]

    ¡°Prepare your attacks! Hold nothing back!¡± The iron team¡¯s warrior¡¯s voice brought him back to reality. The Orcs had crude armor and wielded wooden spears and rusty swords. Lev scanned the monsters for any ranged variant, but there were none. Forming six barriers, he looked at Kayla.

    ¡°How long does your buff last?¡± Lev questioned once he had her attention.

    ¡°If I buff two of you, 10 minutes. Less if I need to keep casting my other skills.¡± Her eyes kept darting from Lev to the approaching horde, fear apparent in her posture.

    ¡°Calm down, if something goes bad, we can run away on my barriers. Besides, we aren¡¯t alone,¡± Lev comforted her. She took a few deep breaths to steady herself. It didn¡¯t completely remove her hesitation, but she looked considerably more determined. To improve the moment even further, he gave her a thumbs-up, making her roll her eyes. Her expression clearly said ¡®be serious for once, idiot¡¯.

    The patrol was already moving back to Windkeep in an arc, changing their direction once the Orcs showed up. Now, they were going there directly at full speed. The Orcs were faster still, catching up but very slowly. The horses were bred to be faster and stronger, and it showed.

    When the horde was less than a hundred meters away, the order to launch long-range spells came through. Many fireballs, lightning bolts, earth bolts, and various elements were launched. One of Kayla¡¯s wooden projectiles also flew through the air. Someone had even launched a ball of acid. Most of the attacks landed due to the high number of targets, but only a few of the orcs fell. Most of the kills came from the iron hunters. The barrage did manage to slow the horde slightly.

    Most of the Orcs continued forward unimpeded and soon were in range of Lev¡¯s barriers. Foregoing the notion of killing them, he aimed for any weak spots that would impair the movements or outright cripple the monsters. But that proved fairly difficult as the monsters had enough perception to react to his barriers. A lot of them were stomped or destroyed, some of them were dodged, and only a select few hit the intended target. Even then, the monsters were much more resilient than normal orcs, also running faster than they should be.

    For the next 5 minutes, they focused on slowing the Orcs as much as they could. The thumping of the orcs running after them was audible over all the skills and explosions, not letting anyone rest for even a moment. A dozen of the orcs died to their constant attacks, but dozens were still chasing them. Lev and Amelia launched their attacks when the monsters got too close to the cart, focusing on impairing their movement.

    They were a few minutes away from Windkeep, just barely ahead of the Orcs. Lev was about to harass them with his barriers again when his perception told him something was happening. The attribute was not high enough to tell him any more than that, so he looked around before he focused on the wall. He blinked, thinking he saw something blue above the walls. Not finding anything, he gave up and turned around when something fell in the middle of the monster horde. There was a blinding flash of light and a loud boom of an explosion, disorienting everyone on the carts for a few seconds. When Lev got back his bearings enough to open his eyes and focus, all he saw was carnage.

    No orc survived the explosion, and the land was charred black. The ring formed by the explosion stopped just five meters shy of the patrol carts. His dazed mind tried to come up with any clues about what may have happened, and it finally clicked in Lev¡¯s mind.

    Someone launched this attack from atop the walls and destroyed the entire horde.

    That thought made him chuckle before it turned into a laugh. His friends looked at him oddly, so he explained.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure someone launched that from atop the wall.¡± Lev pointed his thumb toward the said wall. His friends looked at him with expressions of disbelief and ¡­ a different kind of disbelief.

    Amelia was star-struck. ¡°What Level does one need to do something like that?¡±

    Jack was not faring much better. ¡°Definitely above level 250. We are almost a kilometer away from the walls.¡± He looked at the mess left behind by the attack, making sure it was still there and not a dream. Lev was also suitably impressed, wondering if his barriers would ever be able to imitate attacks like that. Kayla just looked happy to be done with the nightmarish chase.

    The iron team was pestered with questions as soon as the awed silence wore off. They motioned for everyone to quiet down before the mage spoke up. ¡°That was most likely an attack from Galvanic Sniper. I am sure all of you will hear about them and more in the upcoming days.¡±

    ****

    Lev walked up to the iron team¡¯s leader and waved to get his attention. ¡°Hey, I just wanted to ask why the orcs were stronger than usual.¡±

    His words confused the leader for a moment before understanding dawned on him. ¡°You mean compared to orcs of a similar level?¡± He continued at Lev¡¯s nod. ¡°It¡¯s because of the orc leader. The raiding party is strengthened overall depending on the number of orcs and the leader¡¯s level. This was one of the bigger ones I have seen so far.¡±

    ¡°There are even bigger ones?¡± Lev was shocked. The horde had felt like a mini-wave in itself.

    ¡°They can get far larger during waves. Like in the hundreds.¡± The leader replied with a serious tone before excusing himself. Lev slowly walked back to his friends, lost in his thoughts.

    Waves are composed of many different monsters. If just the orcs are numbered in the hundreds, just how many goddamn monsters are there in a 7-rated wave by Windkeep¡¯s standards?

    Pondering about how nightmarish a wave with a rating of 10 would be, he almost ran straight into Jack. Lev was about to ask if they wanted to go for another patrol but stopped himself. Observing his friends more closely, he could see signs of fatigue just from how they stood together. Kayla¡¯s were the most obvious, relief apparent on her face. Jack was still gripping his hammer rather tightly. Amelia and Lev were the most composed, but he was sure she was subconsciously pushing past the tiredness. Just like him.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    We have more than enough time to work on improving our skills and techniques. No need to push ourselves too much.

    Happy with his decision, he nodded to himself before addressing his friends.

    ¡°I think this was enough excitement for one day. Since there¡¯s still half a day left, how about we explore the city?¡±

    Contrary to his expectations, none of them agreed instantly. Amelia was the most surprised, already ready for another. Kayla and Jack looked thoughtful.

    ¡°The chances of finding a similar horde are supposed to be low. I think we can go for another if the mages pace themselves. Don¡¯t want to be completely tapped out.¡± Jack expressed his opinion first, looking at Kayla for her¡¯s.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we should do another, but I¡¯m also fine if we do. Why do you want to stop?¡±

    Lev rolled his eyes at the implication, looking at Amelia to see if she had anything to say. When she didn''t, he replied. ¡°I want to look into enchanted gear and retain enough stamina to train with my short swords. So far, I have only used them once.¡±

    Amelia agreed easily, and they made their way toward the inn they had rented the previous day. Getting the same rooms again, they gathered in Lev¡¯s room for some reason. Lev checked his progress before speaking.

    [

    Your group has slain [Goblin - Level 32]

    ¡­

    Your group has slain [Orc - Level 60]

    Arcane Barrier Manipulation has reached Level 7

    Incisive Edge has reached Level 6

    Whirling Rim has reached Level 6

    Barrier Armor has reached Level 3

    Opportunity has reached Level 6

    Swiftfoot has reached Level 5

    Heavy Lifting has reached Level 5

    Needle Precision has reached Level 5

    Bladewalker has reached Level 47

    ¡­

    Bladewalker has reached level 50

    20 Free attribute points

    ]

    The class levels were slowing down, and that made Lev breathe out a sigh of relief. While the decrease in leveling speed was annoying for most, it worked out in their favor. They had been forced to fight a lot of monsters in a short amount of time, resulting in their class levels being far ahead of their skill levels. Skill levels also slowed down the higher they went, so it was necessary not to rush the class levels. It was common knowledge that evolutions depended on how high your skills were and how you utilized those skills.

    Lev distributed the points like usual, five into physical attributes and the rest into the others. He checked his stats once he was done.

    [

    Strength: 38

    Dexterity: 47

    Constitution: 45

    Intelligence: 130

    Wisdom: 94

    Perception: 66

    ]

    This is already getting addictive. Lev frowned, the recent blunder still fresh on his mind.

    By then, his friends, similarly checking their status, were also done with their inspection. Lev broke the silence.

    ¡°Any of you close to the 2nd rank?¡±

    ¡°Nope, Level 7 is the highest,¡± Kayla responded, and the other two nodded along. ¡°I can buff three people now, but it uses all of my mana in five minutes. Higher after the last few levels.¡±

    ¡°Can you buff yourself?¡± Lev asked, suddenly getting an idea.

    ¡°Yeah? Oh, I see what you mean. It would increase my mana regeneration considerably during combat, huh,¡± She hummed, nodding to herself after going over the idea again. Before now, she could only buff one or two people, making it much more effective to use the skill on Lev or Amelia. Now, she could buff herself to keep it going for longer, especially when she would be able to buff Jack as well once her skill leveled up.

    She tested it, and the self-buff barely broke even with the mana consumption. It would only get better with increasing wisdom and the decrease in mana cost afforded by the higher skill level.

    That led to a discussion about their skills and how they performed during the patrols. Jack suggested trying to form thorns on her vines, making them even more crippling. Kayla tried it, but the durability of the thorns left much to be desired. It took minimal effort to break them despite her best efforts. Giving up on that idea, they started planning on how to spend the rest of the days until the wave finished forming. Lev suggested taking it slow, trying to seem natural, faltering under Amelia¡¯s stare.

    ¡°What?¡± He muttered in a low voice. Jack and Kayla were smiling.

    Amelia kept staring for a few seconds before replying. ¡°We aren¡¯t stupid, Lev. What happened?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ I have been warned indirectly several times to slow down already, and the last attack from the sniper made me realize just how long the road is. Slow and steady wins the race, and my mindset was the exact opposite.¡± He added as an afterthought, ¡°Besides, it would be unfair to drag you all with me. My vaster mana pool does not excuse my behavior.¡±

    Jack decided it was an opportune moment to interrupt. ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re taking a break. We are just moving from one exercise to another.¡± It was clearly a joke if his grin was any indication.

    After resting for another fifteen minutes, the group decided to visit the market first. All of them needed to look into enchanted gear and supplies eventually, so it would be prudent to gather information early on.

    Windkeep was built with citizens in mind. Unlike WhiteFall¡¯s straightforward and efficient city planning, Windkeep was filled with twists and turns. The group had to ask for directions multiple times, as their inn was close to the gates and the market was on the other side. A solid 45 minutes of walking later, they stood in front of the open market. Different quality stores were mixed together, and most of the fame was allocated to the shop¡¯s name instead of the location. Lev saw two stores that stood out from the rest, each a branch of the same larger store. They were obviously far beyond their reach, so the group passed them without a second thought.

 Chapter 19

    The first shop they wanted to buy from was a modest single-story building, reflecting their budget. After deducting the cost of traveling, food, and rooms and adding their quest payment, they had slightly less than 14 silvers. They were hoping to buy a few things without completely spending their savings. The door opened to a pleasant bell sound, alerting the owner of customers. To their surprise, the owner of Braum¡¯s Store was a young man barely any older than them.

    ¡°Greetings! My name is Braum, and I have been working in this field for over five years. How may I help you?¡± The owner welcomed them with a bright and cheery voice, subtly looking at their gear. His eyes stopped momentarily on Lev¡¯s short swords before moving on.

    They had agreed to let Kayla take the lead, so she stepped up and replied with a slight smile and even tone. ¡°We are looking for enchanted equipment. Is there anything you specialize in?¡±

    A smile stretched on Braum¡¯s face, and he spread his arms wide. ¡°I am glad you asked. While I work with both armor and weapons, my best works are all shields. They were my inspiration, you see. I have seen some great shields during my apprenticeship. Follow me.¡±

    They followed the enchanter to the next room, filled to the brim with armor stands and different weapons. In a corner sat five shields of varying sizes. Lev could feel mana inside all of them, knowing that they were enchanted. Braum motioned for Jack to choose one of his preferences, who tested them all one by one. He settled for a large round shield. It was dark brown in color, formed entirely without any joints or scales. When held in front of him, it covered Jack from his knees to his chest. The shield was massive.

    ¡°What''s the enchantment on this?¡± Jack asked once he was done moving around with it, finding a good balance for his movements.

    Braum replied with a practiced smile. ¡°The shield is a solid choice for a frontline fighter. It is enchanted to distribute any impact through the entire shield, with an upper limit of course. There is also slight impact nullification, barely noticeable but helpful. Overall, it should be able to handle normal monsters up to level 85 and elite monsters up to level 75. Any skills related to shields will improve the performance further.¡±

    Lev jogged his memory, recalling everything he knew about elite monsters. Elite monsters, like the few Orc leaders they had already faced, were always stronger than other monsters of the same level and had diverse abilities. From empowering hordes to improved stealth, it was recommended to face them with a full team no lower than five levels below it.

    Jack inspected the shield in a new light, nodding towards Kayle to confirm his liking. Kayla asked Braum for the price, but he just waved her off and asked them to look around and pick up anything else appealing to them before getting to it. Lev and his friends gazed around, only finding two more things worthy of note.

    Putting the things on the counter, Braum first picked up the sword. ¡°A fire-enhancement sword. Any skills related to heating up your sword will be more efficient. Common skills like fire slash will also see an improvement.¡± Braum nodded once he was done. ¡°A fine sword.¡±

    Looking confused at Amelia¡¯s doubtful face, he asked what the issue was. Amelia thought for a few moments before replying.

    ¡°My skills can use heat as fuel instead of mana. How would the sword react to that?¡±

    Braum was already nodding before she finished. ¡°I see where you are coming from. There have been extensive studies of similar cases using raw fuels instead of mana. The System recognizes the equipment, so it should not be an issue even if you use heat directly. If, for some reason, the sword does not work as advertised, you may return it freely without any charges.¡±

    That mollified her concerns, and they moved on to the last item. ¡°It is a simple ice condenser. Put in some water through this opening and mana through the specified area, and it will slowly freeze the water. Highly useful for cooling down water for drinking or for any other uses.¡±

    They decided to buy it because who didn¡¯t like drinking cool water? When it came to the cost, the enchanter remained silent for a minute before replying. ¡°The shield is quite extraordinary for its materials and level range. The sword is also above average in both make and enchantment. I can give you all three items at nine silvers.¡±

    Kayla stood straighter and immediately protested. ¡°That is far too high. We have checked other stores, and we could get the same equipment in seven silvers or less.¡±

    Braum was aghast at the offer. ¡°Those pieces would not even be comparable to mine. Only the best is sold at my store. Eight silvers and seventy-five bronze.¡±

    What followed was a polite and fierce exchange, with Kayla unwilling to pay anything more than eight silvers and Braum unwilling to go lower than eight and a half silvers. Eventually, the enchanter proposed an alternative.

    ¡°Tell you what, show me what those hollow-edge short swords are supposed to do, and I will give you these for eight silvers.¡±

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Everyone looked at Lev, and he shrugged. It was no big issue if people could see what his swords did. He walked up to the counter and unsheathed one of them. Once Braum had a good view of them, he slowly filled out the edges with a sharp barrier. Braum looked at the now-filled sword from different angles, a thoughtful look on his face. He was about to say something when Lev made the barriers spin. His mouth clicked shut, and understanding dawned on him.

    ¡°I see¡­ so the¡­ constructs? Fill the pathways and create a loop. It also utilizes your class skills, getting the bonuses despite not being a part of the class.¡± The enchanter muttered as he observed the sword intently. ¡°Thank you. This has been an enlightening experience. What are the constructs made of?¡±

    ¡°Barriers,¡± Lev clarified.

    Braum blinked. ¡°What a peculiar class.¡± He was already distracted, taking the payment before shooing them off.

    The next stop was a shop dedicated to traveling equipment. Lev wanted to make full use of the Ice Condenser, so he bought a bigger water container. The ice cubes produced by the condenser were big enough to barely fit in his hand, perfect for cooling large quantities of water instead of their small refillable bottle.

    With their shopping pretty much done, they went back to their rooms to drop off additional equipment. The Guilds did not take kindly to any sort of theft, so they kept them in the rooms without concerns. The Hunters Guild was crowded, the imminent wave taking up most of the attention of the city. Fortunately, a lot of training rooms were currently unoccupied, and they paid five bronze to book one for two hours.

    The room was small, meant for dueling. Kayla and Jack sat on the chairs by the door to observe the sword users. Lev and Amelia stood next to each other, three meters apart. They decided not to use any enhancements and instead relied on pure skill to observe and train. Passive skills could not be turned off, so Lev would have increased perception and dexterity during the duel. Not that he minded. He could barely hope to survive a minute, even with them. His opponent''s passive sword fighting improvement skills gave her a massive edge. Kayla counted down, and the duel began.

    Amelia ran forward and closed the distance in an instant, showing the difference between their physical stats. Her steps were measured, and her attacks were efficient and smooth. Lev, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t have moved more awkwardly. With his slightly higher dexterity, and much better perception, he deflected every attack he could and dodged the others by a hair¡¯s breadth. He jumped back to avoid horizontal attacks, sidestepped vertical attacks, and deflected diagonal attacks to the best of his ability. The game of tag continued for two minutes, and neither of them still winded because of the increased constitution, before Amelia finally couldn¡¯t stay quiet anymore.

    ¡°Why are you not attacking?¡± She asked between swings.

    ¡°HOW??¡± Lev yelled back, getting dangerously close to being hit.

    Amelia burst out laughing, and even the spectators joined her. Lev just stood there in embarrassment, waiting for them to calm down. Just like that, the duel ended. For all his progress and talent in mana manipulation, Lev couldn¡¯t match Amelia for the life of him.

    The sparring continued for another two hours before they were too tired to continue.

    ****

    Lev and his friends found themselves in Lev¡¯s room again. It was becoming a common occurrence, one that Lev had no issues with, apart from mercilessly getting teased for fighting like a slippery rat. Jack was especially appalled by his style, talking about how it was the antithesis of everything manly. Lev couldn¡¯t see the issue. His class was designed to work like that as well.

    Thankfully, the conversation soon moved on to more useful topics. They started with his weapon of choice.

    ¡°You have only ever held short swords, so we can never know how you fare with others. What about a longsword or a great sword? You can create weapons out of barriers. If you can imitate them reliably while keeping them light, your striking speed amplified by barrier manipulation should be enough, right? You would need to put in more effort to make up for the lost weight, but it might be worth it.¡± Amelia explained her reasoning, which was surprisingly sound. Lev¡¯s first thought was to use weapons suitable for his stats. If he could become proficient with utilizing his barrier skill with melee weapons, other weapons could be equally effective or even surpass them.

    ¡°I agree. All of your skills are designed to attack from range. Why would you want to get so close in the first place? As much as it pains me to admit it, running circles around your enemies would be much more effective while keeping yourself out of reach.¡± Jack explained, caressing his chest as if the words hurt him on a spiritual level. Lev looked to Kayla for her opinion.

    She just shrugged with a simple, ¡°Slay.¡±

    Chuckling, all of them relaxed till nightfall and went to sleep, ready to wake up early to join another patrol. Not knowing that they would be woken up by a bell instead.

 Chapter 20

    Lev sat up abruptly. His mind was still clouded by sleepiness, but it was clearing fast. The first thing he noticed was the remnants of a ringing sound. As soon as that fact was registered, all grogginess evaporated. Lev moved out of bed and quickly washed his face.

    Second Chime.

    Moving out the door, Jack was already standing in the hallway.

    Third Chime.

    Kayla and Amelia joined them shortly afterward. The bell rang every ten seconds.

    Fourth Chime.

    They waited with bated breaths.

    Fifth Chime.

    Lev impatiently tapped his foot, increasing the anxiousness even further. No one spoke.

    Sixth Chime.

    It felt like the world held its breath, and the seconds stretched painfully.

    Seventh Chime.

    Lev sighed. ¡°It''s a seven like the Guildmaster predicted. We should report at the Guild soo-¡±

    Eighth chime.

    ¡°Of course, it''s an eight.¡± Jack sighed. ¡°Let''s get moving.¡±

    Lev moved back to his room and picked up his light armor. He was putting on the leather vest when his mind wandered to what role they would be playi-

    Ninth Chime.

    Lev froze. Nine¡­ not just nine, but nine by Windkeep¡¯s standards. Steeling his resolve, Lev hastily put on the gear before rushing to his friends. Lev observed each of them, glad that none of them looked outright scared. Their faces were grim with both resignation and determination.

    The city was alive like a poked hive. People ran around with purpose and panic, but there was no chaos. Shelters were opened to the regular folk, and most of them were above level 50. The procedures were underway with surprising haste and fluidity. It took nearly half an hour to get to their destination. The Hunters Guild was an organized mess. The staff members were giving orders left and right, and they directly marched up to the people who looked responsible for organizing squads.

    The woman gave them a quick look before checking her notes. She motioned for them to follow her and led them to an iron team. Departing without even saying a word, Lev and his friends waited for less than a minute before another two bronze teams joined them. The iron team¡¯s leader, a lithe male warrior with a longsword cackling with suppressed lightning, clapped to get their attention.

    ¡°Let''s start walking before I explain the situation.¡± The three teams moved out at once, the higher-ranked team taking the lead. ¡°Have you guys heard of Taunt Sqauds?¡±

    None of the bronze hunters did, so he explained. ¡°They are tanks with classes and skills best suited for attracting the attention of surrounding monsters. Our job is to keep them alive and cull the monsters. Usually, there¡¯s only one person in the squad with taunt skills, and the rest either buff and support the tank or cast large area-of-effect skills to impair the movement of monsters. Archers and other long-range casters will be stationed on the walls to provide support. Multiple silver teams will be patrolling the wall to provide support where needed, so listen to their orders. Other than that, Good Luck.¡±

    They jogged to the south gate, the one where they had first entered Windkeep. Someone had formed thick stairs going to the top of the wall. The guards briefly interrogated the leader before motioning for a runner who ran ahead. Following the girl, they made short work of the stairs and stopped at the top of the wall.

    Lev¡¯s breath caught in his throat when he got the first look beyond the walls. The entire plains were in motion. Everywhere he looked, the ground was moving. Thousands upon thousands of figures were slowly trudging towards the walls. Dawn was still underway, the increasing sunlight only serving to further visualize the force of nature out for humanity. A few hundred monsters, or what seemed like that many, had already reached the colossal walls. Explosions and roars were somehow audible all the way from the west. The Dreadwoods were also alive.

    Lev broke out of his stupor when a hand gripped his shoulder. He hadn¡¯t realized his jaws were hanging open, which he clicked shut. The iron team¡¯s leader squeezed his shoulder lightly.

    ¡°You won¡¯t be fighting alone. Have trust.¡±

    Lev nodded once and swallowed, trying to get his breathing under control. The runner girl had waited for them to start moving again and led them to a team comprised of only girls. Lev identified them.

    [Mage - ??]

    [Mage - ??]

    [Mage - ??]

    [Mage - ??]

    All of them sported bright silver light armor and stood with staffs tightly clenched. The girl walked up to them and relayed orders. Lev only caught the last bit.

    ¡°- drop them at section two-three.¡±

    Before he could process the thought further, a gale swept all of them off of the wall. Barely keeping himself from screaming, he realized that they were not plummeting to their deaths. Slowly, the winds carried them to the left of the gate, giving Lev the first good look at what the ground had turned into.

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Pitfalls, quicksand, spikes, and many other odd traps were already in place. Towers had been erected two dozen meters from the wall, with mages manning them. All of them had either brought their own wands or they had been provided by the city. The area where Lev¡¯s group landed was between four such towers, surrounding a squad already present.

    They landed softly without any issues. Lev was fixated on making sure his legs wouldn''t break despite gliding at low speed. Looking up, he gazed upon a giant of a human. Or rather, a human and their giant armor. The armor was thick, probably impervious to anything below level 100, and wholly impractical. It was more a brick than anything.

    Nods were exchanged all around after they landed, and Lev inspected everyone.

    [Warrior - Level 95]

    The taunter was almost double his level. The rest of the taunt squad was at similar levels, all mages.

    [Warrior - Level 98]

    [Warrior - Level 98]

    [Warrior - Level 98]

    [Mage - Level 98]

    The iron team was almost at the cusp of evolution, all of them at the same time. Lev was interested in seeing how evolutions took place but hoped it wouldn¡¯t happen during the battle.

    The other bronze team was in the level 70-73 range, higher than Lev¡¯s team. They had two mages and three warriors. All of the melee combatants wore heavy armor. The iron team leader clapped to gather everyone¡¯s attention. All of them did for some reason.

    ¡°Alright, the plan is simple. The mages surrounding the taunter are not there to cast spells as much as they can. They will only cast to point out the area we need to prioritize. It could be a higher density of monsters or a few higher-level ones. It will be apparent. On my orders, disengage and fall back. It will make room for the towers to cast their spells and give us some time to recuperate. Make the best out of it.

    Disruptive archers are stationed on the walls to deal with big magical projectiles, but they can only do so much. Keep your eyes peeled and your mind focused.¡±

    With that clear, they waited. The massive hordes were slowly advancing in their direction, only stragglers reaching them early on. Those odd few monsters were put down by weak conjured arrows or projectiles from atop the wall. For over thirty minutes, they waited for the monsters to approach. Lev distracted himself by observing the sheer number of defenders waiting alongside him.

    There was a formation similar to theirs seemingly every two or three dozen meters. The taunters were obvious from far away, with their huge forms standing out. Lev looked toward the wall, unable to see any of the defenders stationed on top from his position. But he could still feel them, the amount of people giving off a subtle pressure. They were all competent and ready to face this challenge head-on. Monarch did not allow for mediocrity.

    The minutes passed agonizingly slowly. The closer the hordes got to the wall, the faster they ran. Just over an hour later, the first of many was about to reach them. The iron team leader announced in a loud voice.

    ¡°TAKE POSITIONS!¡±

    The iron team moved ahead, standing right in front of the taunt squad. Lev¡¯s team covered their left, and the other team their right. By now, the monsters were close enough that all Lev could see was a sea of monsters in front of them. The last order came through.

    ¡°TAUNT!¡±

    Lev had very little time to appreciate the beauty of the strategy. The huge armored giant roared and joined the ranks of the iron team. The person¡¯s movements were slow, sending a shockwave through the ground with every step. The monsters were now in full sprint, racing to get their hands on the single target as fast as possible. Before they reached the formation, however, distant formations also launched their taunts.

    Chaos spread through the horde. Some of them turned towards the left formation, and some to the right. The effect was completely random, and many of the monsters tripped over each other. A few even started fighting among themselves. It helped that the monsters were varied. Some were taller and stronger, while others were quadruped.

    Arrows, either augmented with or made with mana, rained down on the monsters. Fireballs and lightning bolts fell on them by the dozen, thinning the numbers considerably in seconds. All of them targeted the middle of the horde, so the front monsters continued unimpeded. Many of them fell into pitfalls and were impaled by spikes at the bottom.

    The first of the monsters reached them before Lev could observe further. He felt Kayla¡¯s buff coursing through him and moved four barriers. The rest were kept slightly above him, just in case. With Kayla only buffing herself and Lev, they could keep going for almost half an hour.

    Amelia and Jack moved ahead to confront a group of wolves, only to be almost completely ignored. Realizing that at the last moment, they changed their course to stop them from reaching the iron team. Lev took off the heads of two wolves in the back and injured another. Amelia¡¯s new sword burned bright red, moving in a blur and leaving carnage in its wake. Her body shone fiery orange, amplifying her movements even further. She leaped forward, decapitating another wolf before kicking one towards Jack.

    Jack¡¯s shield caught it directly in the muzzle with a thundering crack, leaving the monster motionless forever. He conserved his stamina, moving just enough to get monsters into the attack range of his hammer or stopping any frontal charges, which were not happening. Lev observed the monsters for a few more minutes before telling Jack and Amelia to fall back. He had a plan in mind.

 Chapter 21

    Lev had been observing the monsters the last few minutes and slowly formed a plan. When his friends steered clear of the monsters, he sent five barriers in a straight line. With his skills running at the maximum, the barriers sheared through all monsters alike, leaving only dead bodies in their path.

    None of them tried to dodge.

    It was exactly as it seemed. The taunter had deployed an aura that continuously taunted monsters in a fixed radius. The affected monsters ignored everything in favor of getting to the taunter first.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the gap between us and the iron team. You guys take the left.¡± Lev told his team while he focused on creating a blender between the left side of the iron team and the approaching horde. Recalling all of his barriers, he moved them above the approaching monsters and dropped them one by one. Methodically cleaving through necks one by one, his team divided their attention into two sides.

    A few minutes later, Lev noticed one of the mages from the taunt squad finally casting a spell. He tensed, waiting for something unexpected to happen. To his relief, the mage just dragged the small hill of corpses he had created under the ground, burying them. Lev motioned for Kayla to stop buffing him, and they continued the culling, more focused on conserving their strength now that the situation was more or less under control.

    The formation stood its ground, fairing better than most others due to Kayla¡¯s passive buffs. They really showed their worth in dragged-out fights. Now that the novelty had worn off, Lev continued his monotone task of moving four barriers up and down. The task required little focus and mana, and Lev was slowly regenerating mana instead of losing it. Amelia¡¯s enhancement was also running at a minimum, allowing her to regenerate more mana than it used because of her passive regeneration increase when her body heated up. Kayla just sent the occasional wooden attack while keeping an eye out for sneak attacks. Jack used little force for his attacks, looking to hit vital spots to kill or cripple in a single swing of his hammer.

    For an hour, they killed monsters non-stop. Many of them were already injured, no doubt because of the attacks from atop the walls. Lev had floated up twice to look at how many monsters were left, and there was still no end in sight. As he was about to end another goblin, he felt a spell launch from a tower. They had yet to do anything.

    ¡°DIRE BEARS!¡±

    The warning reached the in time to see a massive bear making its way towards the wall. Soon, one turned into two and two into four. Lev felt the buff from Kayla reach his entire team, signifying that her skill had leveled up. Lev had also felt multiple skill levels and class levels, but he ignored them and allocated the attribute points.

    The dire bears were massive, nearly three meters in height and six in length. They were light brown, the reason becoming apparent when, instead of falling in the quicksand, they solidified the ground and moved on unimpeded. Lev identified the first one.

    [Dire Bear - Level ??]

    Shit.

    By the time the first bear reached them, it was riddled with arrows. Still, there was little blood as it continued its charge. As soon as it stepped inside the taunt aura, it immediately focused on the giant taunter. With a roar loud enough to hurt Lev¡¯s head, it ran towards the iron team with great strides, making the ground shake. Amelia took advantage and scored a gash on its front leg.

    It roared in pain and broke out of the taunt.

    Several things happened at once. Amelia¡¯s enhancement ran at its maximum as she jumped backward when the bear lunged toward her. Jack¡¯s shield hit the right side of its face with full force. Kayla¡¯s vines wrapped tightly around its front legs, making the bear momentarily stop in its tracks. An extremely bright and loud bolt of lightning hit its back, making it spasm while multiple barriers hit its neck one by one, trying to hit something vital. Eventually, they cut through its thick fur and hit an artery, resulting in a blood shower.

    Despite all of that, the bear refused to go down and shakily stood up. Before it could even take a step, Amelia¡¯s flaming sword fell on its head, cutting halfway through its skull.

    [

    [Your group has slain [Dire Bear - Level 105]

    ]

    Lev ignored the other notifications and observed Amelia to see if she was fine. She stood next to the massive corpse, her sword now planted in the ground, heaving great breaths. Her hair silver hair swayed gently in the heat produced by her skills, giving her an angry red aura. She looked-

    Lev shook his head, not willing to continue that line of thought. Their friendship was too precious. Two of the taunt squad mages started working on burying the massive corpse, slowly dragging it below ground. Jack picked up his shield and returned to culling the monsters. Lev dislodged his barriers, spending a bit of mana to fix the slight damage to their edges. Before long, they were again surgically ending monster lives.

    After another 15 minutes of monotony, the iron team grabbed a weird glowing stone and sent some mana into it. Another few minutes later, they were once again swept up into a gale and dropped on top of the wall while four different squads were deployed in their stead.

    There was more than enough space to sit down on the 10-meter-wide walls, so they did as soon as they landed. Everyone had pushed past their tiredness, refusing to allow a gap to form in their defenses. One of the mages from the silver team who had brought them up addressed the iron team¡¯s leader after checking a notepad in her hand.

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    ¡°You were down there for more than half an hour over the normal rotation time. Report.¡±

    ¡°We only had to face a single dire bear at the end. None of the orcs came towards us, so we stood our ground as long as we could. We could still keep going to the support¡¯s passive auras and timely assistance. Thank you for that.¡± The iron team¡¯s leader dipped his head towards Kayla, who smiled and nodded in response.

    The silver-ranked mage also nodded toward her before returning to the warrior. ¡°You guys have thirty minutes of downtime before redeployment. Rest here, and don¡¯t block anyone¡¯s way.¡±

    Having said her piece, the mage team moved to their next task. The tired combatants leaned against the wall borders that were high enough to provide cover when crouching. Lev checked his notifications.

    [

    Arcane Barrier Manipulation has reached Level 9

    Incisive Edge has reached Level 7

    Whirling Rim has reached Level 7

    Opportunity has reached Level 8

    Needle Precision has reached Level 6

    Bladewalker has reached level 51

    ¡­

    Bladewalker has reached level 63

    ]

    Lev looked over the people he was fighting with. They were filthy, covered in blood and grime. The iron team looked tired but unharmed, taking the brunt of the wave. The bronze team looked tired with small injuries, nothing crippling. Lev¡¯s group was clean in comparison. Lev himself had not gone into melee range, and any stray blood was stopped by barrier armor. Kayla was even further behind him, so she was also clean. Amelia¡¯s enhancement heated up her armor and helmet, making most of the blood evaporate or dry up and fall off. Jack¡¯s armor was in the worst state, having been in the thick of it.

    As they were recuperating, Lev thought back to the morning. There were nine chimes, but so far, everything seemed stable. The monsters were steadily killed and disposed of, and the rotations were going smoothly. There was no evacuation underway because Windkeep was the stronghold people were supposed to evacuate to. He stood up and walked to the other side of the wall, gazing upon the wave in all its glory. Corpses stained the ground for a long distance from the wall, yet the monsters walked over them and continued without a single downward glance. Orcs were now much more common. The taunters split Massive raiding parties, creating chaos before they could even get close to the formations.

    Kayla healed all the little injuries their squad had accumulated. Twenty minutes into the downtime, something changed. His perception made him to the right, to the southwest. Realizing he had felt this once already, he called his friends to stand up and watch. The feeling continued for another fifteen seconds, but he refused to close his eyes for even a moment. Suddenly, a blue blur shot directly upward. It curved mid-air, moving in the direction of the massive wave still trying to reach the wall.

    As even the monsters watched, the blur turned into two, two into four, four into tens, tens into hundreds, hundreds into thousands, thousands into tens of thousands. The morning sky turned bright blue above them.

    The first bolt fell, entirely soundless. Countless more followed, sounding morbidly familiar to rain. The projectiles fell on the monsters without any explosions. They went through their bodies without resistance despite being tiny, dropping them dead on the spot regardless of what they hit.

    Lev pushed his perception to the limit, focusing on why the monsters kept dying even if they were hit in the foot. It became obvious almost instantly, seeing how electricity traveled through the bodies of the monsters regardless of the origin point. A name came to mind, unbidden.

    The Galvanic Sniper.

    The bombardment continued for minutes, the projectiles somehow always finding their mark. Nobody uttered a single word, witnessing the raw display of power with bated breath. After what felt like an eternity, it stopped, and the world returned to normal instead of raining death. Lev and his friends shared a glance, eyes completely wide and faces pale. Kayla sat down before her legs could give out. Lev started laughing. Nobody blamed him, still stuck replaying the attack in their heads. He eventually calmed down.

    ¡°I think we may have underestimated this person¡¯s strength,¡± Lev uttered with a wide smile.

    All of them nodded dumbly, still awe-struck. Amelia shook her head and looked at him. ¡°That has to be above level 500, right?¡± She asked.

    Lev chuckled. ¡°How am I supposed to know? But yeah, probably.¡±

    ¡°But why would the person attack the wave like that?¡± Jack questioned, a thoughtful look on his face.

    As if to answer his question, a clear ringing sound went throughout the city. The bell sounded almost pleasant, but to everyone present, it might have been worse than a screech loud enough to permanently damage their ears.

    Tenth Chime.

 Chapter 22

    The defenders froze. There were extremely few cases of waves with a 10 rating, and most of them had ended with a disaster. Slowly coming to their senses, the high-ranked teams started giving orders again. One of the silver squads made their way toward Lev¡¯s group.

    ¡°Any healers among you?¡± The lead warrior with a huge black sword strapped to his back asked them. Kayla nodded at his question.

    ¡°The western wall needs all the healers they can get. Make your way there. The rest of you, make sure she gets there post-haste.¡± He moved ahead after relaying the orders, ensuring nobody remained inactive on the wall.

    Lev and his group immediately started escorting Kayla, worried about the sudden change of plans. The walls were wide enough to move without any problem, allowing them to cover the distance quickly by jogging. They were stopped twice by silver squads to be questioned about where they were going but were left to their task after clarification.

    The western side of the wall was much less crowded, mostly occupied by Hunters at or above silver rank. Lev asked one of them for directions to where healers were required, guiding Kayla to the small camp where the injured were being healed.

    Kayla was immediately redirected to the other side of the camp, where the less critical injuries were treated. Lev looked around as they walked, noticing the grave injuries sustained by the hunters. The most common injury was missing hands or legs, roughly bitten off. Some of the people were burnt really badly, their armor and weapons melted and dented. Kayla¡¯s healing skill was rarely used and low level. Every evolution made the body of a hunter go through drastic changes, requiring much more effort to heal them.

    Unable to do anything about the heavily injured patients, they passed through that part of the camp without stopping. As soon as the healers noticed Kayla, she was swept up by them and soon started healing the hunters. Despite silver-ranked teams being rare and much less numerous than the previous two ranks, there were still dozens of people in this area. Some of them had wounds that should¡¯ve been fatal, but their high Constitution kept them alive and running.

    Lev, Jack, and Amelia had nothing to do in the medic camp, so they moved to the edge of the wall. For the first time, Lev saw what this side of the wall had to face.

    Panthers, Bears, Gorillas, Meaner and larger looking Trolls and Orcs, Treants, and many other monsters. He was just guessing based on what he had read about the Dreadwoods. The monsters were also larger and bulkier overall, a far cry from the frail goblins and wolves his group had to fight. The wall borders were also damaged in places, sometimes completely rebuilt with a different colored stone instead of repaired. Far into the distance, he could see a treeline. Even from this far away, he could tell the color of the wood and leaves was dark, and the trees were massive.

    Done with the inspection, he sat down next to his friends and closed his eyes. Kayla was going to be tired and out of mana, so they had to recover as much as they could. There were no preset instructions for what the hunters were supposed to do in case of a 10-rated wave, so Lev wanted to be as ready as he could possibly be. The rest continued for only a few minutes before someone blew a horn atop the southern gate. It was probably enchanted, seeing how the sound traveled to them without issue.

    Immediately, all of the silver ranks who could move scrambled to get up and started strapping the injured fighters to the beds. Within seconds, the first of them were slowly descending toward the city, gently carried by the winds, along with a few healers. As Lev watched, runners approached the healers below and left after getting their orders. Someone lightly pulled him back, and he came face-to-face with one of the healers.

    ¡°Start moving to the gate already, boy. The horn was a signal to defend the city. Move!¡±

    Kayla was already next to him, and they started running southward. It would take five minutes of running to get there, but they were interrupted when a massive explosion in the woods rocked the walls. Despite the great distance, Lev barely managed to keep his footing from the resulting quake. The wall was getting more and more crowded, with squads being pulled back up and new stairs being created to get down to the city. Another explosion went off seconds after the first, making Amelia carry Kayla in her arms so they could cover distance faster. Before long, the reason behind the explosions jumped out of the woods and started running toward the wall.

    The feline monster was massive, easily over 10 meters tall. It moved so fast that its steps seemingly teleported it forward. Half the ground between the woods and the wall was covered in seconds, and Lev had an instant to get a good look at the monster. It was the color of mud, visible clearly on the grass. It had two tusks jutting out of each jaw, and its slitted eyes shone a mixture of red and brown. Lev could not observe anything further as the first attacks reached it.

    Massive lances of lightning rained from above, aiming to skewer the monster. Impossibly, it dodged all of them. Just before the attacks could hit it, the monster¡¯s speed increased manifold, dodging the attacks by turning into a blur. Mercifully, the attacks were targeting the front half of the monster, making it dodge backward or to the side. The attacker was trying to keep it away from the wall.

    Several squads that radiated immense pressure exited the gate and ran toward the monster, trying their best to not let it reach the still-crowded wall. By now, the lightning lances were falling close enough that Lev and his friends could not hope to run to the gate. They stood with their hands gripping the wall border for support, watching the grim spectacle.

    Suddenly, two more figures caught up to the monster from behind. One of them had a gigantic silver sword, brimming with mana and shining with a multitude of enchantments. It strained Lev¡¯s perception to notice those few details when the person slowed down. Everyone was moving far too fast. The sword wielder tried to slash at its back leg, but the monster once again dodged at the last moment. This time, however, spikes tore out of the ground and launched themselves at the assailants. The spikes were huge, around 5 meters long. The second figure cast a spell, and a wooden wall rose from the ground to block them. The few that pierced the wall were too slow to reach the humans, who were already attacking again.

    The swordman channeled a massive amount of mana, observable from the top of the wall, and launched a similarly massive silver slash. It reached the monster in a blink, tearing a long gash on the ground as it flew. The monster, somehow, dodged even that. The mages were not idle, however, as flaming boulders flew toward it at the same time. The first hit the ground to its left, peppering it with red-hot debris but failing to do anything else. The next few attacks were also dodged with ease. After ten missed boulders, the monster jumped into the air and landed on top of one of the attacks.

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    Then it started to run towards the mage on the flying blazing boulders.

    Within moments, it was almost on top of the earth mage. Jumping from one boulder to another, it leaped forward when there were no more earthen platforms. An enormous wooden spike launched itself from behind the mage, going over the caster¡¯s head. It was aimed to skewer the monster, not giving it room to dodge directly forward. It turned into a blur mid-air, dodging sideways, right into the path of a long spear of lightning.

    The resulting explosion blinded Lev, and the titanic boom made him cover his ears. It took a precious few seconds to get his bearings back under control and look at the outcome of the attack. The battlefield was covered in dust and smoke, not letting him see anything. Suddenly, a massive gale swept the area, revealing what the move had accomplished.

    The monster stood upright, and it looked very pissed off.

    Instead of being skewered, its right side was charred from shoulder to belly. The rest of its body was covered in stone armor, completely unharmed. Despite the horrifying injuries, it slowly trotted forward with confident strides. Its movement did not seem to be impaired at all.

    Its mouth was also chock full of mana.

    Lev felt his perception slow down, then slow down again, this time far more. Gazing at the approaching shockwave that originated from the monster¡¯s roar, his life was flashing before his eyes. But he refused to go down without giving it his all. Most of the battle had passed as a blur, but now he had time just enough time to act. He turned and ran toward Kayla. He felt her buff reach the whole team, and barrier armor covered his body. Jack activated all his skills, his shield glowing, before taking his spot in front of Kayla. Amelia¡¯s enhancement was also running at an intensity high enough for Lev to hear sizzling sounds, but he paid them no mind. Lev stood back-to-back with Jack and wrapped his arms around Kayla. Amelia did the same from behind her, and they both covered the least physically protected member of their team.

    The shockwave had already covered more than half the distance of the many kilometers. Lev put as much mana as he could into his barrier armor and started forming barrier domes around him. The first formed as close to him as he could make it, leaving no space for them to move. Another dome formed on top of it, making the layer even thicker. One by one, three more domes formed. Lev¡¯s mind felt like it was going to split in two. There was no finesse involved. The domes were just thick barriers without any sharp edges or spinning. The final result was a dome as thick as two of his fingers, utilizing over half of his total mana. Vines started creeping up on the dome, too slow to completely cover it.

    The shockwave reached them the instant the dome was complete. It obliterated the defense, only slowed down slightly for its trouble before Lev and his friends were launched backward. Luckily, none of them went over the wall borders and plummeted to a likely death. Unfortunately, all of them slammed into the wall border at high speed.

    The next moments passed in flashes for Lev. He tried to open his eyes and move his limbs, but they wouldn¡¯t respond. His vision went black before he could even lift a finger. The next time his eyes briefly opened, he felt himself slowly gliding off the wall. His friends were also following after him, all of them unconscious. That was the last thing he saw before darkness claimed him.

    ****

    Lev opened his eyes and found a familiar ceiling. He was back in his room at the inn. He tried moving his fingers, finding them whole and functional. Slowly, he tasted all of his limbs before trying to sit up. As soon as he had accomplished that, Lev was tackled by Kayla, crying tears of relief. He caressed her back and tried to comfort her to no avail. Seeing how she wouldn¡¯t calm down anytime soon, he looked around the room. Amelia and Jack were sitting on chairs around his bed. Their eyes were red and puffy from crying, and dark bags under them betrayed their exhaustion. They both perked up when Lev woke up, immense relief making them sag forward.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Lev asked in a raspy voice, suddenly realizing he was both hungry and thirsty. Jack poured him a glass of water from their refillable bottle, which Lev gratefully accepted. Lev looked at both of them, noticing how they were both on the brink of collapse. Eventually, Amelia answered him.

    ¡°After we hit the wall, I woke up not long after. When the mage deposited us on the ground, the impact jostled me awake. Your-¡± a sob wrecked through her body, ¡°Your neck was broken, and your head was tilted at an angle that shouldn¡¯t have been possible otherwise. Immediately, you were beset by a gaggle of healers who wouldn¡¯t even let me get close to you¡­¡± she trailed off, her composure breaking down as tears started flowing freely. Jack was barely staying coherent, his inner turmoil betrayed by his trembling lips.

    Lev took a moment to process what he had just heard, a part of him refusing to believe he had been so close to dying. ¡°How many people died?¡± Lev asked Jack, still in shock.

    ¡°Over a thousand hunters died, most of them bronze or iron. More than a dozen silvers closest to the monster also perished. They are still counting.¡± Jack replied with gritted teeth, hurt and regret showing on his face. The guild, of course, would not disclose any information about the higher ranks lest they ruin the already damaged morale.

    They fell silent, only Kayla¡¯s wailing and Amelia¡¯s sobs being heard in the room. Lev motioned for Jack and Amelia to come closer, grabbing them in a hug when they did. Time lost its meaning as the boys wept silent tears, holding the girls who cried their hearts out. They had not made any mistakes, only unfortunate enough to be hit by a weakened attack from some abomination. They were not even close to the fight, and the helplessness pained Lev even more.

    Eventually, crying gave way to exhaustion, and that, to sleep.

 New fic

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