《Card Master System》


 1 Prologue

    @@


    Beep! Screech!


    "That is the last thing I heard. Turning around, I saw a car speeding around the corner in the rain. It was possible that I could have avoided it, but I wanted to die."


    "Why? Simple, I was weak ever since being born. Even on earth, the strong rule the weak, and I did not want to live any longer."


    "I wonder what my parent''s reactions were? My mother was very ill and my father was always exhausted from a long day of work. Maybe, just maybe, they felt more comfortable now, knowing that they no longer had to take care of me?"


    "Maybe the afterlife is not going to be so bad?"@@

 2 Awakening

    "Where am I?" Leo now opening his eyes realized that he was not dead, but alive.


    Scanning his surroundings, it seemed as if he was in a small cave. The brightness from the world outside of the cave shone inside which woke him up. Standing up to stretch his body which was incredibly tensed up, Leo did not understand a thing.


    "H-How?" looking down at his body, Leo realized that he had absolutely no wounds. However, he wasn''t even wearing his normal clothes! Leo could only gasp in confusion as he tried to make sense of all of this!


    "Why am I so small?" pondered Leo as he saw a small stream of water pouring in the cave. Looking at his reflection, he realized that he was about ten years old again! When he apparently died, he was sixteen, but now, it seemed as if he became younger.


    "How is this even possible?" thinking of what happened, made Leo afraid. He was not a very religious individual, and because of his suicide, there was no way that his destination was a good one. What confused him the most in this moment, was that his body showed no wounds!


    After several minutes of having an anxiety attack, Leo finally stood up and took several deep breaths. "Maybe my past life was just a long dream and I accidentally fell into this cave? If that is the case, the only way out, is moving forward." Seeing some random clothes close by on a skeleton, Leo decided to loot the corpse so that he would not be nude while exiting this place.


    Leo was now wearing a brown robe of sorts. With his shining blue eyes and disheveled hair, he started to brush his long hair out of his face as he exited the cave. Luckily, his light brown hair was short enough to where he did not need a hair pin.


    To his surprise, after he exited the cave, his surroundings were actually very simple. He could see grassland for miles, as well as a small village roughly several miles away from his current location. Behind the village, seemed to be an endless array of mountains.


    These mountains had a mysterious look to them which did not feel normal to Leo. Taking a deep breath, Leo tried to ponder on what he should do now that it seemed the sun would be going down in the matter of hours.


    "The only thing I could do now, is head towards that village. I hope that the village is a safe place, I would hate to end up dead again." Leo thought as he started to sprint to towards the direction of the village.

 3 Village

    As Leo sprinted with all of his strength towards the village, he realized that there were actually no other humans around his surroundings. Rather, there were some animals that seemed to not be very friendly.


    Seeing so many recognizable animals, Leo felt that this place where he ended up might not be so bad. However, he then saw a big corpse up ahead.


    With a dead corpse peaking his interest, Leo decided to head towards it to inspect the corpse. Since the corpse was so close to a village, Leo felt that nothing strange should happen.


    As he got closer to the corpse, he realized that it was a bear like creature which looked even more savage. It was about ten yards tall, and it had something shining within it''s abdomen. The corpse, was obviously from some type of bear tribe, but, it also had a human type of body. Looking close by, Leo saw that it''s head was being eaten by a group of what could be considered a pack of deer.


    "I wonder what could be shining from a dead corpse?" slowly drawing closer to the dead corpse, Leo realized that it was some type of card.


    Picking up the card and looking at the image on it, Leo started to feel his hands shake violently. "Why was there a card in this corpse''s abdomen, that looked exactly like the corpse?"


    Leo was very puzzled seeing this. However, he casually put the card he now obtained from the corpse into the pocket of his robe as he began to head towards the village.


    "This is only becoming stranger and stranger. I hope that the village is not filled with those type of bear tribe monsters." Leo felt goosebumps covering his body as he shook his head.


    "Halt!"


    Once Leo finally arrived several yards from the village''s gates, he heard some of its guards yell out to him. To his relief, the guards were human! Pausing his movements, two of the guards climbed down the walls as another three surrounded him.


    "I have never seen you within our village. There is no way that you are a spy, since we are the only human village for several hundred kilometers. Who exactly are you brat?"


    Walking towards him from behind the guards, a middle aged man covered in armor with a heroic aura, couldn''t help but groan to himself as his gaze shot towards Leo.


    "Either way, no spy would be as young as you are. Therefore, you will be welcomed to our village, I just hope that you survive by tomorrow. Would be a shame for a little brat dying before seeing tomorrow''s sunrise." said the middle aged man.


    "Why are you all standing around like dummies? You know that we are getting attacked tonight by a small wave of monsters from those mountains. Hurry up and bring this little brat inside and get back to your positions." the middle aged man ordered while he walked back into the village.


    "Yes Master Nathan!" the guards shouted in response, as they escorted Leo into the village.


    "Hey kid, you see that building over there with the bright red flag? Do us a favor and head inside, with the right amount of luck, you could survive tonight''s wave of monsters." one of the guards said as he shoved Leo forward. causing Leo to fall face first into a patch of dirt.

 4 First Quest?

    Beep Beep Beep!


    "Huh?" hearing several beeping noises, Leo pulled his face out of the dirt and wiped his face off. He saw a bright blue screen with writing on it in front of him. "This is just getting weirder and weirder." Leo thought as he stared at the screen in a daze like state of mind.


    "Hey kid, you had better hurry up before I literally kick your ass flying towards that building. I take my master''s orders very seriously!" shouted another guard, annoyed to see Leo just sitting and staring in front of him in a day dream like state of mind. "Hey kid, did you hear me!?"


    Beep Beep Beep!


    Shaking the dirt off his robe, Leo started to slowly walk towards the direction of the building as he started to read the screen in front of him. He did not want to make the guards around him even more upset and decided that he could figure this all out once no one''s attention was on him.


    - New Quest. Will you accept or decline? -


    "Since those guards did not notice this screen, it must mean that I am either a total lunatic, or that this world is built like a video game. Oh well, might as well click the drop-down menu for the description of the quest. It is even ranked E."


    With the guards from the village walls no longer paying attention to him, Leo decided to sit down behind a tree and clicked the drop-down menu. Due to this apparent upcoming wave of monsters, it would be abnormal for the guards to spend too much time observing Leo. They needed to prepare the best that they could.


    "What!?" to his surprise, the mission was one that was based on him surviving the monster wave. "Why would I receive a random mission such as this one? Not just that, this quest literally goes hand and hand with my current position within this place." Leo pondered to himself as he read the details.


    -Survive the monster wave through the night to earn your reward-


    "Well, if I died tonight, I would lose my life regardless. I might as well click accept so that I can at least earn something that might help me continue surviving." thought Leo as he clicked the accept button. There was no reason for Leo to hesitate in this moment, and he felt that this would be the best option for him to take at this time.


    Beep Beep Beep!


    -You have accepted an E rank quest-


    "Well, I hope that the citizens of this village are going to be nice to me. If they are used to battling against monsters, they might show me some kindness since I am also a human."


    Without wasting anymore time, Leo dashed towards the building and after being checked over by the militia surrounding the building, he finally entered.

 5 Suiting Up

    "Hey you little brat, why are you not even wearing armor? I do not recognize you, but we have plenty of armor for you to wear since you seem old enough to hold a short sword properly. Hurry up and head towards the militia hall so that you can properly be prepared for tonight!"


    To Leo''s surprise, there were about fifty militia men covered in worn out armor around him preparing themselves for the wave of monsters at nightfall. The older man seemed experienced and was rather disappointed that Leo was delaying so much.


    Upon entering the small hall, Leo saw many teenagers and kids his age suiting up in armor and grabbing spears and short swords. Helping all of them, were the older women of the village while the younger girls were concentrating on taking care of those under what seemed to be children under the age of ten.


    "Hey you brat, I do not care how scared you are of tonight''s attack. It is part of your job as a citizen of this village to protect the women and children as us adults battle the wave of monsters in the front lines!"


    Walking over to Leo, was a man with an eye patch covering one of his eyes. This man was extremely muscular, but did not have the same heroic aura he felt when looking at those other guard''s master.


    "Do not worry, it is very unusual for even a single one of those monsters to reach the inside of this building during a monster wave. Just suit up and make sure that you have a proper weapon and you should find yourself surviving very easily."


    "Plus, you will have the older teens taking the lead if a monster just so happens to sneak by."


    Leo now understood just how terrifying these monster waves were to a village of this size. For a village to implement giving armor to ten year old children and weapons just to ensure survival, was not something that was done, unless there truly was a high level of danger.


    "Oh little one, you do not need to listen to that brute. Just come over here and I will make sure to give you proper equipment, just promise this aunt that you will protect her. Deal?"


    Walking over to Leo and grabbing his hand, a middle aged woman started to pull him towards her small table that had equipment scattered all over it. Within just a few minutes, Leo now had a full set of worn out armor and a leather cap on. The middle aged woman also gave him a short sword.


    "Now now, look how strong you appear to be. If you pretend to be a strong warrior, your presence alone might scare away any monsters that appear!"


    Chuckling, the middle aged woman showed Leo an image of himself. Though he looked like a terribly poor mercenary, he still accepted all of the equipment before heading into a small corner. He would be a fool to not accept free equipment, since his only objective was survival right now.

 6 The Monster Wave

    Sitting in the corner, Leo felt the time slowly fly by. He watched on as the villagers would console each other and giving each other pep talks.


    "The unity these villagers have is not surprising. From some of the conversations they have had with each other, dealing with monster waves is something that happens quite frequently here. Even on earth, humans would throw everything away and work together just to survive."


    "Some of those militia men look like they are very battle hardened. If I am not mistaken, they would be very strong warriors, it is too much of waste that they are only able to wear worn out armor." Leo pondered to himself.


    After several more hours had passed, all of the militia men started to leave the building, leaving only some of the older teenagers in charge. This did not affect Leo in the slightest since no one expected an outsider to be effective at all if a battle were to happen within the building.


    Awaiting for the monster wave to appear, Leo was starting to become a little impatient as he remembered something from earlier.


    Taking out the card again, Leo spent some time looking over the card. He would flip it around, look at it closely, and had some hope inside of himself that he would be able to find some clue to understand what exactly this item was.


    "It seems that no one except for myself can actually see the item in my hand." thought Leo as he started to hear the other villagers reacting to watching what he was doing. The villagers started to think that Leo had a mental disorder and that he was playing with an imaginary object.


    Some of the older teenagers observed Leo and decided to leave him alone. They felt that Leo being both young and an outsider, led him to lose himself mentally due to the fear of death from a monster wave.


    Roar!


    All of the sudden, loud roars could be heard from outside of the village. These roars from the monsters was able to shake the building.


    The teenagers who were used to hearing these roars, stood silently into their patrol positions. However, everyone else, started screaming in fear. Though the villagers have lived through many of the monster waves, there was still fear that they would be killed.

 7 Learning A New Skill

    Beep Beep Beep!


    Leo suddenly looked in front of where he was sitting to see the blue screen appearing again. However, looking back down at the card within his hand, he saw that the card was now glowing in a faint light.


    Quickly looking back at the blue screen, Leo was surprised by what he had just saw.


    -Insert monster card into the screen to learn a skill or trade it for an exp pill-


    "Learn a new skill or trade it for an exp pill? What the hell is an exp pill?" pondered Leo as he thought about what to do now.


    "If this card can give me a new skill, wouldn''t that help me increase my chance of surviving tonight? Maybe this can be what gives me more strength?"


    "In a video game, experience helps you level up, but I do not even see my current level. Also, I do not even have any skills right now. Maybe I will trade this card for a skill, this way, I know that I can at least have a trump card up my sleeve if I run into anything unexpected."


    Finally deciding what he would do, Leo made his move.


    Inserting the card like a debit card into the screen and clicking the -learn a new skill- button. A small list of two skills popped up for Leo to choose from.


    -Berserk Lv.1: This skill increases the users attack power. However, side effects including losing their minds during battle.


    -Bronze Skin Lv.1: This skill makes the user''s skin as hard as bronze. This allows the user to protect themselves against low leveled attacks.


    "Berserk looks like it could really come in handy if I am on the offensive, but, Bronze Skin looks like it can help me survive longer. For right now, defense and survival skills mean more to me than offensive ones."


    "Besides, if I am able to survive tonight''s monster wave, my possible quest reward could even be an offensive skill." thought Leo as he clicked on the Bronze Skin skill.


    Beep Beep Beep!


    -New skill added. Open up status window to view changes-


    "Status window?" Leo asked out loud now while a new smaller blue screen appeared before him.


    "What?" Leo shouted as he saw his status screen.

 8 Attribute Points

    -Leo Lv.1. Job Title: None Strength: 5, Constitution: 5, Dexterity: 5, Intelligence: 5, Wisdom: 5, Luck: 5. Remaining Attribute Points: 5. Passive Skills Learned: Bronze Skin Lv.1-


    Hearing Leo shouting in the corner, some of the teenagers who were in small groups started to look over and felt annoyed. Why would some brat be yelling so much in fear just from hearing some roars?


    "Hey you stupid kid, are you trying to scare all of the younger children in here? If you continue acting improper, we might feed you to that monster wave ourselves."


    Several of the teenagers started shouting at Leo. Sitting back down and acting like he understood these shouting individuals, Leo started to stare at the Status screen in front of him.


    "How did I earn five attribute points without even leveling up? Actually, why would I even worry about that when I can already distribute them to make myself stronger?"


    "Right now, what I need is some higher strength. Coupled with this Bronze Skin passive skill I now have, I can increase my strength and my survival should not be too difficult. However, in the future once I survive the night, I need to think more carefully about my attribute points." Leo pondered as he added all of his remaining attribute points to his strength level.


    "Hm?" now looking around the room in front of him, all of the villagers started to show their names above their heads in white. However, some of the older teenagers actually had their names in orange coloring.


    "Could it be, that since I now saw my status, it unlocked an ability to show me the strength of those around me? No, if I could see the strength of those around me, it would also show me their levels."


    "Unless, I am only able to see my enemy levels? I shouldn''t think too hard about this right now."


    Roar!


    To the villager''s surprise, the monster wave''s roars started to become even louder. It was to the point where some visible sweat started to appear on several of the teenage militia''s faces.


    "Get ready! Roars this loud means that some monsters from the wave must have broken through the militia''s defenses. All of the women and children start making your way down the underground area of the building."


    Several of the teenage militia members started to shout orders. Though there was not a clear leader, everyone listened to everyone''s orders and started to make their moves.


    "Warriors who are not in a particular patrol, distribute yourselves accordingly and get into a defensive position with those closest to you!"

 9 Monster Attacks

    Acting quickly, all of the women started pulling all of the children in a small underground area while those who wore armor started to get into a small defensive formation behind the teenagers in each patrol.


    "Get your spears ready and pay attention to the entrance. Those who have short swords, get behind the spear holders at the ready."


    "If you all stay vigilant, we should have no one in here dying tonight! Remember your training and stay alert!"


    While all of this was going on, Leo chose not to join up in the militia''s defensive formations and stood in his corner. He realized that these villagers thought of him as a worthless outsider, so he would not hear any complaints.


    "Roar!"


    After another hour went by, suddenly a large monster could be seen outside of the entrance of the building swinging its large tail towards it.


    "Get ready!" shouting, all of the patrol leaders seemed as if they were about to enter a battle to the death.


    With what seemed like a simple strike, the monster was able to use its tail to whip off the entrance''s door before charging inside.


    This monster looked what appeared to be a more demonic version of a lizard. It had two hook shaped horns on its head. Its scales were pitch black and it had a very long tongue similar to a snake.


    "Be careful! That monster seems to have some level of intelligence. If you are not careful, you may forfeit your life tonight!"


    With a sharp gaze, the monster fully unleashed its killing intent. Seeing this, Leo couldn''t help but blink in fear while covering his body with his worn out shield. However, the patrols started to crumble in fear.


    It was almost as if, this monster was using a skill or ability to destroy everyone''s morale with only using its gaze!


    "Warriors stay calm! I said stay calm!" one of the patrol leaders who was able to be the first to snap out of his fear called out.


    "Roar!" the lizard like monster let out a second big roar which shook the building to the point of almost collapsing onto itself.


    From this fear, all of these younger militia warriors started to drop to their knees. To many, it was a useless struggle facing such a terrifying monster.


    "Die you stupid lizard!" all of the sudden a small group of four guards stormed the monster and started attacking it. The leader of these guards was none other than the Master Nathan that Leo bumped into earlier.

 10 Danger!

    "All of you should escape into the underground area as well. The monster wave this time was much bigger than we had expected and some monsters are getting into the village much easier." Nathan shouted out.


    Nathan then took out his battle axe and charged towards the monster with his four fellow guards. With a single swing, Nathan was able to heavily injure the monster with his weapon.


    At first, Leo felt that the monster should be able to easily overpower all of the militia members who stayed behind within this building due to it being a level 10 beast with its title glowing in orange letters.


    To his surprise, Nathan''s name was actually in red. Which meant, that this Nathan fellow was more than capable of defeating this monster, especially with the four guards in his small squad assisting him.


    In the matter of only a few moments, Nathan and his patrol were able to finally land the final blow onto the monster.


    "All of you go into the underground area now before I personally throw you all down there myself!" shouting with rage, Nathan gave his order while charging back out into the village, now that two more monsters had made their way into the village''s walls.


    As the other villagers finally started to move towards the underground entrance, Leo, decided to halt his movements.


    "If that other monster''s corpse earlier had a card within its abdomen, I wonder..." pondering for only a brief moment, Leo decided to head towards the corpse to inspect it.


    None of the warriors who were fleeing wanted to call out to Leo due to him only being an outsider and useless to them. This allowed Leo to approach the corpse without Nathan and his men noticing him charging out of the building.


    "Roar!" a lion type monster and a goat type monster were in a fierce battle with Nathan and his men. Though, Nathan and his men outnumbered these two beasts, they were still struggling to land any heavy blows onto the monsters.


    "I have to hurry, I hope this risk that I am taking, will be fruitful." Leo snapped out of his thoughts as he finally approached the corpse. However, to his surprise, there were actually two cards within the monster''s abdomen this time!


    "I hope that two cards hold at least equal or more value than the single card I looted from that other corpse. Time to escape back!" pondered Leo as he placed both cards within his pockets.


    Right when Leo was about to rush back into the building, he was sensed by the nearby lion type beast. Letting out a fierce roar, the lion switched his movements and tried to pounce towards Leo.


    "Not so fast you stupid monster!" in a mere instant, one of the guards who was fighting the lion type monster shot an arrow at its head as it focused on shifting its sights on Leo.


    Crack!


    Within that moment, the lion type monster, landed on the ground nearby Leo, but decided to turn its gaze back towards the two guards who were fighting it earlier.


    It seemed as if the lion type monster felt a sense of danger due to its new injury and wanted to kill these threats to its life before slaughtering some weaker prey.


    "Roar!" now ignoring Leo, the lion type monster pounced towards the two guards as Leo fell to his knees in terror.


    "In practically a single moment, my life would have perished. My past life may have been hard, but I should cherish this new chance I have." pondering for several breaths of time, Leo slowly go up onto his feet and sprinted towards the underground area of the building.


    Leo felt that the battles going on around him were now too dangerous for him to stay hidden. The loot of those battles may have helped him gather more of those cards, but, it was too big of a risk now.


    "If I become too greedy, my life span will shorten significantly. It was already luck that I was able to loot a total of three cards without personally taking any actions. However, that does not mean that I will be lucky in the future."


    "Survival. That should be my new focus from this point forward. As long as I can continue to survive, I will always have an opportunity to become stronger!" now with his mind made up, Leo finally approached the underground area of the building.


    "Hurry up and get in here before we close this gate without you inside!" shouted a patrol leader as he ordered his men to halt their movements.


    This underground actually had a massive gate on the outside of it, protecting it from enemies. To Leo''s surprise, the gate to this underground area also blended in with the surrounding areas. If a monster did not have very high intelligence, it would even ignore the gate itself and head to another place.


    "Cough, cough!" once inside the underground area, Leo couldn''t help but cough from exhaustion. He used all of his energy to grab the loot and to flee from the area.


    "I really need to raise my attributes, so that my endurance can last much longer. I guess this underground area is safe enough for me to finally lower my guard." Leo thought as he found a corner for himself against one of the many walls in the area and began to doze off.


    Beep Beep Beep!


    Several hours later, Leo finally woke up from hearing the beeps from the blue screen.


    "What the heck?"

 11 Inventory?

    -Alert: Rested for a long period of time. User now 100% recharged-


    "What a sorry use of an alarm clock! I need-"


    Being woken up prematurely from the blue screen, Leo was angered, until he looked around his surroundings. "What the hell happened to everyone?"


    To his shock, all of the villagers who were hiding within this underground area, were no longer present. Due to their ill treatment towards him, Leo cared more about how he seemed to have survived regardless.


    Beep Beep Beep!


    "What now?" annoyed from the constant beeping of the blue screen, Leo looked at it and saw a notification.


    -Survival Quest Completed: Click accept for your reward-


    "Wait, that must mean that the monster wave has concluded while I was sleeping?" Leo pondered as he heard some vibrations coming from outside of the area.


    Looking towards the exit, Leo realized that since the exit was open, all of the villagers inside must have survived and might have started clearing out the corpses of all of the monsters that were killed!


    "Wait a minute!" a thought appeared in Leo''s head as he started to rush out of the underground area and towards the outside.


    "If they are cleaning up the corpses of the monsters, there is no way that they are able to see the cards that I can see. Since those monster waves seem to be very big, there must be countless amounts of cards for me to collect!"


    However, to Leo''s shock, he would be unable to collect anymore cards. He realized this once he finally left the building and saw what was happening in front of him.


    "I-I-It can''t be!" shouting out in anger, Leo watched as a large pile of monster corpses were all burnt in a pile of ashes within the middle of the village square.


    "What, do you think our village wouldn''t have held off all of those monsters?" a nearby guard who heard Leo shouting out in surprise, snapped at him before shooing him away. Hearing Leo shouting angrily, the guard assumed that he was spitting on his village''s pride.


    "Damn it! So much was wasted, I might as well commit suicide from losing so much!" Leo thought to himself as he sat down below a tree where no one else was.


    From feeling so frustrated, Leo just sat underneath the tree while day dreaming about all of the awesome skills and power he would have gotten from all of the possible loot. There was always next time, but this did not allow Leo to become any less angry.


    Beep Beep Beep!


    "You stup-" before yelling at the blue screen in front of him again, Leo actually realized something.


    -Survival Quest Completed: Click accept for your reward-


    Leo, swallowing all of his frustration clicked the accept button on the quest.


    Beep Beep Beep


    -Survival Quest reward delivered to inventory. Three new quests pending-


    "Inventory?" Leo questioned out loud as another screen popped up in front of him.


    "Wait, what the hell is this?"


    To Leo''s surprise, an inventory with thirty slots appeared in front of him on the screen. However, some of the slots within the inventory actually had items within them! Looking at these new items caused Leo to gasp in shock.


    "Wait, is that a potion? And a sword?" looking at the items now in his inventory, Leo clicked on one of the slots that held a sword.


    "Whoa!" to his surprise, the sword actually fell straight out of the screen and onto the ground in front of him!


    "Are you for real...?" picking up the sword that fell out of the screen, he could feel that the sword was absolutely real and better than the one he was given by the villagers. After swinging it a bit to get used to its weight, Leo quickly pointed it into the slot that it came out of, and pushed it into the screen.


    Within but a moment, the sword vanished out of Leo''s hand, and back into the slot on his inventory screen.


    "I wonder..." after pondering about this for a minute, Leo withdrew the two cards that he looted from the lizard like monster corpse and tried placing them into the screen as well.


    Without the slightest resistance, the two cards successfully went into the inventory screen in front of Leo. However, the two cards were within the same slot and Leo could visibly see the number "2" on top of the slot where the two cards were placed.


    "Though it might be smart to keep my cards within my inventory, it makes more sense to use them right away since my level has yet to increase." Leo thought to himself as he withdrew his cards from his inventory screen and opened up his status screen.


    "Oh?" Leo couldn''t help but to gasp in shock!


    Leo''s level actually increased to level two!


    "I wonder if completing that quest actually allowed me to also level up? That would explain the new attribute points I also now have."


    Sitting under the unused amount of attribute points were now a total of five points.


    "I might as well add all five points to my constitution. With the increase in my endurance, I can hopefully start heading into battle on my own." thought Leo as he quickly added all five of the points into the constitution attribute.


    "Time to check and see what I was able to loot from that lizard like monster corpse!"

 12 Nathan Makes An Appearance!

    Beep Beep Beep!


    Once Leo put one of the cards into the screen, a message popped up.


    -Click to accept a weapon, a consumable, or an exp pill-


    "Wait, I am unable to choose a skill this time? But that monster seemed to be extremely strong compared to my current level!"


    Leo almost cried from this robbery. First it was when he lost hundreds of potential cards, and now a card he looted seemed to not be very helpful.


    "Inventory" Leo said as he pulled up his inventory. He wanted to figure out how he could possibly see the weapon he earned from completing the quest''s stats. Since this blue screen treated everything like a game, it was possible that he could even see descriptions of weapons!


    After spending several minutes experimenting, Leo finally realized that he had to hold his finger on the inventory slot in order to see the stats of what was inside and its usages.


    "Interesting, for completing the quest, I got a basic potion that helps replenish my health, while the sword is the lowest ranked sword and only adds four strength points to my attributes."


    "Since the sword is only E ranked, maybe I should use the card to gamble on a stronger weapon? Right now, I lack strong skills, but maybe a better weapon could increase my strength even more, which in turn, can allow me to automatically increase my current power?"


    With his mind finally made up, Leo placed the card back into the screen and clicked the weapon icon.


    Beep Beep Beep!


    -Weapon has been delivered into user''s inventory-


    Now eager to see what type of weapon he received and the additional benefits, Leo did not hesitate to pull up his inventory immediately.


    "Whoa! This card was absolutely worth looting!"


    Leo received what was called "The Asclepius Dagger" it was a rank D weapon that gave the user five additional strength points as well as three additional wisdom points and even two additional charisma points!


    "Now for the next card." Leo thought as he pulled out the second looted card from his inventory.


    Beep Beep Beep!


    -Click to accept a consumable or an exp pill-


    "Weird, it seems as if there might be a limit of rewards you could receive for each type of monster? Well, that makes it harder for me to grow, but, if I run into enough monsters of the same type, I could max out on those rewards." pondered Leo as he clicked to receive a consumable.


    "This can be very useful, too bad I do not want to lower myself to using poison in a battle."


    The consumable Leo received from the card was some snake venom in a powder form. Though, able to paralyze strong enemies, or instantly kill a weak enemy quickly, Leo hated the idea of using poison.


    "Maybe if I come across a big city at some point in this world, I can find some place to sell this and receive something more to my liking?" thought Leo as he started to walk towards the large group of teenagers in the nearby field.


    "Oh you are that outsider, correct?" an adult militia man walked over to Leo as he was approaching the area. In front of him, Leo could see that all of the teenagers who were in their own patrols were being trained by some of the adult militia men.


    This made sense to Leo because it seemed as if monster waves to this village was a normal occurrence. It would be strange, if no one had training added to their daily routine.


    "My name is Hans and I am one of the adult leaders here. If you are going to join our village officially, you need to start training at least three hours every day with the rest of those your age. This is the rule of our village, no exceptions." Hans told Leo in a polite manner.


    "Actually, I wanted to go out exploring. I apologize, but I really should get going now." replied Leo as he respectfully tried to excuse himself. He did not want to draw any attention, and he knew that the best way to become stronger, was to explore and kill some more monsters.


    "My apologies, but I must insist." blocking his path, Hans drew his sword and pointed it at Leo without any hesitation. "Rules, are not meant to be broken so easily."


    Feeling some killing intent coming out of Hans, Leo quickly dashed backwards as he drew his new dagger. "What do you think you are doing so suddenly?"


    Seeing Hans making a move against him in such a casual manner, angered Leo greatly. According to Hans'' status, he was only orange, plus, he was only wearing some worn out armor with a less than ideal sword in his hands.


    "If you can defeat me in battle, you would have passed the test to leave the village on your own accord. I must tell you though, I am not that easy to deal with." replied Hans as he dashed towards Leo with his full speed.


    In but an instant, Leo''s dagger clashed with Hans''s sword a small handful of times. Both Leo and Hans after the initial several clashes, fled backwards several feet from one another while remaining vigilant.


    "Not bad kid, but, remember, you can only leave if you defeat me!" shouted Hans.


    Seeing such an exchange happening, everyone in the area stopped what they were doing to spectate.


    "Hey, that is the scared brat from last night right? How can he be this formidable, when he couldn''t even get into a simple defensive formation out of fear?" the spectators slowly recognizing Leo''s identity couldn''t help but to be taken back from what they were seeing.


    "Damn it, I wanted to leave without anyone paying close attention to me. What am I going to do now that so many people are spectating?" Leo pondered as he braced himself for Hans'' next attack.


    "Hey Hans stop playing with the brat and give it your all!" yelled an adult in anger.


    "Yeah, what do you think you are doing by playing stupid in front of so many people?" cried out another adult.


    Hearing the ridicule behind his fellow villagers, Hans started to become annoyed. When has he ever been in such a state where even lowly villagers ordered him around and ridiculed his position and identity?


    "Do they really think that I am taking it easy against that kid? How can such a small brat be strong enough to battle against me equally?" thought Hans as he charged again towards Leo. He felt the need to push Leo back as quickly as he could in order to save himself face.


    Snap! Ping! Crack!


    During their second round of exchanges, Hans'' sword actually started to show cracks throughout the sword. Every new clash, added a new crack to the sword. Hans feeling pressure coming from Leo, continued to fight back with all of his strength, but still felt a sense of danger.


    "Ha!" Leo cried out as he landed his finishing blow with all of his strength, which finally destroyed Hans''s sword!


    "Damn you!" retreating backwards due to being unarmed, Hans could only yell out towards Leo in anger. Coupled with the embarrassment alone that Leo caused him Hans was also angered for another reason.


    To break a sword when the village was constantly struggling against monsters, was not something that anyone took as a light matter. Even though Leo was now seen as a strong warrior given his age, the villagers started to shun him immediately. This had more to do with Leo stomping on their safety as a village more than him fighting for himself.


    "Hey that was going too far!"


    "Do you not realize how hard it is to gather materials for a sword like that?"


    "You are lucky that I am not stepping in to destroy your weapon as well!"


    All of the nearby villagers started to ridicule Leo and taunt him in anger. Though Leo was only a kid to them, they still felt the need to punish him immediately for his actions!


    "That is enough!" shouted a nearby dazzling warrior with a heroic aura. This warrior was none other than Nathan!


    Seeing such a familiar and strong presence, all of the surrounding villagers halted their words and looked on. To this village, Nathan was a very heroic figure. If it was justice they wanted, Nathan would be sure to deliver.


    "It does not matter what the situation was, to destroy someone''s weapon hurts our survival situation for the village as a whole. I am sorry, but, I will have to ask you to now journey outside. You can only return if you meet the requirements I set down for you. Do you agree to this?" asked Nathan.


    Beep Beep Beep!

 13 Eating Some Pellets

    "What would your requirements be?" Leo asked Nathan as he pretended to not notice the screen beeping in front of him.


    "You must bring me back the head of a monster within the mountains. The mountains behind this village has a very high level of danger, but there are also goblins who have hidden themselves there was well."


    "Us humans do not have a very good relationship with the goblin race, and so, you not only need to be careful of the monsters, but, also of the goblins who lurk in the shadows. Seeing your current strength, as long as you do not get surrounded by a large group of goblins, you should be able to arrive back here safely, given you complete the requirement." Nathan explained, loud enough for those listening in, could hear him as well.


    "Oh? That sounds simple enough. I hope that once I return, that I will not be bothered by anyone?" Leo asked as he started to turn around to leave towards the mountains.


    "If you complete that simple requirement, I am sure that no one here, including myself, would have a problem with that." replied Nathan as the other villagers all nodded in approval.


    Once Leo left the area, all of the villagers started to make bets with one another.


    "If he completes that requirement, I would even allow him to be my boss!"


    "Oh yeah? Seeing him fight evenly with Hans, I bet a week''s worth of meals that he would surely return."


    After exiting the village gates that led to the mountains, Leo quickly started sprinting ahead. After several miles, Leo decided to sit underneath a tree and to finally take some time to check his screen.


    -New Quest: Complete Nathan''s requirement to earn a reward-


    "Weird, this time, it is allowing me to click a drop down menu to see what rewards I will earn?" surprised to see this new development, Leo decided to click the drop down menu to see what he would earn.


    -15 attribute points, 2 skills, 1 exp pill-


    "How is there so many rewards?" shocked to see the type of rewards he would gain from completing this trip, Leo couldn''t help but to get excited.


    "Wait, if I add that to what I would already be earning by hunting down some monsters and goblins, wouldn''t that mean?" Leo''s eyes started to shine brightly as he quickly started to dash towards the mountains at full speed.


    "When I return to that village, I will make them beg me to be their leader!" pondered Leo as he finally got to the entrance of the first mountain path.


    "Huff... huff.... huff...." after heading into the mountains, Leo was targeted almost immediately by nearby goblins.


    He was now dodging their collective attacks the best he could. He wanted to find an opening, but he was surrounded by eight goblins!


    These goblins were dark green with red eyes. They were no larger than a human child, but, they had an unusual amount of strength and speed!


    Using a group battling type tactic, five of the goblins were throwing big rocks at Leo, while three were facing him in close combat. The goblins seemed as if they were playing with their food!


    This battle had gone on for several minutes now, and Leo was panting in exhaustion.


    "What am I going to do? These three goblins have enough strength to block my attacks while the others are just trying to divert my attention." pondered Leo as he quickly dodged one of the goblins from behind.


    "Though my Bronze Skin skill has been effective against the goblin''s daggers, it is not like I do not feel any pain from them. If I become too exhausted, I might be able to slay all of these goblins, but, that is not the case if their backup arrives."


    "Though I hate the idea of using it, that poison powder might be my only chance of surviving through this ordeal!"


    Suddenly, all of the goblins who were throwing rocks, decided to rush Leo with their daggers. It was in the goblin tribe''s nature to be impatient. Although, they were having some fun with Leo, it seems that their bellies felt otherwise.


    "Now is my chance." thought Leo as he quickly jumped into the air while pulling out the poison powder.


    Holding his breath in tightly, Leo threw a small handful of the poison powder into the faces of the two closest goblins.


    "Pant... pant.... pant!" halting their movements, the remaining goblins watched on as their two friends started to cough uncontrollably. In the matter of a few breaths of time, the two goblins died.


    Disregarding the remaining goblins who stood silently a short distance away, Leo dashed towards the two dead corpses that were now present.


    "Nice!" Leo thought as he shoved two cards he looted from the goblin corpses before fleeing at his maximum speed.


    Seeing their companions dead by some type of weird powder, the remaining goblins decided to flee back to their hideout. They were now deeply afraid of this human who seemed to be able to kill them without the use of a weapon. This was something that needed to be reported to their clan leader!


    In this world, there were many races scattered around the planet. However, in the smaller areas, were a collective of the same race who would create a clan. Such a case was like the small human village or this small hideout of goblins.


    Speaking in their own language, the goblins all reported their findings to their clan leader. Handing over the corpses, the leader started to examine the bodies with the help of several elders within the clan.


    "Kikiki!" the leader yelled out to all of its clan members. In the goblin language, this meant that they would all search the mountains for this enemy and destroy it at all costs. The leader and elders from examining the corpses, have decided that this human was too dangerous to leave alone!


    Gathering throwing spears, putting on weird wooden armor, and sharpening their daggers, many goblin patrols started to form. Their plan was to form many small patrols to hunt down this human and its location, so that they can kill it as soon as possible.


    Of course at this point however, Leo was hiding in a large bush several miles away in the opposite direction.


    After examining what the cards could be traded for within the screen, Leo decided that right now what mattered was only the exp pills. Leo felt that if he was able to raise his level, he would receive attribute points as well. The more attribute points he had, the better his foundation would be!


    Upon swallowing the little pellets, Leo pulled up his Status screen so that he could see how much his level had increased. However, to his surprise, he was still level three!


    "Strange, after killing the two goblins, my level increased up to level three, but shouldn''t the pellets have pushed me higher as well since there were two of them?" Leo then looked at his remaining unused attribute points.


    "Well, at least I now have nine attribute points from lev-" shocked, Leo blinked several times while wiping his eyes to look at the screen again.


    "So I received five attribute points for leveling myself up, but the exp pills were actually pills that gave me even more attribute points instead of leveling me up? And not just one point per card, but two?"


    To Leo, he understood that his level did not mean much compared to his attribute points. Though, he did not have time to try to train to see if he was able to gain more attribute points in that way, he realized that attribute points was what meant higher power and not his level.


    "The more attribute points I earn, the more powerful I will become. Maybe it makes more sense to skip trying to farm enemies in the future for random skills, but just solely for more attribute points?"


    At this point in time, Leo felt a little relaxed and started to brainstorm what he would do with the cards he would earn from this point forward.


    To Leo, the goblins were not a big threat to him, unless there were dozens of them surrounding him at a time. Leo, not knowing how this world worked, did not realize that the goblins actually had their own hideout and were rather organized.


    "Well, I might as well rest up. Tomorrow I should spend some time doing some basic training regiments to see if I can earn anything. Who knows, maybe I will receive a random training based quest?" yawning in exhaustion from the earlier ambush, Leo decided to dig a small hole underneath the big bush and fell asleep.

 14 Leo The Hero!

    "Ki! Ki! Ki!" finally finding Leo within many hours later, a patrol of ten goblins started to screech out to try to alert all of the other patrols within the nearby areas of the mountain.


    Unfortunately for the goblins, their screeching actually woke Leo up. Now completely refreshed, he was ready for a battle to the death.


    Leo placed all of his unused attribute points into his strength attribute and actually saw his muscles expand and become much more chiseled.


    Coupled with his weapon that gave him an additional boost in strength, Leo now felt confident enough to try his luck against so many goblins.


    By the time Leo finally finished preparing, two more patrols of goblins arrived in the area and closed off any escape paths for Leo.


    This would have frightened Leo if he hadn''t just forcefully increased his strength greatly with his attribute points. Now, Leo felt like he was now he hunter, instead of the prey!


    "Ki ki!" over thirty goblins that were surrounding Leo cried out before rushing towards him in a swarm. When facing an enemy such as Leo, that threatened their entire clan''s existence, the goblins would swarm the enemy in order to overwhelm them with their numbers.


    With a single swift motion of his arm, Leo was able to cut down the first two goblins who were the closest to him with his dagger. However, he did not stop there!


    In the next moment, Leo actually pulled out the low ranked sword within his inventory and slashed another goblin''s head right off.


    Without the slightest hesitation, the remaining goblins continued to charge Leo. They wanted nothing more, than to take Leo''s life quickly.


    The battle continued on for several minutes, however, despite their overwhelming numbers, Leo actually was the one to hold the advantage!


    To Leo, he was not surprised at all. According to the screen''s effect, all of the goblins around him were extremely weak and had white above their heads instead of orange. This meant, that Leo was more than capable of taking care of them alone.


    After several more minutes, Leo had finally finished cutting down over twenty of the goblins. The goblins that remained were frightened beyond belief and actually chose to make a tactical retreat.


    "Phew!" spitting out a mouthful of blood, Leo was feeling relieved. Never in his past life, would he ever be able to take on anyone in a fight. However, at this moment, he was like a god of war who slashed down his enemies with simple strikes.


    "I guess this is to be expected since they were so weak?" Leo thought to himself as he looted the corpses of the dead goblins only to find two cards.


    Leo felt that due to the low amount of cards he received, that it must have been due to the enemies being so weak. He quickly put the cards away into his inventory screen before making his way further into the mountain range.


    "With so many more goblins coming together in bigger groups, that must mean that the ones I failed to kill earlier, must have alerted the rest of them who live in these mountains?" pondered Leo as he rubbed his forehead, trying to prevent himself from getting a headache at such a thought.


    After swiftly moving using the shadows to his advantage, Leo found himself surrounded by countless goblins who were all searching for him.


    Traveling for so many miles away from the entrance of the mountain path, Leo realized that after he passed a specific group of trees, that no goblins were in the area.


    Climbing the biggest tree he could find, he was finally able to get a good look at the area around him.


    "This must be where the mountains split into a valley?" pondered Leo as he looked around.


    All Leo could see was an endless amount of forest, with a large waterfall area several kilometers away from where he currently was.


    In the sky, Leo saw many birds chirping, while in the trees, he saw different smaller monsters jumping around and trying to catch each other. Some looked like gorilla type monsters, while the others resembled insects.


    Before he could make his way down the tree, Leo could hear human voices nearby accompanied by roars.


    Beep Beep Beep!


    -Hero Quest: Save the humans from being eaten by the monster, kill the monster for additional rewards-


    "Well, since I am much stronger now thanks to those pellets, it is safe to try to take down a monster. If those humans have their own weapons as well, it would make this quest doable." thought Leo as he decided to accept the quest.


    "No wonder those goblins do not dare to approach this area."


    Making his way over to the small battle between the humans and monster, Leo saw claw marks on some of the trees. Thinking about it, Leo realized that those marks must be the monster of this area''s way of warning others about its territory.


    As he got closer to the battlefield, Leo saw three humans engaged in a life and death battle with a monster that resembled a bear.


    Two of them were male, while the third was a female.


    One of the male warriors wore heavy armor while wielding a battle mace. It was if this warrior was of a paladin type class of warrior.


    The other male warrior wore very tight clothing that allowed him to move at high speed. With two sharp daggers in his hands, he seemed like an assassin type.


    However, what caught Leo''s eye, was the female in this small three person squad.


    This female could be considered to be a young witch type. With a light blue cape, with a small wooden staff and pointy light blue hat, this female was yelling out words. What surprised Leo, was, once she stopped yelling, a glow would come out of her staff and different forms of fire would appear and tangle the bear monster!


    Though, this three person squad seemed to have great teamwork and to have a massive amount of battle experience, the bear type monster seemed to be unaffected by their attacks. The closer Leo looked, the easier it was to see that the female was sweating to the point of fainting, while the two males were trying to discover an escape route.


    "Well, it looks like that bear type monster is very slow, I will use its weakness to end this battle as quickly as I can." thought Leo as he dashed forward with his dagger in one hand and his sword in the other.


    "Natalia, keep it up, we are almost ready to try to retreat!" the paladin type warrior yelled out.


    "Jack, I need you to continue circling around that monster. Your speed is our best advantage right now!"


    "I understand, but, Martin, be careful!" Jack called out.


    Thanks to their teamwork, the three person squad was able to stand on equal footing with the monster. Jack circling the monster with his speed, Natalia unleashed wave after wave of fire magic, all while Martin took the monster on with his brute force.


    This formation allowed them to survive up until now. However, the bear type monster was bulkier than they thought. This made the formation shake constantly due to the endurance type of battle this had become.


    Right when Martin was tackled backwards by the monster, Jack tried to leap towards Martin to save him.


    "Roar!"


    The bear type monster swiped Jack''s torso with its claws which sent Jack flying back and hitting a nearby tree before he fainted.


    "Jack, no!" seeing the situation becoming even more dire, Natalia tried to unleash a very strong spell in order to try to give Martin enough time to not become stomped to death.


    Unfortunately, due to the fact that she was only an apprentice witch, the time it would take Natalia to finish chanting the spell, would be too late.


    Frozen by the fear of being so close to death, Martin was paralyzed. The only thought that raced through his mind, was that he hoped someone would save him.


    Taking the opportunity it was given, the monster, instead of finishing Martin off, decided to charge towards Natalia instead!


    "Hmph!" before the bear type monster made it only a few yards away from Natalia, Leo quickly dashed out in an offensive stance above the bear type monster.


    The monster looked above its head to see Leo, except, it was only able to see him with its left eye. Without hesitating in the slightest, Leo had already plucked out the monster''s right eye with his dagger.


    Being in such pain by Leo''s attack, the bear type monster started to stumble as it shifted directions and completely missed its charge at Natalia and instead, hit a nearby tree.


    Without giving the monster any time to recover itself and to prepare its next charge, Leo made his finishing move. Dipping his dagger within the remaining poison powder, Leo with all of his strength, stabbed the monster on its head.


    After just several breaths of time, the monster''s roaring became lighter and lighter, until it eventually passed on.


    Quickly looting the single card he received from its corpse, Leo took his dagger out of the monster''s skull and put it back into his inventory screen along with the small bag of poison powder.


    At this moment, Martin was forcing himself up by relying on his battle mace, while Jack was finally awake and trying to understand what was happening.


    However, Natalia was completely taken back. The way the sun hit Leo''s figure, it made him shine with a noble and heroic aura. Seeing such a sight, Natalia was the first to bow towards her savior while Martin and Jack looked on, not knowing what to expect.

 15 Allies?

    Beep Beep Beep!


    -Quest complete: Check your inventory for your rewards-


    "Yes! I got a card from the monster and now I got two more for completing the quest? This just can''t get any better!" Leo shouted out as he started to pick how he would use the three cards he now had.


    No longer appearing to be such a heroic figure, Natalia quickly stood up with a frown on her face. While Natalia stood up, Martin and Jack also started to take the steps they needed to in order to recover from their wounds and exhaustion.


    "Sweet! I now have the rage skill from the bear and two small red potions that will apparently recover my vitality."excited from his gains, Leo couldn''t help but to jump up and down like a little kid.


    "Um.... sir?" finally close to Leo, Natalia called out to him, trying to remain respectful to her savior.


    "Huh?" turning around to face Natalia, Leo made eye contact with her and did not know how to react. The villagers from before showed him the true nature of humans, and he did not know what to expect from this group.


    "I wanted to thank you for helping us slay that monster. Although, we are not in the position to accept anything from its corpse, I hope that you are willing to help give us something?" Natalia asked without holding anything back.


    Though their group was saved by Leo jumping in, it was still their group that fought the monster and even sustained many wounds and exhaustion. Therefore, Natalia''s request was not something that Leo felt was out of place or too overbearing.


    "To be honest, I already took what I wanted from the corpse, so the rest is all yours." replied Leo as he tried to appear to be struggling with what Natalia had suggested to him. Leo felt that if he pretended to be making a difficult decision, that the group around him now, would respect him that much more.


    "Oh?" caught off guard from Leo''s response, Natalia bowed once more to Leo as she quickly began to store away different parts of value that the corpse had.


    What shocked Natalia, was that nothing appeared to be missing from the corpse in front of her. Part of being able to go out into these parts with a group, requires a specific amount of requirements which includes some of the anatomy of monsters that appear more frequently.


    "Sir, I hope that you could join us in eating some of the meat from the monster. Of course, you will not be required to help cook anything, you have already given us enough assistance earlier." Natalia told Leo as Martin slowly walked over to sit down on a log.


    "Natalia, I am not sure if you know any recovery magic, but Jack over there is looking rather pale. If you do not, we will need to backtrack back to the city so that we can get his wounds properly treated." Martin told Natalia with Leo still listening closely.


    "I have only learned some basic fire spells. You should know that an apprentice like myself, would find it difficult to afford those types of spell books concerning healing. It looks like after we eat, we are going to need to head back immediately." Natalia said while turning towards Leo.


    "Sir, one of our friends is severely hurt from the earlier battle. Is it possible that we can just owe you a meal, so we can use the extra time to make sure our friend lives?" she asked Leo with a concerned look on her face.


    "Just worry about cooking some of that juicy looking meat. I should be able to help that Jack fellow over there." replied Leo as he dashed towards Jack''s location.


    "How could someone so strong, know some healing magic as well? Could this person be a noble from the city that we do not recognize?" many of these thoughts began to form in Natalia and Martin''s head.


    Natalia began to cook some of the monster meat as Martin started to inspect his smaller wounds. Even if Leo was bluffing, he saved their lives, so they would not argue with his decision.


    "Drink this, it should help you recover at least a little bit." Leo told Jack while handing him one of the red potions he earned from completing the quest.


    "An alchemist? That does not explain your combat skills, but, to have an alchemist like yourself as a new ally,couldn''t be happier!" taking the potion, Leo was surprised that Jack could recognize the type of potion it was.


    Swallowing only a single sip, Jack gave the bottle back to Leo. Confused on why he would only take a single sip, Leo held the potion in his hand as he watched Jack.


    After only a single breath of time, the wounds on Jack''s body started to close up and he was completely back to his full power. However, Leo realized why this had happened with only a single sip of the potion.


    After depositing the potion back into his inventory, the bottle showed that one twentieth of the total bottle was used. This told Leo that if someone was lower leveled like Jack, that they did not need any more than a single sip in order to fully recover their strength.


    What was strange to Leo, was that Jack actually had a level above his head! Jack was level eight and was orange.


    "Wait, he did mention that we were allies and I did not decline. Does this mean that when it comes to other humans, that I can see their levels if they are my ally?" pondered Leo as Jack stood back up on his feet.


    "If that is the case, I wonder what it will take in order to see the levels of everyone around me, including enemies? Hopefully, that is a type of skill that I can obtain in the future." Leo was thinking as him and Jack made their way back to Martin and Natalia''s location.

 16 Factions?

    "You look as good as new there Jack!" Martin shouted out as he saw Leo and Jack approaching.


    "Well, it is all thanks to this alchemist. Actually, what was your name?" Jack replied as he asked Leo.


    "You can call me Leo. I am new to this place, so I hope that you guys can help me out a bit." Leo said as they finally sat down next to Martin.


    "The meal is almost ready." Natalia told the small group. Leo used this chance to pick the group''s brain for information.


    "Oh that village near the entrance to these mountains? That Nathan character sounds familiar. I think I heard my uncle mention him." Jack told Leo after he explained the direction he came from.


    "Our city tries to send out some troops to help smaller villages around this area defend against monster waves. However, I heard from my father, that the village you mentioned has rather mean citizens." Martin said.


    "Some of the villages around this world, are very battle hardened due to the rough conditions. But, some villages take it out on outsiders. It does not surprise me that they treated you the way that they did. If anything, since you seem to be an alchemist, I am surprised that they didn''t try to recruit you immediately."


    "That being said, I do not want you to feel that we have any ill intentions, but we would love for you to come back to our city and possibly even join it. You can choose to join any faction you wish, we only care about making our city stronger regardless of internal power struggles." Martin mentioned as he waited for Leo''s reply.


    Usually, depending on the race, a city would almost never see any internal power struggles. However, in this case, humans who have a high enough level of strength, desired to rule as many places as they could.


    As long as the overall strength of a city would not be lowered greatly, citizens of these cities just let those powerful experts fight each other. This being said, these experts who fought were unable to kill each other.


    Due to this group of three being so insignificant, they did not care about these types of power struggles. Unable to play a role within any sort of internal power struggles, they only wished to recruit strong experts to strengthen the potential of their city as a whole.


    "I would love to join your city and find a way to make it work. Although, are you three all part of the same faction? I couldn''t help but to notice that your fighting styles work well as a team, but are completely different?" Leo asked the group of three.


    "Since we are all being blunt here, I can explain." Natalia spoke up as she handed out the plates of food.


    "There are currently three factions within our city, and each faction holds different households and clans. Us three come from three different households, but we are in the same faction, so we are more than happy to travel outside the city with each other to hunt down monsters and such."


    "It would be wise for you to join a faction right away once we reach the city. Since you are so strong and an alchemist, our faction would be more than willing to accommodate you if you join us. However, it would be your choice, and we would not pressure you." explained Natalia.


    "If I told you that I was not an alchemist, would your faction still accept me with open arms?" Leo asked the group of three. He wanted to correct them early on, otherwise, the situation might get out of hand in the near future.


    "The righteousness in which you have shown us in that battle, proved to us that you can fit in with our faction. That is the single most important trait to become a member of our faction." Martin said as he pounded on his chest.


    "Plus, you appear stronger than all three of us and might be able to defeat us all by yourself. That alone would make any faction want to recruit you." Jack added as he patted Leo on the shoulder.


    "This all sounds great, except, I am going to need to kill another monster and return its head to the village I came from. Nathan gave me a quest and I want to make sure that I can deliver on it before moving on." Leo said after absorbing all of this information.


    "If that is the case, let us accompany you. Coupled with the strength that you already have, our squad is more than capable of taking down another monster!" Martin quickly responded to Leo''s request without hesitation.


    Finally finishing their meals, the sun was still up, and so the now four person squad decided to move out.


    Beep Beep Beep!


    -Would you like to form a party with your team?-


    "That is interesting, but I can not be sure to completely trust these three quite yet. If I give away too much, it might harm me in the future." thought Leo as he quickly pushed the decline button.


    To Leo, these three individuals seemed worthy of trusting, but, the way that they seemed to not care about their faction worried him.


    Leo understood that these three wanted nothing more than to help their cities prosper, but, to not take advantage of pulling him in forcefully to their side seemed a little off.


    "So Leo, now that you saw our formation we chose, where would you like to fit into it?" Natalia asked as she pulled closer to Leo''s side.


    "I think that I should remain hidden as you three continue to work on your teamwork. When I find an opening like I did in the last battle, I will make a swift killing move."


    "None of you need to worry, in the previous battle, I only arrived once the battle escalated to a dire situation. That will not happen again." Leo explained as the squad stopped in front of a small river.


    "We trust you, to be honest, this small river is the home to a wolf type monster. Wolf type monsters are easier to deal with compared to bear types due to the fact that they use their speed to make up for their strength. This also means that they are less sturdy and easier to defeat with raw power." Martin explained as he told Jack and Natalia to get into their positions.


    The plan was for Natalia to use her fire magic to encircle the wolf type monster once it appeared. From there, Jack would divert its attention, while Martin waited to land the finishing blow.


    The three member squad had done this successfully before, and they were confident that with Leo hiding in the shadows nearby, that their lives would not be in any danger.


    Sure enough, after only an hour a wolf type monster had appeared.


    Chanting her encirclement spell, Natalia quickly closed off all of the escape paths that the monster could take.


    In a breath of time, Jack was already facing the wolf head on. In terms of speed, they were both evenly matched, but Jack was finding it hard to keep up with his strength in their clashes.


    After a minute went by, Martin was able to land two blows onto the monster. The first blow, knocked the monster back by its waist, while the second blow landed right on its neck.


    Splash!


    Using the momentum that Martin gave to him, Jack used his two sharp daggers to slice the monster''s head off before it could become damaged.


    "Their teamwork really is top notch. I just hope the others who just arrived, do not harbor any ill intentions." Leo pondered as he saw a group of three humans approaching the battleground.


    "Oh you must be that Martin brat? It has been a while since we played. Do not worry though, give up that whole corpse and we will let you retreat back to the city." mocking Martin and his squad, the person in the lead couldn''t help but to laugh loudly.


    This person had an evil aura to him. Dressed like a grim reaper type with an all black cloak and gloves, this person seemed as if he could be compared to a monster himself!


    The two individuals behind him, were dressed the same, except, they had different colored paint on their faces. Leo was not sure what the color of paint represented, but all three were glowing orange above their heads.


    "Jacob, we are not looking for any trouble. You are aware that we have defeated this monster, and therefore deserve to take the spoils from the battle." trying to keep his heroic bearing, Martin responded to Jacob''s taunts.


    "Oh? Reports have said that your squad left without any escorts from any of your houses. You should know what happens out here in the wild, can not be blamed on anyone, right?" with a sinister smile, Jacob continued taunting Martin as his own squad continued to make their way over.


    "It seems like compared to their faction, the other seems to not be very nice. Maybe it was wise to trust in those three since the beginning." Leo thought as he allowed this situation to continue to escalate.


    "Hehehe! Hey Martin, stop trying to fight us. If you do not hand over that monster''s corpse, we will simply kill you and take it for ourselves!" one of Jacob''s underlings shouted out.


    "Is that a threat?" Martin''s eyes started to shine with killing intent as Natalia and Jack left the corpse to head over next to Martin''s sides.


    "It seems like you have a bit of a backbone now. I hope for your sake, that is enough to keep you from dying by our hands!" pulling out their weapons, Jacob and his underlings started to make their moves against Martin''s squad.

 17 Battle Begins

    Seeing their enemies making move against them, Martin, Jack, and Natalia all made their moves as well in response.


    As Natalia started to chant her strongest spell, Jack met one of Jacob''s underlings in close combat, while Martin took on Jacob and the other underling to give Natalia more time.


    Jack''s opponent was more of a defensive type. She had no weapons, but used arm guards to both attack Jack, and to block his daggers. Still, it seemed as if Jack still held the advantage with his speed and precision.


    Jack, using his speed, tried to constantly circle this woman as he tried to make calculated attacks against her. Leo did not know this, but Jack was trained at a very young age concerning the body. Being an assassin type, Jack knew every weak point when it came to the human anatomy.


    Every household within their city, had different specialty types when it came to both weapons and warrior class types. For Jack, his household was the assassin type, which meant that Jack was trained to not attack enemies head on, but rather, to remain in the shadows and strike with a killing blow.


    Jack, unfortunately, did not like fighting his opponents with that type of method. Adventuring so long with Martin, Jack realized that assassins could fight in a more up front and close combat styled battle. Changing his fighting methods over the years, Jack finally came up with his own strategies to fight his opponents.


    After several minutes of fighting and trying to take advantage of some openings, Jack was finally hit backwards by the woman''s attack. It was almost as if this woman allowed Jack to tire himself out while thinking he held an advantage, while she waited for an opening herself to finish him quickly.


    Being knocked back with only a single hit, Jack started to feel extremely uncomfortable. Scanning his opponent more closely, Jack realized that all of his previous attacks had done no damage. "Chain mail?" realizing that his opponent wore armor that his daggers couldn''t pierce through, Jack decided to change his battle tactics to a battle of endurance.


    On the other side of the battlefield, Natalia was able to unleash her strongest spell which landed a direct hit onto Jacob''s other underling. Unfortunately, due to fighting off both Jacob and the underling, Martin''s endurance was slowly fading.


    Natalia, quickly chanting many spells, in what could only be considered a chain, was able to subdue Jacob''s other underling for a short period of time. This underling was rather frail, but used his scimitar with his high speed against his opponents.


    Natalia found herself unable to pause her spells for even a single breathe, because her opponent was not only fast, but he was able to use his weapon to break out of her spells with ease. If Natalia was more experienced and had higher spell capabilities, she could have made this battle last for hours, however, she was still only an apprentice!


    It seemed as if Jacob''s underlings had more battle experience compared to Martin''s group. Using his scythe, Jacob was able to continuously push Martin back while damaging his full suit of armor.


    Knowing that Leo was hiding a short distance away, Martin did not give up while fighting now in a one on one battle with Jacob. Though continuously being pushed back, Martin did not allow Jacob any life threatening openings.


    "Hahaha! Die die die!" Jacob started yelling out battle cries towards Martin as he saw Martin slowly being pushed back by him. Jacob was not a paladin type of warrior, but, he felt rather strong being able to push back a brute like Martin all by himself with just his raw strength alone!


    "Martin! You will forfeit your life today. You do not even have the ability to bring out my full power!" Jacob cried out as his next several blows started to send Martin flying against many trees, causing them to break apart. Martin was now in a dire situation and could now see how bad things looked for the rest of his squad.


    However, at this moment, Martin from the corner of his eyes, saw a fast shadow heading towards where Jack was fighting his opponent. "So he finally made his move?" Martin thought as he started to drink some liquid from a small bottle on his side.


    "Hey Jacob, are you ready for round two?" visually healing, Martin was back to his full power and started to charge towards Jacob''s location several yards away.


    "You had a vitality potion this whole time? So what, do you really think that will change your fate of dying by my hands here today?" shouted Jacob as he charged towards Martin once again. However, this time both Martin and Jacob were now evenly matched.

 18 Retreating

    Jack''s situation was the most dire. It seemed as if his opponent was not even moving at this point and just allowing him to circle around her.


    "Delaying her from being able to assist her comrades might be enough, but I need to prove to myself that I can get past her defensive maneuvers." Jack pondered as he got ready for his next attack.


    "It seems that there was really backup nearby, it does not matter though, your deaths here are inevitable." the woman said as she finally retreated backwards as Leo''s shadow finally approached.


    "I tried to stay hidden, but you were able to sense my presence and notice me?" Leo asked mockingly. After hearing the death threats to his new friends, he felt his blood boil. However, he still kept his composure, given the enemy''s strength.


    "Jack, go assist Natalia, you can leave her to me." Leo said as he withdrew only his dagger from his inventory screen. Hearing Leo''s confidence, Jack agreeing, started to head towards Natalia''s position. Out of the three of them, Natalia was struggling the most, but Leo felt that Jack would be in just as bad of shape if he did not handle this opponent in his place.


    "Very interesting. You have observed my defensive maneuvers up until this point, and decided that you must have been a better fit to face me instead of him. Unfortunately for you, I was not using my full strength." the woman said as she quickly discarded her cloak to reveal her leather combat armor. Due to Leo''s confidence, the woman chose to no longer hold back.


    "Thank you for the compliment. Indeed I thought that far, however, I also felt that you seemed to be holding back as well. Do you think you have what it takes to subdue me?" Leo replied to the woman as he dashed towards her at full speed.


    "Subdue you? Hmph! Do not think so highly of yourself!" the woman replied in a sinister tone as she also dashed towards Leo at full speed.


    Now facing the opponent with Jack''s help, Jacob''s other underling found it hard to keep their battle in a stalemate. It could be said, that both sides were relying on Martin or Jacob to finish their opponents in order to end the stalemate.


    At this point, Natalia was running out of steam and was unable to help Jack too much while facing their opponent. Though they outnumbered him, Jack could be said to be facing him alone at this time as Natalia tried to use the most basic of the spells in her arsenal in order to assist Jack in taking him down.


    "Who would have thought that you would have a little backup hiding and waiting for the right moment to act? It does not matter, you will all die today regardless of how many of your allies are waiting nearby!" Jacob couldn''t help to cry out as he now unleashed all of his combat potential.


    Jacob''s scythe in his hands, now had flames covering the weapon as his blood lust penetrated Martin''s defenses and stunned him.


    "Not bad, but I must warn you, being so defensive will not allow you to win this fight!" Leo shouted out as he was struggling to gain an advantage against the woman who was now his opponent.


    "You haven''t proven that you are worthy enough for me to use some of my more advanced techniques on. But, you are criticizing my choice in combat against you?" the woman said in a calm manner. Due to Leo being unable to get by her defensive stances, she felt rather confident at this point.


    "Damn it, even if I decided to use both my sword and my dagger to face her, I still do not think that I could get by her defensive maneuvers and stances. Knowing she has so many more hidden, is rather terrifying to me." Leo pondered as he continued fighting the woman without pulling out his sword.


    In the distance, a loud scream sounded out which caused Leo to flee backwards. The loud scream was Jack being stabbed and heavily hurt by his opponent''s weapon. This situation seemed to be heading in a horrible direction, and it even caused the woman Leo was facing to respond.


    "If you would like, I can allow you to head over to prevent your friend from dying. You are not worth my attention and if that is the case, you have no chance of harming Jacob." the woman told Leo as she folded her hands behind her back after picking her cloak back off the ground.


    "Oh, then I must thank you for your kindness. It seems that you have no problem watching your friend die." Leo said, before another scream sounded out.


    "Well played, we will meet again. I just hope for your sake, that you are stronger than you are right now." the woman said as she quickly retreated into the forest behind her.


    It turns out that before the battle that had taken place here, Leo had not just given Martin some of the potion, but, he also gave Jack some of it as well. This allowed Jack to catch his opponent off guard before landing a finishing blow.


    Now with Jack completely healed, Natalia now able to rest, and Leo at full power, Jacob halted his attacks against Martin. At this time, he knew that if he continued to push Martin back, it would give his friends enough time to surround him.


    "Hmph! You may have survived this time, but do not think for a moment that this is over! I, Jacob, will be the one to bury your corpse under my scythe and throw your soul down into the underworld!" making his statement, Jacob removed the flames on his weapon and his blood lust and chose to retreat.


    "Thank you Leo, if it was not for your potions, we would have not found the opportunity to survive that battle. Let''s head back to that village immediately so that we can from there head back to the city at full speed. Only in the city walls, will we truly be safe for the time being!" Martin praised Leo as him and Jack helped him off the ground.

 19 Meeting Nathan Again

    Making their way back to the village that Leo started his journey in, the four member squad started to feel even closer to each other.


    Though, they were all under sixteen years old, they were able to make another squad retreat. Leo felt that their squad would have been defeated, but, due to his potions, they were able to create a situation that was not ideal for Jacob''s squad.


    "Do not worry about us Leo, as far as Jacob is concerned, him and I are enemies and always will be. His household was not as well off as ours and seeing my family supporting me with gifts like this amazing suit of armor, made him jealous." Martin started to explain as they made their way deeper into the forest area.


    "Usually, I would not blame him for feeling jealous due to his household''s situation, but, that is what they deserved. In our city, there has always been internal struggles, but, his household was responsible for openly murdering an elder of the city."


    "When it comes to our city, households would send representatives into the courts and government to create laws and such for the city as a whole. His household wanting a bigger foothold, assassinated an elder from an opposing household. However, though the assassination was successful, the assassin was easily captured."


    "Usually, the whole household would be executed on the spot, but, these past several years for our city has not been very good. The courts decided to bury this problem, however, no other household would forget and so they lost the foothold they have been building over these past several hundred years."


    "If it was not for the fact that their members were strong enough to be supportive to their alliance, even their alliance would cut their relationship with them. Jacob, being one of the successors, always feels the need to hunt those from other alliances down like us. If his household is unable to show their strength, they will end up dying off sooner." Martin finished explaining as the squad ran into a patrol of goblins.


    Now with the assistance of his new allies, Leo and the group were able to finish off this patrol of goblins very easily. However, Leo instead of killing one goblin, sent the goblin out to alert the rest of its tribe.


    Originally, Leo was so outnumbered by the tribe, that he had no choice but to avoid them. This time, he had enough backup to slaughter the whole tribe of goblins within this area.


    The goblins individually were extremely weak and were only able to kill a child in one on one combat. Therefore, Leo and the rest of the group were not worried since it could be said that there was no chance for a goblin tribe in these parts to exceed one hundred and fifty members.


    Several hours went by as Leo and the rest of the group remained vigilant, but started to eat their dinners. With no goblins in sight, they felt that they could relax a bit and enjoy their meals.


    "If there are no goblins in the next twenty minutes, I think it would be safe to say that we scared them off at that point." Jack told the rest of the group as he was slurping down his stew.


    "I think that would be for the best. Leo mentioned that Nathan was the one guarding that village, but being in the same household as Martin does not mean no problems will occur when we arrive." mentioned Natalia as she started to put away her bowl.


    "Nathan does not pose a threat to me. Right now he could probably defeat me in one on one combat, but he would not target us. Being from the same household means that if possible, fighting to the death internally could slowly shake our households position in the city." Martin said as he stood up to stretch.


    With no goblins appearing, Leo and the rest assumed that they were either preparing traps, or that they retreated into some sort of safer area away from them. Finally exiting the mountains, their destination was now in view.


    Though, the fields were dark and only the light from the moon in the sky made the area visible to the naked eye, Leo couldn''t help but gasp.


    Now because he was in less of a rush and understood that he was much safer from when he awoke just a few days ago, he was now able to see the true beauty of the world in front of him.


    The fields were extremely peaceful and not even small insects could be seen. Large blades of grass were dancing as the breeze past them. Some small animals were making soft noises as if they were making wonderful music.


    "Cousin? What are you doing here with that kid?" Nathan asked as he saw the group approach the village.


    "Actually uncle, his name is Leo and he has decided to not just join our city, but, we are now allies with him as well. Also, he saved my whole squad in the mountains from annihilation, so as far as I am concerned, he is a brother to me!" Martin announced as the squad made their way into the village.


    "Is that so cousin? If that is the case, this is cause for celebration!" hearing that Leo helped his cousin survive annihilation, Nathan now had a reason to prove to the villagers that Leo was not someone with ill intentions.


    Originally, Nathan felt that Leo was strong enough to make an impact on the overall strength of the village. Being pressured by the villagers, Nathan''s plan was to send Leo off, so upon returning in success, that he could recruit him under him.


    Hearing Nathan''s peaceful and accepting response, Leo and the rest of the group felt relieved. It seemed as if they could stay within this village without any worries for the night.

 20 Dire Situation Revealed

    Having Nathan personally escorting them, the squad made their way into the guest area of the village''s barracks. The barracks was not very big at all, and the guest area only had enough room for the four of them to be comfortable.


    "You all can rest here tonight before you all head back to the city. However, I would like to ask my little cousin to accompany me for some time. I hope that you can understand?" Nathan asked as the group started to unpack their belongings.


    Seeing that Nathan was not quite looking for a response, the squad just nodded their heads in approval as Martin and Nathan left the guest quarters.


    "So uncle, what do you need to discuss with me? You seem a little nervous and out of place." Martin told Nathan once they were out of the barracks and in a secluded area.


    "Martin, I do not wish for you to leave this village tomorrow to head towards the city. I might even go as far as using force if need be." turning towards Martin, Nathan replied with a stern expression on his face.


    Feeling confused by Nathan''s words, Martin tried to think about why he would have such an expression. Unable to come up with an answer, Martin began to ask Nathan some questions.


    "Uncle, you have never treated me in this way as to even prevent me from traveling back to the safety of our household. What is going on where you do not want me even in the city?" asked Martin as he still remained rather relaxed.


    Though they were technically cousins, Nathan had helped Martin while he was growing up. Because of this, Martin and Nathan felt closer to each other when compared to even others in their households.


    Seeing Nathan being so stern towards him, Martin felt a level of fear. Nathan, though had a noble and righteous aura, would be more carefree and relaxed towards Martin. For Nathan to change his attitude without any warning, Martin couldn''t help but to feel that something was seriously wrong.


    "Not just our household, but the whole city is in danger of being annihilated very soon. The orcs in the mountains, have finally merged into a single entity. Usually, we wouldn''t be paying much attention to the orc tribes since they would always be fighting among themselves."


    "This had all changed once a powerful leader of an orc tribe showed itself. Since last year, each of the orc tribes would individually fall to its hands and would declare their loyalty towards it as their one true leader. Right now, they have not shown much interest in attacking the city, but, it seems as if one of the alliances within the city might be colliding with them."


    "You should understand by now that the reason monster waves have appeared more frequently over these past few years, has been due to the orc tribes pushing them out of their homes. If it was not for those damnable orcs, warriors like me, wouldn''t have to travel so far away in order to protect villages like this one. Instead, villages such as the one we are in, would be able to prosper over time!"


    "In order to not aggravate any nearby villages or even citizens within the city walls, the elders have just been having all of the households concentrating more on building their personal strength. Which is why many of the citizens who have shown promise, have switched places with the usual army and guards so that they could have more time to train." Nathan explained to Martin.


    In their city, a household could be considered a powerful group of experts who over the years of its existence, were able to gain a foothold. However, there were always common citizens within the city who worked hard to prove themselves strong enough to join an established household.


    It could be said that the true foundation of the city itself and its strength, came from these households supporting it.


    "If that is true, that gives us even more of a reason to head back to the city right away!" Martin shouted at Nathan now filled with rage.


    "Actually, if you and your squad went back to the city now, not only would you be in danger before even reaching the city walls, but, you would also make it harder for our household. Right now, everyone in our household and every other household is working diligently to increase their strengths. As far as your squad is concerned, you would only be getting in the way of things."


    Nathan continued to explain the current landscape to Martin in order to convince him to stay within the village. Though, the village would often need to fight off waves of monsters, there was actually a higher possibility of Martin and his squad surviving longer there versus in the city.


    "From what you have explained to me about your run in with Jacob and his underlings earlier, I can only assume that they might be siding with the orcs. It is highly possible that they decided not to enter a life and death battle, because you outnumbered them in the end."


    "If any one of you would have escaped successfully, it would be grounds to assume that they had a connection with the orcs. However, we are unable to do anything to them or their households, due to them retreating and neither side losing a life."


    "Unfortunately, that is not the case because your squad killed one of his underlings. I can understand that it was in self defense, but, they might use that to frame you and drag our household down to silence us." Nathan deducting the whole scene finally came to such a conclusion.


    "If what you said is true, it makes sense for my squad to remain here within the village. However, I am not sure that Leo would agree to these terms." finally coming to terms with the situation he was now in, Martin accepted Nathan''s suggestion.


    "Do not worry about a thing cousin, you can leave convincing Leo to me." Nathan told Martin as he patted him on the shoulder and led him back to the guest quarters within the barracks.

 21 New Squad Leader?

    Leaving the squad to themselves for the night, Nathan retired to his post to rest as well. At this time, Nathan still had no idea how to keep Leo from leaving the village in the morning.


    Nathan felt that he could use force to prevent Leo from leaving, but, he did not want to lose a kid with so much potential as a future ally. Additionally, it seemed as if Leo had no real background which in turn was even more surprising since he seemed stronger than the rest of the squad who all had proper foundations.


    Coming to the best conclusion he could, Nathan felt the need to explain the city''s situation to the entire squad in the morning. He also was prepared to send several scouts back to the city in order to update Jack and Natalia''s households as well as his own.


    "So guys, what kind of things are usually sold by merchants in your city?" in the morning, everyone got up early and Leo was inquiring with the rest of the squad.


    Leo''s plan was to window shop in the beginning to figure out what sort of items he could obtain by trading his loots in the city limits. After window shopping and figuring out how much he would need to loot, Leo would try to buy everything he felt he needed to become stronger as quickly as possible.


    "Actually, since you are unaffiliated, you are able to buy anything from equipment to skill books. Of course, the skills in the skill books will be more common versus what joining a household could get you. I still think it is worth a shot checking them out though." Jack replied to Leo as the squad started to pack up their things.


    "Leo, if you would like, I am sure any one of our households would take you in, especially since you have aided us in multiple battles and have shown your personal abilities. You could probably save quite a bit of money and time using our households as your foundation to grow yourself." Natalia suggested as they all exited the guest quarters.


    "Actually everyone, there is something I need to tell all of you. After speaking to Nathan, I think it would be a good idea to remain in this village for a short period of time." hearing all of this talk about the city, Martin cut into the conversation.


    "Remain in this village? Why would we do that when the city is not too far from here and it has many resources we could all use?" Jack quickly replied to Martin''s suggestion with a bit of confusion and hostility.


    "I can answer those questions for you." appearing with several of the village guards, Nathan walked over and signaled the squad to follow him. Martin was the first to head over, and so the rest of the squad followed behind him.


    "Leo, I am not sure what is about to happen, but, if things get out of control, you need to escape on your own." Natalia whispered to Leo with Jack close by.


    "Yeah, you do not need to worry about us, but, since you do not officially have a household to rely on, things could get ugly." Jack whispered to Leo as well.


    "Do not worry guys, I am sure if we remain peaceful and understanding, that nothing will come from this that could harm any of us." Leo reassuring Jack and Natalia, patted them both on the shoulders as they finally saw Nathan halting his movements ahead of them.


    Filling them in with the information he provided Martin, Nathan tried to remain calm and not very forceful towards the squad. Martin, was siding with Nathan, so Jack, Leo, and Natalia had no choice but to consider their options.


    "We do not wish to forcefully keep you here, however, for your safety, if it comes to it, please do not think ill of us. I plan on sending several of my men back to the city to update your households as well. If they feel that my idea is too excessive, they can send over some escorts to bring you back." Nathan started to explain.


    "Either way, I hope that you all can remain here and train with us diligently. With your assistance, if a monster wave appears, I am more than happy to give you all your own spoils. What are your thoughts on everything?" Nathan asked everyone present, except Martin already sided with him and remained indifferent.


    Jack, Leo, and Natalia did not want to make any rash moves and understood Nathan''s concerns. Nathan had given them strong points, however, they did not feel very good being trapped within a village. Suddenly Jack thought of an idea first and asked Nathan a question.


    "Nathan, right? I think I speak for all of us by saying that this is definitely a lot for us to process. Can us three go back to the guest quarters, so that we can come up with a decision?"


    "I do not want any of you to feel that we are treating you unfairly. That being said, I would be more than happy to escort you with these guards back to those quarters." after thinking for a few moments, Nathan responded to Jack''s request.


    Heading back to the barracks, Martin felt a little uneasy. It seemed as if Jack''s request was for the entire squad, excluding himself. It couldn''t be helped though, if he did not side with Nathan, internally speaking, his household would possibly give him some future issues.


    Upon arriving back to the barracks, Jack, Leo, and Natalia all went into their room with Martin, Nathan and the guards remaining outside and actually started to surround the building itself with the help of several adult militia warriors.


    "I can''t believe Martin would side with his cousin instead of us!" Jack shouted out in anger as Natalia was rubbing her head as if she was trying to solve an extremely difficult problem.


    Beep Beep Beep!


    -Would you like to create a new squad?-


    Seeing the system reacting to the situation with a question like that, Leo started to think deeply on what his decision should be.


    "Martin might have his reasons, but I know that on some level I could definitely trust Jack and Natalia. Maybe I should ask them?" pondered Leo for several minutes as Jack continued to rant on Martin''s decision to abandon their squad.


    "Hey guys, I have a question for you." finally coming to a decision, Leo felt the need to speak up. Hearing Leo speaking up, Jack paused his rants while Natalia looked towards Leo.


    "I think that I can help us all get out of here in one piece if you both join me in a new squad. I know that we do not know each other very well, but, I think that this might work very well." speaking his mind, Leo now held nothing back as he made his suggestion to Jack and Natalia.


    "You are younger than us, but I have always felt as an equal to you. Age is only but a number, and you have proven that you are strong enough to handle more than even I could. I would be more than happy to buildnew squad with you." Jack was the first to answer Leo as they both turned towards Natalia to hear her decision.


    "Out of the three of us, you currently show the most potential and could possibly escape on your own without our help. Since you are willing to risk yourself for our sake, to me, you would be a better squad leader than Martin ever was." after weighing out her options, Natalia finally gave Leo her answer.


    "Alright, just give me a moment here to do this." clicking accept, Leo was able to make his own squad. All of the sudden, an invite bar on the screen popped up and listed Jack and Natalia as his allies along with Martin, Nathan, and even Hans as neutrals.


    "Wait, if I were to invite Jack and Natalia to my squad, would that allow them to access this system as well?" feeling puzzled, Leo started to hesitate. If he sent Jack and Natalia invites and it gave them similar or identical benefits as him, wouldn''t that mean that they could betray him eventually and destroy him?

 22 Squads Power Up

    "So what is the plan Leo? Are you going to keep us waiting like this?" Jack asked after he saw Leo spacing out a bit and randomly pointing in the air in front of him.


    "Worst comes to worse, I will just need to kill them if I feel that something is off. I do trust them enough to help me get out of this mess I am now finding myself in." ignoring Jack''s ranting now about how Leo might have just lost his mind, Leo finally clicked Jack and Natalia''s name as he pressed the invite to squad command on the screen.


    Beep Beep Beep!


    -Choose what features you would like to give your new squad members access to-


    "What!?" screaming out in an extremely loud pitch, Leo nearly fell over on his side in shock!


    "If I choose to, I can give those two access to everything I currently have access to thanks to this screen. However, if I want to place specific limits, I can as well?" slapping himself on the face, Leo got up and quickly clicked only a single option.


    Beep Beep Beep!


    -You have been invited to Leo''s squad, will you accept the invitation?-


    Not understanding what was happening, Jack and Natalia quickly retreated backwards away from the two screens that have appeared and asked them this question.


    "W-W-W-" lost for words, Natalia started to mumble as Jack refused to approach the screen.


    "This is a type of magic that I have. It works similar to a contract and will not harm you. Please click the accept button so that we can move forward with my escape plan." Leo told Jack and Natalia.


    After several minutes and realizing that the screen would not attack them, Jack and Natalia both clicked the accept button and another window quickly appeared in front of them.


    "Status screen?" feeling confused, Jack and Natalia looked to Leo for guidance.


    "As part of the contract, you both can receive attribute points and level ups as long as you remain in my squad. The attribute points will allow you both to grow your strengths that much faster, while leveling up gives you both additional attribute points to use."


    "Jack, it looks like since you are level nine, you now have a total of forty unused attribute points available to you. Natalia, since you are level eight, you now have a total of thirty five unused attribute points available to you."


    "Jack, since you have gone through so much training to increase your speed, if you distributed your attribute points into your strength and constitution, you should be able to face even stronger enemies in close combat. You seem like you were trained to be an assassin of sorts, but, your fighting style seems more direct."


    "Natalia, as for you, intelligence and wisdom should help you greatly. If you increase your wisdom, you should be able to increase your ability to cast spells for a much longer period of time. Also, by increasing your intelligence attribute, you should be able to learn new spells faster." Leo explained to both Jack and Natalia.


    Right now, Leo was only at level four. This meant that he needed to rely on Jack and Natalia''s power boost from using their attribute points, in order to escape successfully and as a squad. The only reason Leo felt that he was strong for his level, was because others at a higher level couldn''t match up with him by their own stats.


    After visually seeing Jack and Natalia using all of their attribute points, both of them started to release a faint glow from their bodies. However, after only a few breaths of time, these faint glows went away and they looked normal again.


    "So how do you both feel?" Leo asked his two squad members. He never saw a glow released from his body due to using attribute points, so he was rather worried.


    "I feel incredible!" stretching out his arms, Jack decided to slam the ground of the barracks with both fists. The building was made of very tough materials, but, Jack was easily able to leave large dents in the floor without a single scratch on his hands.


    At the same time, Natalia chose to cast a spell, except, this time she did not use any chants! Instantly, a small ball of fire appeared above her staff as she sent it to one of the walls. The ball of fire crashed into the wall of the building and also left a very large dent.


    "Whoa! Natalia only some of the more core disciples of your household can cast low leveled spells without any chants!" amazed at what he saw, Jack quickly commented on Natalia''s newly founded power.


    "Oh? If your household could see your strength right now, you would also be promoted to a core disciple as well. You really should consider accepting their teachings and become a real assassin." Natalia replied as both her and Jack were shaking from excitement.


    However, almost instantly, both Jack and Natalia turned towards Leo and actually kowtowed to him!


    "It can be said that our training had got us this far, but, without your help, our future might not have been as good. We will follow you with our lives on the line and hope that you will allow us to serve you one day once you also become stronger." Jack said with a tear rolling down his eyes as Natalia nodded her head in agreement as well as several tears as well.


    "All that I wish for, is that we can move forward as a true squad and become stronger together. You both have proven with your actions, that you see me as an equal, and so, I will always do the same. Though, I think it is about time to prove just how formidable our squad really is now." Leo replied as he helped his two squad members up.


    Quickly depositing the three cards he was able to loot from the goblin patrol they defeated earlier, Leo spent them all on exp pills and quickly increased his own stats as well. Now ready to roll out and put on a show that Martin and Nathan would never forget, Leo''s squad headed outside.

 23 No Turning Back

    "Cousin, you know them better than I do, what do you think that they will do?" Nathan asked Martin as they waited outside for the squad. Since Nathan realized from the squad keeping Martin from following them inside, that Martin''s only option was now to side with him completely.


    Nathan felt that with so many warriors helping him suppress the group, that Martin''s squad would eventually look to him for guidance. Once that happened if it came to it, Martin would gain full control over his squad once again, while they could take out Leo!


    "To be honest, I am not sure. Jack and Natalia would normally never just abandon me as they did. That being said, if we throw that Leo into the mix, their decision is up in the air. However, Leo definitely wanted to leave the village, so no matter what, we need to deal with him accordingly." after thinking about it, Martin came to this conclusion.


    "Natalia was never the type of person who wanted to seem outspoken, and so she always followed my orders. Jack is different because he is very headstrong and due to his position within his household, he hated feeling cornered." Martin explained to Nathan as they finally saw the three person squad exiting the building.


    "Hello everyone! So have you come to an agreement with what we have said?" Nathan shouted out as the guards and militia warriors who were surrounding the building, made themselves get closer to the front where everyone was.


    The movements of Nathan''s men were noticed immediately by Leo''s group. After counting, Leo realized that Nathan had over twenty warriors surrounding them not including himself or Martin. However, these warriors all seemed rather weak, and posed to danger to Leo or his group.


    "Actually we have, although, I am unsure why you would station so many people here like this. Can it be that you want to throw us in some type of jail?" hearing Nathan shouting to alert everyone, Leo could only respond like this.


    "Oh no everyone that is not the case at all. These warriors of mine just always go where I go so it would be natural for them to act in this manner. That being said, what is your decision?" smiling with a calm expression, Nathan shouted back to Leo.


    "Sorry Nathan, but for the safety of my squad, I must ask that you have everyone lower their weapons. Otherwise, we will have no choice but to assume that you have ill intentions towards us. As the new squad leader, I need to put my squad first. I hope that you can understand?" Leo after pondering for several moments finally responded.


    "Is that so? And why is my cousin''s squad now YOUR squad?" hearing how the squad was now Leo''s, Nathan''s calm and smiling expression started to turn ugly. It could be said that Martin''s future position within their household was solidified due to him being the leader of a squad consisting of two members outside their household.


    If Martin was unable to to keep his leadership role for the squad, he could only create a new squad using other members of his household, or would need to find even weaker individuals which would take a while to train to become as strong as Jack and Natalia. Such a loss, would negatively impact Martin''s future!


    "I apologize Mr.Nathan, but you do not have the qualifications to ask direct questions to our squad leader. I would be more than happy to explain, if you would like?" to everyone''s surprise, Natalia was the one who shouted this out!


    "I agree with Natalia, our squad leader is an expert that shouldn''t waste his time speaking to someone like you. Why aren''t your men dropping their weapons?" Jack shouted out with killing intent coming out of him. Feeling the killing intent from so far away, Martin had to take a step back.


    "I do not like your tone there kid, could it be that we need to suppress you by force?" Nathan putting his right hand up, he signaled his men to get ready and they all started to get into a defensive formation, blocking the group''s escape path.


    "If you continue to act in this way, we will need to consider that your household is conspiring against us and the city itself. Are you willing to face both of our households and the rest of the alliance all on your own?" Jack shouted out towards Nathan as their group responded by taking out their weapons.


    "Hmph! How dare you speak to my uncle in that tone! We all know that both you and Natalia are too weak right now and do not have any type of foothold within your household. What makes you think that you can both act in this way, when my uncle gave you an order for your safety?" unable to take the escalated situation any longer, Martin shouted towards Jack.


    "Too weak? We are too weak you said? Well, I guess we have no choice but to show you just how weak we really are." Jack replied as he got ready to attack at any given time.


    "Actually, that seems like a great idea. Let us put on a show that this village will never forget. Just make sure not to kill anyone. If you kill any of the citizens, they can create future troubles for us." after remaining silent all this time, Leo finally told Jack and Natalia his thoughts.


    "Fine by me! Actually, Leo you should just sit back and relax. Now that Martin made such a statement, Natalia and I should be more than enough for this battle." Jack now with a shine in his eyes told Leo.


    "Very well, good luck you two." not arguing with Jack''s suggestion in the slightest, Leo retreated back into the building as Jack and Natalia finally made their moves!

 24 Slaughter

    Swish Swish Swish!


    Seeing Jack and Natalia finally making their moves, ten of the militia warriors sent their arrows flying towards them.


    "Hmph, amateurs!" upset at Nathan''s men being so weak as to try to attack him at long range instead of up close, Jack couldn''t help to feel pissed!


    Halting his movements, Jack allowed the three arrows to hit his body without even dodging.


    Ping Ping Ping!


    "H-H-How is that p-p-possible?" one of the men couldn''t help to cry out in fear. As the arrows hit Jack''s body, they instantly broke apart and fell onto the ground without leaving a single scratch on Jack. What shocked them the most, was that Jack was not wearing any armor!


    Nathan couldn''t help but to wonder how Jack was so powerful. He knew better than everyone else here that Jack''s household had no real training methods or techniques that would allow his body to be stronger than the iron arrows.


    Nathan and Martin ignored Jack and concentrated on Natalia who showed even more formidable strength.


    "When will these men learn that you can''t test a witch?" without even chanting her spell, Natalia instantly had a massive wall of fire blocking the seven arrows that were fired at her on the other side.


    "No way! Keep firing before we lose our advantage!" shouted out one of the militia warriors as two more waves of arrows fired out towards Natalia''s position.


    "Guess I gave them too much credit." Natalia pondered as she quickly used another spell after her wall of fire devoured the additional arrows.


    "Why is that wall of fire becoming very circular in mid air like a vortex?" Martin asked Nathan as he got ready to enter the battle at any moment alongside him.


    "Oh no!" before Nathan could shout out for the warriors around Natalia to retreat quickly, Natalia finished casting her next spell without any chants.


    Suddenly dozens of ghost type creatures flew out of the vortexes of fire. You could hear them all screeching as their bodies were created by the fire itself! With dark crimson eyes and deathly screams, these ghosts made of fire, tackled the warriors while exploding upon impact!


    In the matter of only a single breath of time, Natalia killed over twelve warriors while the rest were severely burned and at death''s doors.


    Seeing such an onslaught of his men, Nathan was about to spit out a mouthful of blood. The men who were under Nathan were rather weak compared to warriors within the city, however, Nathan still tried to train them to be strong. It could be said that Natalia killing so many warriors at once, threw away years of hard work on Nathan''s part.


    "Martin, you deal with that girl using your fire-resistant armor. I will handle that other kid. I apologize, but they have crossed the line by killing so many of my men." Nathan barked out before dashing towards Jack''s direction. After pondering for a moment to think of an alternative solution, Martin coming up with nothing, decided to follow Nathan''s orders and ran towards Natalia.


    "You all call yourselves warriors, but you are nothing under my blades!" yelling out like a wild tiger attacking its prey, Jack was able to severely injure each warrior who approached his position.


    In the matter of only several breaths of time, Jack was able to take down over ten warriors, even with them all being in defensive formations while others fired continuous arrows towards him. If one looked closely at Jack, they would see a devilish killing intent with his dark eyes as if he was a judge of the underworld, cutting down the weak demons!


    Not even paying attention to the remaining warriors, Jack suddenly turned around with one of his daggers meeting Nathan''s sword. The impact of their weapons caused the air around them to burst out causing the remaining warriors to fly backwards in fear of being sucked up.


    "Not bad, to match me in raw strength with only one dagger means that you deserve to die under my blade!" Nathan shouted out at Jack as they both clashed once again.


    This next clash of their weapons caused small craters on the ground underneath their feet to show cracks. The previous exchange could be said to be a test that both men gave each other. However, this next one, both men used their full power and both hands.


    Like this, Jack and Nathan continued to exchange blows while neither one was showing the other an opening. At this moment both men were evenly matched with their raw strength and it shook fear into the onlookers nearby.


    "Martin is this your answer?" with a cold gaze, Natalia turned towards the approaching Martin while asking him this question. As a witch, Natalia lacked confidence, but now with this new power, her true self during battle has appeared.


    "I do not want to fight you, but from your actions today towards the men of this village, I have no choice but to cut you down in the name of justice!" Martin halting his advancement shouted to Natalia.


    In truth, he felt confident to hold her off in a stalemate due to his armor. However, his body trembled seeing Natalia''s cold killing intent towards him and calm words.


    When training, Martin''s armor would be able to easily protect him from Natalia''s spells. This was before her strength increased to such a level, however, Martin still had some of Leo''s potion left on his side.


    "Surrender, or you will be the one who leaves their life behind today." without hesitation, Natalia gave Martin an ultimatum. At this moment, Martin''s life meant very little to Natalia, but, she still wanted to give him a future.


    "You think that you have the capabilities to order me around?" angered by Natalia''s ultimatum, Martin started to charge her with all his might. At this moment, he was blocked by a massive serpent made of flames. The serpent whipped its tail at Martin and was able to push him back flying while he spit out some blood from his mouth.


    "Then die." remaining calm, Natalia replied to Martin as she ordered the serpent to rush Martin, giving him no openings to escape.


    "Damn it, how is this kid able to last this long against me when I can barely hang on?" Nathan thought as his sword clashed what seemed to be the hundredth time with Jack''s daggers.


    Nathan''s endurance was slowly fading; however, Jack was repeatedly able to continue fighting at his maximum strength without wavering in the slightest. Knowing that Jack also had some of Leo''s potion left as well, Nathan felt a sense of danger.


    "If this continues, we will most likely be killed, and this village will no longer be in our household''s control. I need to hang on as long as I can!"


    "Agh!" with a deafening cry of agony, Nathan could hear Martin''s scream as the serpent finally pierced through his armor while taking his left arm with it! With his armor being pierced through, the fire the serpent was made of, started to burn Martin''s body from his insides!


    "Martin? No!" trying to dash towards Martin''s position to save him, Jack used the opening and his swift speed to pierce Nathan''s head with both daggers.


    Just like this, both cousins had finally surrendered their lives to Leo''s squad. Even now, Jack had not used any of the potion on his side, and Natalia showed no signs of weakening either.


    Shooting vengeful stares to the surrounding villagers, Jack and Natalia made their way back into the building where Leo was. The villagers quickly fled into their homes with the help of the village guards who finally made their way over. Seeing Nathan and Martin''s corpses on the ground, their reinforcements decided to wait here for the culprits to show themselves.


    Knowing that both Jack and Natalia had done this, Hans now the commander of the guards and militia warriors of the village, sent a scouting party to the city to report this incident to the alliance. With Nathan now dead, the alliance needed to immediately send someone just as capable in order to keep this village safe during monster attacks.

 25 Secrets Being Kep

    -Several minutes earlier-


    "How did my level increase so suddenly from level four to level five?" Leo hearing the screen giving him his level up notification, was extremely confused.


    "Wait, could creating a squad be the reason that my level had increased without me doing anything? But I would think that Jack and Natalia wouldn''t openly kill everyone." Pondering over this, Leo several minutes later heard a screech that sounded like Martin.


    "What the hell are they doing?" standing up and preparing to exit the building, Leo now saw both Jack and Natalia entering the room. They looked as if their hearts were extremely cold and they were still filled with killing intent.


    "What happened?" Leo asked as Jack and Natalia both bowed towards him at the same time.


    "They aimed to kill us, so we had no choice but to kill many of them to set an example. You do not need to worry about the repercussions since we will be heading to the city soon." Jack replied as they stood back up. Natalia was looking closely at her hands as if she was trying to solve an extremely difficult puzzle.


    "Natalia?" Leo putting his hand on her shoulder said in a worrisome tone. "Are you ok?"


    "That power. So much power. How¡­ how¡­." showing tears coming down from her eyes, Natalia quickly wiped them before looking at Leo in praise. "Thanks to you, my future has been changed for the better."


    "It is true." Jack now cutting in started to explain to the group. "With this new power that we both have, our position within our households will indefinitely change into a more important role. We might actually have what it takes to become executives now!" with a shine in his eyes, Jack started to show several tears moving down his face as well.


    "Executives?" puzzled, Leo did not understand what an executive in a household meant, but, it seemed like a high position.


    "In each city, a household has two types of memberships. One is the apprentice type, which signifies that a warrior has trained to at least a basic or acceptable level to represent the household. Before this power increase, I was simply an outer member. However, now I might have what it takes to become a core member." Natalia started to explain.


    "A core member is a very important role that symbolizes that a warrior of the younger generation is strong enough to eventually become an executive. An executive is a warrior within a household that has reached a certain level of power. Usually, big and well-established households will have roughly two to five executive levels in a generation. This is of course what separates established households to commoners." Natalia said with her eyes shining.


    "I was an inner member, which means that I could one day possibly reach the executive level, but I was not strong enough to take on any core members of my household. Now, I think that I can become a core member." Jack sitting down couldn''t help but to also comment on this.


    "If executives are that strong, I seem even weaker now." pondered Leo as he sat down to meditate for some time. "Let us rest in here for today and leave tomorrow morning. If what Nathan said was true, we might be in even more danger if we leave so suddenly without a plan."


    Without criticizing Leo''s order, Jack and Natalia began to nod their heads as they began to relax as well.


    -Several hour later-


    "Your households banned together to kill off two of ours. Not only that, but they had the audacity to do this in the village we were given to oversee and protect!" an elder of Martin''s household cried out in the meeting room while slamming his fist onto the table.


    "Calm down. If two members of our household were as weak as they appeared before heading out with that Martin, it would be impossible for them to join forces to kill so many people including Martin and Nathan. I demand we remove the death penalty and escort those two back for questioning of the alliance!" an elder of Natalia''s household spoke up.


    "Hmph, your Sacred Flame household has declined so much up until now. Maybe you were hiding your member''s power so that she could strike at the right opportunity?" the elder of Martin''s household shouted while crossing his arms.


    "Now, now. Your Moon household is known to uphold justice and have a heroic bearing. You should calm down and listen to our reasoning." an elder from Jack''s household held up her hands to try to neutralize the situation.


    "Oh? Your Mist household is known as assassin types. Are you saying that you did not tell your member to use a killing move to chop Nathan''s head right off given the proper opening as well?"


    "Silence!" up until this point, the head of each household in their alliance were listening to their elders discussing this situation among themselves. What surprised everyone, was that the Crimson household head was the one who shouted this.


    "If justice is to be served, we need to uphold justice as we would in any other scenario. It seems as if the three-person squad hasn''t left the village yet, which means that it would not be out of bounds to escort them back here for questioning before we decide. With so many dangers facing our city, we do not have the leg room to make rash decisions, if it means lowering our overall strength!"


    What surprised everyone even more, was that the head of the Moon household was who said this! Having such a need to always appear dignified and fair, the Moon household kept its demeanor as the head allowed the squad to be questioned before they were executed.


    "It is settled then, we will each send out an executive level expert to ensure the safety of that squad''s return. As suggested, once they are escorted safely back to the city, they will be under house arrest until we can properly question them."


    With all four households in agreement, they immediately sent out a squad of all executive level experts to the village Leo''s squad was in.


    -Back at the Moon household''s elder hall-


    "But patriarch, why would you allow them to do such a thing? With the other three households watching, it will be impossible to slay those three!" one of the two elders of the Moon household cried out in anger.


    "As it stands right now, we have much bigger pressing issues to take care of. Now with Nathan gone, our man power will need to be redistributed again so we can continue watching after that village. It is a shame that Martin had to die, but he was only good for a future marriage proposal."


    "I do not believe that anyone is onto us yet, and we need to continue keeping it that way. If the grand mage of this city knew that it was us who created a little alliance with the nearby orcs in order to overthrow his rule of this city for ourselves, our household would be destroyed immediately!" the patriarch of the Moon household explained to the two elders.


    Accepting the outcome, the two elders retired to their rooms as the patriarch sat on his little throne in the main hall. "Even I am an ant compared to that man. At least, he allowed me to serve him and gifted me this city upon my success." the patriarch thought to himself.

 26 Executives Arrive

    Right when the sun set, four executive level experts met each other at the city''s southern gate. Each of these experts held with them a formidable and suffocating aura. However, next to one of these executives, was a male roughly Nathan''s age at about the same level of strength he had.


    "Executive, will we be able to reach the village by morning?" this male asked his household''s executive that seemed rather annoyed at his tone.


    "Lannister, our Moon household is entrusting you with an extremely serious role. Once we arrive to the village, we will introduce you as Nathan''s replacement and you will oversee leading the village''s warriors against any waves of monsters that appear." the executive leveled expert responded with a neutral expression.


    "Hmph! Our main objective is to escort that small squad back to the city, but here your Moon household is only worried about real estate you could control. Figures!" the executive expert from Jack''s Mist household quickly said while chuckling from what he was witnessing.


    "Enough you two." showing no weakness within her words, the Sacred Flame''s household executive expert reprimanded the two others. "Our main objective is to escort that squad back to the city, but we also need to bring this kid there as well. Let us hurry along because it will take some additional time to arrive since we need to bring this guy along with us."


    "She is right, let us move out!" the executive of the Crimson household agreeing with the woman was the first to make a move while the other executives followed. Unfortunately, the executive of the Moon household needed to carry Lannister on his back so that they could keep up with the rest of the group.


    "Hmph, stupid goblins think that they can live while attacking us in a sneak attack?" the Crimson household executive shouted out as he made his move. Almost arriving to the outskirts of the mountain between their group and the village, a massive army of one hundred goblins jumped out to kill the group in a sneak attack.


    With his scimitar, he quickly killed over twenty of the goblins with a single strike from his weapon. What was even more shocking, was that the other executives also made their move and killed fifty other goblins with a single strike of their weapons. In just a breath of time, the executives killed roughly seventy of the one hundred goblins!


    "N-N-N" shocked from seeing multiple executive level experts making their move, Lannister was speechless. Just how many regular household members would it take to fight off just thirty goblins?


    "Lannister, you need to keep your cool. One day you will have the ability to reach this level of strength just like every other household member with your age and potential. Use this experience to give you incentive to continue your path towards greatness." the executive level expert carrying Lannister explained to him.


    "Kiiiii!" instantly seeing so many of their tribe members being killed like ants, the remaining goblins retreated with all their strength away from the group. As they were retreating, they continued to howl to make sure that all the other goblins in the area could survive the night!


    As the morning sun rose, the group finally made their way to the village and were greeted by Hans immediately. "Oh? I heard about Lannister''s strength from Nathan. It is absolutely an honor to serve under your command!" Hans after saying this slightly bowed to show his respect to his new leader.


    "With that settled, I hope that your men can leave that squad in our care. Losing a single day of training can be rough, especially with the danger of waves of monsters attacking this village at any given time." The executive of the Crimson household cut in.


    "Of course, they are still in that building. Thank you for your kindness and swift response to our reinforcements call." Taking a full bow towards the executives, Hans pointed to the building and quickly ordered the men to introduce themselves to their new leader Lannister.


    "Executive?" Jack called out as the squad made their way out of the building while just so happening to bump into the group of executive level experts at this time.


    "I recognize that executive as well. She is from my Sacred Flames household. What is going on here?" Natalia told the squad as they were approached by these experts. The experts kept a calm demeanor as they started to explain the situation to the squad.


    "We were ordered by the alliance to safely escort your squad back to the city by the alliance for questioning. However, the Sacred Flames and the Mist household leaders gave us the task to check your current level of strengths and to appoint your proper household positions." The Moon family expert said with a small groan.


    "Jack, come with me to the west side of this village. I would like to spar with you, and if you hold back, there will be consequences." The Mist household expert told Jack as he led him away.


    "Natalia sweetie, please follow auntie to the other side of the village as well. I need to test your strength so that when we return, the household can give you proper training resources." The expert from the Sacred Flames household called out to Natalia. Grabbing hold of her hand, the expert led Natalia away as well leaving Leo and the remaining two executives.


    "Since I am still currently an outsider, does this mean that you two will test me as well?" Leo asked sort of taken back by these current events.


    "To prevent this guy from harming you and referring to it as an accident, I am here to be your body guard while we wait for those two to test your squad member''s individual strengths. I am not happy to be called a body guard given my high position, so just do not say anything you might regret." The Crimson household''s expert told Leo as he patted the Moon household expert''s shoulder while giving Leo a thumbs up.


    "Will those two be ok?" Leo asked the two experts. "If not, we might have a problem on our hands."


    "Your squad had killed off both Martin and Nathan as well as many warriors within this village. The alliance is confused on how your squad members hid their strength, but they ordered us to bring them safely back. You might not know this, but the city can break out into a terrible war at any time."


    "Any individual that shows promise in any household now plays an even bigger role, so you do not need to worry about those two being tested." Shoving the other expert off him, the other expert explained the whole situation to Leo to calm him down.


    From hearing about how formidable executive level experts were in the city, Leo had no choice but to accept the current circumstances. It helped him to know that the experts who were testing Jack and Natalia were from their respective households. Leo accompanied by the two experts returned into the building to await the results of the tests.

 27 Testing Begins

    "We are far enough away from the village. Let us stop here for a moment." The executive told Jack as he turned around to face him.


    "So, Jack, as an inner member, you understand this test all too well, correct?"


    "That is correct, we had the same test for my advancement to my current rank within the household." Replied Jack, wondering when they were going to begin.


    "Very good, I should warn you, this test will be done a little differently. You see, depending on how strong you now are, will determine how our household will determine your fate within the alliance. If you meet the requirements to become a core member, our household will support your side, however, if you aren''t at least that strong, you will be on your own once we arrive back at the city."


    "As for your other friend Natalia, she is in the same position. I just hope that you both pass this test, otherwise, it will be much harder for you both individually. Now time to explain this test in detail once again so there is no confusion."


    "You are to attack me at full strength. You will use your best techniques and are to continuously attack with your killing intent. The test will end once you run out of energy and collapse onto the ground, or, if I deem you strong enough for a single promotion. Understood?" asked the expert while Jack listened closely.


    "Understood." With that single reply, Jack hopped back, giving both men space between each other. Jack was not nervous since the test only allowed him to attack at full strength. He would not be the one being attacked, which meant that he can feel comfortable unleashing his all.


    "I must warn you, right now I am wearing thick enough body armor to prevent your dagger from leaving a heavy wound on my body. Good luck, Jack!" shouted the executive as he placed his arms behind his back which was taunting him.


    Instead of dashing forward right away, Jack casually pulled out his daggers. Like a peaceful monk, Jack stared at the expert in front of him with very clear eyes. It was almost as if Jack was not a killer, rather, a protective disciple of Buddhism.


    Slowly waving his arms up and down, it was as if Jack was creating a small illusion. His arms were neither moving fast or slow but held within them was a power which could not be measured or seen. This technique gave the expert conducting this test goosebumps on his body!


    "This is the illusion art, but how is he not giving out any killing intent?" the expert thought as he took his hands behind his back and set up a defensive stance. "Using this technique in such a way, is enough for him to easily enter the core member rank. No, this is enough for him to receive that rank with additional resources!"


    "Good, you seem ready for my attacks now." Jack casually said as his eyes became sharper and it seemed as if he fell forward before dashing at his full strength towards his opponent. By leaning forward so much, this allowed Jack to focus entirely on his offense without worrying about his openings. This was his fastest dashing method, but in a normal battle it left quite a few openings.


    "Come!" not feeling any killing intent coming from Jack, the expert became rather angry. Within any household, it was extremely difficult for warriors to hide their killing intent from others. Being in a more assassin type household, it was a requirement for executive level experts to be able to do this flawlessly when facing weaker opponents.


    For Jack to be able to hide his killing intent with ease against a stronger opponent as himself, this meant that Jack had even more potential than this expert had. During a battle like this, the expert wanted to stop Jack to tell him that he passed, however, part of him wanted to see just how formidable Jack became. This expert, his loyalty to the household was unwavering and once he saw that someone from a younger generation had potential, he wanted to protect them.


    In what could only be described as an instant, Jack appeared under this expert''s body while he stabbed both knives towards him. In this moment, the expert jumped in midair, making Jack completely miss his target! Grabbing both of Jack''s arms, he then flipped him while still in midair, making Jack''s body seem as if it was simply floating away!


    With his feet touching the ground again, Jack had to stab his daggers into the ground to prevent him from being pushed too far away from his target. Not understanding why this expert chose to act in this way, Jack wanted nothing more than to simply kill him!


    -On the other side of the village-


    "So, Natalia sweetie, tell auntie what type of spells you can now cast without any chants." The witch asked Natalia as they both sat next to each other on the ground right outside the village.


    "How did you know that I can now do that?" caught off guard, Natalia questioned the witch.


    "A full report of the incident was brought to the alliance and I looked over every small detail. For you to be able to not only kill all those warriors, but to even last in a more endurance driven battle and coming out on top, that takes far more strength than a simple apprentice witch." The witch replied as she tapped Natalia lightly on the hat in a playful manner, causing her hat to cover her eyes.


    "To answer auntie, I am now able to cast the Fire Ghouls spell without any issues. According to our household''s requirements, when an apprentice witch that specializes in fire spells can do this, that apprentice witch could become an inner member of the household." Natalia explained to the witch as she lifted her hat out of her eyes.


    "Fire Ghouls spell? That is correct, however, you should know the requirements for a core member of the household is to have enough mana to last you thirty minutes while casting spells." Standing up, the witch replied to Natalia with a look of joy in her face. In their household, every member regardless of strength were extremely close compared to other households. This was because, not every household were able to have even their weaker members learning spells or buffs.


    Having enough mana to do this while still weak, was due to their bloodline. So, while other households often recruited commoners who showed enough potential, a household like Natalia''s were solely bloodline related.


    "Our household will absolutely support you even though you are now only promoted to an inner member. I must warn you that if you do not take the test to become a core member right now, we will not be able to shield you entirely."


    "If your friend can become a core member as well as you, both of our households would come together. Once this is done, you both would not feel any pressure from the rest of the alliance since the Crimson household is neutral and only the Moon household has some ill intentions." Now pointing to a small field in front them, the witch started to close her eyes to concentrate.


    Within just a few moments, the surrounding patches of grass started to lose the life in them and died instantly. While this was all happening, the ground started to turn tougher and what could only be described as an array started to form!


    This was the power of an executive level expert who specialized in spell casting. This witch specialized in the earth element, and with her current mana, she was more than capable of casting a level three earth spell in order to create this array.


    "Are you ready Natalia?" no longer referring to her as a sweetie, this witch''s facial expression now became extremely serious. "For the next thirty minutes, you are to cast as many spells as you can into that array. Thanks to its circular shape, any fire spells you throw at it, will remain inside. Just in case, I left some room if a small spark falls out unexpectedly. Last thing we want, is for you to be responsible for burning up this entire grassland." Letting out a small chuckle, the witch sat down for a second time.


    "Understood." At this moment, though Natalia was not confident in lasting the whole thirty minutes without collapsing, she felt headstrong to tackle this test. When she saw Jack''s new power, she was confident that he could pass his test, which meant, that the rest was up to her!


    "Begin!" the witch shouted as Natalia started to cast her low leveled spells without any chants. Natalia was not sure how many spells she would need to cast in this time frame in order to qualify, so she went at a very steady pace.

 28 Another Monster Wave?

    "You better not slow down Jack!" seeing that Natalia''s test finally began in the distance, the executive started to chuckle as if he was now having fun. At this time, Jack had already attacked him dozens of times while using different techniques.


    This expert''s mood was extremely high due to seeing Jack''s reaction speed, attack strength, and seeing the perfectly executed techniques he was showing in this test. What surprised this expert the most, was that Jack was growing stronger as this test raged on!


    At first, Jack was easily suppressed by this expert, but now this expert was slowly but surely releasing more strength of his own. Depending on the circumstances, younger warriors such as Jack would be able to grow during a fight with a much stronger opponent. Since Jack was growing at a visible rate, this expert chose to continue this test. This type of opportunity for Jack absolutely couldn''t be wasted!


    Jack had easily showed enough strength to meet the minimum requirements for a core member warrior within their household. The expert felt that maybe Jack stumbled upon some type of treasure that allowed his power to dramatically increase, causing him to be unable to control his new strength perfectly. Therefore, this expert wanted Jack to fight if he could last, so that his foundation could be solidified once again.


    "If this kid can solidify his current strength, he might be in the top three core members of our entire household. This would absolutely cause an uproar and he could be given direct assistance by our strongest executives!" this expert thought as he continued defending against Jack''s attacks.


    -On the other side of the village-


    "This little witch''s power is a little confusing. She might be able to become a core member of our household, but her foundation is all over the place!" the witch conducting Natalia''s test thought as she watched spell after spell being casted without chants by Natalia.


    "The only explanation from this, would be that she found some type of treasure or pill that boosted her strength explosively. This can be extremely bad, if her foundation is lacking this much, just strength alone would allow her to become a core member. On the other hand, if she is unable to solidify her new foundation with all this power, she could suffer from backlash."


    Pondering on how bad it would be for a witch that specialized in fire with a unfirm foundation, made this witch shake her head in fear. Just thinking about how quickly a core member witch of their household could set just a single building on fire, was enough for this witch to start thinking about how she could help Natalia even before they reached the city.


    Minute after minute went by for Natalia, and she was not slowing down in the slightest. Now she was at the half way mark of this test and the witch sitting behind her started to nod from approval. It was now clear that Natalia passed her test with flying colors to become a core member.


    Roar! Roar! Roar!


    Slightly losing her concentration, Natalia''s next spell barely hit her target. Turning around, the witch behind her was no longer sitting in a casual manner. "A monster attack right when I am conducting a test? I will leave absolutely none alive and will personally deal with all of them!" the witch shouted out in anger as she ordered Natalia to retreat back to the village with her immediately.


    -On the other side of the village-


    "A wave of monsters at a time like this?" grabbing hold of Jack''s head, the expert shoved him onto the ground while telling him to halt his advancement. This expert was livid at the fact that Jack lost an opportunity to continue growing from monsters. Due to Jack being stunned by the expert''s attack, the expert decided to throw him over his back while he made his way back to the village at his top speed.


    -From inside the village-


    "I am sure those two executives are pissed off. They most likely have not ended their test, but here we are about to face a wave of monsters. Not sure if your friends are lucky, or unlucky at such a random development." The Crimson household executive told Leo as they walked to the center of the village.


    "Luck may have something to do with passing those tests, but their strength and potential would matter much more. Let us personally take part in this battle so that this monster wave is unable to affect us making our way back to the city on time. I would hate for any of our patriarchs to reprimand us, even if a wave of monsters could be used as an excuse."


    Shaking from the thought of dealing with any of the patriarchs from any of their households, the Moon household executive quickly put a hand on his face as if he had just gotten a major headache on his hands. Leo however, felt a sense of relief.


    Finally seeing both Jack and Natalia safe, Leo quickly ran up to greet them with open arms. "Damn monsters! How about us four massacre them all so that we can leave this place immediately after? I am sick and tired of this place already!" the witch shouted out in anger as the villagers in the area stepped back in surprise.


    "Massacre a whole wave of monsters with just four people? Isn''t that a little much?" the villagers started to discuss among themselves as they directed the women and children into the small bunker.


    "Sounds fine by me. I just hope that there is enough of them for all of us to take our frustrations on!" the Mist household expert said as he turned towards Leo''s group. "You three can watch our battle, it would be good for your future training."


    "Understood." Leo''s group all answered at the same time. To witness a small group of experts battling a wave of monsters seemed like an amazing opportunity. However, to Leo, he just wanted the opportunity to use these executives to slaughter monsters so that he could stack up again on cards!


    Just like this, the group headed to the north side of the village where the monster wave was coming from. Ordering the village guards and militia to only defend the walls and to not attack and monsters, the four executives headed out a small distance away while leaving Leo''s squad with the village warriors to witness this moment.

 29 An Executives Strength

    "This should be interesting. Those four are bright red in color and are all confident enough to destroy a wave of powerful monsters on their own. I hope that with this, I can see the true distance between myself and an executive level warrior from a city in this area." Pondered Leo as he continued to watch along with Jack and Natalia.


    "Took them long enough to show themselves!" the Sacred Flames executive shouted out in excitement as several hundred monsters started to exit the mountain area while making their way towards the village.


    These monsters were all extremely different from the previous wave that Leo encountered.Leo even felt that he was stronger, but he still felt helpless while looking at this wave of powerful monsters. These monsters all looked even more formidable than the ones he almost died from only a few days ago!


    Roar! Roar! Roar!


    Letting out their battle cries, these monsters all headed towards the village at full speed. They seemed thirsty for human flesh with an unusual amount of lust coming from their eyes.


    "Do not worry Leo." Patting his shoulders to calm him down, Natalia seemed excited to watch this fierce battle. "I have seen two executives fight before and it was an incredible sight. Just imagining four fighting together at once, makes me want to jump from this excitement!"


    "Calling upon the earth, help me destroy those which are wicked!" the witch started to chant a spell. As she continued to chant, the ground even in the village started to shake extremely violently as if it would split apart at any moment.


    Suddenly dozens of massive boulders started to form out of the earth while they were lifted by an invisible force. Leo''s eyes started to widen from seeing this single spell that controlled the earth element. The guards around them also started to cheer loudly, it seemed as if their lives would be safe during this wave with such a powerful witch on their side!


    "Go!" crying out an order in a harsh voice, the witch looked as if she was about to release these boulders onto the wave of monsters. However, the other three executive leveled warriors started to charge out before she even released her spell onto the monsters!


    "Ah!" using all her strength, the witch finally released her spell as dozens of boulders flew towards the monsters. What was even more surprising, was that these boulders seemed as if they were strategically thrown at the monsters.


    Without slowing down in the slightest, the witch began to chant another spell as the boulders finally hit their targets. The boulders were able to crush a large portion of the monsters but were nowhere near the other three executives who were charging towards them! Now with the boulders separating the monsters in the front of the wave and the back of the wave, the other executives finally reaching their position made their moves.


    Drawing his spear, the Moon executive quickly stabbed out killing multiple monsters with ease. Aiming only for their heads, it showed how experienced this expert was in a group-based battle. With both swift and chaotic type movements, this executive was absolutely executing some type of technique that took him several years to learn!


    On the other side of the battle field, the Mist executive had no weapons at all and was simply blocking the monster''s strikes. Back at the wall in the village, everyone seemed extremely confused at what was taking place. That executive had no weapons but should have been just as strong as the others.


    Snickering to himself, Jack had an evil gaze in his eyes as he watched the guards talk ill of his household''s executive. Jack knew better than anyone else here how formidable the executive was, even though he showed no offensive capabilities yet.


    Suddenly a monster swung its long tail at the executive causing him to be pushed back several feet. What happened next was unfathomable.


    Roaring with anger, the monster started to collapse with its body lying on the ground. Its tail started to bubble as it slowly melted apart. The executive''s gloves were finally pulled off and if one looked closely enough, they would see that his hands were bright purple.


    In the Mist household, due to them being more of an assassin type household that had numerous techniques concerning assassinations, they of course had many poison-based techniques. This executive that trained in the use of poison used a technique that allowed the poison to infiltrate the monster''s body quickly while causing its flesh to be eaten apart as if it was melting!


    Now with his gloves off, he started to make his move and unleashed a series of quick jabs. Instantly, many of the monsters around him started to collapse and melt away as well. This caused all the onlookers to gasp in shock. If it was them, how many warriors would it take to kill that man?!


    Finished chanting her next spell, the ground below the witch started to shake violently as a thirty-foot golem arose out of the earth to aid her. Placing the witch on the top of its head, the golem started to make its way towards the wave of monsters as well with no signs of slowing down in the slightest!


    Within the matter of less than a single hour, these four executives killed several hundred monsters as if they were monsters themselves. Countless corpses littered the ground as they made their way back to the village walls.


    "If any of you want to bring some meat on the journey back to the city, I would start looting those corpses now. Since we personally killed all of them, the villagers will have no problem even if we were to take all the corpses back, let alone some snacks." The Crimson household executive told Leo and the rest of the squad.


    As if he heard the words of god itself, Leo in an instant dashed out towards the hundreds of corpses on the ground. Leo was not going to let this opportunity to loot cards go to waste. Last time this happened, he was unable to loot a single card due to the villagers decomposing the corpses as he slept in the bunker!

 30 The Feas

    "So¡­.. many¡­.. cards¡­!" Leo thought as he looted hundreds of corpses. Although there were hundreds of monster corpses, he only received a total of twelve cards.


    Leo felt that this was not very much considering the total amount of corpses, however, to not lift a finger while still receiving so much made him feel amazing. With a gleam in his eyes which looked like he just won the lottery, Leo decided to skip back to the village.


    "Oh Leo, you are done already?" one of the executives asked with a concerned look on his face. "From what could be seen from here, you barely touched any of those corpses. That is coming across as a little strange."


    "Yeah, I was able to loot something I needed from multiple corpses. It is too bad that you couldn''t see properly from these walls." Leo responded to the executive level expert.


    Once it was confirmed that Leo was done with the corpses and with both Jack and Natalia not interested, the executives told the villagers that they could now start bringing the corpses back to the village. With so many corpses, these villagers would not need to worry about food for quite some time. Plus, with so much skin and other usable body parts, these villagers could create more weapons and armor for themselves!


    "You heard them, make sure you all bring back as much as you can. Once all those corpses are completely taken apart, we shall thank these strong experts from the city by throwing a huge feast for our lunch!" Lannister took this opportunity to flex his new leadership role within this village. Though it would still take time for the villagers to warm up to Lannister, they still followed his orders and started to work together by bringing back the corpses.


    The villagers were used to doing this every so often, so their teamwork was top notch. At first, each villager teamed up in groups of five in order to carry a corpse back. They would then split themselves up again, leaving two of the villagers to take apart the corpse and to separate its body parts into different piles, while the other three continued to bring more corpses back.


    Within only three hours, the villagers were able to bring every corpse into the village. Once this occurred, each villager started to move the piles of newly acquired resources into their respective buildings. However, several dozen villagers started to break off to start preparing for the feast.


    "They sure work fast!" Jack said which snickering. As far as the experts and Leo''s squad was concerned, they did not need to lift a finger and just spoke to one another casually as they waited for the feast to begin.


    During this time, Jack and Natalia were told that they received their promotions, and both officially became core members of their households. This did not shock Leo, but it threw the Crimson and Moon household experts into a rollercoaster of thoughts.


    When it came to core members of a household, it was very rare for two warriors in a single squad to receive that rank at the same time. In this case, it was even more surprising, because this meant that the Mist and Sacred Flames households would back both Jack and Natalia upon their return to the city!


    "Hmph, do not think that just because you both became core members of your household, that will automatically excuse you from any punishment which will be given to you by the alliance." The Moon household expert said as he got up to walk towards Lannister.


    In truth, the executive from the Moon household cared more about making sure that Lannister had full control over this village. It would be an even bigger win if Leo''s squad would be sentenced to death or even jailed. To this expert though, he wanted to make sure that his household''s foundation was not shaken by both Martin and Nathan''s deaths.


    "Do not worry about him, the death of two household members who were held in high regards can negatively impact anyone. What is most important now is that we take our time by enjoying this feast, but to leave for the city immediately afterwards." The Crimson household expert told the group as he also got up and headed in a different direction as well.


    "It seems that he thinks that he will be one step ahead of us. Little does he know, I already sent a small golem back to the city to report to our Sacred Flames household about your progress. He is right though, once this feast ends, we need to make our way back immediately." The witch told the group as everyone headed back towards their guest rooms.


    Two hours later the feast had begun, and all the villagers took their turns thanking the executive level experts for their generosity towards the village. If they had not intervened, the wave of monsters was something that the village was unable to handle by themselves. This time, the executives not only defeated the wave by themselves, but they also gave the villagers enough resources to build new weapons and armor!


    "Attention everyone, I have an announcement to make here today!" standing up on a platform that was in the center of the city, the Moon household expert stood with Lannister.


    "The loss of both Martin and Nathan was something that none of us was ready for. Do understand that those three will be facing trial for these events and justice will be served. I hope that you can all accept Lannister in Nathan''s place. With our Moon household as his backing, he has the strength to continue helping this village prosper."


    "To prove how much our Moon household values this village, we have also decided to give Lannister a very special sword. This sword is of very high quality and will allow Lannister to one day become even a match for me in battle. With this weapon, he will be able to cut down as many monsters as it takes until this village no longer sees any more waves!"


    Hearing this speech and seeing such a shiny looking sword being given to their new leader, the villagers quickly cheered in awe of not just Lannister, but also the Moon household''s resources. To casually gift such a strong weapon to a new leader of a village showed just how deep their pockets were!


    Only thirty minutes later, the group of executives along with Leo and his squad finally headed out to make their way back to the city. Due to there being such a big group of people traveling together, it would take at least two days for them to reach the city.


    Looking at his inventory screen, Leo understood that for now, he should save his cards and not use them right away. It was completely unknown what type of dangers he would be facing, but with the power that the four executives had shown, Leo felt that he was in safe hands.


    Due to them both becoming core members of their households, Leo and his squad were not tied up. They were completely free to travel without the worry of any danger, and just kept a very casual running pace.


    Once night set in, the group decided to stop and set up a small camp inside a cave. The executives would take turns guarding the entrance while the rest of the group slept.

 31 Arriving To The City

    "It is so strange that I am fully rested and do not feel the need to sleep.This must have something to do with that screen." Pondered Leo as he watched he rest of the group sleep except for the Sacred Flames executive who chose to keep watch first.


    To Leo, this was an extremely good fortune. He was not sure what to expect from that executive of the Moon household. Since each executive would be taking turns to watch the entrance of the cave, he might use that opportunity to attack Leo!


    Due to this possible scenario, Leo chose to just keep his eyes closed, but never went to sleep. Every three hours the executive who would be keeping watch woke up another one and would immediately head to sleep.


    To Leo''s surprise, once it was the Moon expert''s turn to keep watch, nothing happened during his shift. He casually kept watch over the entrance to the cave while he was sharpening the tip of his spear.


    The next morning, the group finally headed out again, this time they would not stop until they reached the city successfully. During this time, Jack wanted to hold a conversation with Leo and discuss a few things.


    "Hey Leo, how did you sleep last night?" Jack asked him in a relaxed manner. After all, Leo was their new squad leader and proven his strength to him earlier on.


    "That was apparently not the first time I have slept in a cave. My earliest memory of mine was sleeping in a cave and I even slept in an underground passage within the village we just came from." Replied Leo in an unusual manner. Thinking back just a few days ago, it seemed as if his world was moving so quickly!


    "Haha! Good, good! So, have you given any thoughts about officially joining our alliance within the city?" Jack asked with excitement all over his face. Although Leo was the leader of their squad, it did not mean that he would join their alliance.


    "Join our alliance?" suddenly the Crimson expert ahead of them halted his movements and turned around facing Jack and Leo with anger in his eyes. "You are about to face trial and you are thinking of actually joining our alliance?"


    "To join our alliance, you need to reach a certain level of strength as an individual. You might have replaced Martin as this squad''s leader, but you would still be treated like simple commoner of our city. That is unless you would like to take a test from an unbiased party?" cutting in with disgust on his face, the Moon expert spit on the ground next to him.


    "Easy boys, do you really want to do this now? Both Jack and Natalia showed enough strength to become core members of our households. If they referred to Leo as their squad leader, wouldn''t that mean that he at least reached the same level of power?" landing in front of Jack and Leo, the witch started to reprimand the two executives.


    "I understand that Martin and Nathan''s deaths deserve a proper trial, but are you going to really close me out of the alliance? I am sure that my strength could help contribute a lot to your alliance." Responded Leo with an evil glare in his eyes as he released his skill, causing the two executives to feel some pressure.


    "Well then kid, if you think you have what it takes, come at me. If you hold back in the slightest, you will absolutely pay the price!" releasing his own killing intent, the executive easily broke through Leo''s skill he obtained from using one of his cards.


    "Fine by me!" Leo shouted in response as he withdrew both his sword and dagger.


    Hearing that a test was about to begin, the remainder of the group all fled back to give the Crimson expert and Leo some more room. Luckily for Leo, this forest area could give him some additional support if he used his surroundings properly. However, Leo was still incredibly inexperienced facing strong opponents.


    Up until this point, Leo simply used the strength and skills he gained from spending his attribute points to take care of weaker opponents, or to at least end up in a stalemate against warriors like the woman in Jacob''s squad.


    His main goal now, was to join the alliance so that he would be able to receive some more hands on training in order to boost his understanding of the art of battle. Leo knew that he would always be able to level up more and receive new skills and weapons and whatever else he needed, but this was not how a warrior could build their foundation.


    The last thing Leo wanted, was to end up having countless skills and strength, but down the line still being defeated by someone who was weaker, that had more experience and training!


    Unfortunately for Leo, the Crimson expert did not want to hold himself back too much. Earlier he was offended by hearing his goal to possibly join the alliance. Dashing forward, the expert refused to draw his weapon, and instead approached Leo with only his bare hands!


    Though Leo felt a little better seeing his opponent approaching him with no weapons of his own, he still felt a sense of fear. This expert in front of him wanted to ridicule him by not even drawing a weapon, and that made Leo extremely pissed off!


    Stabbing out towards the expert with his sword and dagger, Leo felt that he was able to hit his opponent with ease and his weapons went through the opponent''s abdomen. Just as Leo was about to pull his weapons closer to him in victory, the figure of his opponent vanished!


    "Is that really the best you''ve got brat?" mocking Leo, his opponent was now behind him and let out a fierce kick which landed on Leo''s left side. Unable to block this blow, Leo was sent flying backwards and was hit through two trees before collapsing on the ground.


    Withdrawing his dagger and trying to use his sword to stand back up, Leo was now shaking in pain from just that single blow. "This is not how this will end!" he thought to himself as a screen popped up again.


    Beep Beep Beep!


    -Your Bronze Skin just leveled up by 1-


    Seeing this message from the screen, gave even more hope to Leo as he withdrew the red potion Jack gave back to him, Leo took a single sip and completely recovered. Now facing his opponent, he felt revitalized and even stronger now that his body had been tampered.


    "According to the test rules, you are only allowed to use a sip of that potion one time. We used to not allow this, but for commoners to invest so much money into a potion shows the alliance how much their personal wealth would be. Now come again and hope that you do not sustain any permanent injuries!" the Crimson expert shouted out towards Leo in provocation.


    With his body now in its peak state once again, Leo dashed towards his opponent with only his sword. This surprised the group who were spectating this test.


    "Why would he not use both of his weapons at a time like this?" the witch said in a shocking expression.


    "You might not have seen it, but there was poison on that dagger. Although that would give him an edge if he landed even a tiny scratch, he must be thinking about how we would react. It is a very smart move on his part, and for him to have two potions and a valuable weapon such as that coupled with his decent level of strength for his age. I absolutely support him in joining the alliance, if he is given a failing grade, I will simply poach him and recruit him into our household!" the Mist household executive proclaimed in excitement!


    Usually the alliance would recruit any commoner who held enough strength or who held enough personal wealth. If a commoner had enough strength, they would one day be able to accumulate wealth not just for themselves, but also for the alliance.


    Plus, if a commoner had enough personal wealth, they would be able to afford new and hard to find training methods and equipment. Either way, the alliance would benefit over time having any expert who fit either of these categories. Leo showed that he had both, but he still appeared as only ten years old. This meant that any household in the city would welcome him into their ranks with open arms!


    "He passed." The Moon executive said in a calm manner. This was not something that any of the others within the group argued with because what was now happening shocked them all!


    Back on the test grounds, Leo pushed the Crimson executive hard enough to where he withdrew his weapon to defend himself. What scared the Crimson executive the most, was that he used a similar kick to try to send Leo flying back again. Once he released that kick and landed the blow, Leo''s body shook, but was not sent away!


    Of course, this opponent of his was not using nearly close to his full power, but for a younger kid to show this much potential and to even show some unusual and visible growth, gave this expert the chills.


    "Enough!" retreating backwards, the Crimson expert called out to Leo as he placed himself in a strange defensive stance. "You pass the test so stay your hand before I am forced to hurt you!"


    Now being approached by the rest of the group, Leo and the Crimson household expert did not show any signs that they could not continue onwards to the city, so without wasting anymore time, the group set off once again.


    "Whoa! Is that what I think it is?" seeing a massive wall in front of him that spanned further than his eyes could even see, the group finally managed to make it back to the city several hours later!


    "Hehe, yep! That is our city, I hope it does not scare you too much!" chuckling, Jack patted Leo on the shoulder in a playful manner. Natalia landed close to them and put her arm around Leo as well to bring him back down.


    "It is magnificent!" praised Leo as the group headed towards the entrance to the city.


    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Note from the author:


    Volume 1 will be ending within 6 chapters from now. Once Volume 1 ends, I will be taking a two day break. However, before Volume 2 begins, I will be leaving a short teaser as well as the official title of Volume 2.


    I do not want to give any details away for Volume 2 yet, but do note that Volume 1 was just a warm introduction to this story, and Volume 2 will be when the "real" adventure begins. So if you have enjoyed Volume 1, you had better strap yourselves in!


    As always, thank you so much for all of the support and making this novel as popular as it has become. Could not have done it without each and everyone one of you! -dff123

 32 Marketplace Fun

    "Halt!" several guards called out when they saw the group approaching the wall. "What household are you affiliated with?" the group approaching could see how tense these guards were. It looked as if they were unable to rest in the slightest!


    The Moon executive was the first to step forward while flashing his emblem. Due to him being an executive level, unlike other Moon emblems which were red, his was blue. Seeing such a powerful expert in front of them, the guards started to become extremely respectful towards the group.


    "Oh? Sorry for holding your group up. Please enter whenever you are ready. Do not take too long, we do not know when a group of orcs will attack us." Nodding their heads in approval, the guards still held their weapons, but made room to allow the group inside of the city.


    These guards knew the level of authority a single executive level expert of a strong household had. If they acted out of line, an expert such as him was able to make their lives more difficult and might even have enough authority to replace them with someone else!


    The emblems which each household possessed, were able to let out a specific type of aura depending on the individual''s level. The community within the city were able to receive techniques in order to hand these emblems out to each individual power within the city.


    If the individual gifted with an emblem died, the emblem''s color would fade away. This made it so that it was almost impossible for an enemy to fake their affiliation. This also allowed the guards to have an easier time discovering who would be entering the city as an ally or enemy.


    Without wasting any time, the group started to make their way into the city. There were many rows of buildings that had small academies, training grounds, shops, and even guilds! The buildings were all made of very fine wood and had their own set of guards standing inside and outside of them.


    Beep Beep Beep!


    After walking past a shop that sold swords, Leo''s screen popped up with a message. Finally not being startled at his screen randomly popping up, Leo took a look and read the words on the screen to himself.


    -When in a city, you can exchange your gold earned by defeating your opponents, completing quests, among other ways. Each item will have a set price amount dependent on the current value set within the city. Please open the marketplace screen to see your available balance and a list of purchasable items-


    "No way! This system also lets me do this? But I only remember gaining cards from my looting?" Leo thought as the group was approached by a large group of heavily armored individuals. Quickly closing the screen to avoid unnecessary attention, this group of individuals allowed their leader who was on a horse by.


    "Ah, you have all made it back safely. Allow us to escort you into the alliance''s area so that we can move this all forward." The leader of this large group said while getting off his horse. He had dark red hair with a full suit of shiny iron armor on with a cape that had a symbol that Leo did not recognize.


    "Oh, hello again Noah, it is great to see you." The witch was the first to respond as she shook the leader''s hand. This Noah was not part of her household but was one of the trainers for the alliance. Seeing the witch treat this Noah individual with so much respect, Leo knew that he must have been a big deal.


    Every executive level knew who Noah was because he was not only a trainer, but he was responsible for training commoners that were accepted into the alliance who had not chosen a household. The commoners who were accepted into the alliance were put into a training ground type independent section within the city. From there, they would work hard to have a household within the alliance accept them officially.


    Using this type of recruiting method helped each faction of the city. If an individual that showed promise was unable to meet their requirements, they were still able to continue building their foundation.


    This allowed strong commoners the ability to have an affiliation with a power, while knowing that even if they underperformed, they would not be immediately casted out. However, if they openly did not train hard, that would be an exception and the commoner would only have themselves to blame.


    After warmly greeting the group, Noah got back onto his horse as his men escorted the group back to their area. As the group finally reached the alliance''s base of operations, several representatives of each household were already there to greet them.


    "By the order of the alliance, Jack of the Mist household and Natalia of the Sacred Flames household are to be under house arrest until their trial. As for their new leader who goes by "Leo", he is to be placed directly into the commoner''s area under the watch of the Crimson household."


    "Once the trial date has been set, we will let all three of you know. Until then, none of you will be allowed to speak to one another!" The group of representatives told the group as they took custody of Leo''s squad from the executive level experts.


    Understanding the situation, Jack and Natalia said their goodbyes as their household representatives escorted them back to have an audience with their household''s elders. As for Leo, he was escorted by both the representatives of the Moon and Crimson households to the commoner''s area into a small secluded building where there were already over one dozen guards stationed outside.


    This did not bother Leo, because the experts of the Crimson household who were standing guard gave him enough privacy by only remaining outside of the small building. It was clear that they wanted to treat Leo with enough respect due to his current strength, but still needed to remain completely neutral.


    This building was indeed small and only had a bed, a wash room, and some chairs in the center with four chairs. Leo used this opportunity to finally take a nice warm bath, since it was clear that this civilization did not run on electricity in which case a shower head was unheard of.


    Within the bath, Leo pulled up the marketplace screen and surprisingly in the top left corner of the screen he saw that he had over seven hundred gold pieces. Leo did not know how valuable each piece of gold was, but to see that he had over seven hundred surprised him and gave him hope that maybe he was now extremely wealthy!


    Scanning the different categories, it seemed as if this city was just so much better off than the village he started in. They had multiple types of weapon stores within the system, an abilities store, a techniques store, and consumables among many others!


    What caught Leo''s eye was the techniques store tab on the screen. Eager to see how many cool and useful techniques he could buy with his gold, Leo clicked on the store as his eyes widened in excitement!

 33 Shopping Spree?

    "Seriously!?" Leo shouted out in both anger and confusion. "Why do these skill books cost so much gold?" punching his fist into his hand, Leo tried to calm down. According to the screen, some of the first handful of skills which appeared were all over ten thousand gold coins!


    "Wait a minute, it shows right here that I can sort these items. Let me see here¡­" clicking on the sorting tab on the screen, Leo finally found the cheapest skill book first button. Clicking the button, Leo secretly prayed that he would find something he could afford.


    "That is still horrible, but at least I can afford something now!" a little more satisfied, Leo saw five different skill books that were only five hundred gold coins. They were all books that had a skill that the user could learn.


    Scrolling down further, it seemed as if the more advanced skills continued to skyrocket in price. Of course, some of the most expensive skills in the city were over one hundred thousand gold coins. However, those skills were only learned by the heirs of each household within the city and were still incomplete according to the marketplace.


    "For these skill books to be incomplete must mean that some of the households try to sell them in order to quickly raise funds? Either way, I am sure if I become strong enough, that the alliance will have no problem giving me some more skill books." Pondered Leo as he finished his bath and started to brainstorm which skill he wanted to purchase.


    "Well, if I can only afford one of theses five skill books for now, I should purchase this one that is a movement skill called Dragon Dash. Since I already have my bronze skin to help defend myself, what I need now is a movement type skill so that I can retreat or speed forward against my enemies!"


    Clicking the purchase button for the "Dragon Dash" skill book, the screen started to beep once again.


    "Beep! Beep! Beep!"


    -Skill book can now be found in your inventory-


    Excited to see how he can use this so-called skill book to learn a new skill, Leo quickly withdrew the book from his inventory. The book seemed rather ancient and not very well kept. This did not stop Leo as he quickly opened the book to its first page.


    -Requirements to learn this skill are as follows: 10 Strength, 15 Dexterity, 8 Wisdom-


    "No¡­ no¡­.. NO!" reading the contents of the page, Leo quickly tried to flip through the rest of the book, except, the rest of the pages were completely empty!


    "Status!" Leo called out to look at his current attribute points that he used so that he could compare.


    -Leo Lv.4. Job Title: None Strength: 15, Constitution: 8, Dexterity: 7, Intelligence: 7, Wisdom: 8, Luck: 7. Remaining Attribute Points:0. Passive Skills Learned: Bronze Skin Lv.2, Combat Skills learned: Rage Lv.1-


    "Damn it! I need to add more points to my dexterity before I could even learn this skill? I just wasted most of my gold on something so useless for right now!" Leo started to feel some tears drip down from his face knowing that he was unable to quickly learn a new skill.


    However, once Leo went back to the marketplace screen, he noticed that he could also sell to the marketplace as well. "Wait, Jack gave me both the potion I gave to him and the one he looted off Martin''s corpse when he killed him. I wonder how much this potion could sell for?" he thought as he clicked the sell to marketplace button on the screen.


    -When in a city, you can exchange your items earned by defeating your opponents, completing quests, among other ways. Each item will have a set price amount dependent on the current value set within the city-


    Quickly placing one of the potions into the exchange box, its gold coins value popped up right next to it on the screen as well as a sell now button. Leo started to feel extremely good from seeing the amount that a potion like that could sell for in this marketplace.


    "After killing so many goblins, killing a monster, and defeating opponents, it took me this long to compile only seven hundred gold coins but this simple basic red potion sells for two thousand!?"


    "I can understand if I was unable to earn that much due to my enemies being so weak. But to have a potion like this that sells at a ridiculously high price, why are the heavens shitting on me?" pondered Leo as he quickly sold the potion without hesitating in the slightest. He already had the other vial that Jack returned to him and what he wanted to do next, was to purchase some training methods.


    Quickly looking over the training methods section of the marketplace, each method listed different descriptions that helped Leo identify which ones would help him increase a specific attribute. What Leo found was that many of the training methods only helped increase a single attribute, but if he spent all his gold, he could afford one that helps boost more than one attribute. In exchange for training many attributes at a single time, Leo needed to use the specific method he chose to train for a much longer period.


    "Wait a minute, what is up with that inheritance tab?" before moving forward with a training method that fit his goal of increasing his strength and constitution attribute, Leo decided to click on another tab within the marketplace.


    To his surprise, the inheritance tab showed a list of training methods that were much more formidable than what was shown to him in the other tab. What was even more shocking, was that this list of inheritances, was those of every household within the city and taught skills and techniques as well!


    What was even more shocking to Leo, is that these inheritances costed nothing if he was affiliated with the household that each inheritance was given by. It could even be said that he might have the ability to learn each of the household''s inheritances of the alliance and even some of the families who supported the alliance!


    "Oh wow, this seems like a little much. Either there is more to this, or the system itself is just a ridiculous hack that allows me to outmatch everyone around me." Thought Leo as he chose to purchase the Mist household''s inheritance. He chose this inheritance because it had a movement skill and had an ability that allowed him to sense his opponent''s power.


    Beep! Beep! Beep!


    -You have purchased the Mist household Inheritance. Look in your inventory to use the item-


    Taking out the inheritance, this was a book that gave information about training to increase different attributes, while also leaving information needed to learn several skills and techniques.


    Upon reading this inheritance, it listed different requirements for Leo to increase his attribute points. Many of these requirements were basic exercises like push-ups, running a specific number of miles, among others. What was even more surprising, was that for Leo to increase his wisdom and intelligence stats, he needed to read a specific amount of literature!


    "Well, I guess it is time to begin my training. If anyone wanted to kill me, they would have by now. I wonder how long I will be forced to remain here?" pondered Leo as he began doing some push-ups. Right now, he only needed to focus on becoming stronger because the threat of anyone attacking him was severely low now that he was not only in a city, but surrounded by guards!

 34 New Instructor

    -One month later-


    "It is decided then, both Jack from the Mist household and Natalia from the Sacred Fire household will be confined to the city for the next two years. They are able to go anywhere they wish within the city, but if they leave, their actions would be taken as them disobeying the alliance''s orders."


    "Furthermore, it has been decided that Leo will officially be accepted into the alliance due to the approval of each household within the alliance. Leo will be confined to the city for the next year. Due to him not having any direct affiliation within the alliance until now, his punishment will be lighter. He will also be like a commoner who has joined our alliance and no household can accept him officially for the next five years due to the age restriction."


    "The council understands that Leo is already very formidable given his age, but it is up to us to keep the rules concerning commoners active regardless of talents. Leo will be placed under Noah''s care and trained properly." One of the councilmen told every representative of the alliance who showed themselves for the trial.


    The trial started only two weeks after Leo''s squad was escorted back to the city. The Moon household chose not to put up too much pressure because both the Mist household and Sacred Flames households used all their backing to support the squad during the trial and even had some warriors return to plead the council on their behalf as well.


    If it were not for the threat of the orc factions close to the city openly declaring full out war onto the city, the council would have given a much harsher sentencing. Due to all three members of Leo''s squad showing so much potential, the council wanted them to silently train within the safety of the city''s walls. Both Jack and Natalia''s household however, only wanted their members to be safe which is why Leo received less confinement.


    "We can all agree that now more than ever, our alliance needs to help support those under our banner. After the orcs declared war on the city, we have lost two executive level experts which really hurt our overall foundation as our own faction within these city walls." Another council member reported once those who reacted to the sentencing calmed down.


    "Remember everyone, if we continue to lose even lower tier warriors, our foundation will be at risk of collapsing. The Moon household''s Patriarch has been kind enough to request assistance from a foreign human power and they should be arriving soon. For the messengers they had sent out to the foreign human power, it should take them about one year to reach them and another year for their return. Let us wish them luck and in exchange, let us help support the Moon household." Another member of the council requested every representative.


    Soon after finalizing the paperwork associated with the city arrest of the squad, everyone made their way back to their respective households and factions within the city.


    -The next day-


    "And here I was starting to become relaxed from remaining inside all day and night!" Leo told the group of guards in front of him while a big grin was left on his face. Leo within this past month has become much calmer around the guards because they were made up of all commoners that the Crimson household recruited over the years.


    Leo in his past life was in a very poor family and so he found himself joking around and connecting with these guards more than he had anyone else. Each guard had families of their own and were lucky enough to always have food on their tables. However, if anything were to happen to these guards, they knew that their families would be put in a not so good situation.


    "I am glad that you are so optimistic, but you do know that the real training starts this afternoon, right Leo?" walking up to the group of guards who finally started to disband themselves, Noah was seen walking up.


    "I''ve heard that you are very strong for your age. If that is the case, I will be pushing you much harder than anyone else. Oh, and I have been assigned to train you personally, so we will get to know each other very well over this next year. Keep in mind, I have a reputation to uphold so if you do not perform at your best capacity, you will pay the price!" laughing and taunting Leo, Noah actually felt rather relieved.


    The request of the Mist and Sacred Flames households were to allow Leo to be trained by Noah personally. This was part of the bargain they made with the alliance so that Jack and Natalia would have a strong squad leader once their sentencing was over. To Noah, this made it so that he could concentrate all his energy in training a single warrior.


    Only needing to train a single warrior that held so much potential was a dream come true to Noah. This meant that he would not need to take on any missions from the alliance, and he would not be overwhelmed with pressure training too many warriors!


    Hearing himself being mocked, Leo drew his sword and dashed towards Noah with all his might. To his surprise, Noah already seemed to have predicted that he would respond to his taunting in this way.


    Spinning like a tornado in the air, Leo unleashed a new technique he learned from purchasing a technique book in the marketplace.


    "Heavenly Torment!" Leo shouted as his movements seemed to have kicked up a dust of wind that circled around his sword as he stabbed it towards Noah!


    "Thump!"


    Without wasting more energy than he needed to, Noah blocked Leo''s sword with only his hand that was covered in a leather glove. Noah then used the same technique Leo unleashed, but instead of a weapon, he used his other hand!


    "Wait, how the hell?" unable to pull his sword out from Noah''s hand, Leo had to let go of his sword and tried to retreat backwards. Unfortunately, this was enough to save him from Noah''s attack!


    "Crack!"


    Noah''s hand pierced through the iron chest plate that Leo was now wearing, and the wind started to rip parts of his skin off before he was flown back by the momentum.


    "For you to execute that technique, it shows that you do have some potential. It looks like you have no control over your strength and you are extremely sloppy in battle. Maybe against weaker opponents or monsters with no intelligence, you could survive, but in a real battle, you would die pretty quickly." Walking over to Leo who was now laying on the ground with his back up against the home he had been living in for the past month, Noah quickly picked him up and brought him into the home.


    "This is going to be one hell of a year." Noah thought as he sighed to himself. He knew that training Leo would help him bring out his true potential, but hearing the reports, he had no choice but to overwhelm him in one on one combat to earn his respect as his new instructor.

 35 Time Skip

    -One year later-


    "Come on now, you can do better than this!" an instructor called out to his student as his blade blocked the student''s sword. Using the momentum, the instructor quickly shifted his blade to disarm the student. Since they seemed to be only sparring, the instructor used more direct and basic moves.


    "I am not done quite yet!" the student shouted as he let the instructor disarm his sword as he launched his counter move. Dropping low onto the ground, the student quickly kicked the instructor''s legs, causing him to lose his balance as he followed up his move with a quick jab. It seemed as if the student was fairly experienced as he took advantage of the small opening.


    This jab carried with it a hint of wind styled magic that was still incomplete, but it landed and caused the instructor to be flown upwards into the air. The instructor within the air positioned himself so that he could dive back down and finish off this student. Due to the wind styled magic being incomplete, the instructor was not damaged by the hit.


    Within this moment, the student quickly grabbed his sword once again and swung it towards the instructor as the instructor swung his blade at the student. Both blades clashed, but the instructor''s blade was able to completely break apart the student''s sword as if it was paper. However, the instructor was experienced enough to halt his blade from hurting his student.


    "Good try Leo, too bad my blade is of higher quality and that I am a bit stronger than you. Otherwise, it would be safe to say, that you could have bested me this round. I hope that someday soon, you can finally grasp that wind styled magic."


    The instructor and student were Noah and Leo! Leo was almost unrecognizable from his previous self one year ago. Now with a much more chiseled body, shorter hair, and even several inches taller now, Leo looked as if he could pass for a young teenager even though his bone age was only eleven and a half.


    "You do realize that using a higher quality blade is cheating right?" Leo replied feeling very upset. This sword he used was the first sword he ever obtained in this new world he found himself in. Though it was by no stretch a good sword, to Leo it served as a good memory.


    "When facing your opponents in the future, you will not be able to blame your losses on your lack of equipment. I still have just as much ability as you do while facing those who are better well off than us and the reason is because we have our strength and experience to make up for the lack of pricy items." Using this as a teaching moment, Noah helped Leo pick up his broken sword as they sat down on a bench nearby.


    "I am not sure if you noticed Leo, but over this past several weeks, you have not been able to show very much visible growth. That is not a complaint since the you sitting here now is like night and day compared to the you one year ago. I think you need to really think about maybe setting out on a small mission or quest in order to grow your life and death battle experience." Noah explained to Leo in a calm and relaxed manner.


    "Well I hope that I have shown that much improvement! You do realize that we have been training non-stop day by day for a full years'' worth of time? I would feel ashamed if I did not become as strong as I currently am with that much hard work." Leo responded with a sharp gaze. What Leo said was not an exaggeration, Noah had trained Leo non-stop for an entire year and although Leo has grown much stronger, part of him wished he would never need to train like he did ever again.


    Now with his current inheritance, he found himself unable to increase his attribute points organically and knew deep down that he needed to start slaying more enemies so that his level could increase. It was almost as if his newest level had a capacity amount of attribute points until he needed to level up in order to use more.


    "Anyways Noah, were you always in this type of position compared to some of those more well-off warriors of this city?" Leo asked Noah trying to drive the conversation back so that he could learn a little more about his instructor on a deeper level.


    "Oh Leo, you do not even know the half of it." Noah started to think back to the days when he was younger.


    "You see Leo, I was born into a commoner household and had no choice but to start training myself once I reached the age of five years old. Once I became eight years old, I was able to get tested at a small school that accepted younger commoners to help them grow into strong warriors."


    "Once I reached the age of twelve, I was able to join a small guild that many commoners who were unable to be picked up by a strong faction chose to go to in order to earn enough money to feed their families. There, I was able to take on small quests and after completing quite a few of them, the alliance approached me at the age of twenty-one."


    "And as you can see, I made the most out of that opportunity and everyone under the banner including strong executive leveled experts give me respect. I have to admit though, of all my years helping to train new commoners within the alliance, you are monstrous!" finally finishing his story, Noah put his hand on Leo''s shoulder while smiling out of acceptance for his strength.


    "Oh?" taking a moment to absorb everything Noah had told him, Leo had a bright idea.


    "Hey Noah, since my punishment from the council finished this past week, I am thinking of joining that small guild so that I can take on a quest. I feel that the only way I could increase my power now is to experience such thrills and adventure!"


    "Luckily for you Leo, the small guild is an independent faction that is rather neutral with our alliance. So, you can try to go and get tested so that you can take on some quests through them. Since you are still technically a commoner, that would be the only way that you can receive that type of work."


    "Only problem, is that you must prove yourself worthy to join the guild as an unaffiliated member. When it comes to them accepting you, no one can help you but yourself and your power. Therefore, if you are to attempt to join them, you need to get prepared accordingly." Explained Noah as the two got up to walk back to Leo''s residence.


    "Well Noah not to brag or anything, but if you were able to join them when you were only a little older than I am now, they should have no problem accepting me once they realize how strong I am!" making a thumbs up with his hand towards Noah, Leo felt a little overconfident.


    "Well actually Leo, the city was nowhere as developed as it is now when I first joined the guild. I believe right now their current age requirement is sixteen years old, but you might be able to convince them otherwise if you give it your all." Noah responded in a stern tone like a true teacher that wanted the best for his student.

 36 The Blue Phoenix Guild

    Before setting out to the guild to get tested, Noah handed Leo a new sword since he broke his other one. "Good luck Leo and remember that the guild is rather rowdy so be prepared to be ridiculed and possibly tossed out. The guild master is respectful towards those that show strength, just do not go overboard unless provoked!"


    "I understand that teacher. You should prepare our lunch while I am gone. No matter what, I will be returning here before heading out anywhere even without the acceptance of the guild." Responded Leo while winking at Noah in a casual manner. After training for one year under him, Leo felt very close to Noah.


    "If you are accepted, I will give you another gift, so you better get going while you have the chance to take that test." Noah replied as he started to gather some firewood to throw in the firepit. On special occasions, Noah and Leo would eat a meal around a nice fire instead of in the house.


    Without wasting anymore time, Leo quickly left the alliance''s borders and arrived from within the city square. There were countless commoners within this square and it was the fastest way to navigate through the rest of the city. This square was within the center of the city and held neutral factions which were made up of almost all commoners.


    Seeing a beautiful looking girl sitting alone on a bench, Leo decided to approach her before going to test himself at the guild. Casually pulling out a flower from his inventory screen discreetly, Leo started to stroll past everyone in these crowds and sat right next to this girl on the bench.


    "Um. Who are you?" looking at Leo just sitting on the bench next to her without saying a word, the girl was startled and started to blush a little bit out of embarrassment.


    "Oh me?" Leo said as he slowly put his left arm on the bench close to the girl''s neck as he held out the flower with his right hand. "My name is Leo and I thought a beautiful girl like yourself deserves a nice flower that goes with that dress."


    "Well, Leo, I think you should leave me alone. My father is very protective and is close by and if he sees you, that will cause you some trouble." Replied the girl as she pushed the flower and Leo''s hand back onto his chest before standing up.


    "Trouble? Now I am intrigued! What father would not like his daughter having a nice flower?" Leo continued but chose to not get up from the bench. Rather, he remained there in a calm and composed manner which made the girl feel less threatened.


    "Buttercup daddy got you something spec- "walking over from a merchant shop nearby, the girl''s father strolled over with three followers. They all looked like very formidable warriors but looked rather battle worn. When the man in the lead saw his daughter with a random boy, his face filled with happiness started to switch to rage and anger!


    "Oh, I can explain. You see¡­" trying to explain the situation to the girl''s father, Leo seemed lost for words. Within the past year, Leo was able to learn a scan type ability from his current inheritance which allowed him to see individual''s levels around him. When he scanned this group''s levels, he saw that they were all between level twelve and fifteen!


    After training for a whole year, Leo went from only level four to level eight. What was worse, was that even though Leo maxed out all his attribute points he earned organically by training, he still couldn''t see anyone else''s attribute points with this skill. This meant that it was possible for him to be overpowered by even the weakest member in this group!


    "Very good, I am glad to see that you understand the situation now. Buttercup come over here to daddy, so I can take you back home with your mother. There is no need for you to waste anymore of your time talking to this boy." The man in the lead said as the daughter ran into his arms before the group left.


    "All of the girls I''ve met back at the alliance''s headquarters were all very fond of me. Since I am not officially with the alliance though, these commoners will continue treating me normally as well. Good thing they let me go, I would''ve hated to potentially get injured before taking my test at the guild!" thought Leo as he ignored the small crowd that formed hoping to see a fight break out as he left towards the guild.


    Finally arriving at a medium sized building which was standing alone without other buildings around it was the guild Leo was searching for. The name of this guild was "The Blue Phoenix Guild". The reason for this name, was its founder many years ago was a warrior that would use blue flames as his wings as he chopped down monsters with his sword.


    The founder was a commoner who reached the executive level without the help of any households and so he chose to open his own little guild instead. Many schools, sects, and guilds within the city were created in a very similar way by independent commoners who wanted to help other commoners independently from other large factions.


    Though majority of the warriors who showed enough potential were taken by the larger factions, there were still enough who chose not to join them and instead create their own faction instead. Over the hundreds of years that this city has existed, these neutral factions would be able to slowly gain more and more power as their foundations grew.


    "Hey kid, it seems like you want to enter into this building, could it be that you are here to request an audience with the guild master?" one of the two guards at the entrance asked Leo as he approached the guild''s building.


    "Actually, I would like to take a test so that I can join you. I''ve heard from a close friend of mine that it would be wise of me to check you guys out." Replied Leo as he lowered his walking speed as he continued to approach the entrance of the building.


    "Join¡­. us¡­...?" the other guard said as he turned to his side towards the other guard standing next to him. After locking eyes, both guards started to laugh uncontrollably before allowing Leo to pass them. A hint of regret was felt in their hearts as they watched Leo enter the guild.


    "If it wasn''t for a random kid earlier hitting on his daughter, Gorg would probably have gone a little easier on this newcomer. I hope for this kid''s sake that when Gorg tests him a little later, that he calmed down a bit." The guards finally stopped laughing and started to compose themselves as proper guards after the thought of Gorg reprimanding them for being so casual while on guard duty.


    Unfortunately for Leo, Gorg was exactly the man he had encountered earlier and that he was the reason that Gorg was so upset!


    "Please wait here until Gorg arrives back to the guild. Gorg just got back yesterday from a small quest with his squad members and is a little worn out. However, today is his day to conduct any and all tests for warriors who want to enter our guild, so he should be back at any moment.


    "Thank you so much for your help." Leo responded to this secretary as he casually sat on a small chair to await this Gorg individual.

 37 Test Begins!

    "That is the kid huh?" one member of the guild asked another while looking over at Leo. During this time of day, the guild was a little rowdy with many members who took a small break from their missions and just wanted to socialize.


    The guild would give discounts to their members when it came to food and alcohol. Therefore, if they were not out traveling or out on work, you could usually find many of the members in the guild''s building having fun.


    This was the life of a commoner who showed enough promise as a warrior to earn money completing missions using a guild such as this one. If it was any of the major powers such as the alliance Leo was indirectly part of, you would never see such a scene unless it was for an extremely good occasion. For commoners though, they chose to reward themselves by spending more time with their friends drinking cheap alcohol and eating cheap food.


    "Oh Gorg, it is great to see you! How did the mission go this time around?" suddenly everyone in the guild''s hall could hear a guard shouting out to Gorg who had just arrived. The guard was clearly trying to warn everyone within the building about his arrival from his excited tone.


    Gorg was one of the heroes of this guild. Several years ago, the guild took on an extremely big mission that had majority of its members taking part. If it was not for Gorg''s contributions, they would have been wiped out.


    During the mission, a bandit camp that was very well known had chosen to attack the caravans that their guild was responsible for protecting. Luckily, the leader of the bandits and Gorg were the strongest warriors on their sides and fought a drawn-out battle. However, Gorg was able to defeat the bandit''s leader in a clean fight and the remainder escaped!


    During the battle, Gorg used a large portion of his life energy to draw out his remaining potential to defeat the bandit''s leader. This caused him to be unable to take on anymore big missions, but he was still praised by the guild and was even responsible for conducting newcomer''s tests.


    "Of course, thank you for such a warm greeting! After I conduct the tests for today, let me treat you to a round of food and drinks. We haven''t caught up in a while." Hearing Gorg in a good mood, the members of the guild became more relaxed. Though he was referred to as a hero, Gorg still had a temper that no one wanted to deal with.


    Walking into the building, Gorg was being followed by his squad members as he had a big grin on his face. It seemed as if he had forgotten about what Leo had done earlier and was now with his friends again after a long mission. However, the grin on Gorg''s face started to slightly change as he saw Leo sitting patiently on a chair within the hall.


    "So, it is YOU?!" halting his steps, Gorg''s face became quite a sight. He was a bald middle-aged man who had an eye patch over his left eye. Though he would look rather peaceful and like a hardened veteran when he was happy, right now he looked like an enraged killer eying its prey!


    Recognizing Gorg right away, Leo felt that he would harm him in any way and would keep up an air in front of the rest of the guild. Instant regret flashed in Leo''s mind as he fled backwards as Gorg''s killing intent shot towards him and filled him with hopelessness.


    Tap! Tap! Tap!


    "If you are going to fight this boy, you should at least do it during the test." Walking into the guild hall, an older man with a lofty presence appeared. If it was not for the tapping of his shoes, no one would realize that he was present. This lofty figure was the guild master and he was extremely formidable!


    "Fine old man, but I will not be holding anything back. From what he had done to my daughter earlier, showing mercy is not an option!" Gorg not lowering his killing intent shot his gaze at the master of his guild. One was an enraged hero that wanted nothing more but to smite Leo while another was an old man who was as lofty as an expert that roamed the world freely.


    "Do as you would like, but if you bully such a boy that seems to have quite a bit of potential, do not blame me for punishing you accordingly." With a quick shine from the corner of his eyes, the older man replied to Gorg before exiting the hall.


    "Alright kid, you heard the guild master, I will be conducting your test today and it will be a combat-based test. Follow us to the back where we have a small arena." Gorg now turning back to Leo said without wasting any time.


    As Gorg walked out of the hall, every single member that was present followed him. They did not want to miss this possible show! Without wasting any time, Leo quickly followed everyone as he arrived at an arena. Gorg gestured Leo to walk and meet him in the arena as the members of the guild made their way to the bleachers.


    "Alright kid, as I mentioned, I will not be taking it easy on you. This test is a fight to the death and if you are unable to protect yourself, you will fail!" Gorg shouted out for everyone to hear as he pulled out his flail. Showing how carefree he was and how Leo was not a threat to him, Gorg showed off some simple swings as the flail''s chains extended little by little.


    "That flail is not very simple." Leo thought as he let Gorg continue.


    "Hey kid, draw your weapon before I kill you with a single strike. I am only a single step away from reaching the executive level and I can freely extend my flail''s range using my water elemental affinity. This type of power is not something that you can compete with barehandedly!" Gorg told Leo as he allowed his flail to create a small crater within the floor of the arena.


    "Are you finished talking?" asked Leo as he sprinted towards Gorg filled with energy and his own killing intent.


    "Fine, just know that I warned you!" swinging his flail towards Leo, Gorg tried to wrap the chains around him into a trap. However, Leo quickly created two after images before crouching out of the flail''s range.


    Passing the after images, Gorg''s flail started to use the power of the water element to shift its direction. The flail was now in midair and was falling towards Leo''s position like a meteorite crashing into the earth. The force of the flail itself caused the onlookers to sweat.


    "My move is far from over!" Gorg yelled out as Leo finally drew his sword! Leo, however, was too late and the chains of the flail started to wrap around him. Luckily, his sword was able to block the flail from hitting him in his head, but he was now trapped.


    The next moment surprised everyone present. It turns out that Leo originally created two after images but also, a clone! The strength of Gorg''s flail was enough to strangle the clone, but Leo was casually standing in his original position, as if he never even moved the whole time!


    "That technique seems familiar. Too bad for you, every time you create a clone, it takes quite a bit of power away. Let''s see just how long you can keep such a strategy up for!" now laughing from embarrassment of being fooled by Leo, Gorg was now past his limit for his anger.


    Before Gorg made his next move, a sword was pointing under Gorg''s neck. However, he only snickered as he sent out a fast kick what seemed to be just in the air where no one was. At this moment, Leo''s body was seen on the floor several feet away from Gorg''s position as he coughed a mouthful of blood.


    "A technique like that will never work on someone who is stronger than you. Only those who are much weaker than you will not feel your killing intent while using such a sinister technique!"


    Feeling a little helpless now, Leo used his sword to lift himself off the ground as he faced Gorg. Leo thought that some of the techniques he picked up from the Mist household''s inheritance, would have been more than enough for him to deal with Gorg. Now, that seemed like foolish thinking as his attacks only made him angrier!

 38 Acceptance

    "Hehehe!" finally standing back up, Leo started to let out crazed but low chuckles. Withdrawing a potion from his inventory, he drank a sip and was able to fully recover. In the paperwork he looked over stating the rules of the test, a warrior was able to recover themselves a single time using a potion if they had the means to supply it to themselves.


    "Hmph?" sort of upset seeing Leo casually using a potion made Gorg feel unsteady. However, he let Leo do as he liked because if he were to recover, Gorg was able to continue beating him down at his leisure. Leo''s crazed chuckles started to get to Gorg though and gave off a bit of pressure.


    "Now, are you ready to die?" putting the potion away, Leo''s stare met with Gorg as his killing intent changed into a more beast like state. Gorg felt his grip on the weapon tighten as he took a step forward while releasing his own killing intent. Leo''s personality and aura change made Gorg feel that he needed to fight with all his strength at this point.


    As Gorg tried to think of an idea on how to handle Leo, he casually swung his flail around to buy himself some time. What shocked the onlookers, was that Leo did not try to dodge Gorg''s weapon as it headed straight towards him. Not hesitating in the slightest, Gorg unleashed all his strength as his flail landed a direct hit onto Leo before he was able to even react!


    "If you do not put your back into it, you will die without any honor to your name once I am finished with you." Leo''s voice could be heard as Gorg was pulling on his weapon to retract it. Lowering the flail now in his hands, Leo''s gaze pierced Gorg like a predator that wanted nothing more but to play with its weak prey.


    Letting go of Gorg''s weapon, Leo casually decided to put his sword back into his inventory. "To think that maybe you would be able to make me use my own weapon once I became serious. I guess there really is a difference between classes in this society." Without wasting another word, Leo within an instant arrived before Gorg as he let out an extremely powerful punch that had a hint of the wind element in it.


    Flying backwards and coughing out a mouthful of blood, Gorg''s body began to shake as he finally finished retracting his whole weapon. Using what he grasped over his water elemental affinity, Gorg started to heal his body as Leo shook his hand as if he hit a metal wall.


    After several breaths of time, Gorg finally finished healing his body as he lifted off his shirt to reveal a chest plate that seemed to be terrifyingly heavy. "No wonder it felt as if I hit a sturdy mountain, you were wearing such a cheap item." Leo said as he continued chuckling as if he was a demon.


    "You should be thankful for this kid. Now that I am taking this off, the warm ups will officially be over, and we can fight to our heart''s content!" shouted Gorg as he actually threw the chest plate onto the other side of the room. Once the item hit the ground, it let off a loud boom as a small shockwave appeared.


    "Warm ups? I would refer to this as a monster about to eat its dinner!" Leo shouted out as he dashed towards Gorg at full speed yet again. Before Leo could even approach his location, Gorg disappeared and reappeared right next to him before releasing his own punch.


    Leo was barely able to block Gorg''s sudden punch, but it looked as if Gorg''s punch did not do any real damage to him and was only strong enough to send him backwards.


    Taking only but a moment to catch his breath, Leo darted towards Gorg a second time hoping that he would be fast enough to land his own blow. To his surprise, Gorg was able to completely avoid him as he tried chasing him around the fighting area.


    After only a minute of what seemed to be Leo and Gorg playing a game of tag, Gorg finally halted his movements as he allowed Leo to land several punches and kicks onto his body. Unfortunately for Leo, none of his attacks that landed showed any signs of Gorg taking any type of damage.


    "It looks like if either one of us is to hurt the other, that we need to use our weapons again. I could tell that my attacks are hurting you more than yours are hurting me, but in this fight, I want to see your blood shed as I am sure you want mine to as well." Gorg told Leo before they both walked slowly to the opposite ends of the arena yet again.


    Thanks to his Bronze Skin skill, Leo was able to receive all Gorg''s blows without any worry for his safety, however Gorg was not even using any skills at this point to defend himself against Leo''s attacks. "He really lives up to the hero title." He thought as he withdrew his sword once again while facing Gorg who also withdrew his weapon at the same time.


    "Come." This single word Gorg said sent a shiver down every onlooker''s spine as they saw Gorg becoming serious for the first time during this test. What was even more shocking, was that the crazed look in Leo''s eyes vanished as he became very calm and peaceful like a monk.


    Without saying another word, Leo started to concentrate as his sword let out a faint glow. Right now, Leo was trying to give himself a skill buff so that his final attack would be as strong as he could make it. Due to Gorg almost having the full basic control over his water element, Leo knew that he could not hold back in the slightest.


    It could be said that once a warrior was able to grasp a basic understanding over their elemental affinity, that they would be considered to have reached the executive level of power. To spellcasters such as Natalia, they would be considered to have reached the executive level of power once they were able to cast a high-level spell from just communicating with their element.


    Leo up to this point, had only just begun his process of understanding the basics of the wind element and he was still so new to this, that he could only unleash a small portion of the element''s powers in his attacks. Compared to someone like Gorg, he was but a little ant facing a giant and had no room to hold back any longer!


    Fully charged up, Leo began to make his final strike on Gorg. What seemed as if he was falling forward, Leo''s body was now only a foot above the ground as he dashed towards Gorg with his full speed while stabbing his sword out at his opponent''s head.


    This was a new type of move that Leo had created. By almost falling forward all the way onto the ground, it gave Leo enough momentum to increase his speed past his current limits. This move''s weakness was that Leo only knew how to keep this speed by using a stabbing type move instead of a full swing.


    "Not bad kid, you pass." As he said this, Leo''s attack pierced Gorg''s head leaving behind only water. Just as Leo used his clone type technique to dodge his opponent''s attack earlier, Gorg had done the same but with his water abilities. This allowed Gorg to not use as much strength to create his clone. This was what separated the warriors who grasped their elements to a certain degree versus those who hadn''t.


    With a splash of water now covering his hair, Leo withdrew his weapon as he stared at Gorg once again. Coming here at first, Leo felt that he would be able to overpower any of his potential opponents. To him, this was a very humbling experience which he would take with him to continue his path.


    Clap! Clap! Clap!


    Sure enough, the whole crowd made up of guild members started to cheer the two in acceptance. Hearing that Leo was now one of their brothers, the members started to rush forward to greet him with nods of joy. This was short lived though, because Leo wanted to do nothing more than to accept a mission right away.

 39 Accepting A Mission

    "Hey kid, wait up for a moment. I would like to talk to you about something."


    Before Leo headed towards the guild master''s room, Gorg tried to pull him to the side to discuss something with him. Although earlier Leo offended Gorg by hitting on his daughter, Gorg seemed rather happy that he had a new brother in arms.


    "I recognized some of those techniques being that of the Mist household. They are some of their more formidable techniques, but you look nothing like their members. How did you get your hands on such techniques and why would you then join our guild when you have that type of connection?" Gorg kept plummeting Leo with question after question.


    Leo''s techniques he learned from his inheritance did not have a use against Gorg, but they were still considered some top-notch techniques compared to those available to commoners. In the city, there were many different basic techniques that anyone could learn in order to become stronger. There were, however, techniques that the bigger powers within the city would pass down to their brethren in order to keep their high positions within society.


    "I have a good relationship with the Mist household as well as several other factions within the city. As a warrior who seeks to become stronger, it is up to me to pave my own path and not to always rely on my relationships in order to get ahead." Leo began replying to all Gorg''s questions as if he memorized these types of answers already.


    "As of right now, I have been unable to train to my full potential and need to temper myself in real life and death battles so that I can surpass my current limits. I understand that I am stronger than many of those who are my age, but my goals are so much more than to just compare myself to others within this city."


    Hearing Leo''s determination, Gorg only nodded his head in approval. Leo''s background did not seem very simple, but it was obvious that due to his determination, that he had the heart of a commoner whose goal was to surpass those around him and slowly climb the ladder of power.


    "Since that is the case, you need to ask the guild master for a mission. There are usually a small handful of missions available for individual members of the guild to fulfill without a group behind them. Majority have to do with clearing out areas of monsters or even some simple scouting missions." Thinking, Gorg stared to give Leo some advice.


    "If I were you, I would take on one of those hunting type missions that do not have any time limits. The city gives guilds like ours these types of missions so that we can not only earn money, but so that the city guards do not need to leave the city and can continue training peacefully."


    "I should get going now before I receive too many offers to stay here and socialize with everyone. This upcoming week I should be going on another mission and I want to spend some quality time with my daughter. Good luck, Leo." Finally saying everything he had on his mind, Gorg finally left the building as his squad members decided to stay and drink to their heart''s content.


    "It does not seem like he completely forgave my actions, but at least I know that I can trust him." Thought Leo as he finally made his way towards the guild master''s room. Before he even knocked on the door, the guild master called out to him to open the door.


    "Hohoho! From your test earlier, it seems that you have quite a bit of potential child!" as he walked into the room, the guild master greeted him in an excited manner. What was shocking to Leo was that not only was he sensed before even knocking on the door, but it seemed as if this old man witnessed the battle between him and Gorg!


    "Child, you have nothing to worry about, this old man does not harbor any ill intentions to any of the members of the guild. If anything, I want every member to surpass me in strength! Wouldn''t that be something? Hohoho!"


    "Um, sir." Feeling a little embarrassed at this guild master''s relaxed manner and words, Leo couldn''t help but try to respectfully cut him off before the situation got out of hand.


    "Cough cough!" clearing his throat and trying to appear to be more serious, the guild master pulled out several pieces of paper as he gestured Leo to walk over to view them. "Here are several missions that our guild gives to all of our members. You are not required to take part in all of them, but you can take these missions on by yourself at any point you wish."


    "That being said, you are more than welcome to take on these missions with your own group of warriors. If you decide to do that, our guild is not responsible for the risks your group has while on these missions. And as always, our guild recommends that you only bring a group of commoners with no real backgrounds if you choose to do this."


    As he listened to the guild master explain things clearly, Leo scanned through the pieces of paper. As always, the screen started to beep, but this time Leo really did ignore it while he passed the papers back to the old man.


    "I will be heading out tomorrow to take on that spider mission. Just to be blunt here, my goal of joining this guild of yours was to temper myself and surpass my current limits. I will start with that mission and will clear out as many spiders as I can before returning." Leo replied to the old man as he made up his mind.


    "Hohoho! Just remember child, becoming stronger takes more than just simply tempering. Good luck and hopefully I will see you again soon so that I could give you the reward. That is of course that you collect at least three spider heads to prove that you have slain them." Replied the old man as he stroked his long beard.


    After saying goodbye to the guild members who approached him on the way out, Leo decided to finally head back to the alliance''s area so that he could update Noah. He did not want to waste any time and decided as he walked back, that he wanted to head out the next morning.

 40 Mana Flow

    "I see, hearing about your success at the guild, we really should celebrate!" Noah told Leo as he was finishing up the first course of food over the fire. Once Leo returned, he filled Noah in, but Noah was not surprised in the slightest.


    When it came to the city, over the years the overall strength had dramatically increased which meant that the newer generations were on track to easily surpass those from the older generations. This was thanks to the fact that the emerging Master leveled individual that took full control over the city and its politics.


    The power rankings within this city were the core disciples, followed by the executive leveled experts. After this were the Elite experts that made up the strongest warriors in each household. However, the one level above the Elite expert was of course the Master leveled expert.


    In the history of this city''s existence, the current leader of the city was the first Master leveled expert that has emerged from within. What was even more surprising was that this expert was born as a commoner and so once he took his new role, he wanted stronger techniques and skills to be distributed to the public.


    After only a few decades, the mass distribution of stronger techniques and skills gave birth to more experts which allowed the city itself to gain a bigger foothold within the area. This city was somewhat weak and in a more secluded area compared to other human cities. Therefore, the city could only rely on themselves in order to increase their strength!


    "To be honest Noah, I am thinking of trying my luck at this spider-based mission. I think that I have enough strength to survive an onslaught if they were to outnumber me. Before I leave, I think I will go to the market to look for a more suitable weapon tonight. My plan is to leave tomorrow early morning." Leo explained his thoughts to Noah to hear his advice.


    "I already knew that you would be able to join that guild with your current level of strength. So, I actually reported it to your friends and they are holding a private dinner for you tonight. Since they are your squad, I think spending some time with them now that you have a chance again, is more important than going shopping." After pondering for a moment, Noah told Leo this information to persuade him to relax a little more.


    "Really? I would never have imagined that Jack and Natalia''s household would finally give them permission to meet with me. After the trial they were locked up into some closed-door training and I was told that I shouldn''t disturb them." Now very excited that he could meet his squad members again, the thought of shopping meant very little to Leo as he started to eat his fill of meat.


    Thanks to the way the city was set up, the citizens did not need to rely on eating monster meat in order to fill their stomachs. There were small patches of farmland, and there were even normal animals that were always being raised to feed the population. Monster meat was an acceptable dish, but it did not taste as good as some of the animals within the city or the vegetables offered as well.


    "By the way Noah, how long do you think it would take me until I can grasp a basic understanding of my wind element affinity?" Leo finally finished eating and burping out loud asked Noah in a calm manner. After training for a full year, Leo found himself enjoying these eating breaks the most.


    "I understand that you want to become an executive leveled expert as soon as possible. I must warn you though that it is still a long road even for warriors such as myself who have trained for decades with still no luck." Noah replied as he seemed to have been lost in thought.


    The youngest warrior to have reached the executive level in this city, was eighteen years old and it was because of a special training item that allowed her to grasp her elemental affinity that much faster. Not only that, but it was said that if she had a different elemental affinity, that she wouldn''t have had as much luck due to the item only working with those who had an earth elemental affinity.


    Leo was still very young at this point and although he was extremely monstrous with the growth he had shown over this past year, to expect him to reach the executive level before the age of eighteen was still hopeful thinking.


    Seeing Noah''s reaction to his question, Leo quickly quieted down and walked back to his room to take a long nap. Now that he would be seeing Jack and Natalia again, Leo did not feel the need to do anything else but to relax and to enjoy the moments that were about to come. Thinking of how strong he had become during this time, he was excited to hear how strong Jack and Natalia had also become!


    -Later that night-


    "Whoa! Leo I barely recognized you!" seeing Leo and Noah arriving to the private dining hall, Jack and Natalia''s faces had a hint of excitement and satisfaction. They were not convinced that Leo would be able to arrive so casually, so when he did, they felt relieved.


    Jack looked as if he went through some brutal training. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt and he had some bulging muscles showing as his hair was now more spiked up. He held a more composed attitude, but he seemed to have grown quite a bit this past year during his training.


    Natalia however looked almost identical to how she looked a year ago. The only difference was that her hair was now bright red like a rose and was a bit longer. Her eyes still shone with a brightness that one could get lost in, while her demeanor was solidified like a noble princess.


    Seeing his friends again, made Leo chuckle with laughter as he hugged both of them tightly. He however held back slightly because in this room were three guards that seemed incredibly formidable. Scanning these individuals, it was clear that all three were executive leveled experts that were even stronger than the ones who originally escorted them last year to the city.


    "Do not mind those three. Two of them are our trainers while the third was sent over just to keep a close watch on us. Just act as you usually would, tonight is a night for us to send you off the right way!" Jack whispered to Leo loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.


    The night went on as planned and all three of the squad members caught up with each other. Jack''s training was extremely brutal due to his choice of fighting being so different than the Mist household was known for. Natalia on the other hand was treated like a heavenly maiden and would be waited on by several servants.


    As far as Leo could tell right now, both Jack and Natalia were on equal footing with him with their strengths. What surprised Leo the most, was that their levels also increased quite a bit during this year which meant that if he chose to, they could use their unused attribute points to become even stronger. It appeared they were not ready to do so once Leo hinted this to them and was secretly rejected.


    In their words, since they haven''t seen their own limits yet, they were unwilling to use such a method to increase their strength again. Wanting to reach their limits on their own first, Jack and Natalia seemed to have something on their mind but would not speak of this any further.


    "Since you are going on your first mission, we asked our respective households to help compile some supplies for you to take with you. Waving her hand, two servants entered the room from the outside and delivered two bags to Leo.


    Within these bags were several skill books, some small but useful items, and even a sword that looked extremely well put together. Scanning the sword, Leo saw that it was a C ranked sword which was even rare to see in the marketplace within the screen! Holding the sword in his hand, Leo felt even more domineering and couldn''t wait to test out this new weapon!


    Beep! Beep! Beep!


    -You have just unlocked your mana flow-

 41 Last Good Res

    "Well that was fun Leo, but it looks like we should get going before our trainers start to reprimand us." Natalia said as she looked over to the three executive leveled experts who seemed rather impatient.


    "I hate to admit it, but she is right. Be safe out there and do not feel bad for us not being able to accompany you. Come back stronger than you are now so in the future, you will not slow us down." Standing up with Natalia, Jack said his goodbyes in a teasing manner before everyone left the room except for Leo.


    "Now time to see what exactly this mana flow is!" now that he was not being watched like a hawk, Leo quickly clicked the screen and read the words to himself before his eyes widened.


    -Due to the mana stone within your weapon, you can now cast spells during combat. Once the mana stone is removed, this becomes a new ability and you can cast low leveled spells-


    "So, if I can now add spells to my attacks, wouldn''t that mean that I am now even stronger? I wonder how much this weapon costed them, I will take this as an equal exchange from helping them spend their attribute points."


    Now in a very good mood, Leo decided to take some time to read over the mission yet again and to accept it before heading back to his residence. With the screen, Leo was able to accept any and all missions and he would not be penalized if he never completed them.


    He found this out when a mission popped up that said to help a man from a mugging, but he let it happen due to being too far away and couldn''t make it in time. This still bothered him greatly, but at least he understood more about mission failures after that incident.


    "The Spider Queen that drank monster blood?" now reading up on more information about the mission he was about to go out on in the morning, Leo noticed a strange overview of the spider queen herself.


    The Spider Queen was part of the biggest spider faction in the world. Just like the orcs race, humans, upon the many others, spiders also were a massive race that had an unbelievable amount of power and resources. Every race on this planet would keep to themselves and try to slowly expand their territory, so Leo was not surprised to see this information.


    The following part was what surprised Leo the most. It looked like this Spider Queen was outcasted by the rest of the spider race to fend for herself. Although, every spider queen within the spider race were treated as nobles, what she and many of her sisters had done was inexcusable and was sent out to every other race as a warning.


    Like other Spider Queens who were born to lead their own children against other factions, this Spider Queen drank some monster blood. At first, her personality started to change, and she started to convince many others to do the same since she felt some new power coursing through her veins. However, after many months, the Spider Queen started to turn into a true monster and some of her children had done the same!


    When it came to races such as the spiders, once their power increased to a certain level, they would start to develop intelligence and they would be able to slowly change their appearance to look like humans. Unfortunately, though their appearance would look more like humans, they did not practice using any elements.


    The spider race was unable to develop and understandings for the elements, but they were born with the ability to use poisons. In this way, the spider race was still more than capable of battling against the other races.


    Turning into more savage creatures and being almost unrecognizable to the other pure-blooded spiders, there was a big civil war between them. The Spider Queen that led the whole race was able to push these others back with the assistance of other races sending reinforcements. Though they would not hunt the rest down, they would notify every other race about their existences.


    From being outcasted by the true spider faction and forced to hide, this Spider Queen started her own conquest to take over this area and to build an army to one day revolt against the humans. The reason was simple, if she could take over some of the human''s lands, then she would receive an invitation to the group of races who wanted to destroy the humans.


    Usually such a group was frowned upon since humans showed the most growth potential out of all the races on the planet, and they held the most land and population. When it came to a weaker power such as this outcasted Spider Queen, joining a group like that would only bring an endless amount of benefits.


    After reading through all of this, Leo saw on his screen that a side quest popped up, clicking to look, he was satisfied with what he had seen.


    -Kill one of the Spider Queen''s ten disciples-


    "The only real threat seems to be the Spider Queen herself, so killing one of her disciples shouldn''t be too much of a hassle. Besides, this mission was ranked E and even showed that I should be level ten to take it on."


    "I may be level eight currently, but once I start slaying these spiders, I should level up fairly quickly and will reach level ten before even seeing the Spider Queen herself." Pondering over this for a minute, Leo finally accepted the side quest on his screen and felt even more ready to head out on this guild''s mission!


    In this moment, Leo decided to take on the mission only by himself without any hired help. In the back of his mind, he wanted to bring along several other warriors just, so he wouldn''t get bored, but he decided against this. If he led a new squad out with him, he would possibly be slowed down, and if he brought along someone stronger than himself, he would not be free to do what he wanted.


    Heading back to his living area, Leo quickly took a nice long and hot bath as he finished packing all his supplies for this mission. Not knowing how long he would be gone for, he packed all the food he could within his inventory to last him several months!


    Finally finished, Leo passed out on his bed and slept all the way until morning. He would cherish this for a long time until he would finally return to a comfortable bed. Little did Leo know, this mission would last a very long time, and he would not be able to sleep peacefully or in a comfortable bed like this.

 42 The Beautiful Warrior!

    "I thought that maybe since this mission was offered to every single guild within the city, that there would possibly be a large number of warriors, but I haven''t come across anyone yet!" Leo thought to himself as he was getting closer and closer to the spider''s cave.


    Within the mission''s overview, Leo could tell that it was handed out as early as twenty years ago and the rewards were not cheap either. Something seemed very off to him, but he kept heading forward. With his strength and a new top of the line weapon, how could some measly spiders threaten him?


    At this rate, he would be able to arrive towards the cave before nighttime began. What was frustrating to Leo, was that this so-called cave that was the home of all these spiders was too far away from the city. This was the third day of him traveling at his full speed and he was only now about to arrive to his destination.


    Though it took so long to travel, Leo even had to admit to himself that the sightseeing was unbelievable. Looking around, he could only think of a single word; beautiful.


    "The noise is incredible, so may insects, birds and other creatures all harmonizing together. It is almost as if time itself has no meaning in these parts, and I am only but a single person surrounded by all that nature has to offer."


    "It is like being dropped far out into the ocean, but it is not blue that I am submerged in, rather a million different parts of green that are formed together to cause such a scene. I want to continue on, but at the same time, I just want to remain here in this spot and doze off."


    Leo thought to himself as he slowly stopped moving forward and slowed his steps. Now sitting down, he casually pulled out a piece of meat and chomped on it without a care in the world.


    "That kid hasn''t sensed my presence yet, but I have been following him for several miles now with no luck. Maybe I should just leave him be for now and hunt someone else?" a woman in a green robe thought to herself as she kept her distance from Leo.


    This woman looked extremely vicious, but her beauty was unmatched by others. With her lime green eyes, and a slimy tongue, this woman was clearly from the snake race. She would slowly hunt humans and other creatures within this area to feed herself in order to continue increasing her strength.


    Due to this woman being from the snake tribe yet having a similar body to those of humans, it could be said that she was of a more noble bloodline within the snake race. If that was the case, why would a noble be wandering around an area alone in the middle of the day hunting?


    Finally deciding that Leo was more trouble than he was worth eating, this woman retreated as her illusion spell was released, freeing Leo. However, Leo felt that his mood change was because he was hungry and did not realize it. He casually stood back up as he continued making his way over to that cave full of spiders.


    -One hour later-


    "These spiders are definitely massive!" arriving in a different type of forest full of dead trees and no living creatures, Leo spotted several five-foot spiders that were extremely wide. The weird thing about these spiders, was that instead of skin, they had some type of armored and diamond like black bodies.


    These spiders seemed unorganized as many of them were pulling their webbing with random unidentifiable creatures that were trapped inside of them. Due to the different shapes of these webbings, Leo couldn''t even begin to guess which types of creatures were inside or even if inside of them were fellow humans!


    Using the scan ability that he now had, Leo was able to see that each of these spiders were level ten and glowing bright orange. Wanting to wait until this group of spiders split up more, Leo hid himself around the area as he waited for an opening.


    Sure enough, moments later the spiders had split up leaving one behind to hunt for itself. Seeing this as his chance to kill a spider and to see how formidable one was, Leo stood up and was just about to move forward. However, to his surprise, another human nearby made a move first as she swung a throwing axe at the spider while charging it with a long sword.


    Her sleek legs moved both gracefully and confidently towards her opponent. As she continued to dash across the battlefield, her bronze and white, armor hugged her hour glass figure. Thin toned legs covered by a skirt like dress, she was someone who had clearly trained for years.


    Swinging her weapon with a crazed but tempered facial expression, Leo could hear several noises as if this woman was hitting an iron pole. However, she would not give up, falling back and swiping her long blonde hair out of her face, she began to grab her weapon for both hands as she charged out once again.


    "This woman is not bad at all, she looks to be only around Jack and Natalia''s age, yet the way she carries herself is like Noah. I wonder how many battles she had been in to release such an aura around her?" spectating this battle, Leo could clearly tell that this woman was able to defeat her opponent once she found an opening.


    Sure enough, the woman was able to slice the spider''s head off as one of its legs struck her abdomen. Flying back and landing on the ground, the woman started to stand back up using her weapon as a crutch.


    "Wait a minute, something is not right here." Leo thought as he left his hiding spot to rush towards the woman. It was like Leo had thought, due to the spiders specializing in poison, when the spider cut the woman with its legs, it released poison into her body, causing her to collapse. This was not the usual paralysis-based poison, but a deadly toxic one that could take someone''s life!


    Lifting her off the ground, Leo was about to retreat far away so he could help cure this woman''s poison. However, because the battle was so fierce, the spiders in the surrounding areas started to approach wondering what all the commotion was.

 43 The Waterfall

    Now with this woman in his arms, he felt body shivering as if she was in a winter wonderland instead of a tropical type of forest. With two spiders trying to circle around them to cut off their path of escape, Leo withdrew some of the venom''s antidote his squad members gave him and poured a drop in the woman''s mouth.


    The battle earlier between this woman and a single spider proved to Leo that the spiders were indeed formidable, and he was not confident to take out two on his own while protecting this woman at the same time. Luckily, the woman''s skin started to show a peach coloring on her cheeks as she woke up for a moment.


    "W-Where am I?" the woman called out as she looked up to lock eyes with Leo. Trying to shove Leo away from her, she was unsuccessful and realized how weakened she was. After thinking for a moment and seeing multiple spiders approaching their location, the woman began to instruct Leo.


    "My village is many miles away from here to the east." Pointing her finger towards the east, the woman continued to explain. "If you carry me with you and run full speed that way, we might be able to escape these spiders and their friends. We must hurry, or our deaths are guaranteed!"


    "What is your name?" now that he had a better game plan, Leo couldn''t help himself and tried to ask this woman her name. His reasoning was that not only was she a beautiful woman, but if they fled back to her village, he needed to at least know her name so there would be no misunderstandings.


    "My name is M- "before she could finish, the woman fainted yet again. The poison within her body was not something that she could handle, even with the antidote slowly healing her. Forced to improvise now, Leo placed this woman''s body leaning comfortably against a tree as he walked towards these spiders that were rushing towards them at full speed!


    "Light as a feather, and firm like a tempest. Air Sprint!" casting a wind type spell for the first time, Leo holding onto his sword darted forward into the air, as if he could even touch the clouds. In this moment, Leo was clearly walking on the air and was sprinting towards the closest spider.


    Unsure on how to reach Leo, the spider continued its rush towards the poisoned woman. Its instincts told it that the other human used a technique to retreat to avoid being eaten. After several breaths of time, the spider was closing in on the woman with Leo still out of its vision.


    Splash! Agheeee!


    Now several feet away from striking the poisoned woman, the spider felt its neck being pierced by an extremely sharp object, yet, this object was unable to chop its neck completely off. In so much pain, this spider let out a cry before collapsing on the spot, regretful to not have been able to eat this tasty looking human.


    "Huff huff huff!" landing besides the spider corpse that he just slain, Leo was gasping for breath as sweat poured down his face. "I can''t believe such a simple spell would take so much out of me. I shouldn''t do that again unless I am in a life or death situation."


    Turning towards the woman one last time to make sure that she was still safe, Leo turned back towards the other spider that was now slowing its approach. After a standoff between the spider and Leo, the spider decided to retreat once it realized that Leo was the one who killed its ally.


    Not taking any more chances, and if the spider was looking for reinforcements, Leo grabbed onto the woman and fled towards the east. He was not sure how the village would treat him, especially all the misunderstandings that would spring up in a conversation upon his arrival. However, right now a misunderstanding was still a path of not dying, so he kept moving at full speed towards his new destination.


    Unfortunately, once he arrived near a small waterfall, he couldn''t see an escape route. Spiders were surrounding this area and were keeping a close lookout on new prey. Since there were no spiders directly near the waterfall, Leo decided to move towards it, in hope that they wouldn''t spot him.


    Within this waterfall, was a small crater that left enough room for two humans to rest in comfortably. Also, after watching the spiders circle the waterfall many times, Leo realized that the spiders were unable to sense him or the woman now. This seemed like a safe enough area to allow the woman to rest and heal from her poison.


    Watching the spiders finally retreating to what he assumed was the big cave, Leo finally decided to rest as well. It was now night time and the antidote had clearly healed the woman''s poison. All that was left to do was to let her rest and recover for the night and to go their separate ways in the morning.


    It was now morning and Leo woke up early in order to cook some food with a small fire before any spiders would approach the area. Thanks to the waterfall, the smell of the food couldn''t be traced right away back to them, but Leo did not want to test this theory out the hard way.


    Once he finished eating, Leo quickly made a small bowl of soup for the woman for when she woke up. "I wonder what the name of this beautiful maiden is?" thought Leo as he accidentally burned his finger on the pot during his day dreaming.


    "Father¡­. No¡­ please¡­.." after rubbing his finger with some ice to cool off his finger, Leo heard the woman talking in her dreams. He felt that he shouldn''t wake this woman up, but hearing her begging her father in her sleep caused him to assume what it could be about.


    "No!" shouting at the top of her lungs, the woman woke herself up from her own screams before looking around in a panic. Noticing that it was just a nightmare, she started to calm down slightly. However, her scream caught Leo so off guard, that he fell into the waterfall itself and slowly walked back inside.

 44 Marias Reques

    "Who the hell are you and where am I?" seeing only a shadow of a figure, the woman tried to reach for something to protect her, but her equipment was too far out of reach. Leo understanding her fear, halted his movements before trying to explain what had occurred after her fight with the spider.


    "You were poisoned during that fight. If it wasn''t for the antidote I had received back in the city before I ventured out here, your life would''ve been forfeited." Now that the woman started to calm down hearing that he had saved her, Leo slowly walked forward. The woman instantly recognized him and was rather shocked.


    "How were you able to save the two of us when you look younger than a teenager? Even if you came from the closest city to these parts, that level of strength would not make sense given your age!" The woman did not know whether to laugh or cry. Here she was being saved by a young boy that had his true power hidden away for no one to see.


    "I did not catch your name before you fainted from the poison, what was it? It sounded like it started with an M." Leo started to question this woman before giving her the chance to continue asking her own. He wanted to build a relationship with her since she told him before that she was a citizen of a nearby village.


    Leo felt that if he became friends with her, that his living situation while battling the spiders would be an improvement. If he was able to sleep and eat within a village, it would be much safer than being out in the wild surrounded by monsters and others with ill intentions!


    The woman did not answer Leo right away as she checked the wounds on her body. Knowing now that she was fully healed, she started to sit in a meditation type position before speaking to him. "My name does not actually start with the letter M, I was about to tell you to address me as Miss." The woman said.


    "I am after all, the chieftain''s daughter of my village. Unlike your city or some of its close territories, villages like our own name a chieftain and are to fend for ourselves. Even if you were from a noble background, you would still need to address me as such."


    Leo was taken back but was not surprised. This woman that was in front of him was able to take down a massive and formidable spider by herself. It took him a single blow, but he had to use all his strength to accomplish this!


    "I will make an exception for you. Since you saved my life without me needing to even ask you, and from the look on your face it looks like you did not know my social standing within my village. You can call me Maria in private, if you dare to do this instead of calling me Miss, there will be consequences." Maria told Leo with a burning gaze in her eyes.


    "Well then Maria, you can call me Leo. I hope that we can become friends in the future, please I made some soup for you while you were still out cold. I need to change into dry clothes which I will do outside, but please feel free to eat as much as you would like." Grabbing dry clothes to show Maria that he was telling her the truth, Leo made his way outside of the waterfall area to change.


    After several minutes, Leo returned and saw the whole big pot of soup gone while Maria had all her armor and equipment back on. Turning towards Leo, Maria gave him a fierce look before calming down slightly while he started to ask her even more questions.


    As it turns out, a rule of her family that controlled the nearby village and its politics forbade its women to venture outside and to see any form of battle. Maria wanted to escape the fate of just being someone''s housewife in the future with no true freedom and so she fled to battle these spiders.


    Being so close to the spider cave, the villagers had a long warlike feel towards the spiders. The Spider Queen posed a threat to their livelihood more than any of the nearby monsters or creatures, and so they have battled endlessly with the Spider Queen and her children. Every generation of warriors of the village would campaign against the spiders to try and destroy them as they would the villagers.


    "Growing up, every child regardless of male or female would be trained like a warrior. In a desperate situation, the women would help protect the village from its foes, but this was only in a real emergency. I hate the idea of being a stay at home wife, my true passion is on the battlefield and I want to live and die on it!"


    In this moment, Maria looked like a heavenly goddess who wanted nothing more but to smite her foes. This was a heroic aura that only a warrior with true desire and passion could unleash towards others. Watching her speak with so much emphasis on battle made Leo feel rather uncomfortable.


    "You must be wondering how I fell into the waterfall earlier?" Leo started to explain to Maria how he heard her screaming out suddenly in her sleep at her father. With a concerned look in his eyes, Leo kept himself in a composed, yet friendly manner.


    "My father since I was a child only wanted me to live a happy life. Unfortunately for him, I am not a woman who can live such a life that he wants for me. Once I return to the village, he will most likely trap me in our house for many years until I yield my passion and love for the battlefield." Shaking her head now becoming lost in her own thoughts, Maria couldn''t help but to let out a small saddened grin.


    "I do have a request; can you accompany me against the spiders? With your ability to survive against being outnumbered, we could surely kill quite a few by working hard together." Maria asked Leo determined for him to accept her offer.

 45 Back To The Mission

    Stunned at this sudden request, Leo pondered over this for some time. If he were to move forward and team up with Maria, he would potentially be stirring up the whole village and he couldn''t afford to do such a thing.


    If those within Maria''s village were declare him an enemy, he would not be able to stay within and it would negatively impact his mission. Not only that, but he did not have any type of backing, except his other squad members who were still technically arrested and unable to even leave the city.


    Not only would his friends be unable to help him in such a situation, but it would give the whole alliance unnecessary worry. In a time like this where internal battles were now escalating quickly, who had the time to watch over an outsider like Leo?


    After thinking of all these facts and weighing the good and bad, Leo decided that he would turn Maria down while he could still gain favor from her father later. Plus, he felt that if he did this, her father might give him some type of backing as well. Although it would not be very strong, at least Leo would have more allies at the end of the day!


    "Maria, I will have to decline. My squad members are in strong factions back in the city, but I can''t come to terms with potentially putting them in an unfavorable position."


    "Oh? What if I sweetened the deal then?" hearing Leo''s response, Maria was not upset in the slightest and it seemed as if she was already prepared with bonus offers to make Leo accept working with her. She was headstrong and learning from her father how to negotiate properly, Maria was a tough opponent if someone did not give her what she wanted.


    "What do you mean by that? I already told you that I do not want to negatively impact my friends and their households. What can you possibly give me to take such a risk?" asked Leo, now extremely curious. He knew from her personality, that Maria would not give in so easily.


    "What if I could guarantee that our village will side with whatever faction your friend''s households are part of? This will give them even more control over yet another area, and when the time comes for the internal warfare, I am sure they could use all the help they could muster up." Maria now with a grin on her face suggested.


    "What do you mean by that?" Leo asked Maria, completely disregarding her offer to side with their alliance. What mattered more in this moment to Leo was how someone in a village so far away knew more about the internal battles each faction of power within the city than him!


    "Apparently, a city much further away and closer to our holy lands, was recently taken over by a group of rebels. We are extremely far away from that area and considered weak bumpkins. However, because we are so far away from the true powers, we are a target that those who want to rebel will choose first."


    "If you considered it on more military type expansion level, you would realize that any rebel group can easily over take the city you and your friends are in. Plus, I doubt that they are being backed by a rebel group since you are taking on a mission like this alone instead of training hard." Maria explained as a wisp of worry was on her face.


    "There are only a few very formidable rebel type groups that have extremely strong backing. They chose to side with other races to subdue us all. Who in their right mind would side with another race in order to destroy our own race? It does not matter how they personally feel towards those within the holy lands, to try to take out their own race is unheard of even with all of these monsters popping up everywhere!"


    If Maria was willing to openly tell Leo how bad of a position that the city was in, what was the position like for her village? A city was a juggernaut compared to a small village such as her own. However, she was different than others, she wanted to take part in a big battle and slaughter. She was headstrong, but worried Leo to the point of him having goosebumps.


    "Make the smart choice. If we can slay the Spider Queen together, we would be freeing up the manpower and strength of my village, and besides having backup from someone like me who can take care of myself, what could be better?" when Maria said this, she tried to become more flirtatious to get her point across.


    "I can possibly slay her by myself. If that is all that it would take to gain your father and village''s support, I can simply send some representatives over once I complete my mission here. So please Miss Maria, head back to your village and wait for news from our side." Seeing Maria''s presence changing, Leo quickly stood up and started to leave the waterfall. He was not willing to become subdued by a beautiful maiden like Maria!


    Seeing Leo heading out, Maria followed him and started to head into the opposite direction. Before leaving, Maria shouted towards Leo as a final goodbye. "If you are able to slay the Spider Queen, I will ask my father to offer me to you in marriage!"


    Hearing this, Leo decided to quicken his pace as he headed back towards the spider cave. It took every ounce of mental strength in his body to turn down a woman like Maria. She was stunning and no one back in the city could compare to her in his eyes. However, her personality and love for battle shook his feelings away.

 46 The Hunt Begins!

    Finally making his way over closer to the spider cave, Leo realized that the spiders were patrolling around and seemed intelligent. These spiders were exactly like the one he killed the day before, but they would remain in small groups of three while they hunted down new prey within the area.


    This was not too ideal for Leo, since he did not want to tire himself out by attacking so many spiders at once. In this case, he wanted to draw out spiders one by one and kill them quickly. If he could do this, he would be able to make quite a bit of headway by slowly cutting down the Spider Queen''s minions and children!


    Unable to find an opening to try to take one down at a time without alerting more, Leo decided to take a small stroll hidden behind the scenery in order to head directly into the cave nearby. Ideally, he wanted to kill off some of these patrols slowly, so he could rack up many kills while depleting the number of spiders that could be hidden within the cave.


    At this time, Leo did not have any lasting means of lighting something like a torch to travel within the cave, so he needed to improvise. If he was able to limit the number of spiders within the cave to begin with, he wouldn''t need to worry when using much more craftier means to create light.


    An hour later, Leo saw in the distance many spiders splitting up individually before heading out to scout new surrounding areas. This was absolutely done by the Spider Queen in order to expand her control over this area. However, this also gave someone like Leo who wanted to hunt down these spiders an easier time.


    If he could hunt down spiders individually, there may be endless spiders, but that would only give him much larger rewards back at the guild once he returned. He was also in no rush, because his main goal was to test out the Spider Queen''s strength and if possible, to slay her.


    Following a nearby spider, Leo waited until the spider tried to capture a massive looking caterpillar monster before making his move. Allowing the spider and its opponent to battle, it allowed Leo to also witness how these spiders fought with the added benefit of this battle tiring out his prey.


    After several minutes of fighting, the spider was finally able to take down the monster by injecting it with enough poison to finally paralyze it to exhaustion. As the spider started to wrap its webbing around the monster it just defeated, Leo finally made his move.


    Leo dashed out towards the spider before activating an ability to hide his movements for a moment which he gained from the Mist household''s inheritance. Due to being tired from the previous battle it had with the monster, the spider was far too careless at this time to realize that Leo was about to slay it.


    Splatter!


    He did not know whether his attack was that strong, or if the spider just had no real energy left, but his strike completely chopped off the spider''s head without any real resistance except for the strong skin the spider had.


    Moving quickly, Leo managed to hide nearby yet again while he deposited the spider''s head he just looted within his inventory. From testing out his inventory screen over this past year, Leo realized that even food would not deteriorate if it was within his inventory. So, he could slay as many spiders as he wanted without worrying that their heads would decay over this time period.


    Knowing that it was only a matter of time before, yet another spider would come this way, Leo patiently waited as he tested out the small pile of cards, he still had left all this time. He was too focused on training and becoming stronger the traditional way, that he chose to wait some time to look at these cards in his possession.


    "Wait does that say what I think it says?" now in the middle of the stack, Leo came across an extremely unique card that he thought was perfect for him. Before he could do the exchange, a spider slowly walked over from another area and was approaching the body of its brethren that laid there lifeless next to a monster that was still paralyzed and bleeding out.


    This was the perfect situation for Leo, to have a monster unable to move bleeding out so much, would release a scent to notify other creatures from close by to come check it out. By seeing the dead spider''s corpse, any creature with low intelligence would think that there was an earlier battle, but not that someone like Leo would be waiting to strike at the right moment!


    Repeating what he had done earlier to the other spider, Leo quickly made his move once the new prey was in a good position. This time, Leo was discovered, but he was still fast enough to slay the spider before depositing its head into his inventory along with the other one. He had to use his bronze skin to his advantage in order to block the spider''s venomous bite before stabbing its head.


    Now with too many corpses being in this area, Leo decided to head back towards the waterfall. The last thing he wanted was for one of the Spider Queen''s children to be alarmed because he was not at full power at this time nor has, he truly gained enough experience against these lower tier spiders to feel comfortable fighting a higher tier one.


    Now back at the waterfall, Leo shuffled through his cards until he came across the one that peaked his interest earlier. Putting it into the screen, his eyes lit up with excitement.


    He was excited, because this was the first card, he came across that offered a summoning method. With this new development, maybe he could raise a new pet or maybe even a human ally? He was not too sure but wanted to find out.

 47 Making His Choice

    "This is pretty cool!" Leo thought as he clicked to summon a companion from the card. There was a small list of options of choices for him, but he decided to consider each one. The reason was because he needed a companion that could help him infiltrate the spider''s cave. If he was able to rely on his own help, he could travel much faster.


    Considering his fighting style, Leo chose not to move forward with a small golem as his choice. He did not need a meat shield of sorts since his speed was good enough to retreat on his own if needed. Also, a small golem was just impractical in a general battle due to its speed being so low. Maybe one day it could be used as a siege type, but Leo did not have the patience for that.


    Another option Leo saw was a hawk type bird that seemed to specialize in the wind element according to its description. This type of companion would be very useful on small scouting missions. Plus, in the future, it could be used to deliver messages or even carry Leo on its back. Its use would only be impacted by his imagination.


    However, Leo couldn''t help but ponder for a long time on the third option he was given. This was a small tiger type cub that specialized in the fire element. A small cub couldn''t help him in a real battle, but for this current mission, its small flame on its tail could be used to light up the cave area, and its speed was acceptable as well according to its low stats.


    "A bird could only become so big, and a golem could only be used really as a meat shield or in a battle against big walls. When it comes to a tiger though, if it grows into an adult, it could have some hidden innate abilities. Plus, since it is of the fire element affinity, I could simply create small winds to expand its attack area in the future."


    "It is too bad that I need to use it as a scout soon once it is time to head into the cave. If not for that, I would have tried to slowly train this tiger cub into a full-grown adult so I could even ride its back into battle!" thinking of how cool he would look riding an adult tiger that breathed flames into a battle drove Leo to make his final decision.


    To Leo, what mattered the most was what companion could assist him the most on this mission. The tiger cub seemed the most logical, because the bird couldn''t travel as easily within the cave once his battlefield became that area, and the golem was too slow to make a real impact if a battle broke out. At least the tiger cub would be useful within the cave area and had more future uses.


    "Well, I guess this really was only a cub." Thought Leo as the screen summoned the tiger cub next to him. This cub was small enough to fit on top of Leo''s back comfortably. It had bright orange and white fur with dark black stripes around it. If a little girl was around, she would be mesmerized and would want to pet this cub.


    Looking at this cub''s stats, Leo realized that he could slowly level it up along with himself without even adding it to his squad. Not only that, but he could also decide on each level up what to place its attributes into since to the screen, it seemed as if a summoned companion, was equivalent to an item. Though there was no way to see the true level limit of this tiger cub, it still added to its overall potential.


    "I wish I had a fast way to level this tiger cub up. Maybe after this mission, if the cub levels up enough, that might actually turn it into an older tiger?" Leo thought as he decided to use another card''s ability to give it to the cub. This ability allowed the tiger to blast out a small fireball at enemies. Leo was not interested in such a low leveled ability and decided it would be best to give it to his new companion.


    If he wanted to learn that type of spell or ability, he could always purchase a magic book in the future within the city. "Are you ready to go?" Leo asked this cub as he saw its eyes shine with an innocent type of brightness as it rolled around the waterfall''s ground in a playful manner.


    Seeing this, Leo was a little lost for words. In a way, this tiger cub reminded him of some of the pets he grew up having. "Am I going to actually have to train this thing?" he thought as he went to pick up this tiger cub. Surprising enough, this cub was rather light, or maybe it was just that Leo''s strength attribute was now much higher than it was?


    "Since that is the case, I will simply name you-" Leo couldn''t come up with a suitable name at this time. Instead, he decided to cook his lunch because both the cub and his stomachs growled due to hunger at the same time.


    After eating his meal and giving the cub some meat to eat as well, they were now ready to set off onto the mission. Leo''s plan was to use the same plan as he had earlier by killing a spider once it split away from the rest of the group, then using its corpse to attract more towards it.


    With this method, Leo could continue trying to not only level up himself, but he could also see that the cub will slowly increase its level as well in a safer environment. Leo''s hope was to level it up close to or to his level by the end of the mission. The closer the tiger cub''s level was to Leo, the more confident he would feel bringing it back to the city with him.


    Back in the city, several tamers would be spotted and even some of the stronger warriors would have horses or other types of companions of their own. Therefore, since it was not actually a monster, Leo wouldn''t be shunned bringing the tiger cub back to the city. Unfortunately, there were no other tiger typed beasts around the area of the city or its surroundings. It might cause some type of stir, but he was confident that no one would publicly give him any troubles.


    Picking the tiger cub up yet again, Leo placed it on his back as he moved out towards the area he left off at earlier. He was now even more excited that he could slowly level up his companion during this mission and it might bring surprising benefits and trump cards while facing the stronger spiders who lay lurking within the cave!

 48 Bloodlus

    Before making his way towards the area where he would start hunting down lone spiders, Leo decided to test out some more of his cards. He chose to use three of them that had no real use other than exp pills. Using the new attribute points, he now accumulated by using the cards, Leo now felt his body becoming lighter.


    Deep down, he knew that his strength was enough to slice apart many spiders, but the speed of his body was unable to keep up with his thoughts. If he could somehow make up for that, he wouldn''t need to exhaust himself so much using basic leveled wind spells to increase his speed.


    Now fully prepared and with a new companion he decided to level up alongside himself, Leo took the tiger cub onto his back once again and quickly sprinted away. To his surprise, the attribute points he put solely into his speed was able to dramatically increase his speed to a whole new level!


    Instead of heading towards the cave, Leo wanted to test his new power against more than a single spider. He had plenty of antidote left in case the spiders overwhelmed him, and he even had a vitality potion within his possession he could use to recover any lost strength if the situation became too dire.


    "Sit right here and do not move." Leo casually placed the tiger cub down behind a bush that was close to two spiders who were hunting for food together. They seemed to be stronger than the other spiders he came across, and he realized they were one level above the rest.


    Kreeee!


    Leo decided to show himself to both spiders as he casually walked towards them from out of the bush nearby. Seeing a new prey, both spiders started rushing towards him while screeching out what could be considered a battle cry.


    Crunch!


    Confident in his raw strength with the additional help of his high leveled bronze skin passive ability, Leo allowed the spiders to try to bite his body. He was now overconfident and wanted to use these two opponents to test himself.


    To his surprise, these spiders were unable to even bite through his skin. Before drawing his weapon, Leo used the full force of his punch and landed consecutive blows onto the spiders, causing them to retreat backwards quite a bit.


    "Is that the best you have?" Leo shouted out while smirking. He understood that he put a larger portion of his attribute points from the cards into his speed, but he also saved a smaller portion to put all towards his strength. Now, it seemed that an opponent under level ten was unable to do any harm to him, even though he was not even at that level himself.


    "This is what it must mean to be stronger due to training versus your equipment and level?" Leo thought to himself as he withdrew his high ranked sword. Like the grim reaper himself, he approached the two spiders in a calm and composed manner.


    Leo was like a lord of death, and all that faced his blade, would be judged and cut down. Twirling his blade next to him facing the ground, he let out a fierce killing aura that made both spiders pause their movements, frozen in time and just ready to give themselves over to his blade.


    "Bloodlust!" shouting out his ability, Leo''s eyes started to change color. They became dark red, and extremely hard to read. It was if at this moment, Leo turned himself into a beast who thought of nothing but slaughter. He wanted to feed his urges and so his movements started to become faster and faster with each step until he was sprinting.


    As he approached them, the spiders were still frozen from both shock and fear. It was if they were unable to determine how such a smaller sized creature could cause them to feel such a way. Up until this moment, the only other creatures able to drive such fear and agony into their mental states were the Spider Queen''s children and the Spider Queen herself.


    Within but an instant, Leo finally made his way in front of the spiders and slashed at them with his blade. Blood sprayed into the air like a reverse waterfall as both of their bodies dropped onto the ground. However, before collecting their heads, Leo became lost within the blood that was dripping on his head as he looked up towards the sky.


    "Blood, slaughter, carnage!" Leo yelled out these three words before becoming silent yet again and collecting the heads of the two spiders he just slew before just standing in place without a sound or moving.


    Leo then looked down onto the ground and started to let out soft, yet, eerie chuckles, before he started to laugh uncontrollably before his dark red eyes started to fade away. Releasing his bloodlust ability and turning himself back to normal, Leo wiped the blood on his hair and looked at his hands.


    "I will never bring myself to use that against fellow humans. When I use that ability, it starts to feel as if I am slowly turning into a monster myself. Seeking nothing but endless slaughter and the heads of my enemies." Thought Leo as he made his way towards where the tiger cub was.


    To his surprise, the cub gained an entire level, but was now sleeping and it seemed as if it was completely unaware of what Leo had done earlier. Petting the sleeping tiger cub on the head, Leo picked it up and started to make his way towards another area where spiders would be lurking around and hunting.


    Just like this, Leo slashed down over ten spiders before being unable to find more within the outskirts. It was now time for him and this tiger cub to head into the cave. He was not entirely sure what to expect, but luckily the tiger cub was now level three and wide awake.


    Leo decided to distribute an even amount of attribute points of the tiger into its health, strength, and speed. Due to it leveling up so quickly due to all of the spiders Leo cut down was so high leveled compared to it, the tiger cub now seemed like a more useful companion to Leo.

 49 Predicamen

    "Alright little one, what I need you to do is run in there." Leo was now trying to convince this small tiger cub o run into a dark cave, when it clearly was afraid of the dark. He did not know if it was because of it being so young, or if the tiger cub assumed that there were big spiders within the cave.


    After several minutes, Leo was about to give up before he remembered what had happened earlier. Pulling out a big cooked piece of meat and tying it onto a small stick with rope, Leo waved it in front of the little tiger cub as if he was trying to bait it like a fish.


    After but only a moment, the tiger cub was following the piece of meat with its eyes as some small drool slowly came out of its mouth. Since it was so young and innocent, it did not see that Leo was clearly baiting it with the meat.


    "Ok, here we go!" Leo called out as he slowly walked towards the cave with the big chunk of meat dangling in front of the tiger cub. Like this, they started to journey into the cave. Leo felt rather bad that he needed to do this, but once the Spider Queen was slain by him, he would treat this small cub extremely well.


    The cave was desolate with not even many rocks within it for the first two miles. Leo felt that something seemed off, but he kept moving forward with the tiger cub. They continued until Leo saw a light within the distance.


    Choosing to lay low, Leo decided to give the tiger cub the big chunk of meat and to rest for the time being. If no spiders were roaming outside freely, it could only mean that they were burrowed within here and might still be sleeping until the next day.


    Once the tiger cub finished its meal, it was now full of energy and started to run towards the light. Up until this point, the cave was dark and desolate so the tiger cub thought that the only way out would be towards the light. Leo kept a close eye within the surroundings as he followed very close behind.


    "What the hell is that?!?" Leo couldn''t help but crouch down behind a boulder with the tiger cub safely within his arms. Within a short distance away, there were massive piles of webbing spread out throughout the cave they were in.


    What made Leo shake with goosebumps all over his body, was that there was also a massive wall of webbing blocking the other side of the cave''s exit. Around these webs were some big and unusual looking spiders compared to the ones he faced thus far.


    His hypothesis was that within that massive wall of webbing that spanned at least a mile high, the Spider Queen was located. It was also not out of the question that those spiders on the outside of the webbing were some of the stronger spiders that this Spider Queen gave birth to.


    There were hundreds of webbing piles and Leo felt his head spinning. "What did I get myself into?" he thought as he scanned the area. Even if there were only a dozen or so spiders living within each webbing pile, that would equal thousands upon thousands of enemies; hungry enemies.


    Looking at the tiger cub within his arms, Leo came up with an idea that he did not like very much. "If I can get this little guy to scout a single webbing pile, it might give me a good idea on how many spiders are in each. With that information, I can hopefully come up with a better plan."


    "Even if I was surrounded by dozens of spiders, they couldn''t do me too much harm thanks to my bronze skin. The only issue is, if thousands were to make a move against me at once, how quickly would I die before even knowing how I did?" Leo thought as he released the tiger cub out of his arms.


    This time, the tiger cub seemed to be very curious as it slowly paced itself towards a webbing pile. Taking a quick look within it, the tiger cub simply chuckled to itself before turning around back towards Leo.


    "What is it, little guy? Could it be that there are no sp- "before he called out towards the tiger cub, to his surprise, the tiger cub being so young and careless, actually lit the webbing pile behind it with its tail flame. Leo was not expecting this to happen and suddenly dozens of big spiders started to crawl out of the webbing pile.


    Crunch!


    Beep! Beep! Beep!


    Even if he acted sooner, there was no way for Leo to save the tiger cub from being crushed to death by the massive spiders who were now lit ablaze from its flame. A small tear started to drop from his eye as he saw what the screen had told him.


    -After a 24-hour cooldown, you can re-summon your summons who fall in battle-


    Without wasting anymore time, Leo darted into a different looking webbing pile that seemed human shaped nearby. He was unsure if the spiders would be intelligent enough to realize someone else besides his little tiger cub was present here.


    "I do not care if someone drives me out of the city later, that tiger cub will be my new companion. If anyone treats it poorly, they will have to deal with me!" Leo thought as he watched the spiders slowly creating another webbing pile, now that the one they were living in up until now was gone.


    Leo felt very strongly for this tiger cub because of its sacrifice for him. He also felt rather guilty allowing such a little creature to be put into harms way due to his poor planning. Though there was no way for Leo to know that this would happen, he still felt a level of guilt.


    "Twenty-four hours, huh?" after catching his breath and realizing that the spiders were not going to try and hunt him down at least for now, Leo was now in quite the predicament.


    "So, if I am unable to use the tiger cub''s tail flame, I will be in much greater danger if I try to escape here alone. But, if I wait an entire day in my enemy''s territory, death is inevitable." Pondered Leo as he tried to come up with a plan.

 50 The Spider Queens Plans!

    "Five thousand is nowhere near enough children to take over this entire area successfully."


    Within the massive webbing, a dazzling female monster sat on a bloodied throne licking her hands. She was dressed in a pitch-black gown that covered her body. She was stunning, but her eyes were filled with a hint of rage, which made her look monstrous. This was in fact, the Spider Queen!


    Underneath her feet was a woman covered in webbing, except, all this woman''s vitality was taken from her, so she looked like an old woman when she was only in her early twenties. Allowing some of her very small children in, the children quickly ate the remainder of this woman''s corpse before dispersing.


    "And what about those scouts we sent out to retrieve more food for us? Can it be that those humans within that small village are deciding to raid us again so soon?" she couldn''t help but ask these ten individuals who were kneeling in front of her.


    These ten individuals were clearly of the spider tribe just like her, but they all had different types of body builds. One could say, that their different body builds dictated their fighting styles and were due to the monster type mutation like their mother, the Spider Queen.


    "Mother, we are still unsure why so any of our little brothers and sisters are dying recently, but as far as we are aware, there are no humans in sight." Replied a woman dressed in a webbing type dress in the shape of small skulls.


    This woman was clearly a spider in a human type of form, due to two big fangs sticking out of her mouth. What was even creepier about this woman, was that she had long spider legs sticking out of her back as she used them to hold her human shaped legs off the ground.


    "I will be the first to take up arms against any human or non-human unwanted visitors. Please give me this task so that I can prove my loyalty to you, mother!" a bulky and muscular male with two big horns interrupted as he stood up.


    This man seemed to be a warrior type with a strong strength-based body build. He had many bulging muscles all over his grey body. However, from the way he was acting, it seemed like he was nothing but a simple meat head that only wanted to fight strong enemies to temper his own strength.


    "Very well, if it wasn''t for your poor intuition and if you listened to your strategist sister, you would have been able to completely wipe out those humans during their last raid. Instead, we are still forced to hide our army within this cave." Holding her hand up to pause anyone else from speaking, the Spider Queen had a hint of fury within her words.


    During the last wave that the village nearby sent out, the spiders were caught completely off guard and they suffered more casualties and deaths than the attacking humans. One of her children led a small army against them and was nearly wiped out himself if it was not for reinforcements arriving in time to drive the rest of the humans off while a single warrior blocked their path.


    Since that day, the Spider Queen lost faith in her son even though his build was the strongest out of the ten she chose to feed monster blood to. The Spider Queen only had a limited amount of monster blood that she mixed with other ingredients to cause other spiders in her tribe to mutate and become more intelligent as well as stronger.


    Though to her it was not a waste using a portion of that mixture on this son, she still felt that he could have done a much better job. She wanted all her children to lead her armies into battle so that she could remain safe and sound on her throne, but that was an event that changed her plans.


    "When we reach over seven thousand spiders within our small clan, I will be contacting that Centaur King so that we can receive enough reinforcements to destroy that human village and hopefully have enough power to destroy that city as well."


    "Until then, you ten shall be on guard duty at all times. Not a single spider should be slain until we compile a big enough army, otherwise, it will take more time which we do not have!" the Spider Queen explained as she waved her hands, signaling these ten children of hers to leave her and to begin their new task.


    "If that Centaur King can send us reinforcements and enough of that monster blood mixture, I do not care how strong those humans are, I will use that to build my army to new heights and slay them all. After, I will use my own sphere of influence to target the rest of those women in that council who exiled me!"


    This Spider Queen played all her cards accordingly and almost took over the whole spider tribe that existed on this planet. However, she was exiled once her blood had been tainted by monster blood. She tried to raise her army against the council, but thanks to their allies, the pure-blooded spider tribe was able to drive her off.


    Right now, she was still considered to be on the run, and her hatred for the pure-blooded spiders made her blood boil in intense rage. However, the humans were the main contributor of her failed attempt to become the one Spider Queen who would rule over the rest.


    Unfortunately, she had to bide her time since she took an incomplete dose of the mixture. The dose that she took, gave her a powerful mutation, but her strength would never increase to a new level. This meant that she could only build up large armies of children and use that to take over her enemies.


    -Back at Leo''s location-


    "What the-!"


    After feeling the need to relax and gather his thoughts on what he should do next, Leo decided to lean against one of the human shaped webbing. What surprised him, was after laying on it for several minutes, the webbing started to shake slightly. Not expecting this, Leo quickly jumped up and darted behind a nearby boulder. The last thing he wanted was for something other than a human to pop out of the webbing and to alert every creature within this cave!

 51 Escaping?

    After just a moment, the human shaped webbing stopped shaking and remained still for several minutes. Seeing this, Leo became curious and started to stride towards it while keeping an eye on his surroundings.


    The last thing he wanted, was to be ambushed by an endless swarm of spiders. Without the tiger cub being able to assist him even with a small flame, it would be harder for him to deal with a large group of spiders, like those who climbed out of the webbings earlier.


    Leo was unaware that the ten children of the Spider Queen, were now working on moving their troops to block all entrances and exits of this cave. If he knew this, he would have never even entered earlier. The ten children were indeed formidable, the child who was responsible for losing so many of their brethren, was only stopped in its tracks because a warrior almost at the executive level held him off while the rest escaped.


    "There must be a reason that this webbing moved as it did once I decided to lay against it for a short period of time. Could it be, that maybe it is a human and not a creature that could kill me, catching me off guard?" he pondered as he started to withdraw a small iron dagger from his inventory that his friends gave to him.


    "Well here goes nothing." Deciding to move forward and allowing his curiosity to take over, Leo delicately started to cut open the webbing that covered some type of creature. He was unsure what was within this webbing, but he started to imagine it being full of treasure or a beautiful young woman.


    As he continued to slowly cut through the webbing, long human hair started to appear. This drove Leo to feel his face becoming a little redder. "If it is a beauty, I wonder what my reward would be by saving her?" he thought as he began to make his final incision near the person''s face. Leo was still rather young even in this life, so these thoughts would appear in his head.


    "No!" tears started to appear on Leo''s face as he examined the person that was now in front of him. Unfortunately, it was neither treasure or a beautiful young lady, instead it was a middle-aged ugly fellow. Leo halted his movements before looking at the ceiling of the cave before saying something to himself.


    "Why do you punish me like this!" waving his hands in anger, Leo then took a deep breath and recomposed himself. Right now, the last thing he needed to do was to delay any longer. Besides, to Leo, a middle-aged man might have a level of strength that could assist him with this mission of his.


    "It looks like this older man is fully paralyzed, most likely due to the spider''s venom. I should give him some of my antidote while there is still time for him to recover." Leo thought as he withdrew a bottle of anti-venom and let a drop of it into the man''s mouth. Waiting for several moments, the man''s condition was not visibly healing.


    Not wasting any time, Leo started to finish cutting the webbing around the man so that he could properly carry him back to the waterfall area. He was not sure how long it would take to carry a man that far, but he was determined to question him once he recovered from his paralysis.


    By this time, a spider near Leo and this man spotted them and rushed towards them to take Leo by surprise. However, Leo was prepared for this ambush long ago as he withdrew his powerful sword and slashed the spider dead with a single strike.


    The smell of blood quickly surrounded the rest of the cave as the ground began to shake. Luckily, Leo already freed the man from the webbings tying him down. Grabbing him, Leo wasted no time and started to retreat towards the exit of the cave.


    Every breath of time felt like days to him as he dashed forward with his full speed. Around him was an endless number of spiders swarming around the cave''s walls. They spotted a meal and were not keen to allow Leo and the man to escape easily.


    Pushing forward, Leo quickly located the exit and ran towards it. Right now, he had both arms around this man on his back and no weapons in hand. If he was attacked at any moment now, he would be injured or at the least pushed backwards.


    "Just a little further, just a little further." Leo thought to himself as his head started to drip with sweat. He was unwilling to leave behind this man to escape, so he had no choice but to keep moving towards the exit at his full speed.


    Even if this middle-aged man was on the weaker side, he still most likely had priceless information for Leo. Therefore, Leo had no choice but to bring him along and to heal him up using minimal resources at his disposal like a drop of anti-venom.


    "Made it!" finally after running for a full two minutes at his top speed, Leo finally ran within the exit area. He was not going to slow down, but he was happy that his life was now in not as much danger as it was earlier.


    Like this, Leo ran out of the dark tunnel until he made it completely out of the cave itself. Upon exiting, Leo passed two spiders with confused looks on their faces. Not paying them any mind, he dashed towards the waterfall area, losing the two spiders behind him as well as the rest who were swarming him earlier in the cave.


    "That little human child seemed that he had some experience in battle. Do you think he is worth devouring?" one of the Spider Queen''s children asked two of its brothers as its eyes began to fill with the desire to battle.


    "A prey like that is worth eating, but we should only injure it and allow our mother to feast on that delicacy." One of the bothers replied as the three children continued spreading out their forces. Right now, all the spiders were filling the cave with webbing, making it harder for enemies to travel through it without them noticing.

 52 New Techniques and New Friend?

    Nearby, Leo scouted the cave and the changes which were being made. There were countless spiders covering the cave with more rocks to leave only an extremely small entrance. He was not sure what caused the spiders to act this way, but he knew that they were most likely preparing for something.


    "If I can heal this man, maybe we can alert the human village not too far from here and we can combine our strengths to take these spiders out in a single strike?" Leo thought as he examined the man''s body which was only now showing some color in his face.


    This older man had a long brown beard and seemed as if he only lived to drink heavily while chopping off heads with a battle axe. This made Leo think that if this man was related to the woman he met earlier, that the village was no doubt filled with Viking type humans.


    This made Leo''s head hurt because he was more of a quiet and go with the flow type. So, dealing with many headstrong and battle hungry humans was not on his list of goals during this lifetime. However, he had no choice since there were just too many spiders to slay.


    Theoretically speaking, Leo was more than capable of killing off all the weaker spiders within the cave, but how long would that take when thousands were living within and only a small handful would leave the cave at a time to scout and to carry back food?


    "Well, this is all part of the adventure I chose to go on. If I quit here and return to the city, it would be as if I only earned the bare minimum requirement to complete this mission at the guild. I need to go back to the city carrying with me the Spider Queen''s head!" thought Leo as he picked up the man yet again and fled towards the waterfall.


    Back at the waterfall area, Leo examined the older man a little closer and deducted that it would take at least two days for him to wake up and possibly a full week for him to be able to move on his own. "How long was this man trapped within that webbing for?" pondered Leo as he casually pulled out many of the books that his friends gave him before he left.


    "If it is going to take that long even until I can start questioning this fellow, I should use the time properly and read all of these books." He thought as he opened one of the books as the screen popped up yet again.


    Beep! Beep! Beep!


    -Click to learn the Air Soaring Technique-


    "Seriously?" caught off guard, Leo dropped the book and picked up a different book before opening it up.


    Beep! Beep! Beep!


    -Click to learn the Wind Shuriken technique-


    "If I can use these books to learn all of these techniques that are inside explaining the process of learning them by just using this screen, wouldn''t that make my power increase drastically?" now excited, Leo used the next hour to learn every single technique and spell available within them.


    To his surprise, these books did not disappear once he used them to quickly learn the techniques which they held inside. Though these were only considered basic techniques and spells, it still gave Leo the feeling that he had more attacks within his arsenal and that to him meant a higher survival chance against stronger opponents.


    In total, Leo was able to learn ten techniques. These techniques were rather practiced by even the commoners within the city, but they were still hard for those independent of any faction to get ahold of. Unfortunately, Leo was unable to learn the other five techniques and spells in the remaining five books.


    Unless a warrior was able to reach the Master rank of power, they were unable to train in a second elemental affinity. The only Master ranked warrior within the city was even more formidable than other Master ranked warriors. The reason was because he was able to combine his water and wind elemental affinities together to create ice.


    Since the other five books had techniques that fell under elemental affinities that were not wind based, Leo was unable to learn anything from them, at least for the time being. To Leo, he wanted to even surpass the Master ranked warrior level, but he knew that it would still take quite a bit of time since he was not even at the Executive rank.


    "Maybe I can eventually take on an apprentice, and these books can be used sooner than later." He thought as he quickly put all the books away and started to work on leveling up his new techniques. Leo would spend five days training diligently to understand the new techniques he learned.


    -On the sixth day-


    Waking up in a dark place with only a waterfall next to him shook the older man to quickly try to get on his feet. His eyes were filled with a fear, the fear that he would die at any moment.


    "What is your name? My name is Leo and you can say that I am from a human city not too far from here." Seeing that the older man was longing for answers and trying to understand where he was, Leo was quick to introduce himself.


    "Where is everyone else? Did our raid really fail this time as well?" the older man questioned Leo as he calmed down slightly. This older man still had a chip on his shoulder and was not willing to remain too idle.


    "That must mean that you are most likely from that village close by to this location. If I had to guess, when you were battling against the spiders with the rest of the warriors from your village, you were unexpectedly paralyzed while still in combat."


    "It would be safe to say that you as well as many of your people during the raid were captured, the good news however, is that your village and its people are still alive and well. I apologize but that is the best I could really do for you right now. You should relax a little more, right now you are safe again and my current plan is to head back to your village as quickly as possible."


    "You may have been paralyzed for so many years, but right now it seems that the unfinished job stirred up the spiders to some capacity and they are already making a move to defend that cave of theirs. I am not sure what they are up to, but it can''t go unchecked for too long." Leo said as he allowed the older man to absorb all of the information.

 53 Who Are You?

    "Well young one, that is quite a lot of information to absorb." Taking several deep breaths, the older man seemed to have grasped the whole situation.


    "You seem stronger than the younger generation of our village, can it be that you are from a noble lineage within the city? No, that would not make much sense for a noble to be out here all alone like this."


    "Well since you could have killed me at any time and haven''t, you are clearly not an enemy. So, come sit down and listen to uncle''s story." The older man told Leo as he gestured his hand for Leo to sit down comfortably.


    "A warrior, what does signify exactly? You may not have gotten this far on your journey, but a true warrior hates battle. Do you know why?" the older man asked Leo as he awaited his answer.


    "Why?" after pondering over this question for some time, Leo couldn''t think of anything noteworthy to bring up and just gave up trying to deconstruct the meaning behind this older man''s words.


    "Battle is the result of when someone is being threatened. A true warrior has the ability to protect themselves and those around them, but they hate battle." The older man explained to Leo as he continued his story.


    "Generation after generation within our village, us from the older generation teach this to the younger generation. The reason is because the citizens of our village are all offspring of the soldiers who served under battle hungry gods and fought in major battles that helped shape the world we live in today."


    "The one weakness of our human instincts is greed, but another is the willingness to kill and slaughter our way to our goals. It is impossible to build something meaningful if all you care about is yourself. Thus, we warriors pride ourselves in becoming strong enough to protect those around us, our family and brethren!"


    "I served under the previous chieftain of the village and we went on a raid for the first time in many years to slay the spiders. Since you rescued me from within the cave, you know just how formidable of a threat those spiders have become."


    "If my village still exists, it means that the raid we partook in, was successful enough to drive the spiders back. However, there is no telling from all of the way out here, how large of a sacrifice we had to make, and how many warriors were killed or captured like me."


    "This may sound out of line, but if you were able to rescue me successfully, I may need to bring you along with me to rescue some more of my brothers that are still within that cave. Since you are so young, I hope you will not mind me testing your strength before we head out?" the older man finally finished and waited for Leo''s answer.


    In appearance alone, Leo looked at most fourteen years old, and there was no way for this older man to gauge his level of power unless they sparred. What Leo did not know, was that this older man was as strong as his test instructor back at the guild.


    Now much stronger than he was back at the guild, both in level and his arsenal of techniques, Leo felt rather confident. Although the older man was going to test him, Leo felt that he would be the one to test this older man. An older villager with some battle experience was not necessarily someone who could match an above average commoner within a city.


    "How about we both give it our all in this match, and whoever wins, gets to take the lead on this new rescue mission you are dropping on my lap?" smirking and filled with confidence, Leo replied to the older man''s offer before dashing out of the waterfall and into the field around it.


    "Hmph, this little kid seems like he is too confident in his strength or simply seeking punishment. Since when has a junior dared to talk down to an elder like this?" thinking about how he wanted to bash this youngster''s face in to teach him a lesson, the older man quickly followed Leo outside of the waterfall.


    Several moments later, Leo and the older man faced each other. Luckily for him, the older man was paralyzed while he still had his battle axe on his back. Wiping off the remainder of the webbings on his weapon, the older man started to talk to Leo from a safe distance away.


    "This elder will not go easy on you, but I must warn you, I feel completely revitalized and could match up to any warrior I have met under the executive level of strength. Come, and let me teach you the difference between a junior and a senior!" Shouting out the last of his words, the older man began to place his body in a defensive stance, waiting for Leo to make the first offensive move.


    "Do not think so highly of yourself!" hearing the older man talking down to him, Leo felt a little bit of pressure and a blow to his ego. Unleashing his battle intent and full power, Leo quickly rushed towards the older man without a weapon.


    "Are you really seeking death?" the older man called out to Leo as he watched him approach. Never in his wildest imagination, would he think that Leo would be ignorant enough to rush him without any weapons!


    Suddenly, a big breeze started to surround Leo and the older man, and only began to get faster and faster until the breeze concentrated into three different spots surrounding the older man, making three visible walls of air.


    "What the hell?" the older man quickly re-positioned himself and his battle axe to leave no openings. He was not sure how this was happening, but he started to feel a strange type of pressure.


    "Triple Air Shuriken!" Shouting out the name of his technique, Leo continued picking up his speed as the three spots with air flowing quickly formed into air shuriken. Within a breath of time, the three shuriken formed into two-foot-wide shuriken as they locked onto the older man. With a flick of his hand, Leo seemed as if he was controlling these air shuriken as they began to fly towards the older man!

 54 Exhaustion

    "Ha!" using his full strength, the older man was able to block Leo''s technique only using his body. "That was barely passable!"


    "I am not done yet!" shouted Leo as he prepared to launch a follow up attack. What was strange, was that Leo closed his eyes as his body came to a halt. Within a breath of time, a small veil of wind surrounded Leo''s body as it swirled around him. This did not lift him off the ground but seemed as if it added to his defensive capabilities.


    "So young, but he is able to execute so many techniques back to back?" the older man had an earth elemental affinity and he focused heavily on his defense. However, he never had the ability to learn any earth element techniques due to his village lacking so much.


    Learning which element, a warrior had a connection to, was an easy and widely known technique. For the warrior, they just had to close their eyes and concentrate. Depending on how close they were with an element determined which one they would feel the most from. Some warriors were lucky and since the beginning were able to sense more than a single element.


    Although it was easier for a warrior to become more in tune with their elements, it was very difficult to put their power to any use unless they had proper teaching and training. Even within the city, only books could be purchased to help a warrior''s path to using their element in their attacks.


    "How was he able to grasp so many different techniques at such a young age?" the older man thought as he tried to keep his calm. The older man felt that Leo''s last attack was rather low in power and so he felt no danger to his life.


    To this older man, Leo was like an uncut ruby. One day he would be able to command forces beyond his imagination, but he still had a long road ahead of him until that time. Leo was so young but filled with an extremely high level of potential that even this older man couldn''t grasp.


    While he was lost in his thoughts, Leo finally finished his preparations and unleashed small blades of wind towards his opponent. He was unwilling to lose the upper hand he currently had, still being on the offensive.


    Unfortunately for Leo, his attack, just like the last one was easily disregarded by his opponent. Not knowing what to do, Leo closed his eyes once again as his veil covered in wind faded away. Leo started to feel sweat pouring down his head and onto his face.


    Though he now had many more techniques to use, it did not change the fact that they were all still at the first level according to the screen earlier. This did not discourage Leo from testing them out in a real fight, and even gave him a better understanding on how much longer he would need to train some of his techniques up before they were effective in battle against opponents like the one, he was facing now.


    Withdrawing a small potion, Leo quickly recovered his full strength as his opponent did not make any sudden moves. Instead, the older man remained within his defensive stance. If Leo was able to unleash so many elemental type attacks, his opponent was able to tell that what he felt was maybe just a warm up.


    "Thank you very much for being my test subject for some of my newer techniques. May we actually begin the real spar now?" Leo respectfully called out to the older man. Although he was being nice about it, Leo felt that the older man might become angry hearing him.


    Instead, the older man just casually nodded his head. This was the first time he was able to freely move in years, why would he care if a short warm up before a spar took place?


    Withdrawing his sword, Leo finally began to make his move, except, he chose not to use any elemental techniques to increase his speed. This spar slowly turned itself into a training session for Leo and he wanted to see how far his swordsmanship had come. Since his opponent was experienced but hadn''t shown any elemental attacks of his own, Leo wanted to keep it that way.


    "You are still many years away from being able to match up against me without using your full power!" the older man called out as Leo dashed towards him at his full speed. Without using his wind element to increase his speed, Leo was like an average warrior in terms of speed.


    Swinging his sword, Leo tried to attack his opponent''s shoulders, however, the older man simply shrugged the attack off by parrying Leo''s sword with the top of his battle axe. After the parry, Leo used the force to turn his body and to let out a stabbing motion. The older man quickly repositioned himself to block the blade with his own weapon.


    Just like that, over fifty exchanges happened over the course of only several minutes. Leo used what he was learning in real time against his opponent to improve his own abilities and strategy. By the one hundredth exchange, Leo started to feel that he was improving.


    "Not bad kid, you have passed my test, but if you can learn from me, we might as well continue sparring!" the man said as a brightness in his eyes were unable to be hidden from Leo. Before the raid, this older man was unable to become a teacher to train younger warriors within the village. However, he always wanted to become one.


    Just like this, the older man and Leo sparred for several hours before finally finishing up. It was still bright out, but both felt as if they were fighting an endless swarm of enemies as they both suddenly fell backwards to rest their bodies.


    "I must hand it to you kid, you are one hell of a monster." Showing a sincere grin on his face, the older man after several minutes stood back up as he made his way to sit beside Leo. "If you can last this long in a spar, we will be more than ready tomorrow to rescue some of my comrades."


    "I should be telling you the same thing. Even without using any elemental techniques, you still exhausted me to such an extent." Replied Leo as both individuals made their way into the waterfall to relax their muscles as they began to strategize for the next morning.


    During the rest of the day, Leo started to learn more about the village from the older man as they drank some wine and ate their meals. Leo was certain that this man next to him had no relation to the woman he met earlier, but they were definitely from the same place.

 55 Rescue Mission

    -Early the next morning-


    "Every team needs a leader and I think since I have the most experience, that I should obviously be leading this mission." The older man said to Leo as they began to head out towards the cave that was now covered in webbing.


    "Fine Christopher, but just remember that as the team continues to build with the more comrades we save, that we will be splitting up into two separate teams and I will lead one of those teams." Leo told the older man as they came across a spider who was all alone and dragging a deer type creature within its web.


    "Haha of course, of course! Just remember kid, that if we run into any trouble, I will be the one who remains behind while you and the rest escape to safety. I was one of the lower ranked warriors within our platoon when we started the raid, so my life means much less compared to a younger kid like you and the rest of my comrades."


    Leo taking the initiative, quickly disposed of the spider with a single sword strike and continued moving towards the cave with Christopher. Knowing how strong Leo''s attacks would be when he used his elemental affinity to boost his strength, seeing a lower tier spider being slaughtered by him in a single move did not surprise Christopher.


    "Alright kid, you said that you had a secret weapon to burn up the webbing blocking the entrance to the cave.I would suggest you pull it out now since we have arrived safely and that there are no enemies around us waiting for the ambush." Christopher told Leo as he pulled out his battle axe.


    "Alright little one, it is time to play once again!" saying this sentence in a playful manner, Leo once again summoned the small tiger cub from his screen. The tiger cub looked rather sleepy but extremely cute and cuddly.


    "Kid, you are full of surprises." Seeing the tiger cub appearing out of thin air, Christopher could only grin while Leo and the tiger cub made their move. Using his wind power, Leo kicked up a small gust of wind as the tiger cub gathered energy within its mouth.


    "Now!" ordering the tiger cub, Leo unleashed the gust of wind while the tiger cub unleashed its fireball attack in a perfect symmetrical way. Once the attacks merged, the combined attack reached the cave''s entrance and caused a small earthquake of sorts as the webbing blocking the door was burned away like paper.


    After the attack hit the cave successfully, Leo quickly redeposited the tiger cub back into his inventory screen as he withdrew his powerful weapon and charged forward. Through the night while Christopher was still sleeping, Leo summoned the tiger cub and found out through a short process, that he could deposit anything he summons from using looted cards back into his inventory screen.


    He was uncertain what the longer terms effects of this would be but seeing that the tiger cub had its full health and was not starving, that his inventory possibly just froze time for the tiger cub and that gave Leo comfort.


    "If I am able to collect more summoning type of cards, and I end up with a large stack of similar companions like this tiger cub, how powerful could I become by just relying on a small personal army that I can constantly try to train and level up?"


    Some of these thoughts popped into Leo''s mind, but that did not stop him from continuing forward. Right now, what mattered the most was timing and if he delayed, that could potentially limit the amount of people that him and Christopher could save within the cave.


    As they entered the cave, Leo and Christopher came across quite a few spiders lurking about within the tunnel towards their main base. Leo without wasting a single breath of time, would dispose of these spiders one by one as they continued moving forward, until they finally arrived at their destination.


    "Alright so you said that you saved me from the webbings but that my body was located with the rest of those?" after masking their presence and hiding behind a boulder nearby, Christopher pointed towards the pile of human and non-human shaped webs.


    "That is correct. You stay here since you are much bulkier and easier to spot than I am, and I will slowly find some more of your comrades and drag them over. Since the tunnel is now fully cleared of spiders, I will need you to take them back one by one to the waterfall area and give them a drop of the antidote I gave to you."


    "If I start feeling a sense of danger, I will head back to the waterfall while carrying as many people I can find while you are gone and will meet with you on the path, we decided on that we would be using to retreat back to the waterfall area."


    Christopher had no choice but to agree to these terms since Leo was clearly able to move much swifter using his wind element techniques. Plus, Christopher was indeed a bit larger built and bulkier which made him move slower in general. If Christopher could carry one or two of his comrades back at a time while Leo continued to cut them out of the webbings, then it would be more efficient of a method to use for this rescue mission.


    Leo quickly made his way over to the pile and located all the human shaped webs. "So, there are actually over thirty of them? Good thing I experimented earlier with the tiger cub. If it is like this, I can easily save them all myself. I just need to send Christopher off first before I begin the real rescue." Leo thought as he finally started to free the first human.


    After he originally freed Christopher, Leo was able to locate some of the thinner webbing areas which made this process much faster than before. Within only a single minute, Leo successfully freed the first human and gave him over to Christopher.


    "This is someone who I ate meals with back in our village. He was a fine warrior and was able to defeat me every time we would spar in our training. If we found him, it is possible that we can find the rest of those who the spiders saved to eat for later down the road." Holding the freed man in his arms, Christopher could only explain his thoughts before quickly fleeing with this comrade over his shoulders.


    Seeing that Christopher was now completely gone, Leo started to begin by separating the human shaped webs and the non-human shaped webs. He then deposited all the human shaped webs into his inventory screen as he did with the tiger cub earlier. It was not a surprise, it worked flawlessly!


    "Now that the rescue mission has been completed, we can now simply bring all of these humans back to the village without delaying any longer. Once they recover their full strength again, we might be able to quickly make our way back here and destroy this base once and for all." Thought Leo as he slowly made his way back behind the boulder.

 56 The Domineering One

    "I hope that he was able to make his way back in one piece. I do not think that I will be able to protect him while I try to escape here." After waiting for several more minutes to make all his preparations for the way back, Leo finally made his way towards the exit of the cave.


    It was strange that no spiders came inside the cave from the outside, nor did any crawl over due to the webbing being gone. However, Leo felt that maybe they were asleep or making their preparations elsewhere, possibly on the other side of the cave.


    "If the spiders decided to attack the village, this rescue mission me and Christopher took upon ourselves, will mean much less. If there is no village for us to escape to and recover these forces, what will we do?" pondered Leo as he ran forward at his full speed towards the tunnel to lead back to the outside world.


    "Hm?" quickly ducking as if someone tried to stab him from behind, Leo stumbled forward on his stomach before recovering his bearing and stood back up.


    "No bad little one, for you to sense my killing intent proves that you and I will have a fun time playing hunter and prey. Unfortunately for you, I will of course be the hunter in this scenario!" releasing its grip from the ceiling right above Leo, the muscular spider child of the Spider Queen pounced close to Leo.


    "At first, I did not believe that a human that was so young could take down so many members of my army, but instead of making me upset, I was actually pleased. You may be the second human who I have some respect for. It is too bad that you will become my food, I would have loved to see you grow and battle you later." The spider said as it started to transform its body.


    This spider who was now hunting down Leo openly had two big horns on top of its head, and it grew an additional two arms with two big poisonous fangs. It still had a human shaped body, but these new features made it look like a deadly monster.


    "Your mistake was showing yourself before me. If you were to remain hidden, you would find it easier to battle me. That is not your style though, is it?" Leo asked his opponent. It was clear that he needed to defeat this spider before he could escape back to where Christopher was.


    Right now, Leo was pressed for time, but he remained calm and collective. Before him was an enemy that wanted to show off its strength without staying hidden. His opponent also seemed like the type who did not want others to interfere.


    Though there may have been more of the Spider Queen''s children hiding nearby to launch a surprise attack, Leo still felt that by facing this one head on, would hold the others off until a victor was decided between them. "Time, that is all I need right now!" thought Leo as he withdrew his powerful weapon.


    "You humans and your weapons. If you decide to put your weapon away and face me without it, I will make sure that my siblings do not interfere." The spider quickly explained to Leo. "I witnessed your power, but what I want to see now is how formidable you are without the help of a weapon like that one!"


    "I must apologize, but I will have to decline on your offer. As my enemy, I can''t bring myself to trusting you. Besides, that monster blood that runs through your veins proves that you are not that trustworthy." Leo responded. He would rather have a match with his words to bring him more time, than to battle this spider right away.


    Hearing Leo''s response enraged the spider as it let out a loud screeching noise. It then looked in Leo''s direction before its muscles started to stiffen all over its body as purple poison started to drip out under its fangs.


    Not giving his opponent any time to make the initial attack of this fight, Leo quickly started to chant to himself as two wind type clones appeared on his left and right side. Both clones were unarmed, but they released a large amount of energy between them.


    "Hmph!" seeing Leo creating two clones continued to enrage the spider. It wanted to beat Leo with his raw strength, but now he needed to use some strategy in this battle. He would much rather crush Leo and hang his skull on its wall with the other formidable humans he bested in battle.


    "Go!" shouting his order, the two wind clones started to rush towards the spider at their full speed, trying to catch the spider off guard. During this time, Leo quickly retreated towards the exit of the cave using the strongest wind spell that increased his speed that he knew.


    Both wind clones landed a barrage of punches onto the spider''s body, but the spider shook them off like it was being hit by small insects. Once the clones saw this, some panic appeared within their faces, before the spider made its move. With its four arms, it quickly ripped the heads of these wind clones off them cleanly as they dispersed.


    Leo coughed up a mouthful of blood, before he spit it onto the ground while continuing to head towards the tunnel that was now only several yards in front of him. However, a breath of time later, he felt a sharp stab appear on his shoulder.


    Letting out a sharp cry from the pain, Leo stumbled over before finally catching his step as he looked behind him. The spider hit him with its horns and a little chunk of skin hung there one of them as the spider let out an evil smirk on its face.


    "Fine, I will face you with all my might." Leo now understanding that all his escape tactics now meant nothing in front of such a dominating opponent, could only accept the situation he was now forced into. Dashing with all his power, Leo in just a moment of time landed next to the spider and swung his weapon directly towards its left shoulder.


    Drops of blood started to slowly drop onto the ground below the spider, but the evil grin on its face did not fade away, rather, it became bigger. Licking its wound, the spider only said a single sentence before hitting Leo with all its strength in a single punch. "An eye for an eye!"

 57 The Final Goodbye

    Before receiving the heavy blow, Leo quickly added his air armor around his body to cushion the punch. However, he was still sent flying until he hit the wall made of rocks behind him. Slipping into unconsciousness, all the events that he went through until now started to flow in.


    Memory after memory began to surface in his mind as time seemed to stop entirely around him. First it was when he faced a monster for the first time, then the goblins, all the way until the training in the city with Noah. These memories were very small compared to the last one that popped into his head.


    "Sweetie, did you eat enough today? You must eat so that you can grow into a fine adult!" his mother called out to him as he saw himself laying down in his dark room. Feeling exhausted and sick of living, he just continued to lay there in the same spot.


    Seeing his old self just laying down in a miserable state, shook Leo greatly. This all seemed too real as he looked around the room and saw all his previous possessions. Though not many, they were all seen by him and that is when he turned around.


    "Mother? Father?" Leo called out as he saw his parents now standing in front of him. He was now in a white space filled with pure nothingness except for him and his parents.


    "We were always proud of you." Leo''s mother said as she walked towards him as she gave him a big hug. Leo could remember this warmth. His mother may have been ill, but every time she hugged him, he could feel a special kind of warmth flowing through his body.


    "She is right you know." His father walking towards him said as he patted Leo on the back. "Now why don''t you wake up now?" he continued while his eyes locked with Leo.


    "I am sorry." With several tears starting to form within his eyes, Leo started to hug his mother tighter as he held onto his father with the other hand forming a group hug between them.


    "We understand." Were the final words his parents told him as their bodies faded away, leaving Leo all alone in this blank space. Closing his eyes, Leo''s body began to shake uncontrollably. The level of emotions he was currently feeling, was something that one couldn''t measure with mere words.


    "Hahaha! Come on now little one, you have more than that, right?" the spider now walking over in a winning type posture called out with an evil smirk on its face. "Do not disappoint this senior now, otherwise I might just eat you from being let down so hard."


    As it walked over, the spider continued to ridicule Leo, not noticing the changes that were being made on Leo''s body. Leo''s body started to glow in a dark bronze color, as his eyes changed into a Crimson Dark Red coloring as air started to lift his body up.


    "I never got to say goodbye because I was selfish." Leo said so softly that not even the heavens could understand what he said.


    "Come on now, if you are going to respond with using only your words, you are going to need to say them a little louder!" now laughing in a sinister tone, the spider started to pump itself up yet again as it remained only several yards away from Leo''s position.


    In this moment, Leo finally transformed himself into a completely different form. Before, he seemed like a preteen just trying to play hero, while now he looked like a Wind entity that wanted to blow away everything in his path.


    Feeling a weird pressure radiating out of Leo, the spider started to become more serious as he watched him, waiting to defend himself against Leo''s next attack. "I put my all into that last punch, but he was able to survive?" thought the spider as he watched Leo carefully.


    Suddenly, Leo disappeared from the spider''s sight in an instant. It happened so fast, that the spider had to blink several times before looking around the rest of the area to located Leo. "How did this kid manage to hide himself from me?"


    "Hey kid, wherever you are, you should come out and play with me before I die of bordum!" shouting out many taunts, the spider was still unable to locate Leo''s position. This angered the spider, before it realized something. "If his elemental affinity is wind, that must mean that he is- "


    Before he could finish his thought and act upon it, a small tornado formed around the spider, causing his body to slowly float within the air, as over ten clones encircled the spider, leaving no room for it to respond to the attack.


    The clones all had wind flowing around their arms, as the wind element formed into wind daggers, before they made their move against the spider. With many slashing and stabbing motions, the clones started to cause many spots on the spider to bleed out uncontrollably as it shrieked in pain.


    Watching the show, Leo stood at the very top of this small tornado with his eyes looking down upon the spider trapped within. Leo''s blood lust was something that threatened every single one of his opponents up to this point. However, right now his eyes, were what was really releasing pressure.


    Coldness, only coldness and sorrow were what you would describe while seeing Leo''s gaze. Neither life nor death was clear while looking into these eyes. Emptiness, only emptiness was present, and some regret.


    Raising his right hand, Leo started to chant yet another spell. Back within the tornado, the spider started to transform itself into its true spider form as small spikes covered its body as it grew to seven feet tall. "How dare you play such tricks on me!" the spider shouted as it finally finished transforming.


    Unfortunately, before the spider could act against Leo, the clones that surrounded him started to shake violently. The spider was too enraged to notice, but even if it was able to notice the change, it would have been too late for it. In a mere instant, all ten clones exploded and released an infinite amount of wind that sliced up the spider and causing the tornado to disperse from the impact.

 58 Conclusion To The Battle

    "Not¡­ bad¡­. kid!" with its bodies covered in injuries, the spider unleashed its full power now, and its wounds from the exploding clones healed entirely. However, it now only resembled a monster with spider type characteristics as its eight eyes pierced Leo''s soul.


    Leo still floating in the air above the spider just continued to look at it with an unshakable killing intent. He was now angry about the foolish choice he made taking his life, and the only relief he could now find, was by slaying the opponent in front of him.


    Thanks to his berserk state, Leo felt his power slowly continuing to rise as his consciousness started to slip into a path that he no longer could control. In a steady pace, his mind started to let go as the anger continued to take over.


    "You haven''t disappointed me, but you must die for injuring me in such a sneaky manner!" the spider shouted out as it quickly unleashed some of its webbing. In only but a moment, the spider created a whole domain using its webbing as the foundation.


    There was now nowhere for Leo to run, but what the spider failed to realize, was that Leo''s goal was not to escape. Leo''s goal was to slay it as quickly as possible before it headed towards the rest of the army to relieve his anger!


    Using the webbing as a catapult for its huge body, the spider targeted Leo as it swung itself over to him in midair. Its speed could easily match Leo''s even with how massive its body was. However, Leo simply continued to stand his ground as it watched the spider making its move.


    With not a single moment of hesitation, Leo threw his sword in a stabbing motion towards the spider''s body. This was so unexpected, that the spider had no chance to even try to dodge the sword even with its muscle memory.


    The sword completely crippled one of the spider''s eight legs as it continued to fall until it reached the floor of the cave. Appearing next to the spider, Leo unleashed a large barrage of punches until he crippled two more of the spider''s legs in a very short amount of time.


    The spider attempted to bite one of Leo''s arms, but it was unsuccessful as it finally gave up on taking Leo''s life and started to retreat backwards. With three of its legs completely crippled, the spider was not just in an unbelievable amount of pain, but it also realized the difference in strength between it and Leo.


    Unwilling to let the spider retreat, Leo stayed close to it as he continued to land punch after punch with the occasional kick. With this, Leo started to let out an unclear laughter. It was almost as if it became an enraged beast that only wanted to slay its enemies.


    After several breaths of time, the spider was finally able to land on the ground and released a deep breath, as if it was finally safe again. Truth be told, the spider saw something appear in the corner of one of its eyes; its sister.


    This sister was wearing a light green dress that had red hourglasses placed all around it. In its humanized form, the spider had four of its eyes showing, but no fangs. However, purple poison bubbled in its mouth and seemed extremely toxic.


    Unleashing its attack behind Leo in an effort to save its brother, the spider coughed up five purple bubbles that flew towards Leo''s body at an unimaginable speed. Leo was unable to realize this, because his mind was still in its berserk state.


    Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!


    Once the poisonous bubbles hit Leo''s bare skin, it started to release fumes as it tried to burn through. However, to both of his opponent''s surprise, his movements did not pause or slow down in the slightest as Leo grabbed the sword that he threw earlier and aimed his next attack towards the injured spider.


    Fear started to fill the female spider as it couldn''t move its body fast enough to stop Leo''s attack upon its brother. With a clean cut, Leo''s attack missed the spider''s head, and instead of going for the killing move, he crippled yet another leg of the spider.


    In this moment, both spiders could feel a level of pressure that they only felt while looking at their mother; the Spider Queen. How can a human release such a vicious aura, yet, choose to make their opponents suffer to such an extent? Only their mother who had a large dose of monster blood in her veins would do this.


    Helplessness filled the female spider''s heart as her body remained frozen. However, in this moment, Leo finally halted his movements as he spit out a large mouthful of blood. The blood was purple and not red! "I was able to poison him?" the female spider said out loud as she watched Leo collapse onto the ground.


    "That kind of wishing will only get you killed that much faster." Feeling a shiver down her spine, the female turned around and what she saw was a sight that she hasn''t seen in many years. It was her mother the Spider Queen looking at her with a monstrous and threatening gaze.


    "If it was not for me making a move personally, not only would your brother be dead, but you would have followed him to the underworld shortly after." Said the Spider Queen as she dropped down from the air and onto the ground right beside Leo''s body that stopped moving.


    "Mother I- "before explaining what had occurred and why it was severely injured, the Spider Queen held up a finger to cut it off. She was not in the mood to hear how a simple human child was able to harm one of her most prized children.

 59 Inside The Mind Of The Spider Queen

    Picking up her injured brother to take him back to his living area so he could start the healing process, the female spider took a quick final look at Leo to memorize his face before finally carrying her brother away.


    The last thing she wanted, was for her mother to reprimand her even more than she already had. The female and the Spider Queen did not have a very good relationship. The female spider was born with a weak body, and only was able to develop and evolve to where she was now, thanks to the poison-based techniques she developed.


    The Spider Queen only truly cared for her children that showed peerless strength, because it would be those children who would help her successfully accomplish her goals. Why would such a monstrous creature that had monster blood running through her veins, care about anyone or anything that lacked strength?


    Allowing that daughter of hers to leave, the Spider Queen started to wrap Leo in just enough webs to escort him without much effort back to her lair. She passed many of the lower tier spiders on the way back to her lair and they all bowed in her direction to show their appreciation and worship.


    "I do not know who this kid is exactly, but if I made him my servant, he could end up being extremely useful. With his current strength, he is no threat to me, but it may be enough for him to infiltrate that nearby village successfully." Thought the Spider Queen as she arrived back to her lair.


    At this point, the Spider Queen hung Leo up covered in webbing and just sat there on her throne waiting for Leo to wake up. She used enough poison to greatly harm Leo, but the type of poison technique she used had a more short-term effect and would fade away soon. This worked similar to the paralysis that lower tiered spiders were all capable of using, and Leo would wake up very soon.


    -Several hours later-


    Waking up, Leo realizes that he is covered in webbing but unlike the others he found, the webbing around him covered only his arms and legs. Looking around, Leo only sees an endless number of webs, but that all changed after his first breath.


    Instantly, the feeling of death surrounded Leo, causing his face to sweat. Trying to calm himself, Leo started to smell the stench of blood, as he finally looked towards the throne. On the throne sat a peerless beauty, but she was chomping down a human''s arm.


    "So, you are awake? It only took you several hours to recover your mind. I am not sure how your body was able to heal so fast from my attack, but that is not something that needs to be discussed right away." Looking towards Leo, the Spider Queen''s eyes were dark red as she finished the human''s hand with a single bite.


    What was strange, was that the Spider Queen licked the blood off her lips in a seductive way. Keeping calm, Leo just watched the Spider Queen''s movements as he struggled to free himself.


    "If you could break out of my webs with only your physical strength, I would bring shame to even that weak little spider race that I used to call my home. That is, because I am already at the Elite level of power. Even at the executive level, I would be able to bind you even with the thinnest webs at my disposal." Seeing through Leo''s movements, the Spider Queen responded with ridicule in her words.


    "Now little one, I would like to tell you a story. In truth, I want you to join me on your own accord without the fact that your life indeed is in my hands. I hope that what I tell you, will stir you in the correct direction and on a path destined for greatness under my tutelage."


    "This may come as a shock to you, but I was never a strong spider when I was back in my clan. I struggled to gain any kind of foothold and was always ridiculed since I was younger. Unlike you humans who can grow your strength just by training hard, us tribes have to rely on the blood of our ancestors and seek out new power."


    "I was born in the most powerful clans of our race and I was always taken to be a Spider Queen destined to help our race continue evolving. However, because I always fell behind when it came to my strength compared to other Spider Queens my age, the elders did not look to me with kindness."


    "Where I lacked strength, I made up in my political career. I would gain the trust of those around me rather quickly and expanded my influence throughout our race much swifter than my sisters. Although they had the raw strength to defeat me in combat, I had an army of allies who would respond to any call."


    "Knowing that I would never be able to surpass my sisters or those damnable elders of my race, I started to plan. Since raw strength mattered more to the spider race, my sisters were able to receive more backing until we were just about equal even in the political world. If I failed to do something drastic, I would only live to be a servant, instead of a true Spider Queen!"


    "After reading many books in our clan''s great library, I discovered a group of rebels that were formed from different tribes in many different races. These rebels would increase their member''s strengths by injecting them with monster blood. Even now, no one understands why these monsters or how these monsters appeared."


    "Seeing this as an opportunity, I sent word to all of my allies to find these rebels and to deliver the message that I wanted to join them. A month later is when I would receive a reply and would meet with one of the leaders."


    "The deal was simple, I would instigate a civil war between my side and my sisters and elder''s side. The rebels would supply me an endless supply of monster blood that I could give my forces to eventually slay my enemies and become the true heir to the spider race."


    "I hate to say it, but that is when everything started to change for the worst. Only a small fraction of my sisters would use the monster blood to increase their strength, while the rest joined the other side due to their differences and disbelief that injecting monster blood in their veins was a good idea."


    "I was hunted down alongside the rest of my allies, until each one of them were slain or were forced to retreat far away from the battlefield. You humans actually took this as an opportunity to make the spider race weaker by assisting them in the battle against me and my forces!"


    "Well, here I am now, ready to begin my expansion once again but this time, I am waiting on the organization I joined to send us even more reinforcements. Using the sheer number of our combined army, we will not only wipe out the nearby village, but our real target is that human city." Finally finished with her story, the Spider Queen stood up and walked slowly towards Leo.

 60 No?

    "Tell me child, what do you feel at this moment?" asked the Spider Queen as she paused her steps before appearing right before Leo. Her words were filled with seduction as she used her beautiful figure to try to control Leo''s mind.


    "Imagine a world where you could move freely. If you do not like someone, you could kill them with only a thought. I want that future for you, and I want to help you achieve all of the goals you have for yourself."


    "The only thing I would like in return, is your undying loyalty to me. Truth be told, it would only be a matter of time until you surpass me in strength. I want to be by your side as you help command my army. Will you be my king?" the Spider Queen asked Leo while looking in his eyes.


    In this moment, Leo realized that the mission statement must have been true. Since the Spider Queen was unable to increase her personal strength any longer, she needed individuals around her who could surpass her in strength.


    If the Spider Queen''s children could accomplish this feat, then the Spider Queen would have gotten rid of Leo immediately. However, if she was willing to offer such a deal to him, it must mean that her children suffer from similar circumstances!


    "You want me by your side and to rule over a bunch of worthless trash, including your direct descendants who show just a little more promise?" Leo asked trying to unleash his heroic aura. This did not affect the Spider Queen at all and she casually slapped him in the face.


    "Humans are always completely full of themselves. You are in an impossible to escape situation, yet, you dare to threaten me and speak ill of my children I have raised for so many years?" the Spider Queen asked as she wiped off the blood dripping from Leo''s mouth before sucking on her finger.


    "It is only a matter of time until a rescue party arrives to save me. I am not from the village nearby, rather, I am from the powerful city and I am a noble''s child as well!" trying to bluff his way to freedom, or at least to buy himself more time, Leo tried to now pull out all the hidden ideas he saved up.


    "Oh, I see, a son of a noble from a city?" the Spider Queen now replaced her seductive positioning and features, with a coldness that pierced through Leo''s heart. "If that is the case, I should reward you, someone who has such a background." The Spider Queen replied as she swiftly cut Leo down from the webbing.


    What Leo realized when she did this, was that the Spider Queen left enough webbing to keep him tightly in a bind. Although he was now laying on the ground facing her now, his current set of circumstances hasn''t changed in the slightest!


    "Nobles, always living for themselves and trying to rule over others. I was praised like a noble, but I always found myself connecting more with the commoners of my spider tribe." The Spider Queen, now looking down at Leo started to speak yet again with a more forceful and hateful tone in her voice.


    "Your death will not be a good one. I will have you starve while in complete control of your strength. As your body becomes weaker and weaker, you will slowly lose hope, until you lose your mind. I will make sure to place you with the rest of the food, but you will never be given the freedom that death brings and will always suffer!"


    Hearing the Spider Queen''s choice on how to deal with him, Leo could only begin planning his escape now. It was possible that since he was captured, that he would be thrown somewhere that a scouting party from the village could find him. However, that would be the worst-case scenario.


    Leo knew that if he was able to use his strength or the surrounding area to his advantage, that he could eventually free himself from the webbings and retreat towards the village. "Time, what I need to keep in mind is only time!" he thought as the Spider Queen dragged him out of her lair.


    "I do not know why there is such a lack of living corpses here, but nonetheless, it will not change any of my plans." The Spider Queen commented as she threw Leo''s body into the rest of the pile of living creatures who were also wrapped in webbing.


    "Maybe if you have a change of heart when I come to check on you for the last time, I will allow you to serve my cause." The Spider Queen said as she finally left Leo. In truth, she did not pick up on the fact that Leo already had an escape plan, since he was still rather scared if he couldn''t escape on his own.

 61 Death By Fire?!

    -Several hours later-


    Beep! Beep! Beep!


    -Poison effect now removed-


    "So that is why I felt so weak up until now." Realizing that the Spider Queen left poison in his body, made Leo feel much better about the current events he found himself in.


    Leo for the past several hours had tried everything that he could. He tried to roll around near sharp rocks, he tried to cast spells, and he even tried to activate some of his abilities without any results. Trying the process all over again, Leo was able to last longer testing his options out, but he still found himself unable to become free from the webbings that were wrapped around him.


    "Well, if the Spider Queen''s personal webbings were easy to break free from, she wouldn''t be considered a queen at all!" thought Leo as he started to lay his head down on the ground of the cave to relax and recover some of his strength again.


    "Wait a minute!" having one final idea, Leo''s face began to smirk as he looked at the screen that was in front of him. "It may not feel very good, but maybe I can summon that little guy once again and he can help free me from this webbing!"


    What would happen next, Leo would not be willing to admit in his lifetime and would have some nightmares about this once again in the future for many nights. The screen was not one that Leo could use just with his voice, and this would be when he would notice this.


    In general, Leo was able to call up different type of windows from the screen, however, he would need to physically press anything he wanted to do while using the screen''s features. This meant that although he was able to call up his inventory screen, he was unable to choose to withdraw anything!


    Now in an unusual predicament, the only thing Leo could do, was to use his face to try and press the little tiger''s picture within the inventory to summon it properly. This was because his arms and legs were still wrapped in thick webbings.


    First, Leo tried to use his tongue to press the picture of the tiger cub, but it only ended up in a failure that he was unwilling to try again from feeling stupid. Leo then tried to swing himself once again to roll towards the screen so that he could headbutt it.


    This only made him dizzy due to spending an hour rolling around the screen, instead of directly towards it. Shaking his head to remove his dizziness, Leo, now feeling less lightheaded and back to normal had one final idea.


    Using his nose, Leo was able to finally able to position himself close enough to the screen where his nose could hit the little tiger cub''s picture on his inventory screen. In less than a breath of time, the little tiger cub was now summoned.


    Letting out a cute little yawn, and wiping off the tired tears from its eyes, the little tiger cub looked at Leo for the first time in quite some time. It recalled how Leo tried to use it to scout the spider cave, but then it recalled Leo teaming up with it to create a big fire.


    Though the first memory hurt this little tiger cub, the second memory made it feel good and closer again to Leo. Walking towards Leo, the little tiger cub gently licked Leo''s cheeks before laying down next to him.


    "Hey little buddy! Why don''t you use that tail of yours to cut through this webbing so we can leave this place once and for all?" Leo pleaded with the tiger cub. At this point, the tiger cub was the only thing that could help him escape now and Leo was extremely desperate.


    Hearing such a weird request from its master, the tiger cub looked at Leo and swung its head to look sideways at him before laying back down and closing its eyes. It remembered how big of a fire its tail created several days earlier and was unwilling to see its master suffer.


    Leo spent several minutes pleading with the tiger cub and offering it so many delicacies, including a lifetime supply of food. However, the tiger cub was unwilling to fold and set its master on fire. It even got to the point where the tiger cub started to back away from Leo.


    "Alright you win then!" finally at his end, Leo called out to the little tiger cub in defeat. "How about you come over next to me to sleep? I am sure that you are feeling really tired, right?" Leo asked the tiger cub in a sincere manner.


    Hearing of its victory, the little tiger cub finally realized that Leo was willing to no longer ask it to set him on fire. With a big stride, the tiger cub dashed over next to Leo before falling asleep. Seeing the tiger cub finally asleep, Leo chose to make a move.


    Without wasting any time, Leo twirled himself around until he was close to the tiger cub''s flaming tail. After several minutes, the flame on the tiger cub''s tail started to heat up the webbing until it finally caught on fire!

 62 Escape Successful?

    Some time went by, and then it happened, Leo instantly regretted making this decision. Unfortunately for him, the Spider Queen''s webbing was not something that Leo could physically rip apart for several seconds with the help of the fire.


    So, he just screamed at the top of his lungs for several breaths of time until he was able to finally become free of the webbings. Rolling on the ground to try to put out the fire on his clothes, Leo was now in a miserable state.


    Now in an extreme amount of pain, Leo quickly withdrew some of his vitality potion as he drank two drops instead of one. In what seemed like an instant, Leo''s burned body started to heal at an extremely swift pace until it completely disappeared.


    Once he could feel his peachy skin again, Leo looked over his shoulder towards the Spider Queen''s location which was clearly the massive webbing on the other side of the cave. Since he screamed so loudly, there were now an endless swarm of spiders rushing towards Leo''s location.


    "This seems a little too familiar." Annoyed about the new set of circumstances, Leo quickly grabbed the tiger cub as he sprinted towards the entrance of the tunnel to exit the cave after all this time. For Leo, it was much easier this time since the Spider Queen''s children were either outside of the cave, or inside the cave but in a deep slumber.


    After two minutes, Leo finally found himself in the outside world once again. Kissing the ground and praying to the heavens above him, Leo spent some time worshipping mother nature. It was not clear whether he would be able to escape in one piece like this, so Leo was extremely grateful.


    At this point in time, the Spider Queen called out to her army of lower tier spiders to halt their advancement towards Leo''s location as she called upon all her children once again. Now standing in her lair, her ten children seemed rather on edge now.


    "Looks like you are healing up rather nicely. Mother worried about your future in her army." The Spider Queen told her muscular son who fought against Leo earlier. Although it was able to grow back its arms using a technique handed down by its mother, it was still in a very sorry state.


    "Thank you, mother, I wonder who escaped this time?" the muscular son responded to the Spider Queen''s motherly love. When the Spider Queen spoke positively towards her children, they would usually be safe from any harm no matter what they said.


    Hearing this, the Spider Queen swiftly landed a slap onto this son''s face, sending him flying against the wall of her lair. "You dare ask such an insignificant question when I summoned you all?" she asked as she took a moment to scan the faces of her children.


    In truth, she was an extremely loving and caring mother to these children, but it seemed as of recent, that all her children only feared her wrath on small occasions. How would she live up to her reputation as being bloodthirsty and domineering if her children did not treat her as such?


    "That human boy escaped after refusing my proposal to join our ranks. No matter, if I cared that deeply about such a small child who was unable to slay my child, how could I face the future?" the Spider Queen told her children as their faces were covered in admiration.


    "If my assumptions are correct, that child will be retreating back to that small village not that far from here. Since it is like this, we may be facing yet another raid soon. Either way, I see that child returning one day, and if he does, we can all share that meal!" shouted the Spider Queen before she dismissed her children.


    In a war, all was fair, and she did not care about Leo''s decision in the slightest. Only she knew how formidable the Centaur King was, and soon he would arrive to assist her expansion in this region. What made her feel unsteady, was that Leo was able to clearly escape alone. "Was his physical strength strong enough to untangle himself from my thick webs?" she thought as she ordered a feast for her dinner to several underlings.


    -An hour later-


    "Praise the heavens! Leo I am so sorry but after rescuing this member of my raid party, I had to slowly drain his blood and replace it with my own to rid him of the poison!" Christopher cried out as he saw Leo enter the waterfall area, hidden from the outside world.


    "At least you are also alive, and we have another helper now. How far is the village from here?" hugging Christopher, Leo asked both men this question. He was hoping that they could make their way back quickly so that he could release the thirty or so warriors from his inventory screen.


    "We could make it there in about half a day if we hurry right now and do not run into any troubles along the way." The man next to Christopher said after both men pondered how long it would take to arrive.


    "Good, because I have over thirty warriors with me and we need to head back to the village immediately so that we could save them all before it is too late!" Leo with an excited look on his face told the two men.


    Without hesitating, both men in front of him understood his words. If they were to waste any time, then their comrade''s lives would be at stake. Unwilling to allow any more sacrifices to occur because of the Spider Queen and her children, both men stood up and quickly led Leo towards the direction of the nearby village.

 63 Mission Successful!

    "What is approaching our village in such a wild manner?" one of the village guards asked the rest of the squad of five individuals who stood guard at the front gate of the village. These guards were dressed in what could only be considered as homemade armor.


    Each had a full set of body armor but were lacking any time of armor to cover their heads. Each guard held a weapon and a shield on their backs and sides, but all were in poor condition. It was clear that the village Leo started his journey in, was more well equipped when compared to this village.


    However, if one were to look within this village, it seemed as if the citizens were living much better lives than the other one that Leo originally visited. The reason was simple, the other village would face an endless wave of monsters while this one was only living with the threat of the Spider Queen.


    Unlike the random monster waves, the Spider Queen never launched a true attack against this village. This meant that the villagers were much happier, even though they were less likely to survive against the Spider Queen if she were to send her entire army against them.


    "Hurry up and open the gates! We have many warriors with us who need attention before they pass away into the underworld!" Christopher was the first to call out to the guards as Leo''s three-man squad continued to sprint towards the village gate.


    "Wait, how is it possible?" recognizing Christopher, one of the guards gasped and was in deep thought for a moment before shouting to the rest of the guards at the gates. "They are from our village, hurry listen to what they are shouting and let them in!"


    Quickly arriving, the citizens of the village were caught off guard as more and more of them recognized Christopher and the other warrior who once went on a raid to slay the spiders. However, what happened next, truly blew everyone away.


    Using this time as the villagers around them were distracted from recognizing older warriors who they thought died, Leo quickly withdrew all the warriors who were still tangled in webs. Before arriving to the waterfall area, Leo decided to cut the webbings to allow each warrior''s head to be shown. This way, the villagers would make the decision to help him start the healing process.


    As he predicted, after only a moment, the villagers once recognizing their loved ones who they thought perished in the raid, jumped into action. Like a tornado, the villagers swarmed the warriors as they quickly cut them out of the webs while others ran to their huts to grab anti venom medicine.


    After one hour passed, the warriors who were poisoned and tangled up in webs, were now resting on small beds made of straw and being given medicine to heal faster. Though it would still be several days until these warriors would wake up, the villagers were absolutely thrilled concerning this wonderful grace the heavens gave to them.


    This commotion finally made its way back to the Chieftain''s hut and shocked everyone inside. The Chieftain of this village was of course Maria''s father, but he was much more formidable than what Leo would have expected. With an extremely chiseled body and heroic bearing, this Chieftain was a true leader who even wore an heirloom of his family; a bear''s head over his head!


    "Bring that child and those two warriors over to my hut. I wish to learn about how they were able to save so many of our comrades with only the three of them." Giving out his orders, the Chieftain sat back down on his throne before chowing down on a large piece of meat.


    In this moment, Maria seemed to be in her own little world. "There is no way that kid was able to slay the Spider Queen so soon. What could have happened in there?" she pondered as she sat there silently next to her father and mother.


    -Back in the center of the village-


    "That is right, if it wasn''t for Leo saving us, we would never have been able to come back here. If any of you declare him to be an outsider, we will leave along with him. He is the true hero and deserves to be treated as such!" Christopher shouted out to the citizens of the village who were giving the group a barrage of questions.


    Hearing his words, all the villagers in this moment had their minds made up as well. For this person to do such a kind act for their village, he wouldn''t be treated as anything but one of their own. And one by one the villagers surrounded Leo to personally thank him for his wonderful service.


    Leo felt incredible relief once Christopher explained that he was the main individual who helped orchestrate this rescue mission. His previous experience in the other village made Leo wary about how this one would treat him. However, it seems that due to being in a less stressed environment, that these villagers were more appreciative.


    "Warriors, the Chieftain wishes to meet you three right away. He is very pleased with what you have done for this village and wants to discuss how this all came about."


    Suddenly a group of heavily armed individuals surrounded the crowd, trying to push them away from the group so that they could properly escort them to their leader. These individuals were considered the peak warriors of the village currently and were gifted above average armor and weaponry.


    Looking towards Christopher and the other warrior he rescued, Leo wanted to see their faces hearing about the Chieftain wanting an audience with them. To his surprise, smiles appeared on both warrior''s faces as they nodded and started to walk towards the northern part of the village.


    Seeing that both warriors were relaxed, Leo followed behind them. Though he wouldn''t lower his guard quite yet, he was interested in meeting Maria again and meeting her father for the first time.

 64 Meeting The Chieftain

    As they walked towards the northern part of the village, Leo took the time to take in the scenery around the group and the escorts.


    Though the village itself seemed rather poor and the average citizen were clothed in only commoner type clothing, the village itself looked to be extremely self-sufficient. Every hut had either a small handful of smaller animals that were ready to one day be turned into meals, or plants that were full of fruits or small gardens with vegetables.


    It seemed that this village was more organized but lacked a proper foundation that the citizens could use to continue building themselves further up than just simply remaining self-sufficient as a small society. However, seeing this on a smaller scale, Leo felt that if this could be applied to other villages, that this region that had many human villages could over time turn into something special.


    The city implemented similar techniques and technology to try to battle poverty within and were rather successful compared to the smaller villages. The only issue was that the city used more expensive methods to achieve their results in which couldn''t be implemented to smaller villages of this size.


    "A long time ago, our society birthed some very technological advanced and creative citizens. Since everything that each citizen owns, is mostly found outside of the village, these citizens would create their own cost-effective inventions and made techniques to battle numerous issues." Christopher, once seeing Leo in awe, tried to explain everything to him.


    "What you see in front of you is centuries worth of inventions and creativity coming together to form the type of synergy that could help any society no matter how large or small continue building and expanding. If our village had the means to support more of these practices, there would be no telling what could be accomplished."


    "Unfortunately, many years ago, the city you are from tried to negotiate with the Chieftain of our village at the time. The governor of the city tried to strongarm him into giving away all our new inventions and such. The governor just did not want our village to build into our own city in a short period of time."


    "War is forbidden between those of our race and would be met with the onslaught of the true rulers of our race that command armies from our dreams. Thanks to having that level of protection, we chose to remain independent, while the city continued creating smaller villages to try to expand its power."


    "From what you have done thus far, it seems that maybe over the years, the city finally started to adopt acceptable practices and may be worth trying to negotiate with once again. Our Chieftain only fears that the orcs that are slowly suppressing the city and will overthrow it before an agreement can be made." Christopher finally finishing his explanation paused his words as he looked in front of him.


    At this time, the group finally appeared before the Chieftain''s massive hut. To Leo, this was not something that could be simply considered a hut, rather it was a massive tent that spanned throughout the whole northern part of the village.


    "We will be taking off now so that we can get back to our work. I wish you all well when speaking to our Chieftain." One of the escorts said before signaling the rest to disperse. In only a few breaths of time, the small squad stood there with each other.


    "I will take the lead during this meeting. I remember this new Chieftain when he was only a child. I wonder how much he had grown." Christopher said to Leo and the other warrior. Neither Leo or the other warrior had any complaints and just followed along.


    Two warriors were outside of the hut''s entrance keeping a close watch to their surroundings. Knowing beforehand that these three were requested by the Chieftain to meet with, they casually opened the hut''s flap and allowed Leo and the other two warriors inside.


    Though the village was considered extremely poor, inside of this hut were many expensive looking rugs and stuffed monster heads covering several walls within as trophies. Sitting eating his fill, was the Chieftain as he took a single look over of the group before finishing his meal.


    "It is good to see that you are all grown up now. Truth be told, you always had a leader type aura to you. I can''t say that it is surprising that out of all your brothers, that you were chosen to take the title of Chieftain of this village." Slightly bowing, Christopher and the other warrior showed their respects.


    However, Leo couldn''t help but to hesitate. Sitting next to the overbearing looking Chieftain, was of course his daughter, Maria. Maria''s eyes met with his, before she looked away in resentment. If it was not for Leo, she would have died a terrible death, but in the end, he chose to reject her.


    "My eldest brother was actually chosen to take up this mantle. A nearby barbaric human group fought in a long drawn out war over many years now once our forces were weakened thanks to the raid on the Spider Queen''s nest that ended in failure."


    "Their leader at the time was able to, in a sneak attack, slay my brother. I was not going to sit idly by, and I was able to take his head in retaliation after only a small handful of failed attempts. Once I took that leader''s head back to the village, my father on his death bed from old age named me the next Chieftain." The man explained with sorrow in his eyes.

 65 Brothers?

    "It is sad to hear about your fallen brother. I did not grow up with siblings, but please understand my sympathy for you Chieftain." At this moment, Leo spoke up for the first time during this meeting between the two parties.


    What was strange, was that Leo chose to now bow towards the Chieftain as his other companions have done previously upon meeting him. Sharp stares that could kill if they were physically shaped objects darted towards Leo from around the whole room.


    This did not bother Leo, it only gave him the presence that he wished for his follow up statement. If everyone''s focus were to be turned onto him, his plan of becoming closer with the Chieftain would succeed and his goals would be made a reality that much swifter.


    Leo''s plan was a simple one, he wanted to donate all his books with elemental attacks and techniques to the village so that everyone within could build up their strength faster. At that moment, once he chose to make a move with the backing of the villagers, their side would be able to dominate the Spider Queen and her children.


    Since he would lose nothing by donating those books to the village, this plan that he had come up with, would be the most effective. The best way to earn the trust of a stranger, was to show an unyielding amount of kindness while tricking them in believing that you want nothing in return.


    "So, tell me, what elemental affinity do you have?" Leo seeing that the Chieftain was unwilling to respond to his outburst, wanted to press his buttons a little more. This way, the real show he wanted to give everyone present, would finally begin.


    "A mere child dares to question our Chieftain like this? Do not blame this elder for handing out justice!" after hearing Leo''s words and seeing his disrespect towards their leader, several men in the room started to rush towards Leo with their shields in front of them. They were unwilling to withdraw their weapons because Leo to them, was only a small child that had no manners.


    "Well, it looks like you are unable to control your subordinates like I would expect a great leader of a village to." Shouted Leo as he began to concentrate as several wind shuriken began to form around his body. Not expecting that Leo had full control over his wind element, the men who were charging him halted their movements in fear.


    "No bad kid." Now locking eyes with Leo, the Chieftain stood up with a small smirk appearing on his face. However, what would happen next, was out of Leo''s expectations as he saw the Chieftain unleash his own lightning element!


    On one side of the room, Leo stood there while utilizing a wind element technique. While on the opposite side, stood the Chieftain who was simply unleashing his power and calling forth his own lightning element. There was no telling what would occur next between the two, and if the room would even survive another moment.


    "I think I made my point. I wanted to gift this leader something to help your citizens continue to grow and prosper within this village. I hope that after seeing my gifts, that we can look to each other not as equals, but as close friends." Powering down, Leo withdrew a stack of books as he placed them on the table in front of the Chieftain.


    On the top of the pile of books, was of course one of the lightning style techniques that Leo had in his possession. After witnessing that the Chieftain''s elemental affinity was with the lightning element, Leo chose to place it as the first book that he would look at. This way, it would convince the Chieftain that Leo had enough personal power and a great backing.


    Still unleashing his lightning element without slowing down in the slightest, the Chieftain grabbed the top book to take a quick look. In this moment, he would decide whether he would treat Leo as an ally, or as an enemy that would be kicked out of his territory immediately.


    After reading the cover of the book, the Chieftain started to slowly power himself down. Sitting back in his chair, the Chieftain looked as if he was trying to solve a difficult puzzle as he opened the book to read its contents inside. A brightness could be seen within his eyes after only a breath of time before he looked back up at Leo, now smiling.


    "You call this a gift, but I see it as if you are trying to set up some type of negotiation with us." The Chieftain now feeling calmer said. Directing the warriors in the room and his family to leave as well, the Chieftain was now in the room alone with Leo.


    "You were correct when you noticed that my gift was more than just a gift. I hate the world of politics, but sometimes it can do more good, than evil. My goal coming here with all of those rescued warriors, was because I want to destroy that Spider Queen and her children." Holding nothing back now, Leo was being very blunt with the Chieftain.


    "I see, well, there is only one issue with your goal." Hearing Leo speaking openly and truthfully, the Chieftain started to relax a little more as he responded. "If this village is unable to deal with those barbaric outsiders, we may lose everything even before we attack the Spider Queen."


    "Now that you have saved so many of our warriors who helped guard our village in the past, this may be our chance to finish things with those outsiders. In this war since both sides are human, the winner would take everything and all we would need to do is kill their leader. If we could dominate the other side, those who survive will most likely join us with open arms."


    "The only issue with that, is if I were to battle their leader on a one on one fight, I would have come up short. The only reason for this, is because although I am at the Executive level in strength, I had no real techniques or skills to use with my elemental affinity. Their leader however, had a fire elemental technique passed down to him and with that, our fights would end in a draw."


    "When I looked at the skill within that book you gifted to our village, I saw that it was a more elementary type skill that would allow me to use its contents to develop several techniques and attacks for myself. I estimate that very soon, I will be able to completely eradicate their whole camp in the future simply by using my own hands."


    "Therefore, I will need to ask you, will you become my brother?" with his final thoughts, the Chieftain pulled out a large barrel and two glasses of similar size. "In our village, to become brothers, two men are to share in a ceremonial gesture a glass of this wine. Once both sides finish their wine, they are to be as close as blood brothers and would help one another."


    "Then let me toast to the expansion of this village and the strength that you will gain from my gifts not just now, but also in the future." Raising his glass to tap against the Chieftain''s, both drank and finished their wine in a single gulp before laughing and drinking more afterwards.

 66 Surpassing Current Limits

    -The Next Morning-


    "I have gathered you all here today for only a single reason. Thanks to that group of three, we were able to gain over thirty new warriors who trained in the old ways of our village."


    The Chieftain had gathered all the warriors that were in the village into the training grounds, including all the guards and his personal body guards and disciples.


    With over two hundred warriors of all ages gathered into the training grounds, the rest of the villagers waited to hear what had occurred. The last time so many warriors were gathered like this, was when a full-scale raid on the Spider Queen''s territory happened all those years ago.


    "After discussing some plans with the group''s leader, our village was gifted several books that have techniques and training methods for every basic elemental affinity. Testing out some things myself, I realized that my power and understanding has increased dramatically."


    "The warriors who trained in the old ways, were able to come up with their own training methods for their elements, but they lacked a proper foundation due to that city taking all of the information and education all for themselves."


    "Right now, the plan is to mass produce the contents within these books so that you can all have enough copies to make training easier and more efficient. However, that will still take some time. We will need you all to line up and to tell my assistant your elemental affinity. Those of you who do not know, will immediately take a test."


    "After we understand how many copies we will need to make, all of you will start splitting up into small groups based off your elemental affinity and you will be matched with a group of rescued warriors. Even though their training methods are nowhere near as effective as the books, you will all be able to start your journey as those of us in charge figure this all out."


    Hearing the Chieftain and seeing the excitement on his face made all the warriors present, feel a new level of warmth. They all cheered on the Chieftain as he started to leave the training grounds to allow his leadership to take charge of the situation.


    In a single day, all the warriors in the village were able to begin learning about how to specifically train in their element and everyone was feeling more confident in not just the Chieftain, but the rest of the village''s foundation concerning their strength and battle prowess.


    After night settled in, the warriors retired to their huts and this was when the rest of the villagers understood what happened. To hear that there would not be another raid, but rather that the warriors of the village''s strength would bring a new era to the village made everyone content.


    Constantly losing their children during battles against the bandits and the Spider Queen, made the villagers feel anxious. Now that they calmed down, hope started to appear in front of their eyes as everyone laughed and cried tears of joy with one another.


    The first step to gaining strength as a society, was to allow those who were already showing potential, to continue to grow. Only then, would the village be able to see a shift in their overall foundation as every day moving forward would give birth to one strong individual after another. For many generations now, the village was their home, and now, their home was able to overcome any and all threats!


    -Three days later-


    "As I have mentioned earlier, we would be distributing copies of each book to every warrior here depending on their element. Unfortunately, there is more material for certain elements, but that does not mean that not everyone here is able to train hard and surpass the rest."


    "Now that you are all able to train individually, the daily training regimen of every warrior here including myself, will be changing. Everyone here will be working together in your groups that share the same element as you to grow and build with one another."


    "Not every individual will learn how to use these books in the most effective manner for themselves and their training, therefore group discussions will be a daily occurrence. Share all of your findings with your fellow warriors and let us all grow together."


    "I had plenty of time to train now and I have discovered my own secrets to my lightning element. In truth, even though I would want nothing more than to keep the information for myself and reign supreme, for this village to truly prosper, we all need to give up such hateful thoughts and add to what we discover into a new library."


    "Those who can write very well, will be responsible for creating more volumes for the village and any warrior who falls under the elemental affinity that each new volume created matches, will receive said volume once complete. We are the beginning, and we must start this off the right way for the future of the village."


    The Chieftain had a tough time planning this speech, but after speaking from the heart to all the warriors in front of him, he saw a good sign. At first, all the warriors simply looked at each other before pondering. Slowly but surely after some time passed, looks of determination appeared in everyone''s eyes.


    In a poor village such as this one, every citizen felt extremely close to each other and wanted nothing more than the success of those around them. When someone has nothing, if they are innocent, they will be happy for those who succeed where they failed or have yet to succeed. However, there will always be those with ill intentions. That would be a battle for another day.


    As the books were distributed, each warrior started reading the contents within before slowly sitting down and closing their eyes to concentrate. Each book had extremely basic training methods and techniques, so no matter how below average each warrior''s understanding was concerning their element, they were still able to absorb the information and apply it.

 67 New Skill Acquired?

    -One month later-


    Sitting cross legged in his own area right outside of the village was Leo. Since the time that he handed over all the elemental books to the Chieftain to help build the village''s forces and develop their foundation, Leo was in a small area where he lived by himself.


    On occasion, Maria would come and visit with him, hoping to spar and to understand Leo and his thoughts. The two started to become a little closer as time went on and Maria started to mature in her thinking outside of the battlefield.


    Although Leo was unwilling to take Maria as his own woman, their relationship started to blossom into a brother and sister type relationship. They would share meals together, train together, and help each other with understanding their respective elemental affinities.


    Maria''s father had the lightning elemental affinity, while her mother had the water elemental affinity. Unlike her father, Maria took after her mother and had the water elemental affinity. Even though she could use her water element in a more offensive manner, Maria tried to train more on the medical side.


    The light element which was extremely rare and special and was used mostly to heal the wounded, the water element also had some similar characteristics to it as well. Maria was a woman and the village had its rules against women entering the battlefield, but Maria felt that if she used her element in a medical sense, that it would be the most diplomatic way to convince the masses to allow her to partake in missions and raids.


    The day before this one, Leo asked Maria for some privacy for the day. Not understanding at first, Maria outright refused Leo''s request. However, after some debating, Leo finally convinced her that they would be heading out soon on a mission and that today is when he would break into another level of understanding.


    In truth, Leo wanted to shoo Maria away so that he could experiment a little more with the screen and cards he had. If he were to spend an entire day doing this, how many more secrets could he unlock for himself?


    After eating breakfast, Leo got right to work and started by looking over the cards he had left to see what he could trade them into the screen for. Originally, he wanted to exchange the cards for as many attribute points as possible, but this time, Leo had other plans.


    After shuffling through all the cards available to him, Leo realized that he could exchange them for quite an array of different skills that were not based on the elements of this world. One skill caught his eye and he was extremely excited to test this one skill in combat.


    Exchanging the card for the skill, Leo ran outside and ventured out towards the mountains behind the village. It was known now that the bandits that threatened the village, had their headquarters stationed quite far from the village and on the furthest left of the mountains. Knowing this information, Leo headed towards the right of the mountains to test his new skill on some predators.


    In the perfect world, Leo would want to test new skills out against weak spiders to slowly kill off the Spider Queen''s forces but traveling so far just to potentially kill only a few dozen spiders when there were thousands, seemed too ineffective.


    After traveling for over an hour, Leo finally came across a panther type animal that looked incredibly vicious and hungry. Instead of sneaking up on the panther, Leo revealed himself to it in a carefree manner. Though the panther seemed formidable, it was only glowing orange, so Leo knew that if the new skill did nothing, that the panther wouldn''t threaten his life.


    Up until this point, the only opponents he had faced, could only threaten his life if they unleashed a killing intent that subconsciously made Leo become tense. Otherwise, Leo was always able to go toe to toe with his opponents before needing to unleash his full power.


    As the panther saw Leo reveal himself, it immediately got up and quickly pounced towards Leo at its full speed. While this was happening, Leo could only smirk before yelling out the name of his new skill as he raised one of his hands.


    "Life drain!" he shouted as a mysterious fog started to form from his hand before spreading quickly towards the panther. The panther seemed like it was not bothered by this strange fog as its movements did not slow down in the slightest.


    Wrapping itself around the panther, the fog started to release a faint glow as the panther started to slow down its movements, before finally stopping as it glared at Leo. Knowing that it was at the mercy of Leo, the panther growled non-stop at him hoping to scare him off.


    However, Leo only let out a sinister type laugh as he watched the panther try to struggle free from his grasp. "Even though this skill is unable to allow me to take the energy it drains from my opponents and add it to my own, it still seems incredibly effective in battle. I wonder if this skill could have a similar effect when I face a horde of low tier spiders?" Leo said to himself as he watched the panther.


    After several minutes, it seemed as if the panther no longer had any energy remaining as it just looked at Leo, hoping for it to be released and to continue living. This panther seemed to be living a carefree life before this situation it found itself in and now it finally started to realize how much it valued its life.


    Beep! Beep! Beep!

 68 Stolen!

    -Would you like to make a contract with the creature? -


    Without even thinking about it, Leo read the words on the screen out loud before looking at the panther who was now in a very sorry state. It confused Leo on why the screen would pop up this question, until he realized that the panther gave up trying to stand and remained with its body on the ground, completely exhausted.


    "Oh, so you want to live by making a contract with me?" now walking towards the panther that had given up its struggle, Leo started to talk to it in a respectable tone. For a creature to give up just like this, meant that it valued living over anything else in this moment.


    Watching the panther, Leo went down on one knee so it could lock eyes with the panther a little easier as he released his skill. The fog that covered the panther''s body started to disperse and the panther was able to breathe easier as it looked at Leo with a confused look on its face.


    "Normally I would just kill something like you so that I could have a chance at becoming stronger, but you remind me of someone." Now speaking to the panther, Leo sat down cross legged with a smile on his face. His friend Jack''s personality seemed just like this panther, and it caused Leo to recall some older memories.


    "Since that is the case, I will accept a contract with you. To be honest with you, this would be my first contract, so I hope that for both of our sake, that this ends up going smoothly." Leo told the panther as he clicked the open button on the screen to see the specifics of the contract.


    "Oh?" looking at all the contract options made Leo a little surprised as he read through all of them. There were different types of contracts, but the one that stuck out to Leo the most was the Contract of Equals. The Contract of Equals was like Leo accepting a new member of his squad, except, it left room for the stronger signee to break the contract at any given time.


    "Please accept this contract. If you can surpass me in strength, I will gladly allow you to break this contract between us. I offer you this out of respect for the survival instincts you have showed today." Leo told the panther as he sent over the contract to the panther to read over for itself.


    However, the screen did not give the panther one, and it only notified Leo that the panther had accepted the contract right away. Pondering over this for a moment, Leo could only think that the reason for this was because the screen gave Leo all the contracts that the panther would accept so that he could choose the most suitable for this situation.


    Closing the screen, Leo helped the panther with its recovery using a drop of one of the potions in his possession and led the panther back to his residence right outside of the village. Due to the panther not being a spider or one of the bandits, Leo felt that the villagers would not give him any trouble.


    "Leo what in the world are you doing!?" Once he arrived back to his residence, Maria came outside hearing his footsteps and cried out in shock as Leo had a vicious looking panther following behind him.


    "Oh, I went exploring a little bit today and came across this little guy. Do not worry, if you are nice to him, I am sure that he will not give you-"as Leo was explaining the situation to Maria, she flew up and sat on the panther as she rode it around the area before he could even finish.


    "Uh, Maria?" not sure how to react to Maria''s sudden action, Leo just sat down as he held up his head with one of his hands as he watched Maria and the panther. In a weird way, Leo felt deep down that Maria and the panther seemed like they got along much better than he and the panther did.


    "I will name you Shadow!" Maria said as she got off the panther''s back. "Just remember that only I can ride you though, ok?" she told the panther as she patted its head.


    "Oh, come on! If you are going to name it and give it rules against me, I might as well just allow you to keep it as a mount!" feeling like the whole situation got out of hand, Leo called out to the two as he walked up to them.


    "If you want to join her, I will give you permission, but do not expect me to be very happy about this." As if the panther he originally was going to kill was stolen from him, Leo started to pester the panther before finally taking a deep breath and calming down.


    "Since I can keep it, I will have to thank you kindly." Chuckling from seeing Leo enraged and the panther''s eyes shining with hope, Maria quickly jumped up onto the panther again before riding it into the village, leaving Leo by himself.


    "Well, at least this way, Maria might have even more of a chance to change the politics of the village." Leo thought as another idea popped into his head. Unlike Maria, he still had the little tiger cub that was full of potential. Thinking about riding it into battle, made Leo feel more content about losing the panther as he went inside to cook himself some dinner.

 69 Growth

    "How many did you say?" in his tent, the Chieftain was listening to the reports of all his advisors. Right now, he was listening to his military advisor who was responsible for planning and executing orders.


    In a village such as this one that had a large population and not an overabundance of resources, it was difficult for a single leader to oversee every single area of operations. Therefore, the Chieftain could only rely on these advisors to handle the execution of his orders and plans for the village moving forward in a day to day manner.


    "Chieftain, almost all of our warriors in the past three months have been able to at least grasp some of the basic abilities within the books that Leo individual donated to our village. Not only that, but the librarian claims that over one hundred volumes have also been created." The military advisor told the Chieftain.


    "I believe that if we give it another year or so, we could easily overpower those bandits that are hiding in the mountains just with our raw strength alone. However, we would still be risking quite a handful of casualties if we choose to attack them any time soon." The military advisor said as he bowed towards the Chieftain before sitting down.


    "I understand that you all may be wondering why I am trying to press the matter of handling the bandits in the mountains when we only just began to build up our military strength to a new level." Eyeing everyone in the tent, the Chieftain felt that something was in the air and he needed to explain to his reasoning to his advisors, so that they could continue to serve him without worrying about any of the negative results.


    "The main reason that those bandits have existed for this long, is because they feel that our village could offer them nothing more than additional resources. If this was three months ago, it may have been the case to a degree. But we now have even our average warriors growing at such a pace."


    "If we can overpower them with just using a handful of our warriors with me leading, it may be possible to absorb the bandits into our ranks and with the population increase alone, we would be able to successfully overtake the Spider Queen next."


    "The end goal has and always will be to become a city level existence of our own on equal grounds with the other one in our region. Like everything else we face today, every problem has a solution and in order to reach one goal, we must finish several before it. Remember this, I will bring our village into a new age whether I need to shoulder it all myself, or with you all lending a hand."


    As he said this, the Chieftain chose to slowly stand up and walk away from the table where the rest of his advisors sat. After making such a full-hearted statement, the advisors all looked on curious about what he was planning, but they all felt even more determined to make the Chieftain''s dreams come true in this moment.


    In an instant, the atmosphere in the tent changed as the Chieftain lifted both of his hands, stretched out on his sides as his lightning element started to release from within his body. Once he did this, all his advisors froze as the tent was in complete silence except for the sparkling noise of the Chieftain''s aura.


    They were all shocked currently, as the Chieftain was clearly releasing the power of an Executive level warrior. Trapped at the same power level for so long, it seemed as if the Chieftain would never make the final step into the Executive level. This has of course changed completely once Leo arrived with several lightning element skill and technique books.


    Using the books that Leo brought to understand how to use his lightning element and how to control it, the Chieftain was able to easily make the final step and was now looking like an even more determined and heroic leader of the village. Though they were unsure whether the leader of the bandits had also stepped into the Executive level of power, the advisors were still excited for the future.


    "In two months, I will take the strongest warriors in the village with me and we will strike at the bandit camp with our full force. Do not spread word that I have reached the first step of the Executive level to the rest of the village, but make sure that the warriors are prepared to end this war. The last Chieftain was unable to finish the bandits off, but I will!


    Sitting back down, the Chieftain continued to ask for each advisor''s reports concerning different matters concerning the village. Each advisor reported many different types of growth in each aspect of the overall state of the village.


    Though he was still treated like an outsider by many of the villagers, mainly just because he did not grow up within the village, Leo was able to help the village advance to a more modern level. Combining water and a special type of dirt, Leo showed the villagers how to create clay and to use it to build more sturdy homes and buildings.


    Leo then proceeded to help with creating small inventions to help day to day tasks of the villagers. Slowly but surely, Leo was aiding the village in expanding their horizons in many different aspects. With his contributions, the village seemed to now be entering a golden age. And this meant that those who were not convinced by his earlier donation, were now having their minds changed.

 70 Mysterious Rock

    "Wow Leo, so many volumes of the wind elemental affinity!" the librarian in charge of keeping track of the skills and techniques that the warriors of the village wanted to pass down to future generations told Leo with wide eyes.


    Over the past six months, Leo has contributed quite a bit to the village and at this moment, it was finally time for him to pass down some of his own findings. Although he was no expert by any means, he still produced over twelve different volumes. He had done this in a way to show his kindness to the village, but also as a political tool.


    Leo was not the type who was knowledgeable when it came to negotiating or politics, but, the one thing he did know, was that if he was kind enough without expecting anything in return, in the end, it would eventually come full circle. Keeping this in mind, he was already receiving quite a bit in return from the village itself.


    As more and more warriors that also had the wind elemental affinity donated their own volumes, he would research and improve his understanding as well. This created a way for Leo to continue training without needing to head back to the city to purchase more books himself. Like this, six months had passed very quickly, and it was time for Leo to gain more experience in real life and death battles.


    After donating the volumes, he wanted to donate to the village, Leo left the library and headed back to his residence. Occasionally, he would stop and have some small talk with some of the villagers who he recognized, but he was very hungry today from training so hard in the morning.


    Earlier in the day, the Chieftain sent one of his advisors to Leo''s current living area right outside of the village to tell him that he wanted to speak to him. Hearing that the Chieftain wanted to speak to him, Leo could only accept the invitation, but chose to finish eating his lunch first.


    Finishing his stew and feeding his little tiger companion, Leo left the little tiger cub at his place and swiftly headed towards the Chieftain''s new headquarters within the village. After establishing clay buildings for important buildings, the next building which was constructed would of course be the Chieftain''s residence.


    It did not take very long, as Leo met with several escorts right when he reentered the village. His escorts knew that he was planning on heading to speak to the Chieftain once he finished eating his fill and were told to wait at the village entrance to meet with him. After making some small talk, the escorts brought Leo to the Chieftain''s residence.


    Once inside the Chieftain''s home, Leo sat down cross legged as he allowed the Chieftain to finish his training session. The room was currently boiling, and it was hard for anyone present to breathe, which is why only Leo and the Chieftain was present. Opening his eyes, the Chieftain released his technique and lightning flew from his eyes and smashed against a strange rock within the room that had different inscriptions on it.


    "Damn it, I thought that by now, this skill would be strong enough to crush through those inscriptions!" unsatisfied with the power behind his attack, the Chieftain sat down cross legged and looked at Leo. Once he realized that Leo was present, the Chieftain''s mood slowly shifted into a more serious look. This caught Leo a little off guard, because the Chieftain would never be this serious during their discussions.


    "Over the past six months, you have helped this village become something entirely new. I was wondering how I could possibly even begin to repay your kindness, and that is when I realized that one of my ancestors left something in the treasury." The Chieftain started to explain himself to Leo as he drank some water to refresh himself from his training session.


    "That rock has a hidden treasure within, but the only way to get inside of it, is for an Executive level warrior to use their raw power to crack the rock. However, as you can tell, I have tried every method at my disposal to try to just crack open this rock, but these inscriptions are ridiculous!"


    "The treasure within is something that can help aid our village in its time of need, and I believe that once we take hold of this treasure, that I can share its findings with you as well. The treasure is a map and key that unlocks an invisible door to a mysterious area near the village."


    "This area has been used as a trial area where the warriors who took the test in the area, would be rewarded with power that would be strong enough to protect this village in its time of need. If you and I could come up with how to crack open this damnable rock, I will allow you to take the trails with me, and together, we can hopefully pass and gain new power."


    The Chieftain felt very close at this time with Leo and even wanted him to take the mantle of the Chieftain of this village once he died. Therefore, to allow Leo to take the village''s trial that his ancestors set up, the Chieftain''s mind started to ease up. This was one of the only ways that he would be able to repay Leo in the short term!

 71 Gathering of Warriors

    "I''m sorry, but I do not know a thing about inscriptions. I might be able to bring an inscription master from the city over to help, but as far as my expertise, I am nowhere close to being able to assist you." Leo told the Chieftain as he started to examine the rock.


    "You should know from speaking with so many of the villagers, that we do not have a good relationship with that city where you are from. I understand now that you seem much different than those who tried to cause trouble so many years ago, but as the leader of this village, I am unable to accept any help from anyone but you when it comes to that city."


    "Luckily, I feel that there might be a better way to crack open this rock if you were to help me out. Do not take this personally, but I have had several of my men watching you closely from the shadows to watch how you train."


    "It was never my intention to deceive you, but one of my warriors reported that you were able to combine some of your elemental power into your sword?" The Chieftain asked Leo as he remained sitting.


    Knowing that it would be useless to examine the rock any further, Leo sat down across from the Chieftain. He knew that there were several weaker warriors keeping an eye on him when he was training, and his mind was now at ease since the Chieftain explained himself.


    "That is true, I have found a way to not only put my elemental power into my sword, but also a little bit into my body as well, causing my speed to increase drastically during battle." Leo told the Chieftain as he was not quite sure where he was going with asking him such a question.


    "Very good." After responding to Leo, the Chieftain started to stand up, he had a shine in his eyes now and he was excited to tell Leo about his new plan.


    "Part of being on the Executive level of power, is that I am able to circulate my elemental energy throughout my body with ease. Although I am unable to fully use the power of lightning, I am still able to use a portion of my overall power and place it anywhere on my body as either a form of protection, or to attack."


    "That being said, I am only able to circulate a portion of my elemental power throughout my body, and to even try to circulate that power into my weapon is almost an impossible task at this moment. Leo, can I ask you to partake in a small experiment?"


    "Since it seems that your weapon is a high grade weapon, and you are able to circulate your elemental power without any type of struggle into that weapon, I believe that if I were to add my lightning elemental power as well into the mix, that you would have enough power to crack open the rock with ease." Now holding nothing back, the Chieftain awaited Leo''s answer.


    "I might have a better solution." After pondering over this for several minutes, Leo stood up now and started to tell the Chieftain his idea. One hour later, a group of warriors started to form right behind the building of the Chieftain''s residence.


    Walking over, they saw that both the Chieftain and Leo were standing with a small group of guards beside a big rock with inscriptions covering it. Though they were not told why they were here, they all knew that they all trained using the wind elemental affinity.


    "Alright everyone I hope that you can assist me in this mission. It will not be easy, but I know that with all of your help, we can accomplish what we are all here today for." The Chieftain using his noble aura called out to all the warriors who were now standing shoulder to shoulder in a long line.


    "For many days now, I have tried to crack open the rock you see in front of you. To my surprise, even with my strength, I have been unable to crack the rock open. Over the many months that Leo has took up his temporary residence here, he has assisted our village in ways that I feel I could never repay him for."


    "By using your help to crack this rock open which is full of inscriptions, we will be able to finally repay him for his kindness towards us, as our village works towards the future." After saying this, the Chieftain paused his words, because the warriors started to cheer in confidence. Their leader was not only asking them to help for himself, but for the village as well.


    "Now, I will hand over the rest of this mission to Leo. He will be the one to instruct you all accordingly so that we are able to crack open this rock. Please on behalf of everyone here, put your best effort into this, so that we can shoot towards the future with our wings spread open!"

 72 Shocking Proposal!

    Taking a deep breath, Leo started to walk forward as he withdrew his high-grade weapon. The warriors after cheering, finally stopped their battle cries as they watched Leo approach them before stopping a short distance away.


    All the warriors here were completely unarmed, and they were now surprised that Leo would suddenly take out a weapon as he did while approaching them. None of the warriors knew how to take this, as Leo finally started to give his explanation.


    "Warriors, this question may come across as a little strange, but I wanted to ask if any of you are able to use your wind elemental affinity in any of your techniques? If you are someone who could do this, whether with some struggling or with ease, please raise one of your hands."


    After hearing Leo''s words, the warriors still felt confused to an extent as a small handful of them raised their hand over their heads. Counting the number of warriors that could do this out of the group, Leo was satisfied with what he found. Although the group in front of him numbered over thirty warriors, only seven of them had their hands raised.


    This was only a small number of the total warriors who were of the wind elemental affinity within the village, but Leo only expected at maximum, that three of the warriors would raise their hands. The reason was because as his teacher back in the city told Leo, there were very few warriors under the Executive level of power who were able to do this.


    With that in mind, Leo felt that this plan had a much higher chance to succeed with so many warriors at his disposal now. "Those who do not have their hands raised may leave. Do not worry, none of you have failed the village, it is just that certain types of skills are needed for this mission, and the requirement was this."


    What Leo said was correct, because there were always going to be different types of warriors who specialized in different areas of combat. Some warriors would have an extremely large source of power who were unable to control it, while other warriors would have an average amount of power while being able to utilize it without wasting any of it.


    As a warrior became stronger over time and completed each threshold, it was rare for them to struggle with these types of classifications, since each threshold had different requirements that were not just power based. However, in weak regions such as this one, basic classifications still existed down to the type of weapon a warrior chose to wield in battle.


    After giving some encouraging support to the warriors who were able to remain and take on this mission, the rest of the warriors all left and went back to training for the day. Since Leo knew that there would be a small pool of those who would be able to remain, he had the Chieftain gather all his volumes from the library.


    This way, the warriors would not return to their training empty handed for taking a trip like this. Now with determination in their eyes, the warriors left with a new-found goal in their mind. Though they would not be able to assist this time, they would give it their all so that the next time they were called upon, they could assist their village with all their strength!


    Now with everyone gone except for those who remained, Leo started to instruct the seven wind element warriors. Hearing about the plan, shocked each of the warriors, including the guards who stood by the Chieftain.


    "From your facial expressions, I can tell that you all are thinking the same thought. It is true that the theory is simple enough to explain, but the execution of such a theory would require not only the right amount of power, but trust."


    "If one of you pour too much of your power into me, it is possible that my body will explode before even reaching the rock with my sword. This mission may seem difficult with a high chance of failure, but I believe that this is a safer option than having the Chieftain pour his lightning elemental power into me."


    "The positive out of all this, is that you all seem to have a very average level of power. Therefore, to start we will only try to pour up to ten percent of your overall power into me. The technique for this is one which you will all train in for a single week. Though the technique is not a high leveled one, and most of your power will leak out before even reaching me, this will help the overall success rate of the mission."


    Now with the seven warriors and the guards calming down, Leo distributed seven books to them before walking with the Chieftain back to his residence. Luckily, one of the wind element trainers was available to help guide the seven warriors who were to take on this mission in their training.

 73 Deep Discussion

    "It would be great if they could improve even just slightly over this next week or so. Though I hate trusting others with my life, on the path of power, you must sacrifice in order to continue walking down the road towards greatness." Leo told the Chieftain as they started to drink some wine.


    "I have faith in the warriors of my village. You may not think so, but after living through countless battles with the others, I realized that it does not take much for those warriors, including myself to work as hard as we can so that this village could continue to exist."


    "Tell me Leo, in the city you are from, does its citizens think this way? Or does its citizens care more about their own blood and refuse to stick their necks out for fellow citizens?" The Chieftain now laughing from his drunken state asked Leo in a casual manner.


    "In the city, it seems that those who show potential are given more care than those who fall behind regardless of background. From what I have seen, some small groups are formed between warriors who venture out to temper their strength, but that is usually not enough."


    "The more noble households within the city stick together and for the most part make sure that they sustain their power and foundation. However, I wouldn''t put it past certain alliances between them to not crumble due to some of the more internal power struggles that exist." Leo explained to the Chieftain with a grin on his face as well.


    Throughout his time in the city, Leo was considered part of the alliance who housed and trained him. Leo, although could still technically do what he wished, remained loyal to his squad and their households. However, if the alliance were to offend him in a way that was inexcusable, he wouldn''t hesitate to become completely independent.


    These sorts of ideas would continue to pop into Leo''s mind occasionally, since he did not grow up in the city and was already not originally even from this world. He did not spend too much time pondering over those types of ideas since he only cared about becoming stronger.


    Like others in this world, Leo found out since the beginning, that those who wielded enough power, were able to do as they wished to an extent. If a warrior slaughtered a village, they would be hunted down immediately, but if a warrior was formidable and kept to themselves, that warrior would have nothing to worry or fear.


    "I see, it is almost as if that city is full of poisonous and evil thoughts. We all are human after all, which means that if it is for the sake of survival, no matter how they felt against one another, they would join to repel any forces who threatened their way of life." The Chieftain after listening to Leo, started to give his own thoughts.


    "Power itself can be very poisonous and would be able to corrupt those who would be considered angelic. Strength breeds worship, but those who run into those who are always one step ahead of them, sometimes want nothing more but to surpass those."


    "Leo, as you continue to grow and mature, you will see yourself slowly becoming a little shark in a lake full of fish. At that time, you can decide whether to continue to go on small campaigns to temper your strength more and more, or to remain in that lake for the rest of your life. Just remember to remain true to yourself and those around you."


    "I was young once and was brimming with potential. Although I could have ventured out towards the stronger forces that our human race has, I chose to remain here and to watch over this village until the day I pass on the torch to someone else." The Chieftain after speaking, started to order some of his servants to make a small feast.


    Little did the Chieftain know, his words stuck out towards Leo and gave him plenty to think about. Leo already knew that thanks to this mysterious screen of his, that he could become stronger and stronger, but at the same time, he was still pondering over what he should do after defeating the Spider Queen.


    In this life, death was now not an option, and he was still full of regrets for his choices in his past life. Though he would never be able to go back to his past life, he could still make things right by pushing forward and living the best life he could now that he was reborn into this new world.

 74 A Drastic Change

    -Two days later-


    "Father, I am asking you as someone who can keep up with the others, please allow me to venture outside of the village and temper my strength!"


    At this time, Maria was finally trying to talk to her father and to convince him to allow her and several of her followers who were all female to go on a small adventure outside of the village in order for them to become stronger.


    Although the laws of the village were not easy to change on a simple whim like what she was asking for, her father could still make some exceptions due to him being the leader of the village and the head of their big family.


    WIth his level of influence, it would be quite simple to allow his daughter to travel outside of the village to face different life and death battles. But as a father, he still felt the need to remain protective over his daughter.


    Some would argue that the Chieftain would have acted in an over domineering manner by making that type of choice for his own daughter. However, Maria was his only offspring and he was unwilling to lose a potential future leader of the family.


    In truth, the village and its situation took a complete turn for the better thanks to Leo''s contributions. At this rate, even if he were to lose his daughter and all of her followers, the village would still continue to rise in power and potential.


    Using this to her advantage, Maria finally tried to convince her father to start making some adjustments to the village laws. This way, she would also be able to take advantage of them, while increasing her own sphere of influence.


    Maria was always training hard like the men of the village while the females of the village chose to do more house based work. This meant that Maria was the strongest female in the village by quite a large margin. Therefore, if the women of the village wanted to experience change on a political level, she was their best option to support.


    Although some women had their husbands as backers for their own political power, the overall status of the women of the village was below that of men. Maria was not the type who wanted to lead a woman based revolution, but she knew that if she could take control of all the others in the village, she would hold a significant amount of power and control.


    Waiting for her father''s response to her plea, Maria started to become very aggravated as she continued to feed him more examples of why she would still remain safe even in the face of danger.


    "Thanks to Leo, I have this guy backing me up when I ride him. Do you really think with such a physically strong pet supporting me, that I, Maria, your daughter is unable to cut down my foes?"


    "Little one, I understand that you are eager to continue increasing your strength, but I have been thinking hard about another idea for you. Are you willing to listen to your father just this once?" The Chieftain said as he took a deep breath and exhaled.


    "Once Leo and I return from our mission which is going to happen very soon, I will be more than happy to start changing some of the dynamics and laws of this village to allow women to have a bigger role in our village''s society."


    "So please just be a little more patient and I promise that once I return, that you can go out and explore the world with whatever squad you choose to make out of the batch of followers you currently have. Until then, I will permit the women of this village to start training in their elemental affinities."


    "From what Leo has mentioned to me, the city not far from here is only as powerful as they are, because they allowed the females to train just as diligently. I am going to allow this change since our village needs to become stronger, and because Leo personally asked this of not just me, but the council as well."


    After a moment of blinking out of the shock of her father''s words, Maria''s face started to let out a particular type of brightness as she smiled for the first time in many years in front of her father.


    "Then father, please allow me to make the announcement tonight. It would be wise for the strongest female warrior of the village to make such an announcement to the rest. Thank you, Chieftain."


    Kowtowing to her father to show her appreciation and to confirm that it was not just because she was his daughter that such a decision was made, Maria then stood up and left with her followers.


    The reason she had done this, was so that when word got back to the influential women of the village, that they would be convinced that Maria was the one who fought for this change. By acting in such a manner, Maria with this simple gesture was able to solidify her new political standing in the village.

 75 Agenda

    -That night-


    "Ladies and gentlemen, I have an announcement to make." Maria standing up in front of all the villagers who were attending called out as she wore her battle armor with her weapon by her side.


    In this moment, she looked like a beautiful warrior who did not even need to use a weapon, in order to kill her foes. Rather, all she would need is to look at them with her bright eyes in a seductive way.


    "I have spoken to the Chieftain and he informed me that from this moment onwards, the women of this village will also be able to train in their elemental affinities."


    As Maria had said this, everyone listening including Leo, were stunned by the recent development as cheers started to appear throughout the citizens.


    After the male warriors of the village became stronger than ever before from what Leo had donated to the village, everyone felt that if the women of the village were also able to train, that the village itself would be more formidable.


    In the back of the banquet hall, several women with strange auras around them nodded in agreement as the woman in the middle of the table stood up to leave the banquet hall after locking eyes with Maria.


    At the table, were many of the women who held a large portion politically speaking within the village. The woman who stood up was the leader of this small but formidable group.


    As the banquet continued with many of the male warriors talking more to their wives and sisters and even their daughters about training, Maria sat next to her father while many individuals went to greet her.


    Now that Maria made such an announcement, all of the focus was now on her, and her father allowed this. Although it would still be difficult to convince the council to hand over the Chieftain role to his daughter, the Chieftain still wanted Maria to grow her influence so she would never be bullied.


    Being responsible for the whole village was not an easy task. Even if it was giving up their solidified foundation within the village and its politics, the Chieftain at the bottom of his heart always wanted his daughter to never become the next in line for his position, and only to live a long and happy life.


    After several hours, the women from the back of the hall started to approach Maria and to show their respects to her. At first, Maria was only invited into the group thanks to her affiliation with the Chieftain. However, now, her foundation would grow and surpass them all very soon.


    "Maria darling, Joanna wanted to speak to you at her residence after you finished eating your food. You have done very well, and we all pitched in to give you a big present." one of the women said as she also began to bow towards the Chieftain out of respect.


    "Maria, you should go now. It is getting rather late, and I was planning to end the banquet itself very soon." after seeing that Maria was being invited over by a group of her friends, the Chieftain allowed Maria to leave the banquet early.


    As Maria left, Leo actually took her place next to the Chieftain and they spoke about many topics for the rest of the banquet before sending everyone back to their residence. However, the Chieftain brought Leo and his advisors back to his building so that they could discuss something extremely pressing.


    "Chieftain, I sent a small squad out that specialized in offensive techniques to scout out the Spider Queen''s territory. They unfortunately all perished, but one of them was able to notify us about new developments before passing away." one of the advisors told the Chieftain as the rest of the room listened respectfully.


    "According to him, the Spider Queen has started to take in more and more land and is slowly drawing closer to our village. There are no signs that she and her children are receiving any outside help at this moment, but it is very likely that within the year, she will be fighting us with her army of spiders."


    "If I may cut in, I also have something to report." another advisor respectfully cutting in said as the Chieftain nodded his head in approval to hear what the other advisor had to say.


    "Right now, it is safe to say that if the Spider Queen does not personally enter battle against us, that we have a chance to repel her forces."


    "Due to the new training regiments that every warrior in this village has started, if we also see a similar type of growth with the women who we now allowed to train, we may be outnumbered, but the quality of our warriors versus the average spider is rather vast."


    "If it were up to me, I would say that we should attack the bandits in the mountains very soon so that we could add their strength to ours. If we were to do this, our village would have a chance to annihilate the Spider Queen, instead of them killing us all." the advisor explained as the Chieftain dismissed everyone except for Leo.


    "I agree with them, but we both know that unless we are able to take that test my ancestors left for the village, everything else would be meaningless." the Chieftain told Leo before continuing.


    "If we took over the bandits before we were to take the test, it would endanger the whole village with me not being present. And if we were to meet any unexpected danger from the Spider Queen and her forces, the bandits would more than likely take advantage of the situation and enter our village without any resistance left."


    "I am counting on your plan so that I can save my people from annihilation. Though I would be willing to put myself in a dangerous position if it meant success, I appreciate that you are willing to be gravely injured just to help our village further."


    WIth that, the Chieftain discussed some minor problems that the village was still dealing with before sending him back to his residence for the rest of the night.

 76 Jacob Appears, Again?

    -On the other side of the village-


    "Maria, it is great that you were able to come, even though it is so late." opening the door to her residence, the woman standing there was none other than the leader of the group of women at the banquet.


    "Please, come in as well as all of you. We have quite a bit to discuss now that Maria finally made her first move in the politics of our village." smiling as if she was a peaceful older woman, the leader of the group gestured everyone else to go inside her home.


    The room was rather dark, with only a few lit candles spread around the living space of the home. It was almost as if, the woman planned to make sure that passerbyers would not assume anything was going on inside.


    "You have a wonderful home." Maria told the woman as the group all sat down in a small circle next to one another. This was the first time that the group had met at Joanna''s home, and this was the first time Maria set foot inside of it.


    Joanna''s husband was a very influential figure in the village council and so there were many small treasures inside of Joanna''s home. Such wealth was hard to come by for the average villager, which showed just how formidable Joanna''s husband and herself were.


    "Maria, unlike the other sisters in our group, you have yet to officially meet the man who has helped us grow up to this point. He has been wanting to see you for quite some time now." Joanna said while Maria scanned the room.


    The other women in the group all started to snicker to themselves which made Maria feel a little uncomfortable. Though she was feeling uncomfortable inside, she was unwilling to allow the women to pick up on it as she waited for this mysterious man to present himself.


    "I hope that you are not disappointed, Jacob." Joanna called out to the other side of the room. This caused Maria to look at the direction Joanna had called out this mysterious man''s name out. However, she was unable to clearly see even a shadow!


    "Maria, I am sorry that I was unable to see the speech you made at the banquet tonight, I hope that you can forgive me just this once?" a voice called out to Maria as the women in the room bowed towards the corner of the room.


    "Up until this moment, I have tried to persuade Joanna and the rest of the women here how valuable you are to the cause. To see that you are now on board and taking up your own position of power within the village makes me feel very content moving forward."


    "If it was up to me, you would have already surpassed your father politically and would be sitting in his seat right now. Alas, some plans take more time than we would like. That being said, I hope you are ready to help us all achieve our own goals."


    "Do not worry, with my family''s backing in the city, you will have an unshakable position here in your territory. However, this unshakable position will unfortunately for you, come at a cost that you may or not be open to make." the invisible figure explained to Maria, still refusing to show itself to her.


    "What cost may that be?" after spending several breaths of time absorbing the invisible figure''s words and understanding the meaning behind them, Maria asked this out of curiosity. She was determined to gain as much power as she could, and if this figure could assist her with this, she would be willing to sacrifice almost anything!


    "Your father as well as that Leo brat are planning to partake in a test that your ancestor''s have passed down over the generations. Without even thinking about bringing you along, they are meeting with all of his advisors so that they could go and take the test." Jacob said before continuing on.


    "If they were to reach the test area and gain the power that your ancestors once used to compete against our city, there would be no possible way that our forces could help you gain the new Chieftain position. I am sure you understand the meaning behind my words?" an evil chuckle could be heard by Maria after Jacob finished speaking.


    "Are you asking me to murder my father?" with the peach color on her face fading and being replaced with paleness, Maria almost couldn''t let out her words as she struggled to imagine the scenario that Jacob had forced in front of her.


    "Do not worry, I have invited two executive level warriors from my household to deal with your father and Leo. As long as you cooperate, not killing your father would still be on the table. However, with or without you, what needs to be done, will be done." Jacob said as his evil laughter started to grow soft before it was clear that he had left.


    "Do not worry Maria, Jacob actually was kind enough to promise us that he would bring an advanced technique over from his household back in the city to assist you with building up your strength. It will be up to you to try and force your way into the executive level, but you can leave the rest to us." Joanna told Maria as the rest of the women in the room stood up and began to exit.

 77 Hidden Dragon?

    "Joanna, I do not know if I will be able to follow that plan." Now sitting down nervously and with some sweat pouring from her face, Maria felt as if something was not right. Almost as if, she had made the wrong decisions up until now to join this group of women and to seek more political power.


    "Oh child, do not forget that I was the one who brought you many luxuries and training regiments. The sacrifices for you that I made, was not an easy price to make." Joanna replied as she sat down across from Maria while wearing a sinister grin on her face.


    For Jacob to outright tell Maria that her father and Leo would have to be either destroyed or somehow removed from the village and its future, Joanna understood the meaning behind his words.


    Jacob was a very cunning young man who had years of growing up under his household that was an extremely formidable existence. Saying what he had said to Maria was also a signal for Joanna to firmly convince Maria that what they were doing was the correct path for her.


    "If it is about paying you back for the treatment you have shown me, that would not be an issue. If I could just tell my fath-" before Maria could finish speaking, Joanna slapped her face as she flew across the room in pain.


    Though she was not even spitting out a mouthful of blood, Maria was clearly not expecting Joanna to act in such a manner and thus, the slap caused more damage than it should have.


    "Must I remind you that although Jacob took a liking to you, I am the true leader of this group?" unleashing a dark aura around her body, Joanna was now presenting her real strength to Maria, and to Maria''s surprise, Joanna seemed as strong as her father!


    "E-E-Executive level?" filled with fear as if she was being swallowed by the air around her, Maria started to cough out a mouthful of blood as she realized that she was entrapped simply by Joanna unleashing her power, rather than a technique.


    "Jacob''s household several years ago gifted me a training technique that has given me the strength to reach the executive level of power even before your father was able to. Do not think that I am the only one as well. Right now, Jacob stationed another executive level warrior outside of the village, including the two he will be also sending over to help deal with your father and Leo."


    "Do not worry Maria, one day I hope that you will be able to surpass me in raw power. However, for now, you must understand that even if you were to tell your father everything, that it would be no use, and you would also be gravely injured in the process."


    With her final words being said and with Maria now completely terrified to the point where she could only go along with the current plan, Joanna hid her aura yet again and helped Maria to her feet. With a hand gesture, two of Joanna''s guards started to help Maria return to normal as they headed out back to her father''s residence.


    "Maria darling! I hope that we can continue being such great friends, and if you ever need anything, please never hesitate to come by!" Joanna now wearing an innocent and bright smile on her face called out to Maria and the escorts.


    Hearing Joanna''s voice, all of her neighbors now understood that Maria and her were now very close friends. Assuming that everything was normal, the neighbors quickly spread word around the village by the next morning that Joanna and Maria were now very close.


    This caused many of Joanna''s political enemies within the village reevaluate their current situations as they made their way over to Joanna''s residence to hopefully get on her good side. As this was happening, many of the neutral parties around the village also began to pay Joanna a visit as well to try and work with her.


    In the span of only three days, not only Maria, but now Joanna was considered by many of the villagers to be unshakable political figures within the village. This was not something that scared anyone, since it was clear that Maria was someone who spoke up for all of the women in the village, while Joanna was a supporter since the beginning of hers.


    As each day went by, the women of the village began to get their elemental affinity tests done, as they were then immediately given many volumes of training methods and techniques that matched their element. Though they were not nearly as strong as the men of the village who trained for many years longer, there was a slow and steady rise of strength among the women of the village.


    "So Chieftain, I believe it is time to finally try to break open that rock." Leo said in a cheerful manner as they were escorted to the training area where the rock was stationed in by all of the Chieftain''s advisers.


    "Just remember, if we are able to finally break open that rock using this strategy, not a single villager will think of you as an outsider. I understand that your contributions have been both of quality and quantity, but I believe when we get back from the test, I would like to present something more to you than just becoming a citizen of the village." the Chieftain said as the advisers near the two men that were speaking started to break away slowly from them to give them some more privacy.

 78 What Type of Proposal?!

    "Leo, did you know that throughout my life, I had a total of five wives?" The Chieftain asked Leo as they stopped right before arriving to the training grounds where the rock and the wind element users were.


    "Although I only had a single child, that you now know is Maria, I did in fact have a total of five wives. Maria''s mother was my first love, but after realizing the power of building a foundation, my parents helped set me up with many other women as well to establish firm relationships between our families."


    "You might already have someone in mind to be your first wife, especially since you are a very formidable young man with limitless potential. However, if you could, I would like to, when this is all finalized, to hand my daughter over to you."


    Hearing the Chieftain''s words, made Leo feel several drops of blood forming within his nose as his whole face began to blush excessively.


    It was clear that if his plan worked, that the Chieftain would have almost nothing left to offer Leo for such high contributions to the future of the village. But, Leo was still thinking back when he first met Maria.


    Though, Maria was indeed a woman that held just as much potential as he did, Leo was still unwilling to marry someone who''s first love was not another human, rather, the battlefield.


    Leo understood that it took someone with a particular personality to actually enjoy fighting and slaughtering enemies. When he entered into his berserk mode, he would feel a similar rush, but at the end of the day, he still did not feel as if he enjoyed killing his enemies.


    "Chieftain, I hope that you can forgive me while I say this, but I hope that we could revisit this conversation once we finish this upcoming adventure." After pondering over this, Leo decided to respond in this way to buy him some more time, while still being respectful towards the Chieftain.


    "If that is what you would like to do Leo, I have no problems with your answer. Children these days shouldn''t rush into anything that could permanently impact the rest of their lives. Just forget that I brought this up for now, and let us continue onwards to the current situation at hand." the Chieftain laughingly replied.


    In the back of his head, the Chieftain knew that Maria had initially taken Leo''s potential pet that would be able to accompany him into battle. What he did not know, was that his daughter was the type of girl who loved the battlefield.


    On the way back to the village after Leo had saved her quite a while ago, Maria was able to sneak back into the village without anyone actually realizing where she had gone, or even what she tried to do.


    The Chieftain had always given his daughter some space due to her slowly becoming a woman. What the Chieftain wanted, was for Maria to not push him away if a problem were to arise in her life. By allowing her to live her life, the Chieftain realized that their bond may not turn for the worse.


    Finally arriving to the training grounds, the advisors were the first to call out to the group of wind element users who were just finishing up their lunches. Today was a day where they were to continue training, but extremely lightly.


    Leo had given these instructions, because he wanted the warriors to be able to execute the technique he had given to them to learn without any issues. At the same time, Leo understood that if it would take more than a single try for them to do this properly, that the warriors would need enough energy to continuously try again and again.


    The real goal here was to be able to break open the rock before nightfall. This way, the Chieftain and Leo could finish their preparations before heading out the next morning. Time was something that was very valuable now, and the sooner that they could head out, the better the results they would yield.


    "As you all know, the future of this village is riding on what we are able to come up with here and now. There is very little room for error, but I believe that you all were able to grow significantly this past week due to both the pressure and understanding of what we are doing right now."


    "I want you all to concentrate and begin to build up your power, very slowly. In five breaths of time, I will be raising up my sword over my head. At that time, you will all pour all your energy into my body and I will channel it into my sword attack."


    "Once I feel that in my body, I can control all of the power that you are all allowing me to borrow, I will strike the rock and the inscriptions on it. As this is happening, the Chieftain will watch the rock closely and if only a crack appears, he will unleash a strong attack to hopefully break it open. Let us show that we will not need him to do that by working hard together!" Leo called out as he started to take out his sword and getting in to position.

 79 Success or Failure?

    Focusing on the rock in front of him which was full of inscriptions, Leo was trying to examine it one last time just to find a single area around it that had a weak spot.


    Though he was unable to see one in a single breath of time, Leo began channeling his wind element around his body as the warriors behind him were concentrating on his movements.


    Once Leo gave them the signal, they would all unleash their techniques together and target Leo''s sword with there energy. However, Leo did not draw his sword immediately as he unleashed a technique of his own.


    A small whirlpool of wind started to form around the rock, almost as if it was trying to lift the rock into the air above the ground, where it sat unshaken.


    The only warrior present who did not show a confused look on his face, was the Chieftain. Leo already told the Chieftain his strategy in the most amount of detail privately. This was so that the Chieftain would be prepared to act if a situation occurred where he would need to without hesitation.


    The rock still remained on the ground as if Leo''s technique had no effect on it. The warriors started to feel that something was off, but still remained vigilant and ready to assist Leo at any time now.


    Drawing his sword, Leo''s eyes started to glow with a faint light as if he was slowly becoming one with the wind as he started to make several small steps as if there was an invisible staircase in front of him.


    With each step he took, Leo''s energy started to become stronger and stronger, as if he was powering up to slaughter an army of monsters. This frightened the warriors present, because they have yet to become strong enough to defeat Leo themselves in a battle.


    Lifting his sword above his head, Leo''s signal was finally given to the warriors who were beginning to channel their energy. One by one, each warrior started to unleash their techniques and simply fed their energy to Leo, so he could do as he pleased with it.


    After several breaths of time, Leo started to feel his body shake from some of the strain, using so much wind energy. However, Leo decided to keep up this momentum and to keep his mind clear and tranquil.


    A single minute later, the warriors who were feeding Leo their energy started to collapse one by one from the strain on their bodies and strength. This was something that Leo was expecting, as he now started to pour every ounce of strength into his sword.


    Seeing the way Leo was now acting, the warriors who were still standing and feeding Leo their energy, stopped immediately before sitting down cross legged to prevent themselves from fainting.


    With his sword now filled with more energy than he could ever hope to produce himself, Leo finally decided to make his move. One would assume that Leo would simply slash his sword onto the rock, however, Leo chose to stab the rock instead!


    Crack!


    As his sword stabbed the rock, leaving a very large indentation within it, the inscriptions around the rock started to come undone. What happened after his attack, shocked everyone who was still observing the situation.


    In a mere moment, Leo''s sword fell from his hands as his body dove towards the ground. Using so much energy in a single strike, caused Leo to suffer some backlash and caused him to faint from pure exhaustion.


    "Hmph." Instead of catching Leo before he fell face first onto the ground, the Chieftain decided to instead, use his full power to unleash a powerful lightning filled punch onto the rock.


    With this, the Chieftain was able to finish the job, and the rock was now completely broken in many pieces, while a folded up large piece of paper was flying away from the aftermath of the impact.


    Quickly grabbing the piece of paper, the Chieftain had a very large grin on his face before observing those around him. With Leo and several other warriors knocked out from using so much power, the Chieftain ordered everyone else present to help bring them to the village''s infirmary before heading back to his residence.

 80 The Betrayal

    -A short time later-


    "Oh father, you are back?" sitting in the Chieftain''s residence was Maria and the group of women. The Chieftain knew that Maria would have visitors today, and so he just went along with the scene in front of him.


    "Oh Chieftain, it looks like you are very excited about something!" one of the women cut in as she raised her glass of wine to signify her respects towards the leader of the village.


    "Maria, although I gave you permission to have some of your friends over, I must ask you to excuse yourself and them so that I can start my preparations." the Chieftain still trying to remain courteous explained to the group of women.


    "Chieftain, we will of course give you the privacy that you have asked for. But first, can we pour you a glass of wine as well? This wine was passed down for several generations of my husband''s family and it would be an honor to have the Chieftain enjoy it along with us." the older woman in the room said as she pulled out an expensive bottle of wine.


    In this moment, the look on Maria''s face changed slightly, but her father was unable to see this sudden and minimal change in his daughter''s face.


    -Earlier that day-


    "What do you mean that today is the day that we are to act against my father?" Maria cried out as Jacob was explaining the plan to all of the women in the chambers.


    "Do not worry, your father will feel absolutely no pain when he drinks this bottle of wine. The only pain in which he will experience, is his power being taken away from him entirely!" Jacob laughing with a sinister tone in his voice told Maria as the rest of the women present laughed along with him.


    "But.. But.." trying to think of a way to convince Jacob not to act the way he wanted to, caused Maria to stumble upon her words as she started to become silent. Not even having enough strength to face Leo in combat, what could she do against three executive leveled warriors?


    "It seems that maybe we chose wrong." after a breath of time, Jacob signalled the two other executive level warriors in the chambers to grab hold of Maria''s arms as he walked towards her.


    "Do not worry about a thing, after placing this curse on your body, you will be unable to betray me until your father is completely finished. If you choose to act against us until that time, your body will become completely paralyzed and you will die shortly after!" Jacob shouted out as he started to chant the curse.


    -Back to the present-


    "Well, there is no point in wasting such a fine looking wine. I will of course take a glass out of respect for your husband and I hope that this will signify us building a closer relationship with one another." the Chieftain said as he accepted the glass full of wine.


    "To our powerful leader who will bring a new golden age to the village and who will lead us on the path of domination!" raising their glasses, the women in the room all toasted among each other as the Chieftain started to drink the wine.


    "Why thank you ladies, it is great to see that you all are referring to me as your new leader in such a dark ritualistic way." a voice called out in the dark corner of the room.


    "And you ar-" suddenly before the Chieftain could finish his sentence, he started to puke out a mouthful of blood as he fell onto his knees in pain.


    "No! Father!" trying to run to her father''s aid, Maria was slapped downwards by one of the executive leveled warriors who were also present in the room. Feeling the sudden unexpected impact, Maria felt several bones in her body cracking.


    "Oh do not be patient now, the fun is only just starting!" with a sinister laugh, Jacob finally showed himself in front of the Chieftain along with one of his personal guards.

 81 Operation Begins

    With the Chieftain on the floor still trying to recompose himself, Jacob stood over him as if he was eyeing down a little fly with its wings broken.


    In this moment, the Chieftain looked like he was a middle aged crippled man with very little life sprouting out from his body. It was almost to the point where those present could barely recognize him other than his face.


    "You must be wondering what led us to this moment?" Jacob spoke as he continued watching the Chieftain struggle just to lift his head up. Although he was on a schedule and needed to act quickly, Jacob still wanted to torment the Chieftain.


    "Your daughter has always felt overly sheltered as well as the other women in this room. Fortunately enough, my household was looking to expand our foundation since we recently ran into some trouble back in the city."


    "It is amazing, the things you receive reports on when even a small village like this one has so many internal struggles. Sure, from the inside looking out, it does not appear this way. However, from the outside looking in, this village of yours looked like a fresh piece of meat just waiting to be devoured!"


    "After meeting with these lovely women one at a time over the past several months, my followers brought to my attention that of all things, you the Chieftain did not allow the women of your small and insignificant village to cultivate."


    "If you had only done this, it wouldn''t have been as easy for us to convince so many of your influential villagers to turn against you and to join our ranks. Besides, what better motivation is there, other than strength and power?"


    "Speaking of a gold mine just waiting to be taken over by my household, I quickly made proper arrangements for a select few in this room to cultivate using very specific training tools. As you can tell by now, those tools allowed these women to draw out quite a bit of power in a short amount of time."


    "Do not worry, my household only wants me to look over this village and continue building it using the resources at our disposal. And with you handing over the village leadership to your daughter, I will simply take her hand in marriage and create a new era for us all!" Jacob explained as everyone in the room except for Maria kowtowed to who they deemed their new leader.


    "Now, before you are taken away and never heard from again, do you have anything else left to say before everything you owned and loved is taken away from you?" Jacob asked the Chieftain as another sign of torment. Jacob wanted the Chieftain to curse him until the very end to fuel the darkness within his own heart.


    "If you think that you will be able to do what you wis-" trying to respond to Jacob''s threat, the Chieftain coughed up another mouthful of blood before his body shut down and he fainted on the spot slowly twitching.


    "Take this one away and make sure to lock him up in a place where he is unable to escape on his own. As for all of you, this operation will now begin. I trust that you all know what it is that you need to do?" Jacob asked his executives and the women warriors present.


    "Yes milord!" everyone replied without a single moment of hesitation. The only thing that they had to their advantage was their individual strength. As long as everyone present acted before the villagers could come together to stop this madness, the operation would be a successful one!