Julius was going to die.

These little fuckers were absolutely relentless. It didn't help that there were so many of them that he couldn't even count how many. It also didn't help that they were extremely fast.

Most of them were Tier 3s, with only a couple of them being Tier 4. However, at this point, he would much rather fight the bears again. These things were like overgrown mosquitoes and kept on pecking him with those sharp little beaks of theirs.

The fact that he was fighting in the sky was another issue. While he had much better control over his flight than before, it still didn't mean he was automatically an expert. It definitely didn't mean he would be able to fly as well as creatures who were literally born with wings.

He was a mere fledgling when compared to the birds harassing him.

He cursed loudly once more when a bird got lucky and managed to poke him right in the eye. All the vision in his right eye was gone, and he felt blood pour out of it. At least he didn't let the bird go without punishment; he snatched it out of the air with his hand and snapped its neck. He then took its body and threw it at the swarm.

However, now that the bird's body wasn't being actively reinforced with mana, it just exploded into red mist. He let out another grumble as dozens of birds attacked him once more.

His barriers worked, but there were so many birds that it was hard to keep up. They also possessed a penetrative skill that allowed them to break through after striking the barrier enough times.

He quickly blasted himself away and started to weave throughout the sky. If he was going to be forced to fly around, he might as well take this opportunity to practice his flight skills. He dodged and weaved as best as he could, although it still didn't help him that much.

There were just too many enemies, and they were too damn nimble, which allowed them to get away easily.

After a little more time, he realized that practice was pointless since he wasn't really learning anything and was just a pin cushion for these birds.

Therefore, he sighed in annoyance and blasted kinetic energy in an outward sphere. They were weak enough that they were injured just from this. It also did a decent job at clearing out a good portion of them. It wasn't what he had planned, as he could really use some training, but he also realized this might not be the best time.

He let them get close again, but it was harder since they were a little more wary now. However, eventually, he had another opportunity to let loose another blast, taking out one more nice chunk of them.

Unfortunately, that was the only chance he got anymore. They were smart enough to understand not to group up so closely anymore and stayed at a distance. Julius tried to taunt them, hurling insults left and right, but predictably, they didn't understand what he was saying, so it was ultimately pointless.

They appeared to be attempting to tire him out or something, and didn't attack him very much. They surrounded him and prodded him with attacks.

Eventually, he got tired of them and made his move. He was planning to practice his kinetic energy to improve his control, but it was clear that his kinetic energy was ill-suited for a battle like this one. It was mainly a close combat affinity, and he wasn't like some of the other students who were able to use it for long-range attacks.

For example, Arthur was really good at creating compressed lances of invisible kinetic energy to pierce his opponents from long range. Julius wasn't that talented and, as such, had to resort to mostly punching things.

He grumbled to himself as he dodged another stubborn bird. It wasn't like he was jealous or envious of such a skill. That would be silly.

Regardless, now he was forced to use his other affinities to take care of the birds. He looked at the hovering birds, using his kinetic energy to keep himself stable in the air. On a good note, he didn't bob around like he used to.

When he first started to fly, he would often bob up and down as he constantly adjusted how much kinetic energy he needed to stay aloft. Now he could stay still and have more control.

He let his fire mana rush through him and quickly gathered his mana together. He let out a small laugh as he felt his mana respond to his demands so eagerly. Despite his concentrated efforts on kinetic energy for these past months, controlling mana still came more naturally.

Additionally, it almost felt like his mana control got better with his improvements to his kinetic energy. There were similar aspects to both that he was able to implement into his mana manipulation.

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In a matter of seconds, he was able to form dozens of small, concentrated needles of mana. Each of them had a shimmering blue that pulsed with power. He immediately noticed the bird's reaction to this. Their auras had brief flashes of confusion and wariness.

It was much too late by the time they realized what was happening. Julius sent these constructs outward, and a blizzard of superheated needles rained down on the birds. They were still pretty fast and small, though, which meant he wasn't able to get all of them.

However, that wasn't the end. He made sure to keep control of these needles before they shot into the distance and had them wrap back around.

He waved his arm and let these needles swirl around him like a tornado. Everything within fifty feet of him was turned to mist as the needles ripped through the frail birds. Some immediately decided to run and try to escape, but Julius was right behind them.

Their speed was impressive, but it was their nimbleness that made them a threat. In an all-out race, he could go faster if he pushed himself. He chased down the largest section of retreating birds, controlling his needles to follow right beside him.

Funnily enough, he was generating so much speed from the circling needles that it created a vacuum effect. Thus, the light-bodied birds found themselves getting sucked into the vortex of wind and vaporized.

He laughed manically as the little fuckers who had been ganging up on him were torn to shreds.

"Yeah, not so fun now, is it?!" He hollered out as he chased them down.

They stood no chance, and he blasted himself across the sky, trying to take out as many as possible before they all flew away.

He pouted when he saw that he had allowed some of them to escape. The few Tier 4s he had sensed within the group had never placed themselves in danger. They had let the weaker Tier 3s attack Julius while they hung out in the back.

Cowards.

He looked at the notification he received at the end of the fight.

[Kinetic Energy Refinement lvl 7 -> lvl 8]

Afterward, he slowly floated over to where Cain and Freya had been watching him. He was covered in blood from the small wounds he had taken from the birds, and let his healing skill take care of him.

Thankfully, the clothes he had found in the storage ring were already proving their worth. He hadn't realized it, but they had some kind of self-repair enchantment, and the holes in his shirt were slowly patching over if he infused enough mana.

They were also nice because they adjusted to the size of the wearer. That meant they fit him perfectly. He didn't know if he had ever worn such comfortable clothing. There were some undergarments in the ring as well, but he was a bit more doubtful about those.

He didn't mind wearing the shirt and pants, but for some reason, the idea of wearing another person's underwear made him uncomfortable. He didn't care that the clothes had a cleaning enchantment either. It just felt… wrong.

"Huh, I didn't know you could do that," Freya commented when he flew over to them.

"Do what?" He asked with a scrunch of his brows.

"That," she said while pointing at the needles he hadn't let break down yet.

"Oh! I mean, like you already know, my mana manipulation is pretty good. But I guess you haven't really seen me fight using my constructs," he noted.

He didn't know why, but he saw Freya look up at the heavens for some reason, and Cain stifled a chuckle.

He tilted his head, wondering the reason for that, but just shook his head and ignored it.

Eventually, Freya spoke once more. "Should we stop at the next town for the night? If I recall correctly, it's the nicest town we will be able to reach by the time the sun sets," she asked them.

Julius nodded his head tiredly. While he was sure that neither Freya nor Cain had been going all that fast for their standards, Julius was absolutely wiped. He had been blasting himself as fast as he could for the past several hours. Their "slow" speed was his absolute limit.

To be fair, it didn't help that he was attacked by hundreds of birds just moments earlier.

***

The three of them stayed the night at a really lovely hotel in the fancy part of town. It was practically a five-star hotel from his old world, sort of like the Four Seasons, but more magical.

They had multiple restaurants inside the hotel to choose from, and after a lot of arguing, they finally agreed on a place to eat. They stuffed themselves until they couldn't eat anymore, and then got some dessert, before going to bed.

When morning came, Julius had to peel Drasil from his face. The little guy still loved to sleep on Julius's face at night. This time, the life spirit's foot had somehow lodged itself in Julius's mouth.

Julius had to wipe it down before he tucked Drasil into the still warm sheets, letting the little green guy get some more sleep, something Drasil appreciated if the soft whistling coo was any indicator.

After they all got up, they went out for breakfast. Thanks to the recommendation of one of the hotel's staff, they tried a place not too far away from where they stayed. It was a local cafe, and they were shocked at how busy it was. It was so busy despite it being relatively early.

They eventually got their food, and he was glad to say that it was worth the wait. The food was absolutely delicious. So with a tummy full, they decided to walk around the town before heading out.

Both Freya and Cain were surprisingly really fun to be around. He would have thought they would find all of it boring. But they were having more fun than he was. Cain was goofing off, and despite Freya's light scoldings, Julius could tell that her husband's antics amused her.

They ended up spending more time than they initially planned, but they didn't regret it. It was a nice change of pace, and he doubted they had many opportunities to relax when they were in Auraulos—too many responsibilities.

However, they were on vacation and were making the best use of this free time.

He didn't mind either. He had fun and even managed to start filling his storage ring with some tasty food he found along the way.

All in all, it was a very productive day.

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