Warrior - Level 43]

[Warrior - Level 44]

[Mage - Level 39]

"Was it supposed to be that easy?" Jack asked as they hovered above the treetops in Lev's bubble. Out of boredom, he was flying around its edges and killing any stray monsters.

"For now," Lev agreed. "Your weapons, skills, physique, intellect, and several other things combined give humans a massive advantage in the first two ranks. Monsters will slowly close the gap before becoming stronger than the average human at level 350 or so."

"Is that actually true?" Amelia asked, her interest obvious. "Everyone keeps saying it happens at the Master rank, but no one ever goes into details. You should have felt the change."

"I'm the last person you should be asking that," Lev chuckled lightly. "I soloed dungeons as a new silver hunter, so my perception of danger is very skewed. If I had to guess, it happens in the later stages. Level 400 or above. That is, if you never neglect any of your skills and strengths."

"You also only evolved recently," Jack remarked, mostly for Amelia. "Have you fought many?"

"Actually dangerous monsters? Only one. Or maybe two. I don't know what the wraith could do if it got close."

The suns were close to setting when Lev flew high up and asked his team to close their eyes. Accelerating, he stopped a few kilometers away from Whitefall after half an hour.

"You might want to see this," he said, causing his team to open their eyes again.

Red and orange painted the horizon in a beautiful vista as the suns slowly vanished underneath, thoroughly absorbing their attention. Lev also enjoyed the scene and slowed his Perception to let his mind wander.

I sincerely hope they don't take my 'bragging' negatively, he sighed in his head. They need to be ready to face strong monsters on a regular basis, even if I have to alienate myself a little for it. Jack is smart, though. He will understand even if the other two don't. Forcefully adapting their mindsets to make the extraordinary seem ordinary is necessary.

Of course, the moment was interrupted by a beep coming from the alert crystal in his pocket. Taking it out, he noted the direction and immediately flew towards the grand forest while keeping his bubble completely concealed.

"Is everything alright?" Kayla asked, eyes closed, like her friends, not to become dizzy.

"A call for help came through," Lev replied. "It's unlikely to be anything too strong if it's so close to the city, so I thought you guys should see it too."

Ten minutes later, he stopped close to the treeline and watched who had called him. Another Master mage was hovering above, keeping a close eye on the silver team currently on the run from several massive pythons.

[Green Python - Level 233]

…

[Green Python - Level 210]

They can't outrun them, Lev noted, waiting to see if the mage would make a move. He did, and a controlled fire bolt pierced one of the snakes in the back.

"Who is that?" Jack asked, having opened his eyes after feeling that they had stopped.

Lev shrugged a shoulder. "Don't know. Probably another hunter."

The silver team, who were relieved to see the Master mage, went into a panic as more pythons burst out of the forest, these ones way bigger. Lev immediately powered his lances as the fire mage also started channeling spells. The man's head turned abruptly towards them when the lances left the bubble, their enchantments overloaded and structure infused with a 'small' amount of lightning, at least by his standards.

With large shockwaves, they shot forward faster than bullets. Two of the large pythons were pinned to the ground and stunned by the lightning, though the wound wasn't lethal. Another perished on the spot as a lance went through its head, and two more were engulfed by condensed fireballs, lighting up the flat area with their blasts.

[

You have slain [Mature Green Python - Level 281]

You have slain [Mature Green Python - Level 277]

Your Group has slain [Mature Green Python - Level 278]

]

The initially wounded python was also finished off by the Master without much trouble, and Lev killed the remaining weaker snakes with precise arrows, putting an end to the chase.

Stepping on a round barrier platform, he flew out of the bubble to show himself. The other hunter nodded at him, which he returned, before the bubble swallowed him, and they were going back to Whitefall again.

"That was a nice little side quest," Lev wondered out loud with a smile. "Were you guys able to see it all clearly?"

"I couldn't," Kayla answered, a little surly. "Only after the other hunter set the corpse alight could I see what was happening."

"What level were they?" Amelia immediately questioned after that. "Both of them."

Lev didn't let his smile show. If he was worried about the other two being negatively impacted by his carefree attitude, Amelia was only going to take it as a challenge. He was starting to realize that, instead of fanning the flames, he should try to teach her more about the dangers of being a hunter.

"220s for the first-threshold ones, and 280s for the rest. They were poorly matched, which was the only reason we could deal with them so easily. Fighting them up close would be way more difficult," he added the last bit deliberately, exaggerating quite a bit. Stargazer would've easily torn them to shreds.

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"I see," said the swordswoman who definitely didn't see his point.

Lev considered talking about it but dismissed the idea with a mental shrug. They could cross that bridge when his team started fighting actually dangerous monsters.

"So… where do you guys want to stay?" he eventually broached the sensitive subject. Their moods immediately soured at the question, though they were giving it some thought. Lev overrode them. "I have a place booked already if you guys want to stay there?"

Looks were shared before they agreed. He suppressed a grin.

Ten minutes later, they landed in front of the Golden Basilisk's massive branch, towering over them as Lev led them inside. Ignoring their discomfort, he marched up to the receptionist.

"How much for…" he trailed off and glanced back at Jack and Kayla. "Do you two want one room?"

Kayla's cheeks reddened, and even Jack's face twisted in a nervous grin. Lev didn't react more than an amused smile, giving them time. They were adults, after all.

"One room," the healer answered in a small voice.

Lev nodded and turned back to the waiting receptionist. "Three of the largest suits for non-members… for a month. How much would that cost?"

"Eighty silvers up front," came the immediate answer. Summoning the coins, he took the entrance cards and followed the straightforward directions while handing his teams their cards.

Choosing their rooms at random, Lev entered the leftmost one, bordering Amelia's. The couple got one on the other side.

Inside was… pretty much a whole house, he surmised. A large bed, a similarly massive dining table, two different studies for relaxing or researching in, a window showing the city, half covered by a luxurious curtain. The suite had everything. Even a restroom that he didn't need, though his team sure did.

Now what? he thought while entering the shower. Setting it to the coldest possible, he sat down in the bathtub under the falling water. Hopefully, the merchants guild has a few long-range communication crystals for me to buy. Can't even contact Dennis from here… or maybe I can. Hmm.

He would have to go and ask. Perhaps the man was currently in Whitefall, since it was the final stop for adventurers before they ventured into the Grand Forest.

Ten minutes later, he dried himself and summoned comfortable blue pants and a green sweater over his body, for the combination looked quite nice. Or at least it did in his completely tasteless opinion. Fashion sense was something that was never a thing for him.

None of his teammates seemed to be ready to go out if their locked doors were any indication. He ignored them and quickly entered his bubble parked on the lawns outside. With a simple mechanism, he could sacrifice cheap second-threshold cores to constantly keep their concealment powered.

The merchants guild was rather empty when he entered. Not wasting any time, he walked up to the closest attendant behind a counter.

"Is there a collector called Dennis in WhiteFall right now?" Lev asked once the man noticed him.

"He is."

That's a neat coincidence, Lev thought and waited as the man went to fetch Dennis. Hopefully it was the same Dennis, or explaining would be embarrassing.

"I was wondering who it could be," came a familiar voice. Dennis gave him a reserved grin, waving for Lev to join him for a walk.

Exchanging pleasantries took a few leisurely minutes before they got down to business.

"Do you have any communication crystals?" Lev inquired, sorting out the details in his head. "Something that can work for a few kilometers between teammates."

"They come in sets," Dennis nodded. "How many do you need?"

"Four."

"You're in luck then," the merchant grinned. "I just happen to have a set of four, though they are… very costly."

Both of them were now on the second floor, in an isolated room. Lev absently rubbed his chin while considering how to pay, since the man was clearly not interested in money.

"Before that," Lev summoned the wraith core. "How much is this worth?"

"Oh, that's rare," Dennis immediately leaned forward to inspect it closely. "It's always either Stealth or Shadow, rarely both. Yeah, this can cover for the communication crystals rather easily."

Lev stored it back in his ring under the disappointed merchant's gaze and took out his remaining B-Hide. "What about this material?"

"B-Hide?" the man asked in surprise. "This is even rarer, to be honest. The current amount you have can outfit at least four people in normal armor. Are you sure you want to trade it?"

"Depends. How easy will it be to acquire materials as durable as this one in the future?"

Dennis snorted. "B-Hide is one of the rarest ones we know of. You can guess the rest."

With a small sigh, he summoned the wraith core and handed it to Dennis, shoving the ideas of using it to power concealment on his armor to the back burner. B-Hide was both too valuable and the material he wanted to equip his team with. Jack would benefit greatly from having such a strong shield, and Amelia could also exchange more blows with monsters by relying on it.

"Pleasure doing business," Dennis made the core vanish and took out four crystals, each as long as Lev's palm and dark blue. "These bad boys have a stable range of twelve kilometers. Messages can be sent somewhat reliably up to fifteen, and anything beyond is only viable as a last resort. The chances of them making it through are slim."

"Noted," Lev said, absorbed in the little things in his palm. Enchantments were cloaked thoroughly, and he had no plans to pry them open either. Instead, it was the desire to test them immediately that made his palms itch, though he shelved the prospect for tomorrow. It could wait.

"Will that be all?" Dennis brought his mind back to the present.

Lev stored the crystals, finding them vanishing into his ring without issue. "Depends on if you have any fire cores. Also, some with durability."

"Fire cores… I have just the thing, yes. Here."

[

Magma Warg Core

Possesses Large Mana Capacity and Decent Mana Conductivity. Useful in crafting.

Shows properties of fire.

]

"How much?"

"Take it," Dennis waved off the question. "Consider the trade even now. The warg core isn't that rare, as opposed to the wraith's. Also this."

[

Stone Serpent Core

Possesses Large Mana Capacity and Mediocre Mana Conductivity. Useful in crafting.

Shows properties of hardening.

]

"Hardening?" Lev questioned out loud. "I'm assuming it works best with that enchantment?"

"Yep. It's also one of the most common enchantments, so you can find it pretty much anywhere."

"Does stone enhancement rune count?"

Dennis blinked before grinning. "From Stone Snakes? It's actually one of the best matches, yes."

"Sweet. What do I need to pay for this?"

"Fifty golds."

The transaction was swift, and Lev bid farewell in the next few minutes and marched to the orphanage. He could feel both Orianna's and Sherron's auras inside. They were chatting merrily in the hall under a sound ward when he entered through the main gates.

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked beforehand, getting a casual wave to take a seat in return. They sat around a small round table, more fitting for kids than adults.

"How'd it go?" Sherron asked, head resting on the table.

Lev shrugged and leaned back into his small chair. "Like you'd expect. They all have strong classes, and monsters like wolves and goblins don't exactly hold a candle against them."

"Don't let them rush too much," Orianna said, mimicking Sherron's resting state. "They need to get used to the full extent of their capabilities and gather some achievements with them."

"Of course," Lev smiled slightly. "Given their number advantage compared to my lone efforts as a Classer, as well as Kayla's presence and buffs, they will reach level 100 in no time. If they agree, I'll let them level freely and then train them for a long time at the cap. That way, they will both push the limits of their skills beyond what anyone their age should be able to and also rack up some high-level monster kills. My methods will also remove their mana issues," he added the last part as an afterthought.

Sherron looked impressed, but Orianna was frowning.

"And how are you going to have Kayla train her healing skill?" she asked, eyes slightly narrowed.

"No self-mutilation on the agenda, I assure you," Lev chuckled. "For starters, I was thinking I'll just wound myself a little. Since my Constitution is so high and backed by two evolutions, she will have a lot of trouble healing even small cuts. That should help her level the skill quickly, I'd say."

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