The journey to the second city, Bluerock, went uninterrupted and they kept moving without stopping at the city. Twenty days into their quest, the caravan halted at the start of the most perilous road on their route. This part was notorious for its roaming monsters and packs. When they entered the area, the leader of the iron party called for a brief stop.
“The area we are about to enter is called Roaming Wilds. Most notably, Trolls, Orcs, Bears, Goblins, and Hornstrikers constantly move throughout the region. From now on, I want all of you to remain vigilant and report any unusual occurrences and all monster sightings.”
Both bronze teams gave him a stiff nod. Something about the area they were entering set him on the edge. Lev noted that it wasn't just him acting weirdly, everyone looked tense. The grasslands around them stretched as far as they could see and evoked an ominous instinct.
After only 10 minutes, they were attacked by an Orc raiding party of 14. Lev identified the closest ones.
[Orc - Level 55]
[Orc - Level 52]
Shit, too high for us.
The iron team moved ahead and met their charge while the leader shouted orders. “Stay behind, and do not let any of them go around us. Focus on protecting the carts and Merchants!”
Lev looked back at the two dozen or so merchants. They looked ready to fight if the need be, despite their non-combat classes. Mentally approving their resolve—or greed, Lev focused on the Orcs. He moved closer to the fight to get them inside his manipulation range, stopping just twenty meters away from the iron team and looking for any openings to exploit. The iron team noticed the bronze team mages coming closer and created small opportunities.
When one of the Orcs tried to jump on a mage from their blindspot, it didn't notice the whirring barrier aimed for its neck. The skin parted with little resistance before the barrier stopped dead after hitting the bone, unable to damage it. But it had done its job as blood was rushing out of the wound like a fountain.
Dismissing the barrier, Lev looked for any more opportunities. An orc had a fireball explode in its face, disrupting its obvious slow overhead attack. Before it could regain its bearings, a sharp piece of wood smashed into its eye. Roaring in pain, a barrier cut halfway through its neck before it could even take a step. With a carotid artery severed, it bled out in moments. The mages in Lev’s team could not find another opening as the remaining orcs were too close to the iron team. Another Orc went for a slow attack, disrupted by the other team’s mages. Despite both bronze teams’ constant attention, only one more orc fell to their tactics.
About five minutes later, all of the Orcs were dead, but that did little to ease their worries. The leader of the iron team looked slightly disgruntled, and everyone else was considering if moving further was worth it.
Less than 10 minutes in, and we were already attacked. And there's still more than a week of travel remaining before we get to Windkeep.
Peter looked at the lower-ranked teams and nodded to both of them. Even if there was no room for the melee combatants, they had done well. Slowly, his expression eased as he walked up to the merchants.
None of the previous uncertainty was present on the iron team leader’s face, unlike the merchants. Peter scanned each of them, taking in their expressions and body language. The usually money-hungry traders were tense, unwilling to stay here any more than necessary, one way or another.
“We need to make a decision,” Peter started. “Either we turn back now or make a run for it.”
The Merchants looked uneasy, and one of them stepped up. He looked like a man in his thirties if longevity from levels was ignored. With a deep sigh, his eyes roamed the monster corpses before looking at Peter.
“How likely are we to run into something above your Level?” He asked the leader.
“I am sure you are as aware of this as I am. The chances are minimal,” Peter explained.
The merchant looked back at the others and nodded. “I say we make a run for it. Who agrees?” Most of the merchants agreed with him, so they mounted their carts again.
Members of both bronze teams looked slightly confused and worried, but they believed if Peter did not deem informing them worth it, they would not ask. Somehow, both teams deduced that they were better off not knowing.
Lev checked his notifications before they started moving.
[
You have slain [Orc - Level 51]
Your group has slain [Orc - Level 50]
Your group has slain [Orc - Level 50]
Arcane Barrier Manipulation Leveled up to 3
Opportunity Leveled up to 3
Bladewalker has reached Level 20
…
Bladewalker has reached Level 26
35 Free attribute points
]
I need mana. Lots of it. If nothing changes, we will be fighting all the way to Windkeep.
With that in mind, Lev put 2 points into Intelligence and Wisdom and one in Perception from every level.
Feeling his mana pool expand, he grinned. The class provided far more mana than what was typical. Looking at his status, he decided that his attributes were now high enough to start using his barriers for movement during fighting. The strain was still too much to fight on them while manipulating other barriers and maintaining the shortsword edges. Grabbing his short swords, he meditated on how to make them more efficient. As it stood, they used far too much mana and conscious effort.
Half an hour later, Peter's voice brought him back to reality. The carts stopped. Everyone stepped out and faced Peter.
“The plan is pretty simple. My team and I will stop anything too strong from making it to the carts. And you. Your job will be to defeat the lower-level monsters and protect the merchants. Do not let the carts get damaged if you can help it.”
The orders went unquestioned by both hunters and merchants, and the carts moved to form a circle. The merchants barricaded themselves between them, preparing for the worst. The iron team moved to his left, where Lev saw what they were dealing with.
Goblins, Trolls, and … are those goats? Probably the hornstrikers Peter mentioned.
The two mages of the other bronze team stood on top of the carts. Jack, Amelia, and the rest of the bronze team moved ahead. Kayla stayed behind to heal and support anyone in need. Lev glanced toward her, which she understood. Feeling the Intelligence buff kick in, he formed a barrier and floated above the bronze frontline.
The meaner and tougher-looking Trolls and Hobgoblins engaged the iron team, letting the smaller monsters move around them. As soon as they got in range, the mages atop the carts launched their spells. Fireballs, earth projectiles, and wood projectiles killed half a dozen on the spot. Jack readied his hammer, undeterred despite his lower level compared to everyone else. The air heated around Amelia, ready to attack directly or fuel her body enhancement.
Finding a decent angle, Lev launched three of his six barriers in a straight line through the monsters. His increasing attributes and skill levels allowed them to pass through their frail bodies easily. The barriers left a line of corpses and severed limbs in their wake. Stopping them just before they went outside of his manipulation range, he was about to call them back up before three fireballs flew at him. Blocking two with his remaining two barriers, he jumped to the left to avoid the third. The barrier beneath him smoothly flew under him again to provide a platform. Lev narrowed his eyes, barely managing to catch a glimpse of the camouflaged goblin shaman.
Floating back down, Lev killed as many goblins as he could before warning the frontline. “There’s a shaman in there somewhere, using some spell to hide. Be careful.”
Mages also noticed the fireballs, firing their own spells in hopes of hitting the shaman. The iron team had taken out two of the giant trolls and was currently dealing with the remaining hobgoblins and a single troll.
Focusing back on their fight, Lev noticed a hornstriker running up to Jack, which he observed intently. The monster had coiled muscles visible beneath its little fur and a pair of horns far too big for its stature that ended in sharp points. Its head was similar to a goat but elongated, its mouth filled with sharp teeth, turning it into something much more terrifying than the mundane animal. Jack sidestepped the mindlessly charging monster before Amelia beheaded it. Lev was about to float up before two more fireballs flew at him. Now that he was wary and waiting for them, he intercepted with little trouble. The barriers withheld the explosion without cracking, and the slight damage was repaired at a low mana cost. Moving to not let the explosions impede his vision, he focused on where he had last seen the shaman. His perception was just high enough to see it. A surge of excitement went through him as he finally spotted the distortion of the shaman’s hiding spell. The battle fervor clouded his mind, and he ignored the safer option of cooperating with the other mages and started running.
Weaving through the goblins and hornstrikers, he eventually took to running on his barriers to avoid their increasing numbers. By now, his intelligence and perception were high enough to reliably put one barrier in front of the other to run on them, even if the task was still strenuous. Kayla’s buff made it considerably less demanding.
His mad dash was interrupted when he noticed a large amount of mana gathering in front of him. The momentary lapse allowed his mind to break out of whatever trance he had fallen in, and he scrambled to get all his barriers in front of him while he crouched to make himself a smaller target. The monsters avoided the shaman’s vicinity, letting Lev hunker down without worrying about watching his back. No sooner than his knee touched the ground, the world turned white. A thick bolt of lightning shot toward him, breaking through all six of his barriers before petering out on his armor, cracking it at his stomach where the attack had landed.
Lev was too focused and defenseless to think of retreating after checking for any damage to his body, so he concentrated on creating a small barrier with the sharpest edges he could manage. Forming one in record time, he sent it toward the center of the distortion. The spell wavered and disappeared, revealing the shrieking form of a staff-wielding goblin holding its left arm. The limb was no longer whole, ending in a stump coloring the grass red with fresh blood. Not wasting a single moment, Lev recalled the barrier and beheaded the stunned monster.
Instantly, he called the barrier below him and floated higher before running to the frontline. Slowly forming four more barriers, he stopped above the frontline and took care of any stragglers.
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
Ten minutes later, the hunters were back at the carts. Lev knew he had messed up badly, and he was met with glares from everyone. Peter held a stormy expression on his face as well.
“Why would you do that? Why would you run directly to a monster double your level through a horde of goblins and hornstrikers.”
Lev remained quiet, but Peter continued.
“Even if you had it planned out, could you have predicted the lightning bolt?”
Peter preemptively stopped his scolding after seeing the boy’s regret and acceptance. He took a deep breath to calm himself. “For the sake of everyone who cares about you, go sit in your cart and think about how stupid that was. You are lucky that goblins are the weaker monsters for their level.”
Lev wanted to say something, but no words felt right. Peter’s words further underlined how close he was to losing his life. All because the above-average was getting to his head. Lev mounted the cart and sat inside, sullen and disappointed in himself.
He tried to figure out what came over him. Lev had cleared a path toward the shaman and accounted for the position of higher-level monsters. That was supposed to facilitate both bronze teams as they hunted the shaman, not for him to take on the task alone. As he was thinking this, his friends also sat down close to him. Kayla spoke up first.
“That was dumb.” She continued before Lev could say anything. “I know you thought it was a viable course of action, but what if it was hiding hobgoblins next to it?” Nobody else said anything, increasing the sting of the words.
That further dampened his mood. Adding Kayla’s perspective, the risk of his plan seemed tenfold. Even if he had survived the full-powered bolt by some miracle, a single thrown weapon from a hobgoblin could’ve skewered and ended him. The interaction emphasized his delusions even more if Kayla thought he had found the plan viable. He couldn’t bear to tell her he had lost himself in the battle.
Don't throw your life away, Lev. Bluerock suffered from the same tactic that Kayla just mentioned.
****
The caravan moved throughout the day and a few hours after sunset. When it was completely dark, they parked the carts together and slept inside without creating any sources of light. Mercifully, nothing attacked them during the night.
Sleep eluded Lev for the first two hours. He was both confused and angry at himself. Running through a horde of enemies to face a foe that could kill him on the spot was the height of stupidity. For a while, he just lay down and thought about his actions. Kayla and Peter’s words kept ringing louder and louder in his mind. Eventually, he broke out of that negative train of thought. Sitting up, he looked outside the cart and the plains extending as far as he could see. Or would’ve been able to see during the day.
So much more to explore, yet I risked my life this early without a second thought.
The realization evoked a mixed response, both amusement and weariness. Lev was swept up in the battle and let it cloud his judgment. Sara, the archer’s words came to mind. The implications were more clear than ever. If he didn’t pace himself, it would only result in an early grave. There was a reason why people who hunted monsters for sport didn’t last long.
Sleep eventually came. Lev checked his status before going to sleep.
[
Name: Lev
Class: Bladewalker - Level 31
Titles: None
Attributes:
Strength: 34
Dexterity: 39
Constitution: 37
Intelligence: 100
Wisdom: 64
Perception: 51
Class Skills:
Arcane Barrier Manipulation - Level 3
Incisive Edge - Level 2
Whirling Rim - Level 2
Barrier Armor - Level 2
Opportunity - Level 3
Swiftfoot - Level 2
Heavy Lifting - Level 2
Needle Precision - Level 2
General Skills:
Mana Manipulation - Level 10
Identify
]
Barrier armor gaining a Level was another reminder of his recklessness. His class benefit and intelligence both strengthened it, allowing him to survive. Not letting himself dwell on his blunder even more, he looked at the first triple-digit attribute in muted satisfaction and drifted off to sleep.
The next day, everyone unanimously decided to rush to Windkeep as fast as possible. One of the mages in the iron team focused on long-range spells, so they kept watch from atop the carts, redirecting them to avoid any roaming monsters. They made great progress, only stopping twice to deal with unavoidable encounters. Unbeknownst to them, Kayla’s buff greatly helped the horses keep going.
The second time they stopped was because of a big Orc party. Lev counted 22 of them, all of them higher level than the ones they had faced before. Grimly, the iron team moved ahead to intercept them and left the others to provide support while defending the merchants and carts. This time, however, the Orc leader led 13 of the Orcs to occupy the iron team while the remaining Orcs charged the carts. The leader Orc itself looked bigger, a few inches taller than the rest. Its muscles were more defined, and its face was less misshapen. Just by gazing upon the monster, Lev knew it was different from the masses.
Stony resolve was apparent on Peter’s face before he steeled himself. With a single order, all of the iron team stopped conserving their mana. The melee warriors enhanced themselves to the limit while the mages loosed massive spells on the orcs running toward the bronze teams. A massive bolt of lightning arched between three orcs, killing them on the spot, and a massive fireball hit the center of their loose formation.
Wasting no time, Lev got the buff from Kayla and formed six barriers, each one half a meter in diameter. He launched three of them at the stunned orcs, aiming for as many weak points as he could. Necks, arm joints, and knee joints were carved, impairing four of the standing orcs or disabling them with pain. Jack and Amelia moved ahead with the other three bronze warriors, not wasting any time and letting the orcs recover. The defense-oriented fighters took the lead, most of them focusing on Jack and the other full-plate warrior because of his taunt skill. The first Orc reached Jack, already unable to use its left arm after being wounded from Lev’s attack. Jack’s shield shone brightly, and he hit the monster straight on. It was completely disoriented and swiftly decapitated by Amelia.
No other monster fell as swiftly. Before long, all of the Orcs were on their feet again despite the injuries. The frontline turned into a slugfest, both teams methodically focusing on singling out Orcs and taking them down one by one. Every time someone was out of position, Kayla’s roots or Lev’s barriers would be there to cover them. His high perception allowed him to keep his barriers close to the combatants and react at a moment’s notice. Strikes from blind spots or thrown weapons, his barriers blocked most of them in time to avoid fatal injuries. Jack had it the hardest, being the lowest-level melee fighter and taking the attacks head-on. Lev’s barriers were also becoming increasingly less effective on higher-level monsters, but the Orcs were eventually taken down without any debilitating mistakes.
Lev turned his attention to the Iron team’s fight, seeing how only two orcs had fallen so far, no doubt because of the addition of the orc leader. As he watched, the leader orc kicked Peter in the chest. Getting up his arms just in time to block, he went skidding back a meter before preparing to charge the Orc again. His arms were probably bruised but whole. The Orc was about to roar a challenge, but a barrier flew towards it at high speed. Dodging the straightforward attack, it somehow noticed the second barrier flying at its head from above. Getting out of the way of the second attack, it glared around to find the aggressor. A moment later, a barrier lodged itself in its knee from behind. Suddenly unable to properly support itself with its right leg, it tumbled to the ground. Peter wasted no time in using the opportunity, dashing in and evading the Orc’s punch by a hair’s breadth. Its head fell to the ground shortly after.
With the pressure of the leader Orc gone, the fight accelerated, and the remaining monsters were dead within minutes.
Back at the camp, Lev was slightly nervous. He had interfered with Peter’s fight without him asking for it. When all the combatants were finished cleaning themselves and ate their fill, Peter looked at Lev.
Instead of the reprimand he was expecting, he got a “Well done” and a nod before Peter walked to his cart. Sighing in relief, Lev also made his way to their cart.
“My knees hurt,” Jack whined jokingly when he and his friends sat down. “Why the hell do my knees hurt from blocking their attacks?”
Chuckling, Lev replied. “Probably because they deal with a lot of pressure when you brace yourself.” Jack just stared at him for a few seconds.
“Huh, so there is an actual reason. Makes sense.” Lev just rolled his eyes at that. The girls also laughed softly. Lev identified his friends.
[Warrior - Level 36]
[Warrior - Level 38]
[Mage - Level 37]
Jack was still the lowest level out of them, but he had almost caught up. Lev noticed that they were slightly behind him in terms of progress, which he attributed to him assisting with more monsters. He checked his own progress.
[
Your group has slain [Orc - Level 55]
Your group has slain [Orc - Level 53]
…
Your group has slain [Orc - Level 71]
]
No wonder Peter wasn’t able to kill the leader faster. That’s the highest-level monster I have assisted in killing so far.
[
Arcane Barrier Manipulation has reached 4
Arcane Barrier Manipulation has reached 5
Opportunity has reached 4
Whirling Rim has reached 3
Incisive Edge has reached 3
Needle Precision has reached 3
Bladewalker has reached Level 32
…
Bladewalker has reached Level 41
50 Free attribute points
]
… Why? Just because of the Level gap? This is the most progress I have seen at once, and I wasn't even a part of the main battle. Or is it because of the higher danger? Or some messed up combination of both of them?
Lev shook his head. The System’s provided path of fast progress was the most obvious death trap he had seen. Thinking about his free points, he decided to start investing in physical attributes again. The situation was not getting better, and could call for a hasty run at any moment.