"How are you feeling?" Alec asked after several minutes of silence.

Lev took a deep breath, bringing his thoughts back to the present. The future was unpredictable, and needlessly worrying about it wouldn't help anyone.

"Nervous? Excited? I don't know…"

"I know how overwhelming it feels. Trust me, once you choose a direction and start walking that path, it will all click into place," Alec said with an understanding smile. "But for that, you need a concrete goal. Tell me, Lev, what are your goals and how far are you willing to go for them?

"Most hunters share the same immediate goals as you. To save as many lives as they can while culling monsters. To grow stronger for the sake of growing stronger. But that's not enough, not truly." He stopped after that, going silent to give Lev time and space to think.

Lev pondered in silence for a long time. Minutes passed, turning into an hour and then a few more. The sun was well past its zenith when he decided an answer.

"It all comes back to becoming stronger, at least in my case. Back on Earth, space travel was still a dream. Even if it was possible, we could barely travel to the moon. This meant that even when it became available to the public, it would be reserved for the richest and not for the likes of me.

"I want to see the cosmos with my own two eyes, and all the other wonders of Monarch. But at the same time, I don't want to abandon humanity. I also want to help them, to make the world a safer place for them, and to make life better for the common folk who just want to live.

For all of that and more, I need to be strong. There are monsters out there that can end me effortlessly, and do severe harm or even eradicate humanity entirely, which doesn't leave much of a choice to begin with. I refuse to die a worthless death where I could've been so much more, maybe even strong enough to take care of the situation single-handedly.

"So, it comes a full circle, pointing towards the same long road of danger and bloodshed. Filled with endless hordes of monsters. To be strong enough to make a difference, then being even stronger to go out and see the world.

"Besides, I would be lying if I wasn't excited about it. Sparring with Dan was much more fun than I expected. The goblins were weak and pathetic, so I didn't feel much of anything from slaying them, but I think will enjoy my time on this conquest of power."

"And for how long, will you keep going?" His mentor asked without missing a beat.

"I don't know… yet," Lev replied. "I have always wondered where the limits of The System lay. Maybe once I find them or go beyond them?"

Alec let out a surprised chuckle before it turned into laughter. "Oh, you're really not making this easy for yourself, are you? My goodness, wanting to go beyond Exalted is understandable, expected even, but beyond The System? That is far more ambitious than anything I expected even from you."

Lev rubbed the back of his neck, cheeks slightly colored. "It's not that bad."

"For an end goal? No, it isn't. Many have wondered about the origins of Mana and The System. Some believe it to be a distant god, others an uncaring entity, and many even believe it to be a grand construct. Nobody knows for sure. But to try and go past its boundaries? That is a first."

His mentor looked at him with mirth in his eyes, still recovering from the unexpected confession. "Still, it's infinitely better than being aimless. For all the opportunities that Mana and The System provide, many never find something they truly resonate with. If your goal ends up being what you truly want, being reborn on Monarch will be the best thing to have ever happened to you."

Lev nodded. "That puts things into perspective. I think I may have found something that resonates with me by listening to you."

Alec's eyes twinkled. "Oh?"

"Yeah, it ended up being pretty simple. You mentioned how we humans have little chance of ever discovering the origins of Mana and The System. Because we are born weak, at level zero, and are outclassed by beings that are inherently superior and born at higher levels.

"That irks me in all the wrong ways. To think that we are simply born lesser." Lev unconsciously straightened his back. "It isn't even a secret. Even in the orphanage, we were taught that attributes work on what's already there, and empower monsters more than they do humans.

"People consider many things simply impossible, such as evolving past Exalted. If even the strongest haven't managed it in centuries, how could anyone else? I want to prove them wrong, to show just how far humans can go and defy all expectations."

Lev didn't realize he was baring his teeth in an almost feral smile as he continued speaking with fervor. "Surely, there are other sentient races out there. We even have proof. Imagine, if out of all of them, it was a human who was going past all the limits. Smashing past all the boundaries that were thought unsurpassable by our races.

"I want to do all of that with my own strength. No shortcuts, no cheats, no taking the easy way out. Just my body, mana, skills, and countless hours of sheer effort to reach the peak."

His eyes shone with determination as he gazed at Alec. It was the first time Lev had felt so in tune with his mind, and he loved it. It was intoxicating in all the right ways. Once he had started speaking, the words just formed themselves, rolling off his tongue without a pause.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"That sounds like a worthy goal, one to showcase the potential of humans. One that feels right and sounds far more fun than monotonously killing monsters." Lev finished with a nod to himself, having identified a path he wanted to traverse.

Alec observed him pour out the words with a smile. Seeing that he was done, he spoke.

"It is indeed a worthy goal, somehow even grander than the one before. How exactly do you plan to accomplish that?" He asked, half teasing and half curious.

"For starters, with a shit ton of mana. Everything else will, uh, come naturally." Lev finished with a sagely nod. The seriousness lasted all of two seconds before they both laughed.

"I'll admit I was getting impatient seeing you putting so much time and work into your class without any aim in life," Alec said. "Now, you can move forward with a purpose, knowing how and why something will be beneficial to your journey and not just acknowledge their existence and move on."

Lev slowly bobbed his head up and down. He had felt the lack of direction more keenly than everyone else. Often he had asked himself about why he was working toward that class.

"Still…" Alec began. only now starting to truly understand what Lev had just professed. "That is… quite the goal. Queen Martha was undoubtedly the strongest despite being mostly a defender role, and you will have an edge in that regard. But still, that is quite the dream."

"It does come with its advantages though," Lev smiled. "To begin with, I will have all the time in the world to accomplish it. It will be more like a sub-goal, always following me along. My class will also be extremely compatible with many kinds of Crafting and Enchanting, so that's even more things to excel at.

"And lastly, I don't need to plan out all my life at once with this. Goals will come and go while I keep working on this one."

They both lapsed into silence after that as the cart moved. Lev idly observed the horses faster than normal cars on Earth, somehow eating up the ground but that was to be expected with System-enhanced horses.

"Might find love too someday, however stupid that sounds," Lev absent-mindedly muttered with a snort.

His mentor flinched.

Masters, especially one as strong as Alec had exceptional control over their bodies. For Lev to be able to observe such a reaction meant it was very intense.

Alec gave Lev a deep, searching look which Lev didn't shy away from. They both stared at each other, waiting for the other to say something.

… I feel like I have created a misunderstanding.

Contrary to his expectations, the crafter didn't say anything on the matter. That suited Lev just fine. The topic was a can of worms he wanted nothing to do with anytime soon.

****

The first day of traveling was peaceful. The area surrounding the cities and outposts was always scoured clean of monsters, and neither did they spawn close to the population.

Lev observed the scenery pass by, a ton of grass and… more grass. It got very boring after the first few hours.

"Is there anything I should be practicing? Traveling a wonderland suddenly isn't so exciting anymore."

His mentor grinned. "Took you longer than I thought. Here, catch."

Lev caught the small notebook, a pocket diary really. It was titled "Runes for Dummies" and was only a dozen or so pages.

He opened the first page and started reading.

Runes are the language of mana. Or so everyone believes but we don't know for sure. Other than our souls, they are the only other thing that interacts directly with mana to such a degree.

The flavor text was short. It could be simplified to 'Runes do something when you circulate mana through them, requiring sufficient understanding, mana, and a durable material.'

Lev could already see through the lines, and how it pointedly didn't mention anything about the sheer scope of runes.

Programming was the closest thing Lev could compare it to yet it was even more complex. On top of endless instructions to mix and match, the physical materials and the types and quantity of mana were also factors. Monster cores too in the more advanced stages.

Let's be reasonable and ignore all of that. One step at a time.

The first and most basic of runes was an… infinity symbol. The simplest rune that increased the durability of any material. It was also the single most efficient rune but couldn't be paired with any other. Standalone yet extremely scalable, it was the best rune for Classers to mess around with.

Putting that claim to the test, Lev summoned a simple round barrier, around half a meter in width.

Let's see, the rune requires a large portion of the surface to be covered. Both ends of the rune combined should encapsulate at least 60% of the total surface for beginners, shortening after getting used to it and understanding it better. So, if I make both loops of the rune close to the edge, it will cover nearly 100% of it.

Mentally carving a path through his barrier by turning it hollow in a line, Lev beheld a… doodle. The infinity symbol looked sick, wobbly in some places, and downright ugly in others. But it did the trick, and Lev could feel a trickle of feedback.

The feedback itself told him nothing new, just reiterating how pitiful the existence of the rune was. So, once again, he decided to ignore that.

To circulate mana through the rune, Lev sent more of it into the whole barrier before dragging it to the pattern. Thankfully, active manipulation and passive specialty skills helped with the process, letting him fill the rune with mana.

It became more difficult after that. To his class, the mana was now in the empty carved vacuum inside the barrier. To control it, he needed to utilize his Mana Manipulation General Skill.

Slowly, it started moving in the pattern. The barrier shone slightly in Lev's senses, signifying that it was now enchanted in some capacity. It didn't feel much more durable, though there was a small difference for sure.

"That was pretty simple," Lev remarked, pleasantly surprised.

"That it was. The more advanced things will use the same basics, so practice them well," Alec advised him. "What did you think of the carving process?"

"Seems easy enough. It will get easier as my skill levels too."

"There's another method for etching runes. The first, as you just saw, is actively carving them. The second is forming barriers with runes already carved into them. So, you would intentionally leave empty space during the formation that would eventually complete into a rune. Which one do you think will be better?"

I mean, isn't that obvious?

"Wouldn't the first method pair really well with my manipulation skill?" Lev asked, quite sure of his answer.

"Why wouldn't the second?" His mentor countered.

Lev opened his mouth to reply but it clicked shut immediately after. That method was also covered by the same skill.

"Instead of thinking, just try the other as well. See if it suits you more," Alec just said with a smile. He knew what he was doing.

Lev did just that. He wanted to close his eyes to focus but kept them open to see the formation.

Slowly, the round barrier edges started forming. Instead of solidifying it all at once, he sharpened his focus on the position of the rune. The left loop started forming before it joined in the middle, then formed the right loop, both of them close to the edge.

"Ten seconds, give or take," came his mentor's voice.

Lev gazed at the final product. It was cleaner than the first but in a bad way. The carved pattern was wider and far from uniform, wasting a lot of space. It worked but the efficiency was even lower than the previous.

"I definitely prefer the first one," Lev stated. "Which one is better in the long run?" He asked just to make sure he wasn't thinking unwisely.

"Whichever you get the General Skill for," Alec shrugged.

"So, both are equally viable," Lev nodded to himself.

"There's a third too but I won't recommend that," Lev waited for him to continue. "It is done by holding mana in the shape of the rune and etching it directly into the construct, creating an incorporeal pathway. The method may be the most efficient and effective form of enchanting, but it is far too demanding to utilize in even low-intensity combat."

Lev took that in. From what little he knew of higher forms of enchanting, the method seemed absurd. One could hold a rune or few in their minds before etching them, but entire arrays or formations? That was nothing short of impossible.

His eyes went to the Reinforced Mind title. Maybe he would be able to use the method in the future. Right now however, he wasn't even going to entertain such delusions.