(Gavin)

Stun Blade is now Level 3!

Mystic Warrior is now Mystic Knight! +2 Strength +3 Intellect +2 Wisdom

Finally. Now I just need to get Stun Blade up another two Levels, Lightning Blade up another two Levels, and learn a Tier 4 Blade Skill for the Skills necessary to advance Mystic Knight to Mystic General. I have 9 Levels to go for that, though, so I have some time. Sort of.

I pull out a cloth and clean off my sword, then sheathe it before I loot the goblin. Should I go with Frost Blade or Lava Blade for Tier 4? There are others, I think, but those are the two I know about. They also have a lot of practical applications, for the most part.

"Gavin."

"Jeez!" I jump, spinning to face Braden. "Again? Seriously?"

"I didn't snap twigs, sorry," he says. "Do you want to fight an Elite?"

"I thought they hunted them all down and killed them?"

Our training was cut short yesterday after Braden discovered an Elite Spook Goblin, so that the forest could be cleared of any elites or Bounty Beasts that may have been secretly forming.

"The ones in the Valley," he says. "I noticed your Level go up. You can use some Experience."

"Were you watching me?"

"No," he points away from me, and I spot a wolf collapsed on the ground, marks that resemble burns from his Lightning Shots peppering its body. "I was fighting nearby, then saw you fighting."

"I didn't realize I was near you," I tell him. "Sorry."

How did I not notice a fight going on that close to me? Am I really that unobservant?

"Goblins," he says. "Stick to the area they're in when they fight. They rarely travel more than five to ten feet from where the fight starts unless you force them to. Wolves, on the other hand, will travel. They will attempt to escape, recoup, and then come after you again. They might try to lure you into a false sense of the fight being over, then attack. They will stalk you, follow you, trick you. They will run, hoping you will chase them. They will seek out their pack for reinforcements. If the pack isn't nearby, they will lure you near other monsters."

That's a rather lengthy way of saying that he had to chase the wolf.

"There are Elites still in the mines," he tells me. "And in the pass to the next City, too. Gold doesn't travel too far to train. The ones in the pass are slimes and rats. Other types can be found in the mines. Kobolds, bats, spiders, and more."

"Are you talking about fighting it together?" I ask. "Or alone?"

"I'm training alone," he tells me. "I want to do some stuff."

"Okay," I say.

"Also, Zack's going to be out of town for a couple of days," he tells me.

"He is?" I ask.

"Yes," he nods. "Brandon told me, Nik was taking him somewhere else for a couple of days. Some sort of training thing or other. At least today and tomorrow, and possibly one more day."

"Alright," I say.

"And then Zack is probably going to take us to Talorn," he tells me. "The battle for the valley is coming soon."

"I know," I nod.

"In two weeks."

That soon?

"You look stunned," he says. "Yeah, Zack apparently had a vision last night that revealed its time will be in about two weeks. We're now in the final preparations. To train your Mana higher, make sure to keep it under a tenth of it at all waking times. Push yourself on this. Brandon said you could reach the necessary amount for Warrior's Might in three or four days doing that, as long as you're also training alongside it."

He talks with Brandon a lot.

"Okay," I say. "Do you know what Max and Luca are doing?"

"Max rescued his brothers from slavery," Braden informs me. "But said he'd come train after making sure they were okay. Luca was eating sweets in the market last I saw him, but he'll probably start his training back up, or has already."

"Okay," I say. "I'll head to the pass. I doubt I can do anything to the slimes for now, but I can go up against the Elite Rats."

He nods, then wishes me luck before leaving. I return to town and stop by the house first, to let Kit know that some of us might be late returning. He gives me a frightened look, but nods, and I leave, making my way to the eastern gate.

As I arrive, an exasperated-looking Gold does, too.

"Dealing with Max a little too much?" I ask, and he sighs. "Yeah, he's like that."

Gold nods, and we exit the City. He heads a little south as I continue walking east, past where Zack had us training and then fighting the Candy Beast. It takes me a bit, but I finally locate where an Elite Rat is located. It's standing on top of a collection of rocks right now, wielding a sword. It's four feet in height, almost as tall as me.

Rat Warrior (Elite) Level 15 Health: 3,472 Mana: 583

"Stun Blade," I draw my sword, and the Skill activates.

The rat bares its teeth at me, then jumps off the rock, four other rats joining it. Maybe this was a bad idea. I'm not as terrified of them as I was before, but I'm still more than a little wary. I'm not sure why the fear is in me so strongly, especially without my memories from reality.

I attack.

The weaker rats are a little easier for me to handle, but the Elite Rat Warrior is tough, sparring against me with skill with its sword. I alternate between Stun Blade and Lightning Blade, especially when I have to kill a Heal Slime that joined in the fight, healing the Rat Warrior.

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As this fight winds down, an Elite Rat Mage joins the battle, forcing me to fight it as well. This was probably a really bad choice on my part.

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

(Braden)

"You sent him here on purpose," Brandon comments, and I glance at him.

He's sitting on the tree branch next to me, balanced just as easily and lightly as me, despite his heavier weight.

"Yes," I look at Gavin. "I knew he would come here after my comments."

Gavin needs a push. He plays it even safer than Zack apparently did, but only unless someone provokes him. I provoked him earlier, then followed to make sure he didn't go too far into the pass. It seems like he's not going to, so he should be safe.

Further in are a few Bounty Beasts. I'm not sure he'll be able to actually take them on. They're being ignored since they won't be a part of the battle and they'll only give some silver, which is useless to most of the Adventurers around here.

"Are you returning to training?" Brandon asks. "Or just watching him?"

"Returning to training," I stand. "I need to get my Mana up so I can reach Tier 5 Elementalist so that I can become a Druid."

According to Brandon, depending on a person's natural affinity for magic, they can raise their Wisdom by one percent to five percent per day as long as they are under ten percent of their Mana for ninety percent of their waking time, when factoring in sixteen waking hours. This is ignoring any gained from Levels or Class Levels.

The main reason no one really does this is because it means using Skills constantly. We can't allow ourselves to build up more than one hundred seconds' worth of Mana. It's not just tedious and annoying, but mentally exhausting.

It's probably how Normar built his Mana up so high.

Normar…

"Do you know where Luca is?" I ask as an idea hits me.

"He was still in Maelnor, last I checked," he answers. "Why?"

"I think his Blessing of Wisdom would be enough for me to learn the Skill while it's active," I answer. "That means I wouldn't have to wait."

"You're only on Tier 3 right now," he says.

"I know," I tell him. "But that also means that Gavin wouldn't have to wait, either. He could learn Warrior's Might and advance his Class, then start gaining Experience for it again rather than letting it just sit. Luca probably still has some Mana Potions from Zack left over, he might be willing to part with enough for Gavin to build his Mana to full with the Blessing. Same with Max and Elementalist."

Brandon smiles at me, an approving smile.

"Not many young Adventurers ever think of such a thing," he tells me. "It's possible such a thing has slipped even Zack's mind."

I shrug.

"I'm going to return to Maelnor and talk with Luca," I tell Brandon. "Then return to training."

"Okay," he says. "Do you know what you wish to be?"

A question he has asked me more than once. Once I become a Tier 5 Elementalist, I'll be able to take on Druid. Once I do, I'll unlock their Animal Form Skill. My Stats will change based on the animal whose form I pick. They'll be determined entirely by it, in fact. It adds plus-one to each Stat every-other Level of the Skill for every ten Levels I have, with at least twenty-five Stat Points for every fifth Level I have distributed based on the form.

I'd want to do a wolf Animal Form, but it has a low Endurance Stat. Druids themselves don't receive any Endurance, either. The bear Animal Form has a higher Endurance Stat. Those are the two which are the most plausible for me right now. Something like Normar's rare liger Animal Form would be even cooler. It has a high offense, defense, and speed.

To obtain Animal Form for any animal, however, requires killing a Bounty Beast of that beast, then wearing its hide as clothes, and not just as leather. The pelt must be removed by me, and after being treated for preservation, worn mostly as-is, with modifications for the body. The head of the animal would be worn atop my own head. My face would be visible, though. At least, that's what Brandon says.

Not only are ligers rare enough as they are, but their Bounty Beasts are incredibly tough. According to Brandon, they usually take a full team just to kill. A full team of strong Adventurers. That means it would probably be difficult for me to kill by myself, especially with only two Classes. Or three, if including Druid.

Normar is a beast for managing one on his own.

"No," I answer. "There are a lot of options."

"Remember," he tells me. "Every Tier of Druid allows you to take on one more Animal Form."

"I know," I say. "But the first one is the most important."

Animal Form is the Druid-unique Skill which is used the most. By a huge margin. That means it earns most of the Experience for Druid.

"I'm heading back, now," I tell him. "Gavin should be fine."

He nods, then I hop off the tree and make my way back to Maelnor. It takes me a few minutes, but I manage to track Luca down. He's staring through the glass window of a candy store, probably trying to decide if he should buy something or not.

"Luca," I say, and he gives me a curious look. At least he pays attention to his surroundings, Gavin has to be warned that I'm coming up behind him. "Can you give Gavin and Max a Blessing of Wisdom, and enough Mana Potions to let them exceed 1,000 Mana and 2,000 Mana, respectively?"

He gives me a confused look.

"They need that much," I tell him. "To unlock the Skills they need for their next Tier of one of their Classes. Warrior for Gavin and Elementalist for Max."

"Oh," he says, then pouts. "Max stole my boots. He doesn't get anymore Blessings until I get them back."

He's wearing his backup boots right now, so Max must have stolen his good ones, the ones he usually wears.

"Bop him on the head and tell him to return them," I say. "That's what I do. That, or just tell him that you can give him the Blessing of Wisdom and Mana Potions he needs to get a 2,000 Mana Tier 5 Elementalist Skill if he gives them back. He'll probably do that."

"He has to buy me candy, too," Luca says.

"Tell him that," I say, and he nods. "I'm returning to training. Good luck with yours."

He nods, then returns to looking at the candy. While it might seem like he's hungry… I can tell that he's actually trying to train his Perception again. Maybe I should do the same while I'm training?

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

(Zack)

"Why am I not surprised that you are watching monsters fight instead of training?"

"Okay," I tell Nik as he approaches, and I point at the pair of Suneater Boars. "That one, he's pissed at the other one because the other one was eating truffles from his territory. But see, that one thinks it's his territory, because he's been around longer. They got into a heated fight over it, and then decided they were going to duke it out to the death. Apparently, that one also slept with that one's mate. It's really juicy gossip, to be honest."

"Zack…"

"I was waiting until they exhausted themselves a little," I say. "But the story gets even better. See, that one-"

"Zack!" He laughs.

"What?" I ask. "Seriously, I'm waiting for them to exhaust themselves a bit. It makes it easier to fight the stuff out here. I let them fight it out, then once they've dealt enough damage to each other and worn each other out a bit, I kill. That's how I'm doing it."

"Wouldn't it be better to just attack them individually at full strength?" He asks.

"No," I answer. "I tried that and got less Experience. The difference is that I'm fighting two instead of one, and both are already lost into the throes of battle. Me jumping in also sometimes attracts a third monster, which only adds to the difficulty. As a result, it's more efficient."

"I see," he says. "With the gear made with Primordial Essence, I'm able to do a bit more. I'm going to have to kill more, too. Unlike my previous visits out here, I'll be pushing myself as hard as possible."

He looks it, too. He's already soaked in sweat, his hair sticking to his head, and he's breathing a little heavy. There's blood on him, too, and his tunic is singed in a few spots.

"And you want me to stop screwing around," I say. "And just fight."

"I'm trying to push for those last couple of Levels," he tells me. "In far shorter a time than I'd normally earn them. I'll be activating my King's Blessing tomorrow. I'm just warning you that when you see me, I'll be exhausted quite a lot. I'll likely need a rest after we finish here."

And a shower.

"Okay," I stand and stretch. "Looks like it's time for me to step in, especially with the Shadow Panther on its way over here. I'm hoping to get Dark Paladin up to Tier 2 while we're here. It's at Level 1 of Tier 1 right now, but it's doing decently. I should be able to get it up to at least Level 5."

He thinks for a few moments.

"Are you sure about taking your team back to Talorn?" He asks. "As soon as you leave here?"

"They'll be training hard right now," I say. "Especially without me to supervise them. I'm sure they'll all be at least 5 Levels higher when I return. Minimum. However, they need to be even stronger than that if they're to participate in the battle. The requirement you set guarantees that. I'm going to seriously put them through the drills in Talorn. Especially with the surprise waiting for them."

I draw my sword.

"Back to training!" I grin. "Whoever has the least kills by bedtime makes breakfast!"