Levi was hunting the beast Bram called a Teethling. Without being able to scout out information regarding the monster, Levi was taking his hunt slow and steady.

Instead of the western region where the pollution had taken a stranglehold of the area, and where Levi had found the book, he had now circled all the way around to the east Ironvale. It was a lot cleaner here as the only river travelled out the west.

Because of that, it was a lot brighter on this side. Fauna and wildlife were more vibrant. Levi snatched numerous plants and flowers and inspected them all for Ingredients. None of them were worthy of keeping. They were all Common.

Levi had to admit, his focus had taken a hit. He found himself just wandering through the lush forests without even stopping to look for tracks. His mind was consumed by the Machinists book. Plans were forming, but without knowing what it did exactly, he didn’t really know how to utilise it for the future. He liked to think about those things. Like how he would use it to make himself stronger. Would it augment his magical capabilities? Would he have to craft pieces of equipment with the knowledge he would gain?

He couldn’t even head into the library within Ironvale in fear of Maerd and the others unleashing their fury upon him.

There was a small amount of guilt still tugging at him, but he was getting over it by the hour. In truth, he’d most likely already be over it if not for the fact that he wasn’t entirely certain of feeding it to his Birthright. It was a Relic, but also an Ingredient unlike the Baphomet’s spike.

It was yet another question he’d have to ask Bram about when he resurfaced.

There was a crack, the snap of a branch. Levi tensed, blade ready, free hand outstretched, mana coursing under his flesh. Then he saw it: a horrible, hunched creature with grey skin and teeth that dripped something putrid onto the forest floor. As the liquid touched the fallen leaves, they sizzled, the corrosive drool eating away at the foliage.

In an instant, Levi summoned Baphomet’s Spike.

Levi had no intention of using his hammer. Instead, a fine blaze vibrated across the edge of his blade. He reached down, covering the area in front of him with a high powered trap. He charged it. 2 batteries, 4, 6, 8… the mana in his core dwindled by the second.

Grinning, now was the perfect time to blow off some steam.

The creature opened its mouth and an extra mouth emerged. So that’s why it’s called a teethling. Levi shivered, taking a step back. He threw a lance of fire at the monster. But the monster ducked underneath it at lightning speed.

This was what Bram wanted him to hunt?!

It stepped hard on the ground and leapt for him. It seemed to sense the threat lurking in the ground where Levi had placed a trap. The beast landed 5 metres away from him, and just as it was about to take another step in an attempt to take his life, Levi spoke.

Heart calming, mana surging to his tongue, Levi commanded, “Step straight.”

Teethling listening, instead of dodging, it ran right ahead. It appeared to have low mental acuity. Levi wouldn’t complain. The monster appeared above his trap. Without making contact directly with the ground, it wouldn’t go off. But for the current Levi, it didn’t matter.

With his mind connected to his spell, Levi manually triggered it. The land erupted, fire engulfed the teethling in an overpowering explosion. Flesh and bone and blood scattered in the air, but the beast was still alive. The teethlings upper half, charred with split flesh, aimed its horrifying mouth at him.

Casting his body in golden armour, Levi swung his blade in a wide arc with little technique. His kukri sliced through the monster’s neck and decapitated it in one swift motion.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

Gravity slammed the two parts of its body onto the ground behind him. Only when he received the notification of his kill did he calm. He didn’t gain a Level.

But he had once again found his focus. He scanned his surroundings, listened for anything that may be lurking. When that was done, he grabbed hold of the monster’s corpse and dragged it back to camp.

***

It was the next day and through the gentle sound of fire crackling, and the smell of partially expired meat wafting through camp, Levi was busy practising swinging his kukri. When he had used it during the fight with the teethling, he felt something was missing. He should have taken a step back, a step there, should have swung it a different way, with less power.

Thoughts of improving were constantly at the forefront of his mind. And it also led to another thought: his weapon of choice. He recalled back to the time he used a spear. It was simple, easy. All he had to do was point the pointed end at the enemy and hoped they ran into it.

The throned hammer also had a spike on the end, but because it was smaller like that of a mace, it couldn’t be used in the same manner.

His kukri was nice, perhaps it was the weapon he felt most comfortable with. But just like his time back on Earth, it was difficult to shake the indecision that had always gripped him.

No more, Levi thought as determination surged.

He had made a decision. Fetching the thorned hammer from his bag, Levi assumed a stance. Instead of wielding it like a hammer, he held it like a spear, the point aimed forward. Commanding his fiery mana to surge through the handle, all the way to the tip, he felt the handle groan under the pressure of his augmentation. It cracked and splintered, yet Levi didn’t care. With a powerful thrust, the tip of the spike sparked molten metal.

You have obtained the Skill – Spear Expertise (★): You have gained the insight of the blade, although basic and rudimentary.

| Damage with spears and javelins increased by 10%.

| Progress to next Level-up → 0/10,000xp

In the next moment, the wooden handle of the thorned hammer, burnt black, turned to ash, leaving only the metal head to fall to the ground. He felt no guilt at having destroyed his weapon. Instead, exhilaration surged through him, the triumph of beating his indecision taking hold.

“Damn,” Levi mumbled, looking at the ash on the ground below him. “Seems like I’ll need a new weapon.”

In the end, the thing that really swayed his mind was the synergy spears had with his magic. More accurately, javelins. Spears were similar to javelins, so granting increased damage to both his magic, and physical prowess, enhanced with augmentation from the Gilded Beetle, was way better than blades, or a polearm.

And given the System message, he was right. Thankfully.

“That weapon didn’t last long,” Bram said, Levi whirled around. He hadn’t even heard him, which didn’t make sense considering his lumbering size. He was more like a ninja than a hulking warrior.

“I–” Levi stuttered, crouching down and picking up the hammer head with a sigh. “No, it didn’t, did it? Will Sera be mad?”

“Mad?” Bram chuckled. “She’d be pleased, if anything. She saw, I saw it, Gregory definitely saw it. That indecision of yours.”

“Was it that obvious?”

“With how you swung that hammer, with that technique? Yeah, sorry, it was.”

“Ouch,” Levi feigned heart pain. It was an excellent performance, if he said so himself.

Bram laughed.

Levi continued, “Well, I feel better now. Just need another weapon.”

“We’ll get you one at the shop.”

“One with a flexible metal shaft, and preferably–”

Bram interrupted, “Preferably one with mana conductivity?”

“Yes,” Levi said, crossing his arms. “Why did you say anything about how terrible that hammer was?”

“We thought you’d test it in the smithy,” Bram replied. “When you didn’t, and you wanted it right away, who were we to say no? But hey, you learned a lesson. Seems like even such a mature young man such as yourself still hides a childish impatience somewhere in there.”

Levi smiled in embarrassment. “Lesson learned. So, what about that book? Find something that can repair it?”

“I did,” Bram said.

“Judging by your face,” Levi noted. “It isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, is it?”

“Far from it, I’m afraid.”

Levi sighed. “Alright, what do we need to do? Rob a bank? Kill a dragon?”

“Actually, you’re not that far away on your second point.”

“Really? We need to slay a dragon?”

“Well–” Bram said, looking far in the distance. Whatever he was looking at was blocked by a wall of tree foliage. “–not exactly.”