The Mana Field spread out to its maximum size, before abruptly contracting. There was no need for it to be so large; there was only one enemy. With this in mind, Michael tried to focus the Field into a single general area. The air vibrated as the whirlpool of mana rotated. The Failed Chimera immediately slowed down. A realization struck him.

It’s not enough.

The creature was still relatively fast, despite the Field’s pressure. Its four legs crossed more ground than Michael could, and, most importantly, the Mana Field didn’t have enough offensive power to harm the enemy. It was his strongest Skill when it came to fighting many enemies weaker than him, but as he now realized, it was lacking when he had to face a powerful foe. Its offensive power was lesser than Mana Sphere’s. The mana gathered into the shapes of spikes and orbs, but the Failed Chimera jumped back, avoiding them easily.

I killed the Elder Lizardman Chief by manipulating strands of mana to cut off its head.

It was a strategy that wouldn’t work in this battle. He didn’t have the time to carefully manipulate the strands, nor the ability to do so while needing to frequently dodge. Additionally, the Failed Chimera’s body was likely too durable for him to kill it using this method.

Keeping Mana Field up only meant moving around, dodging as many attacks as possible, without settling the fight; its main offensive power, the spikes, could be avoided. As such, Michael readily discarded it. The maelstrom of mana disappeared in an instant. The Boss’ speed returned to normal.

As the monster neared him, he threw twin Mana Spheres while jumping backwards; the enemy contorted its body, but because of its large size and the small distance between them, it couldn’t avoid the attack completely. The Spheres dug into its quadrupedal lower body right at the start of its hind legs. The creature let out a pained roar and stumbled in place. Its sense of balance had been broken. Michael didn’t miss this chance as his chanting was finalized with the Skill’s name.

“Mana Blade.”

Blue mana crawled over itself and created a sharp edge at the end of the staff. He decisively swung it at the enemy, which was still busy stabilizing its body. With a roar, a green aura surged around the creature. The Blade cut through the air and landed on its target, slashing the enemy from shoulder to waist. The cut was deep, but not nearly as much as Michael expected. Purple blood flowed as the enemy let out a pained scream. It found its footing and swung its claws at Michael, who hurriedly retreated as Lightspeed empowered him. They drew lines of blood on his torso, ripping his robe.

The green aura empowered it.

The enemy had become faster, as well. He had been wondering what kind of ability it would have. He clicked his tongue. It had become fast enough that he could only react properly with Lightspeed active. This battle needed to end in less than twenty seconds.

Thankfully, the Failed Chimera hadn’t managed to land a clean blow. With a snarl, the creature stumbled in place again as it tried to take a step. Purple blood flowed out of its wounds, falling on the ground. Then, as if ignoring its wounds, it ran at Michael. The green aura around it surged once more, visibly rotating around the injuries and mending them, reminiscent of the Mole King’s berserker Skill. Michael drew a cross in the air.

He couldn’t allow the enemy to recover from its wounds. He needed to act as fast as possible, while he could still use Lightspeed. A Shield took form around him just before the lizardman’s claws landed on his body. It rippled strongly, but it didn’t shatter. It was a testament to his power.

The Shield expanded, pushing the enemy outward and forcefully creating distance between the two combatants. The Failed Chimera kept attacking, clawing endlessly at the Shield. Every time it was hit, the Shield trembled. It continued to expand.

Once its radius reached three meters, Michael dismissed it. The creature immediately dashed forward. Light coursed through his body, allowing him to dodge. Simultaneously, Michael created another set of twin Mana Spheres, enlarged them by feeding them as much mana as he could in an instant, and threw them. One aimed at the enemy’s head, while another went for the very center of its body, in an attempt to make it harder for the enemy to dodge.

It worked.

At the last moment, the monster managed to take a step to the side with its front legs while turning its head, avoiding a fatal wound by the first Sphere, but it couldn’t do the same against the Sphere that aimed for its body. The green aura around it thickened the moment it got in contact with the Mana Sphere, but it wasn’t enough. The Skill pierced through it and reached the beast’s scales, searing through them and coming out on the other side of the enemy’s body. A gaping hole was created alongside a pained roar. The enemy stopped in place, likely because of the pain. Michael didn’t miss this chance.

Two Mana Spheres flew at the creature’s chest and neck. They were the finishing blow. He felt as if the world were moving in slow motion. As the Spheres reached their target, Michael tried something he hadn’t yet attempted. He willed for the Spheres to expand at the point of contact, almost as if they were exploding.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

[You have made progress toward acquiring a new Skill.]

Two holes forcefully came into existence. The three major wounds were vertically aligned. No death throes were emitted by the creature as it fell to the ground, since it now lacked a throat. Its head rolled away. Michael took a deep breath.

Fighting an enemy faster than me is difficult.

He had become used to fighting enemies weaker than him, such as the moles. Mana Field alone had been enough to end those fights. However, foes like the Failed Fledgling Chimera possessed powerful bodies and physical parameters. Since Mana Field didn’t work, he had been forced to rely on his other Skills. He had needed to use Lightspeed in order to react to the attacks. Still, he had come out on top.

“…I feel like I’ve made a lot of progress.”

He had survived against and beaten an optional enemy with nothing but a few cuts. His spells had been effective and made short work of the creature.

Thankfully, I managed to kill it before the green aura became a problem.

The aura could heal and empower the monster. The battle could have turned into one of attrition if Michael hadn’t acted quickly. Thankfully, his strategy had worked. It was possible that the monster also had more than one Skill but hadn’t had the time to unleash them. He still understood little about monsters and Bosses above Level 40. It stood to reason that if he got Skill selections at Levels 30 and 40, the same should apply to those creatures.

“Alright, time to get out of here.”

Michael looked at the System message floating in front of him.

[You have cleared Underground Maze’s optional area.]

[You have acquired two Skill Points and twenty Free Stat Points.]

[You can now leave the Dungeon.]

[You have reached Level 40.]

“I wish to leave.”

White light enveloped him. Once he opened his eyes, he was already outside of the Dungeon’s domain. He cast Whisper. Tairy’s voice echoed out of the spectral mouth.

“This should have been the last Dungeon on your list, right?”

“No, there’s still one more, but I’m going to head back now. I’ve cleared an optional area, which gave me greater rewards than anticipated.”

“Oh? Which one?”

“Underground Maze’s.”

Tairy laughed.

“I suppose a one-on-one fight is what you’re best at. Good work, kid. Come back so that we can start picking those Skills, now that you’ve got plenty of Skill Points.”

Michael nodded, even though the other party couldn’t see him.

“Alright. See you soon, old man.”

He dismissed the spell and started making his way toward Bluestone Village. Within his heart, he eagerly awaited his next round of Skills selection. Given how the interval between each round grew larger over time and that he still got one Skill Point per Level, it was likely that he would continue to be able to acquire as many Skills as he needed. It was definitely a better situation than those who could only acquire Skill Points by clearing Dungeons and at set Levels.

I wonder if the rewards for clearing Dungeons are the same even if one does it as a group.

He thought it was unlikely that the System would hand out tens of Skill Points to a large group, but he couldn’t be sure. He made a mental note to ask his allies about it. Michael smiled and continued on his way.

***

Viktor looked at the people sitting at the table. Allison sat by his side. Samantha and Leo were close to him, and so were the other captains. The people who composed the most vital part of Viktor’s forces were gathered to discuss a single topic. He spoke slowly.

“Michael plans to conquer the Consumed Territory. Bluestone Village will lose its strongest fighter.”

The silence in the hall was almost eerie. Viktor continued.

“However, he sought our help to face Lohann, and Allison is part of the Challengers; We can’t simply target Bluestone’s Territory. We’re allies. I’ve gathered all of us here today to discuss what to do.”

Leo spoke, shifting on his chair.

“I mean, are we really allies? I’m glad he got rid of Lohann, but wasn’t our alliance just a one-off?”

Samantha shook her head.

“Even if that were true, Allison is still Michael’s mother.”

At that moment, Allison suddenly stood up with a determined expression.

“I will leave the Challengers.”

The other captains blinked repeatedly. Before their cries of protest could be heard, Viktor raised his hand. He looked at her.

“I understand your desire to belong to the same Village as your son, but—”

“I’m the real reason this conversation is happening and the biggest factor behind the unwillingness to target Bluestone’s Territory.”

Viktor shook his head.

“Your words aren’t entirely incorrect, but that isn’t all there is,” He looked at the others, “I have absolutely no desire to make Michael an enemy. Not only is he a seemingly good person, but most importantly, he’s a true powerhouse.”

Some of the captains readily nodded. He turned to Allison once more.

“Allison, you’re our best healer. I understand your desire to be with your son at all times, but Michael has already shown that he sees us as allies. Has he ever told you that you need to go to Bluestone?”

“…No.”

“Since he’s going to the Consumed Territory, it stands to reason that he’s unwilling to conquer Territories from other Villages. It would be much easier and quicker for someone at his level of power to steal Territory from the other Villages. I ask of you, don’t leave our group. You’re a core part of our forces.”

She shut her mouth with a hesitant look. Viktor dealt the final blow while looking at all the others in the room.

“My opinion about the best course of action is, thus, to avoid Bluestone Territory until we talk to Michael about it, even if it means doing so indefinitely, as he hasn’t shown a desire to conquer the Territory of the other Villages. No matter what, we cannot think of him as an enemy. We won’t fight Allison’s son.”

A female voice resounded.

“I agree, but first, there’s something I’d like to know. Allison, did Michael talk to you about his explicit intentions for the Territory Wars?”

The speaker was a brown-haired, beautiful woman. Allison looked at her and shook her head. The woman nodded and continued to speak.

“Then, I think we should wait. If Michael targets Yellowbright Territory, we reach out to him. We can’t be the ones to strike first.”

The discussion went on.