James felt as if his heart were about to leap out of his throat. His gaze alternated between the scout and Michael, who looked as if he wouldn’t be willing to budge even an inch. The scout seemed to realize this as well as he stepped back with a stiff smile.

“I understand. I’ll return to the main group.”

He turned around and ran. Michael’s expression changed instantly into a worried and suspicious one. He spoke.

“Alright, we have maybe thirty seconds. I’m glad you’re both okay. Have you guys seen my mother?”

The other two shook their heads. Michael continued.

“Are you guys part of the group that has been attacking other people? Did you or our friends participate in it?”

Elizabeth replied.

“We’re part of it, but not by choice. The group is led by a man named Derek. Even now, he has Dylan, Anthony, Thomas, and Naomi hostage. We can’t escape. We didn’t participate in any attacks.”

Michael visibly relaxed. It was understandable. James would also be suspicious if he heard rumors about Michael being in a group that attacked others. At that moment, Michael looked at something behind them. James knew that Derek approached. They didn’t have much time left. Michael spoke hurriedly.

“I’ll find a way to get you guys out of this mess. Help me try to find my mother.”

James and Elizabeth nodded at the same time.

“On it.”

James heard Derek’s voice from behind them.

“I heard you had some trouble with one of my boys, so I decided to come here personally.”

He turned around, facing Derek’s entire group. Their friends were with them. Their eyes widened when they looked at Michael, but they managed to restrain themselves.

Nobody should have noticed their reaction.

He could only pray that he was right about that. Michael looked at Derek and spoke.

“I take it you’re the leader?”

“Yes, indeed. We would just like to know the conditions of Bluestone Village and its people.”

It was a bare-faced lie. Over the past few weeks, Derek’s crew had encountered many people from Bluestone Village and drained whatever information they could from them down to the last drop. This knowledge wasn’t shared with James and his friends, but Derek already knew all there was to know. He was simply testing Michael, willing to see how he would react. If he willingly complied, Derek would try to invite him to the group. If he didn’t, he would be marked as a “target” the next time Derek’s men left the Village.

Michael gave him a cold smile.

“It shouldn’t be too different from yours. A couple hundred people, NPCs all around, simple structures, a Village Chief who gives out quests.”

Derek narrowed his eyes. After some thought, James realized that Michael’s words weren’t as simple as they seemed. He was attempting to get information from Derek back. If Derek confirmed it, it would mean that both Bluestone Village and Redglow Village followed the same general organizational system. Michael was trying to establish if the Villages were similar to one another, or if they varied considerably.

Derek let out a loud laugh.

“Yes, not very different from ours. Say, would you like to join us? We’re not sure if it’s possible to change Villages, but even if not, you could still be part of the group from within Bluestone Village.”

Michael appeared to be in thought for a few seconds. Then, he shook his head in a hesitating fashion.

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“I’m sorry, but I have no desire to join another group. I’m already part of one back in my Village. I also don’t desire to move to another Village.”

His words had barely left his lips before two of Derek’s men started to walk forward toward his sides, slowly, like well-trained hounds. This didn’t escape Michael, however, as he quickly took a step back and pointed his hand toward Derek. He spoke with a cold voice.

“I would advise you against that.”

Derek kept his smile.

“Against what, my friend?”

Michael’s fingers moved as a whisper left his mouth. In nothing but a mere second, a shining, dense blue sphere came into being at the tip of his fingers. Derek’s smile faltered.

What the hell?

James stared at his friend with wide eyes. What had he just done? Not only did he cast a Skill without a wand, but it was also far faster than any other Mage he had encountered. He glanced back at Thomas and Naomi, who seemed to be in even more shock than he was. This was without mentioning the size of the Mana Sphere. So far, the biggest Mana Sphere James had seen was a bit larger than a billiards ball, and looked rather translucent. This one, on the other hand, was bigger than a basketball, and seemed as if it were made of solid mana.

Instead of flying off or being fired immediately, the Mana Sphere merely floated above Michael’s hand, which was also something James was seeing for the first time. He looked at Derek; the man couldn’t hide his uneasy expression. He lifted his hand, and the two men who were trying to surround Michael stopped in place and walked backward. Derek spoke, but James noticed his usually contained voice was slightly trembling.

“There’s no need for things to get ugly between us. My boys overstepped their boundaries out of loyalty. We apologize. You’ve already been quite patient. We’ll be on our way now.”

The man took two steps back. It was their cue to leave. James looked at Michael’s eyes, realizing that Michael was also looking at him. The two imperceptibly nodded at each other. James’ mission was now simple. He would help look for Michael’s mother, while Michael would figure out a way to free them from Derek’s clutches. If anything, the sight of the nonsensically powerful Mana Sphere gave him hope. Michael wasn’t dead; instead, he was thriving. He had become a Mage even more powerful than Elizabeth.

The party turned around and walked in the direction of Redglow Village. Derek’s men kept glancing backward, as if trying not to let the Mana Sphere out of their sights. After all, at any moment it could simply fly toward them and likely take a life. Soon, they took a turn and Michael left their sight. Nobody said anything. Even a fool could tell that Derek was in a foul mood.

Not only did he fail to deal with Michael, he also ran away in front of his own men.

For someone like Derek, who ruled through fear and violence, it was a great setback. The men who were at the scene would spread the word to others and soon, everyone would know what had happened. Derek would need to do something to regain the lost respect. Eventually, the man spoke.

“What did he tell you two after dismissing my scout?”

James tensed up. Before he could speak, however, Elizabeth’s voice resounded.

“Only what he also told you. We invited him to join the group, but he didn’t want to.”

Silence reigned once more.

No matter what, we can’t let Derek find out about Michael’s mother.

Elizabeth seemed to understand this as well. If Derek discovered that the man who had successfully threatened him and scared him away had such a great weakness, it was only obvious what he would do afterward. Eventually, he spoke.

“I want every single one of my men to be aware of that kid. Share his description. If he is sighted, I want at least five people observing every step that he takes.”

The men around them nodded. There was an implicit message in Derek’s words: “Don’t fight him.” The men were ordered only to observe. It was a necessary measure, as they could end up paying dearly, but it was also one that weakened Derek’s position. James smiled inwardly. Finally, someone had managed to do something against the snake-like man, and it even had been a friend. He looked over his shoulder toward where Michael had been.

Good work. We’ll help you.

After all, that’s what friends were for.

***

Michael watched the group disappear at a turn and dismissed his Mana Sphere. He had a conflicted expression. He was happy about finally seeing his friends and realizing that they were fine, but they were also in a complicated situation because of that man, Derek. He had had the choice to simply fire a Mana Sphere at Derek’s head and end this problem, but… He couldn’t do it. What if he accidentally hurt his friends with his Skills, which had grown even more powerful after his Class Evolution? Restraint wasn’t something he had practiced. What if Derek’s men tried to harm his friends after Derek’s death? Could he truly ensure his friends’ safety and kill the enemies one by one?

This was apart from the point that he didn’t feel ready to kill another human being. He thought in silence. Timed crawled by.

It's something I’m going to have to face eventually.

There was no doubt that more people like Derek were out there, preying on the weak and unprepared. His mother herself could be in a similar situation. If he wanted to carve them a new place in this new world, he would need to eventually battle other humans to the death. He steeled his conviction and readied himself.

Next time, I won’t hesitate.

Slowly, he moved his gaze away from where the group had disappeared and walked back to Bluestone Village, his bag filled with five snake heads. He could have added one more in the shape of Derek, but didn’t. He didn’t know if he would end up regretting that choice. All he could do was keep moving forward, dealing with whatever came.

His steps were firm.