Michael looked at the red light in the distance.

So that’s what a Flag looks like.

Surrounded by four men – one Warrior and three Mages – covered in a reddish hue, an orb of pure, red light floated above the ground. It emitted a pillar of light that touched the underground’s ceiling, its location fully visible to all. Other pillars of light of varying colors could also be seen. Behind Michael, there were pillars of blue light. One of them in particular shifted, alternating between red and blue. Michael guessed that it was because people from Redglow Village were trying to conquer it.

How did they act so quickly?

He had moved out as soon as he got done talking with Tairy, making a beeline to Bluestone Village’s closest Territory boundary. After that, he had noticed the pillars of light and decided to go in the direction of one. It didn’t make sense for there to already be four guards around it, unless they were already nearby. If so, the fact that they could spread out like that indicated that their numbers might be higher than what Michael estimated.

There’s also the possibility that they aren’t Derek’s people.

It was unlikely. The guards were standing around with lazy expressions on their faces, doing nothing but protecting the Flag. If they weren’t part of Derek’s group, their actions did not make sense; they would have taken a more proactive approach, like Michael himself had, or stayed within the Village.

Either way, it’ll become clear once I question them.

He whispered under his breath, creating a Mana Sphere in a second. This one was much smaller than the one he had created to scare off Derek; there was no need for overkill. The power was still concentrated enough to tear through a Mushroom Warrior’s body, so he didn’t need to wonder about what it could do to a human. However, he wasn’t really planning to kill anyone. He had only steeled his conviction regarding his willingness to kill Derek. There was no need to create a trail of blood in his wake. Naturally, this would change if someone attempted to kill him. He was no longer willing to remain as passive as he had against Rose.

He fired the Mana Sphere. It grazed the Warrior’s right leg, creating a deep cut. The man screamed in surprise, stumbling. The three Mages looked around in shock before one of them spotted Michael walking toward them. The Mage pointed at him and screamed something Michael couldn’t be bothered to hear. They started casting their own Mana Spheres, but in Michael’s eyes, their movements and casting were like those of a bumbling child. Their efficiency was terrible, and they took far too long. Without the Warrior to shield them and give them time, they were sitting ducks.

Michael created another Mana Sphere and shot it at the leg of the Mage on the left, creating another cut and disrupting his chanting. The Mage fell to the ground. The other two fired their Mana Spheres, but they only collided uselessly against Michael’s Mana Shield. Despair was visible on their faces as Michael dismissed the shield and created another Sphere.

Slowly. Carefully. Make it as weak as possible.

His Intelligence was now so high that he had to willingly discard the automatic pathing that the System suggested and create a Sphere from the ground up, even if only to adjust its output. If he simply followed the knowledge the System had inserted into his mind, even the weakest Mana Sphere would be capable of destroying his opponent’s limbs. He didn’t wish for that. An injury was enough.

Two more Mana Spheres later, all enemies were on the ground. Michael approached the floating orb. He looked at it for a couple of seconds before deciding to touch it. The moment he did, a blue ripple spread out from his palm. It gradually covered the red light until the entire orb had become blue. With a dramatic flash, the pillar of light changed colors. At that moment, Michael’s pupils dilated. A feeling he couldn’t describe struck him.

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

It was abrupt and jarring. Without thinking, he sidestepped. A blade went through the place where his heart had been just a moment ago. The Warrior collapsed to the ground once more with a grunt, turning his venomous eyes to Michael, whose expression gradually went colder and colder.

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He attempted to kill me.

It hadn’t been an attack intending to graze or injure him. Instead, the Warrior had tried to drive his sword through Michael’s chest, despite Michael’s mercy. As he stared into the Warrior’s twisted expression and hateful eyes, Michael felt a part of him die. He momentarily wondered if he should return the attack in kind and kill the man. The fact that he would even consider this was startling even to himself, but it was a thought that wouldn’t go away.

The two of them stared at each other. Eventually, Michael sighed and created a Mana Sphere, firing it towards the Warrior’s intact leg. This time, the cut was much deeper. l. The man screamed in pain. Hate practically dripped from his eyes. As the winner, it was up to Michael to endure that hatred. A conclusion was reached within his mind.

“Tell this to your allies. If they attempt to kill me, they will end up like you.”

He created another Mana Sphere and shot it towards the man’s right arm. In an instant, it seared right through the limb, from hand to shoulder. Once again, the man screamed. Blood flowed freely out of the wound. Internally, Michael winced, but he wouldn’t let the man die so easily.

“Minor Heal.”

The bleeding was forcefully contained by the wave of green mana that flowed through the man’s body, but that was all. He was still missing the limb and, judging by his expression, in inhuman amounts of pain.

If I continue doing this, a lot more people will feel enmity toward me.

It was something he would have to bear, and it started here. He felt a flow of mana and looked at one of the two Mages on the ground. The man was trying to cast a Mana Sphere, but the pain interfered with his concentration, making him fail repeatedly. Michael could tell that just like the Warrior, this man also resented him, only to a lesser degree. Processing these realizations, he took one last look at the Warrior. The man had his eyes closed, likely due to the severe pain. His hateful expression had turned into one of pure suffering. After a long look, Michael walked away, in the direction of another pillar of red light.

On the way, he looked at the pillar that had been flickering between red and blue. It was now colored red. He stopped in place. After a moment of thought, he decided to go toward it. With some luck, he would manage to catch the people who had been fighting. At least, it would be possible to recapture the Flag. He glanced at the pillar representing the Flag he had just captured. It was already alternating between red and blue. One of the men he’d taken down had likely been able to crawl toward the orb.

This is pointless.

Everywhere he went, he would manage to capture the Flag. He was certain of his combative prowess relative to other humans. However, there would be no one keeping his enemies from getting it back once he left. Either he killed everyone he came across, or he needed to find a method to protect the captured Flags. As only one man, his influence in something like the Territory Wars was limited. With a sigh, he continued to run toward his destination, but now with the intention of obtaining information from the people he met there.

Soon, he arrived. A frown made its way into his face. The smell of blood polluted his senses, while the broken bodies of two people lay on the ground, moaning in pain. A man and a woman, grievously injured. Both bled too much. He needed to heal them. He hurried toward them, but as he was about to reach them, he took a step back. An arrow flew by right in front of him. With a few waves of his finger, a Mana Shield was erected. Only a full second later did another arrow bounce off it. Michael looked at the direction they had come from. A group of six men walked out of the shadows, previously hidden by the giant mushrooms and twisting stone walls. The man in front laughed.

“Damn, not bad. I thought we had you with that first arrow, but you managed to react.”

Michael narrowed his eyes.

“Who are you?”

The man smiled.

“I’m just someone who thinks Derek is overreacting. Oh, but I still acknowledge that you’re the strongest one we’ve seen so far,” he spread out his arms as another four men appeared, “but there’s no need to avoid you like the plague. I’ll prove that to him.”

Michael stared at the man’s twisted smile and expression. He took in the glee in the faces of the men that accompanied him and felt their bloodthirst as if it were something physical. They had been responsible for the injured couple on the ground and used the couple as bait. They were leeches that caused only pain. Michael saw no trace of goodwill or regret in any of them. Silently, he deactivated his Mana Shield and walked toward the injured couple.

The leader blinked, his smile widening.

“I see you’ve given up. So long as you don’t resist, we will stop at breaking a few bones. Perhaps a limb or two destroyed. Maybe more. Depends on my mood, so try not to anger me.”

He gestured for the other ten men to move forward. The archers fired a couple of arrows, which Michael easily avoided. Once he reached the couple, he whispered under his breath.

“Minor Heal. Minor Heal. Minor Heal.”

Every cast was done through Twin Casting, resulting in six superimposed waves of green mana showering the couple. Their wounds closed, their bones were mended, and their faces regained their color. Soon, it was as if they were sleeping peacefully on the ground, their torn clothing being the only evidence that they had suffered damage.

Michael looked at the group of men, who had all stopped walking.

“I have some questions for you too, leech.”