He could see it. The flaws in the Boss’ mana manipulation. The orbs weren’t strong in their entirety. There were weaknesses. But, he was having trouble pinpointing their exact location while keeping his mana wrapped around the Boss’ shield at the same time. It was like using each hand to write different words while painting with his feet. At first, he flat-out failed. The mana around the Boss’ shield dispersed, giving it enough space to intensify its attacks.

Focus.

More orbs crashed against Michael’s Mana Field, flawed but powerful nonetheless. Sweat dripped down his brow as his Dragonheart roared to life. He was unable to keep it active for a full day, so he had saved it for dire moments. His mana storm immediately changed, fighting back with renewed strength. It destroyed the incoming orbs and hit the enemy’s Mana Field like a flood. The two Fields pushed against each other fiercely.

You can do this.

Strands of mana infiltrated the Boss’ domain, slithering like snakes. The lizardman roared but didn’t block the strands. Michael smelled this moment of weakness like a bloodhound.

It’s too busy dealing with the pressure to block individual streams.

It was the moment when his control over his mana surpassed the Boss’. He couldn’t let this chance go to waste. The strands of mana slid in the gaps in the enemy’s defense as Michael opened his eyes.

“Goodbye. You were a powerful opponent.”

It happened in an instant. The creature screamed defiantly as the individual streams wrapped around its neck. Its head dropped to the ground with a dull thud. Michael’s Mana Field dominated the rest of the room as the lizardman’s mana disappeared. Letting out a deep breath, he deactivated his Field. The raging storms of mana that pressured the room’s boundaries disappeared.

Michael’s breathing was heavy as he stood in place. The battle had lasted an entire day, and he had come close to dying several times. Still, the most dangerous moments were those before he managed to create his Mana Field and when the orb hit him straight-on. He still recalled the pain.

“At least I managed to learn my most powerful Active Skill so far.”

Even though it consumed more mana than any other, Mana Field was a highly versatile Skill. He looked at the System notifications floating in front of him.

[You have slain an Elder Lizardman Chief, Level 45.]

[You have reached Level 36.]

[You have cleared Lizard Labyrinth’s optional area.]

[You have acquired three Skill Points, twenty Free Stat Points, and the Elder Chief’s Staff.]

[You can now leave the Dungeon.]

He blinked as the staff the Boss had been holding floated up to him, being restored in real time. Soon, it had returned to pristine condition. It was rather unremarkable, consisting of nothing but a wooden pole with a blue crystal on top. Michael wished for its information to appear before him.

[Equipment

Elder Chief’s Staff: a staff treasured by the Elder Lizardman Chief even in his dying moments. It represents the close connection that the Chief had with mana since his infancy and was a gift from the previous Chief.

Effects: marginally improves the effectiveness of the Active Skills cast through it. Improves the effectiveness of the Mana Field Skill.

Secondary Effects: +10 Intelligence and +5 Wisdom when being used.]

I didn’t know there was special loot.

He hadn’t come across anything labeled by the System as “Equipment,” so he had just assumed that loot didn’t exist in the Tutorial. It was a wrong assumption. He just hadn’t progressed far enough to come across it. Or maybe he had just been unlucky. In any case, this was the first actual piece of Equipment he had apart from his starter Oak Wand. Michael smiled, grasping the staff firmly.

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“I wish to leave the Dungeon.”

A bright flash of white light blinded him. When he opened his eyes again, he was outside the Dungeon, in front of the entrance. He immediately cast Whisper with the staff’s assistance. James picked up immediately.

“Michael? Finally! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. I was in a Dungeon. Has anything changed while I was clearing it?”

“Come to Redglow as soon as possible. We’ll fill you in. Lohann is going to start randomly killing people.”

Michael’s steps faltered. He blinked a few times, reacting as if he had just been slapped.

“...What?”

“It was done in retaliation for Derek’s death. Everybody’s too scared to leave the Villages.”

Dark emotions bubbled within him. Killing intent bloomed like a scarlet flower as rage rose to the surface. At the same time, his mind became razor-sharp. All that went through it were thoughts regarding Lohann’s demise.

“…I’m on my way. I’ll be there soon.”

Michael gritted his teeth with a dark expression.

Fucking madman.

He dismissed the Whisper, only to cast the spell again. This time, however, he was trying to contact someone else. Rose’s voice rang out.

“I’m glad you finally got in touch. Are you already aware of what’s happened?”

“I know Lohann’s planning to kill random people. Sorry, I was in a Dungeon.”

“I see. The thing is, it isn’t a plan. He’s already started.”

He narrowed his eyes, cursing within his mind.

“…Who did he kill?”

“He announced that he would kill fifty people. The first victims were those who got caught doing quests or hunting outside the Villages.”

“Fucking animal. Have you made progress in finding him?”

“He’s pretty elusive. We managed to capture some guys belonging to his group, but for some reason, none of them talked. It’s a bit eerie, really.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’ll be easier for you to see in person. Can you come to Bluestone?”

“I’m on my way to Redglow right now. Just give me the short version for now.”

Rose let out a small sigh.

“It’s… Weird. Even when inflicted with pain and threatened, none of them even tried to say anything about Lohann. They either spouted random nonsense or remained silent. It’s almost as if they couldn’t talk even if they wanted to.”

Michael clicked his tongue. This definitely seemed like something he would have to look into personally.

“I’ll go to Bluestone when I have time. I should make contact with Yellowbright’s organization when I get to Redglow.”

“Good. I was gonna introduce you to someone from Yellowbright once you got here, but go ahead and do that. I’ll continue trying to get some information out of the people we captured in the meantime.”

“Alright. Talk to you later.”

Michael dismissed the spell and started running. Pure light coursed through his veins, reaching his body from his astral self. Lightspeed was activated as he shot forward. It wasn’t only because he wanted to get to Redglow as quickly as possible; he was also testing if his time limit had increased after Leveling up. Paying close attention to his own body and its workings, he reached the ten-second mark.

I can keep going.

His Constitution stat had increased greatly after his Leveling. This much was possible. He rushed through the rugged terrain and winding pathways as if he were running on flat ground. The seconds ticked by one by one. Once he felt his body straining to hold itself together, he stopped.

Eighteen seconds. Not bad.

If he concentrated enough to activate both Lightspeed and Cleansing at the same time, this limit would be increased even further. It was good progress. He felt prepared to go after Lohann.

Finally, Michael reached Redglow Village. The first thing he took notice of was how few people there were on the roads. It was highly likely that they were all in hiding. A frown made its way to his face. He Whispered to James, discovering that his friends were gathered in James’ and the others’ room. He went straight there. He closed the door behind him as he entered the room, taking in the sight of his friends. The atmosphere was serious and heavy, as it should be. Their expressions were grim. Elizabeth looked at him as he entered, donning her characteristic slight frown that only her friends were able to identify. Her gaze briefly hovered over his staff before turning to him.

“You’re finally here.”

Michael nodded at her.

“Do we have any worthwhile leads? Anything?”

Nobody responded. She let out a sigh.

“We reached out to Yellowbright’s organization. That’s about it.”

The problem was that Lohann had hidden himself too well. Even Derek hadn’t known his exact location, mentioning only two possible hideouts. Michael spoke up.

“What about the man who delivered the announcement? Did you guys try to obtain some information out of him?”

Even as he spoke, he already knew the answer. It was impossible. Directly questioning the messenger would be the same as directing a spotlight toward themselves. If Lohann contacted the man even once, it would be over. It was only possible if other people did it first, effectively diverting some of the attention. James replied.

“The messenger has barely left his room ever since he gave his speech, even though his roommates seem to be blatantly hostile to him. I think he’s just going to try and wait for all of this to blow over.”

Michael scoffed.

“They’re going to kill fifty people. This won’t ever blow over.”