With a nod, he headed back towards the cave, taking a different route so as to see the rest of the progress that had been made. As he looked at the various buildings, he could see how they had been built so quickly. There were no advanced decorations or anything other than the most basic of comforts. The windows were simply holes in the walls, and from what little he could see of the inside, all of the beds and chairs were made out of rock, covered with sheets. Such buildings would barely take an hour to put up for a team of leveled individuals, and it explained the seemingly supernatural rate that this town had been put together at.
As he walked through the town, he spotted Edgar heading down from the mountain, and he started to jog towards the man, racing through the few streets that stood between them. As Edgar spotted Jonathan, he perked up and paused, letting him catch up.
“I could see you helping around with the wall building,” Jonathan said, noting the dust that thickly coated Edgar’s form.
“Yes. Unlike you, my training is more of the magical sort, and I can further it while I work to benefit this city. However, I am getting a bit tired of endlessly breaking apart rocks. Is it time for us to embark upon another expedition?”
“I was thinking that we should go out on solo missions from now on, so that one of us can remain here. It wouldn’t normally do such a thing, but the average level here is so low, and the monsters in this area are very powerful. I think that is the best course of action in any case,” Jonathan replied.
“Good idea,” Edgar said. If he felt disappointed, he did not show it. “Go off and reach Tier 2 then. It will save time in the long run.”
“Are you sure?” Jonathan asked, trying to hide the excitement in his voice.
“Yes. Go,” Edgar replied, starting to walk towards the cave. Jonathan could see that the man was fighting to not run back towards him and join him on his mission. However, Edgar was made of sterner stuff than that.
With a thoughtful look, Jonathan stared at Edgar’s back, and then headed for the gates, getting ready for the battles to come. He would need about three or four more Tier 2 monsters to reach that level of power, and he intended to make this as quick as possible. Racing towards the gates, he did not stop for anything, with a single minded drive powering him. He would return from this stronger than ever before, so as to accomplish his mission in this world.
It took Jonathan hours to leave the ring of land around the burgeoning city that contained little to no monsters. By the time that he was out into the rocky wastes, heading towards the edge of the world, he was on edge, far more than normal. He was not planning to return to the city until he had reached Tier 2, with all of the bonus that entailed. It was a goal that he intended to keep to.
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A bit later, he encountered his first Tier 2 monster, a large variant of the Ash Prowler Patriarch that he had fought earlier. This one was a lot sleeker than the other one had been, and seemed to have been built for speed rather than power. However, it was still Tier 2, which meant that it was likely stronger overall than the other monster had been. Jonathan was a bit apprehensive about pitting himself against such a foe. He was powerful, enough to bridge the gap between Tiers, but it was still a harrowing task without the support of Edgar. However, he kept moving, and headed towards his target.
The monster was at rest on a sun bathed rock, soaking up the light from above with its dappled fur. However, as soon as he reached a distance of about five hundred feet from the beast, it growled softly and began to rise, its sinuous body peeling itself up from the rock like it was reluctant to let go. The creature bared its fangs at Jonathan and hissed loudly, before exploding into motion, charging him across the rocky expanse. Jonathan stood his ground and began to draw power into his fist, prepping them for the fight to come. Layered Divinity and mana coalesce around them, and as the monster crossed the ground in a matter of seconds, Jonathan cocked back his fist and met its teeth with his fist. The monster was clearly expecting to be able to bowl him over with ease, as it continued unerringly on its course, but what actually happened was far different than what it had expected.
Jonathan’s fist took the beast in the face and arrested its momentum, shattering teeth and causing the monster to howl in pain. It reared up and slashed dowards at lightning speed, catching him on his shoulder. A bone cracked, and he was sent rolling away, but he had gotten off the first blow, and a far more decisive one at that. Without the benefit of its teeth, the monster was neutered somewhat, and it would be an easier fight overall.
Spitting out shards of shattered fangs, the creature howled at him, projecting a cone of force towards him. It picked up the ash, causing it to swirl, but Jonathan remained unfazed. He picked up the pace and leaped towards the beast, sending more energy to his right fist. He sprayed the monster with shards of Void enhanced mana as he came down from his left hand, causing the creature to hiss in pain. As he landed, he transferred all of his momentum to his fist, landing solely on it, driving it deep into the beast’s skull.
The Ash Prowler was flattened into the ground, the rock beneath it cracking, and blood exploded out of its mouth from ruptured organs. Jonathan somersaulted off of the monster only to be sent straight into a beam of fiery light that came straight from its mouth. This monster possessed attacks that the other Ash Prowler Patriarch had not, which was probably to be expected, given its power as a Tier 2.
The energy bolt burned his body through his armor, cooking him like he was sitting in a saucepan. However, although his flesh bubbled, the organs and bones were undamaged for the most part, which meant that the only side effect of the attack was blinding pain. Pain that quickly turned to rage.