“Damn. That was impressive,” Jonathan said.

“Are you sure attacking here is wise?” Edgar replied, looking apprehensive. After all, the defenders here were all a cut above the average ones of this realm.

However, they needed a bit of danger to spice up their leveling speed. The monsters were too few and far between to be as effective in providing essence, and a lot more unpredictable. If they got into the city, they could wear down the Uthraki numbers as they went, gaining levels in the process. Even more importantly, there were probably valuable weapons and armor located within the city.

As the men sat there, watching the platoon of Uthraki reenter the city, Jonathan waited for a moment of opportunity. As the ground crunched under the steel clad boots of the Uthraki, he spotted one. As the ballistas and siege weapons were being reloaded, there was a brief window of time where nobody was looking at the ground. Before Edgar could say anything, Jonathan grabbed him, and charged. He pumped his stamina into his legs, sending himself and Edgar flying forwards at thousands of miles per hour. They reached the walls in the blink of an eye, where they quickly pressed up against them, invisible to the guards watching above.

Edgar opened his mouth as if to say something, but Jonathan shook his head. There was no reason to risk everything at this point. The guards likely had highly advanced senses, and would be able to hear every word that they were saying, unless they spoke at a level below a whisper.

Jonathan waited for a few minutes, before he heard the gates of the city slamming shut. It was time to make their move. He mimed rising up into the air to Edgar, and the man quickly formed a cocoon of wind around them, lifting them up towards the sky. He did so at a slow but purposeful rate, giving them time to react to any possible dangers.

They kept below the shadow of the battlements, making sure that nobody would be able to see them. As they moved, Jonathan looked over the wall, interested in the substance that it was made of. The wall was almost completely smooth, and likely quite a bit more durable than it looked. Many materials in this realm were Tier 2 after all, and he doubted that the wall of the city was made out of anything lesser. It was an impressive edifice, and one that seemed to have stood the test of time adequately. After all, in a world like this, a monster was far more likely to end your life than anything else.

Jonathan waited until they were approaching the top of the wall to make his move. He started to channel his elemental energy in preparation to strike, in case there were any enemies waiting for them. However, when they rose up and over the edge of the wall, they were in a natural blind spot between two ballistas. The space between them was small, but it was out of sight. The Uthraki nearby were too focused on their work to be on the lookout for invaders. After all, who would be stupid enough to do such a thing? The Uthraki did not seem to have wars as far as Jonathan could tell, and he doubted that everyone in the world already knew of his existence. No, he was safe enough for now.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Edgar sent a probe of wind forwards to scout out the area, and when it returned, he nodded at Jonathan. With quick, purposeful steps they made their way to the edge of the wall, and hopped down into the city. They fell for a few seconds before landing next to a large building, one that seemed like some sort of collective domicile. It was filled with a steady hubbub, and people came in and out around the corner. The two men quickly slunk towards a nearby alleyway, wanting to get a better idea about the city before they did anything risky.

“Did you hear that the Hunting Grounds are discharging more monsters, in greater quantities? Perhaps it is time for another testing,” a nearby Uthraki said to her companion, as they walked down the street. The other one simply nodded.

“Don’t you understand what this means? A steady invasion of high leveled monsters! The elders might have to come out in force for the first time in years!”

“Look, Markal, I don’t have time for your harebrained conjectures. If the gods will it, then it will happen. There is nothing that we can do about it.”

The conversation faded out of earshot by that point, seeing as the Uthraki moved rather quickly, leaving Jonathan with a lot of valuable information. Apparently, the monsters of this realm came from a specific spot, likely where they were respawned by the System after their deaths. He wondered where the Uthraki respawned. When they came back, were they the same people as before? He doubted it.

That information would be useful for later, in case he ever wanted to farm some levels. Of course the strength of the creatures in that area would likely be astronomically higher than he would easily be able to deal with, at least for now. For now, he had this city to provide him with levels. Killing a few Uthraki would do wonders for his level, especially ones as high level as this. The old Jonathan would have been apprehensive about this, but now that he knew that the Uthraki would simply be reborn, and would probably kill him themselves if they saw him, the moral qualms were gone.

The two men headed further into the alleyway, getting out of the view of the main road.

“Alright. How are we going to deal with this?” Edgar asked. Jonathan had begun to notice that his companion liked for others to make plans. Perhaps it was part of his Politician pathway skill. After all, one could not be blamed if another made the plan. Realizing that Edgar was looking at him expectantly, Jonathan nodded.

“Well, the main reason we came here is for essence. If we kill off a few Uthraki, we can easily gain levels. Also, this city probably has some sort of treasury. We can bolster our wealth as well as our levels.”

“How do we ensure that there are no witnesses?” Edgar replied.

“Well, if any of these Uthraki see us, they will rush to kill us. If we return the favor before they can do so, then we will be able to fight back. It will prevent any witnesses naturally. I doubt the Uthraki are the sort to flee from battle. Likely this mentality will lead to their own deaths at our hands.”

Edgar simply nodded in response, and the two men started on their path deeper into the city, eager to gain some well deserved levels.