He woke up early the next morning and headed directly to the library. He was only there for basic information in regards to magic and spirits, information that is open to the general public.

He went up to the librarian with his questions ready.

The librarian sent him directly to where he needed to be, accessing the following books: Spirit Magic History, The Basics of Mana Circles and a book called Sprites and how to call them.

The history of spirit magic didn't matter to him, all he really needed from it was the little information that it gave him about sprites.

Sprites are classified into three different types. Full, Half and Miniature. The full variant has the ability to use its element similar to that of a lower class spirit, sending out balls of fire and gusts of wind are common place for full sprites.

Half Sprites, at the size of a person's thumb on the other hand barely have any power. Capable of merely lighting one's cigar and splashing tiny bits of water.

"And the miniature doesn't even count for anything. Barely capable of even emitting their element." He fought the urge to slam the table.

"So it's even more useless than the carrion feeders."

He flipped through the book about sprites having found nothing that was worth his time. "Then how about mana circles?"

There are a multitude of ways for a person to gain a deeper pool of mana, from absorbing pure magic stones to the consumption of elixirs. Both ways were viable for the rich, but for the common man they could only dream of such a thing.

The third way to enhance one's mana pool is a risky procedure that not only requires precision but also the skills of a high-class spellcaster. Spellcasters usually entrust this procedure with their masters or a professional from their academy. It is said that this process is extremely expensive and that living through the process is not guaranteed.

"If it was that easy, then everyone else would have done it already." He sighed.

"A single elixir would cost 50,000 coins, it's simply not a possibility."

Upon weighing his options, Hektor decided to call it quits and headed to a more familiar area. The mercenary's den.

While he did see one or two familiar faces, the likes of Teksar and Lufan were nowhere to be found. "They did say that they were headed to meet their master."

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He looked for job postings and upon seeing no requests for subjugations, he simply asked for directions to the nearest forest.

"Fine, I'll look for them myself."

The young spearman had a lot of pent up frustrations muscling their way through his normally calm demeanor. The loss he took last night, the useless preset that he unlocked and the general cost of enhancing one's mana pool.

"Bring the carrion feeders with you." He ordered a crow. "The rest of you, search for prey. We want anything humanoid."

"We need to replenish our forces."

---

[A soul has been added to your collection.]

The familiar ding of the notification screen finally graced his presence. He was deep into the forest, around three hours of trekking away from the city. It took him a while just to find some monsters to take down.

His spear pierced through the gut of another Bullwaag, they resemble large toads and have a venomous bite. The sickening stench that the fluids from its stomach sent out, reminded him of the smell of vomit. These human-sized amphibians are considered to be more dangerous than the average goblin, though their intelligence is far more inferior than one. Being tougher to kill due to their bulkiness, these creatures travel in groups of two to four.

Unlike the goblins who didn't even fetch a single bounty, the Bullwaag's stomach acid and its venom sack can be sold for around 7 coins each at the right shops.

Hektor spent the rest of his afternoon hunting, feeling much more at ease upon gaining the souls.

Souls: 0 -> 13

---

"Our defenses are holding strong, my liege." The advisor reported to the king.

"Good, are the numbers dwindling?" The king asked, seemingly unbothered while he was writing on a small piece of paper.

"At a rapid pace, your highness." The advisor responded before pulling out a scroll. "I have also come bearing good news."

"Ohh?" The king looked up from the papers, urging the man to continue.

"The noble houses have sent representatives and parts of their personal military to the frontlines." The Advisor began.

"That is an inevitability, is there anything else?" The king looked back at the papers.

"The Martial Alliance has also sent us a message, your highness." The advisor then began to read a quote from the main head of their country's martial alliance, the group that handles most of the affairs regarding martial arts in the region.

"Greetings to King Markluzian the fifth. The Martial Alliance has received your call for action, let it be known that we will not standby any longer. Effective immediately, dojos in every city shall send out their best warriors to support the frontlines."

While the message was longer, the advisor made sure only to highlight the real message of the letter.

"Good." The king then stood from his seat.

"Send most of these reinforcements to the northwest, the bloodline must continue."

The northwest is considered to be one of the safer regions in the frontlines, likely due to its snowy terrain and harsh winds. This is where most of the royals are stationed. Two of the four princes are stationed here, the second and the third prince.

Considered to be the weakest among the current heirs, they needed far more coddling compared to the First and fourth prince.

The king believed that the first prince should lead the charge against the orcs while the fourth should be at the forefront of their defense. 'But in the case that any of these two prospects fall, I need reassurance that an heir will still be active.'