“No Krall, keep your chest forward dammit!” Noah shouted.

Noah was currently balancing on the miniature stumbling kobold. Although it was malnourished and weaker than the rest, with its level ups and buff from the title, his body was naturally growing stronger. He could tell because Noah had to clench his thighs around the monster's waist and felt the muscle underneath. It looked utterly ridiculous, as Noah had only ever been so close to the ground when he was naught but a small toddler. But the strength increase it brought was well worth the absurd sight.

Not only that, Krall was able to move faster even with Noah on his back. He was stronger, and tougher than ever before as the magic from the Skill empowered him. Noah could personally feel the extra strength in his entire body and as he thrust his spear over Krall’s shoulder, the heightened power filled him with glee. If it wasn’t for the hysterical laughter of the dragonborn at the side.

“Human, it’s like watching a giant tussle with a chicken!” Thraz slapped his thighs repeatedly while booming out laughter.

“I’m aware, Thraz,” Noah said with a frown. He tossed his shield at the dragonborn’s feet. “Don’t be making fun of my noble steed.”

“Noble, bah, it's corrupted,” Thraz stuck his nose up.

“Do you want to work with me?” Noah asked.

“I do, it is safer together.”

“Then you will accept Krall as part of the team.”

Thraz placed his axe against his shoulder.

Noah said, “or at the very least, I need to know you won’t harm him.”

“They may be corrupted,” Thraz said, “but I would never harm something that hasn’t attacked me, and he fought well for a puny thing.”

“That’s all I needed to hear,” Noah continued, “now pick up the shield, I need to test the new skill for future battles.”

Thraz crossed his arms and turned his head.

“What’s the problem?” Noah furrowed his brows.

“My mother told me that I shouldn’t do something unless asked with manners,” Thraz said.

Noah exhaled a puff of air and chuckled. “Please, Thraz?”

Thraz said, “That's more like it, human.”

“The name’s Noah.”

“Noah.” Thraz picked up the shield and shifted his weight. “Now stop talking while you’re mounted on Krall–It’s hard to stop myself from laughing.”

“Alright, here I come,” Noah said. “Krall, charge!”

At his order, Krall charged forward. The high-speed was addicting as the mounted duo bolted toward the dragonborn.

Krall felt a strange sensation willing him forward, it wasn’t coming from Noah, but something deep within him pulled him forward. The thrill of the hunt, he wanted to be victorious, he wanted to kill.

Noah knew, because he could feel it. They were connected by mind, although it was only faint.

A bestial roar that was different from the usual hissing and clicking of kobold tongue left Krall’s mouth with a strained struggle. It was filled with power, and Thraz turned serious.

The dragonborn changed from an open stance–to one ready for a strike. He dug his feet into the ground and shoved his shoulder that held the shield forward in preparation.

The dirt of the jungle was kicked underfoot as Krall crazily dashed forward.

Noah readied his spear and thrust just as they approached. With the thought of [Thrust] the momentum in his arm sharply increased. He felt his wrist jolt as the spear jumped forward with his hand still attached to it.

Thraz braced for impact as Noah’s spear smashed into the shield.

An ear piercing ring echoed through the dense foliage. He would have been worried about the noise, but the woods were so thick that Noah was confident in its ability to mask the sound.

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Thraz grit his teeth as the strength of the attack sent surprise through his draconic eyes. He sent his foot back as he slid back a couple steps, but that was it.

Krall widened his eyes as he was unable to stop his momentum. The law of psychics took over, and both of them careened into a nearby tree.

Noah’s shoulder slammed against it, thanks to his increased constitution, it didn’t hurt too bad. With a quick massage, the pain was mostly gone.

Noah glanced at Krall. His mount thrashed around on the ground, but not out of pain but rather disappointment.

Krall slapped the floor, then pointed to his shoulders once more.

Noah wasn’t sure what he meant, the thoughts in his mind were only fleeting and it was a struggle to figure out what he was wanting.

Is he in pain? Surely not right, I was the one to hit the damned tree.

Then Krall squatted on the floor and pointed to his shoulders once more.

Ah, he’s stubborn. Noah grinned.

The advantage of having two strength based, and constitution based pathways is evident. Thraz’s body is like a steel wall, yet the point of a mounted charge is to break that wall. Noah pinched his chin in thought.

Through the years he had researched, he wanted two potential classes. His first choice was a full frontal mounted war knight. But that required at least two strength based pathways, which he evidently didn’t get lucky enough to acquire. He had weight trained for years, and got into constant fights for the class, but alas fate was often cruel, and that’s why he prepared for this situation.

So that meant he had to go the other route, one that he had also planned for. It was one that had never been seen before and he had theorised it quite a lot with the others.

An assassin mounted knight. The name was a work in progress, after all, it was the first time it would be attempted. But he had the dexterity and might pathway, and that gave him the start he needed.

The last Pathway was to empower his Will Stat, but hopefully he didn’t need to wait for long. The slower one was to get a Pathway, they would miss out on vital stat points for all the levels that they had gained. Unfortunately, the System didn’t have a catch-up mechanic.

Noah took a spare look around just in case anything got too close, but his theory was correct. With the kobold scout dead, no more came and the thick foliage made pinpointing the sounds difficult.

He thought more about the Skill Essences. They granted the user supernatural abilities, or even magic. But if the Skill essence wasn’t in line with the pathway, it couldn’t be absorbed. For example, forcing a Will Skill into a Strength Pathway. Of course people had tried, but it was an agonising time that lasted for at least two hours. And after all that time, they would be lucky to not be crippled, or worse–dead.

Noah knew because he had personally watched someone forcefully fuse with a skill that wasn’t with his Pathway, it still disturbed him to this day, and it was a brutal reminder not to follow in his footsteps.

Climbing onto Krall's back once more, It didn’t require much effort due to the height of his mount. He thought back to their attack. Just from that one movement, they had a lot to work on. Krall couldn’t afford to lose control after one attack. They needed to stay on the move, and rely on the speed bonus that he received from the Mounted combat skill to defeat their enemies.

Noah and Krall had to practise, but that wasn’t the only thing on Noah’s mind. He needed other skills, and to get them required constant actions. The first one on his mind was Sneak. it would lower his detection rate so that he could skulk away from a fight he couldn’t win, or ambush unsuspecting prey.

Looking down at Krall, a thought popped up. To unlock Sneak, one had to attempt to be sneaky with people around. Then, what would happen if he did that while on Krall’s shoulder, would he gain a mounted stealth skill?

He had theorised about it before, but since no one had walked down this route, it was all speculation at this point. But he had to try. If he could do that, then he and Krall could leap out at unsuspecting prey–Noah grinned at the thought.

Maybe it would be better than the Mounted War Knight after all?

“Krall, up!” Noah commanded.

Krall let out a small hiss as the veins in his legs bulged from the stat increase of the skill. With one hand on Noah’s leg to support him, his other hand was free to swing his club.

“First of all we need to increase our–” Noah corrected himself, “or well, your agility while I’m on your back. Then we can continue hitting practice.”

”Is that not a waste of time human–Noah?” Thraz crossed his arms.

“Waste of time?” Noah contemplated. “Honestly I’m not sure.”

He recalled his idol–Julius, the only one with the mounted class in the Otherworld Ubos. He struggled immensely during the tutorial, but after it he was like a fully released shark in a brand new ocean. His might patrolling the plains of the Otherworld was a sight to behold, until he died, anyway.

But Noah was now moving in a different direction. One focusing on charging from the shadows instead of a full frontal assault. When he could get the damned Skills, that was. However, Thraz brought up a valid question, was it a waste of his time and effort?

He didn’t think so. Even without the mounted skill, he had a loyal companion to fight by his side. If he continued gaining World First Titles that focused on taming, then Krall would undergo a great change. That in and of itself was worth its weight in gold. After all, over ninety-percent of all the Otherworlders died within the different tutorials, and it wasn’t all from the threat of monsters. If Krall could evolve into something more durable, he would have a loyal bodyguard.

Only time would tell if it was a mistake or not. He couldn’t see into the future, so why bother thinking about the possibilities. He could have the absolute best pathways, and the best possible combination, yet death still found a way to reap their lives.

Noah rid the pointless thoughts from his mind. He needed to practice.