“Alright… should be good now,” Zeke breathed, standing up to his feet with a smile. “How are you feeling now?”

“Good, good,” the kindly old woman responded, tapping her back with her fist like a seasoned pro. “Enough to move again! Thank you, good lord.”

The old woman turned to the tall Zeke, almost two feet shorter than him. The old woman lived for quite a while, though her level wasn’t high enough to support her age. That also included some potential issues regarding her body’s movements.

The attack on the town didn’t help at all. During the rushed movement, she ended up straining herself, causing her to be unable to move at all.

Zeke did his best to help her, as she was usually the one handling the clothes for the common folk. Not the leather armor kind or any type of equipment, but normal clothes for daily living. In fact, she was the one who personally made everyone’s soft clothes, showing plenty of skill to let them sleep well at night.

So Zeke of course did what he could with his Recovery skill to help her move again. For the past few days, he’s been trying little by little as her channels were usually brittle and weak.

“Oh there’s no need to call me that. Just Zeke is fine as always,” Zeke reminded her, but the old lady just smirked back at him.

“Hehehe, you better get used to it! Some people are just too stupid to remember names, so you’re likely going to be called Lord instead of your name anyways, kahahaha!”

Zeke rolled his eyes, at least thankful that he healed her enough to laugh like a damn maniac with her crazed laughter. After bidding her goodbye, Zeke went out to the town proper, looking up at the sky.

During the past months, Zeke had seen steady growth with his status along with Mikella. He took it for himself to check their progress together, which Mikella had no issue with, to see where they could advance.

> Name: Zeke Parlow (Savior)

> Race: Human

> Spiritual Runist: Level 35

> Attunement: The World (Tier 1)

> STR: 20

> DEX: 86

> INT: 118

> SPI: 139

> VIT: 38

> END: 44

> Free Points: 0

>

> General Skills:

> Mana Manipulation (R) Level 1

> Runecraft (R) Level 8

> Pain Resistance (U) Level 7

> Steadfast Mind (U) Level 5

> Meditation (C) Level 7

>

> Acquired Skills:

> Barrier Craft (E) Level 1

> Recovery (E) Level 7

>

> Class Skills:

> Runic Library Level 4

> Inscription Proficiency Level 6

> Runic Spell Level 4

> Phantasmal Runes Level 2

Looking at his status screen again, he made several improvements. His General Skills Runecraft and Meditation rose by 1 and 2 levels respectively. His Recovery, being the most active skill he had outside of Barrier Craft, only leveled twice since then, proving that Epic rarity skills take a lot longer to level than Rare and especially Uncommon skills.

His Class skills improved quite a lot as well, all of his skills other than Phantasmal Runes increased by 2 levels, with the last being just one level. However, Phantasmal Rune was by far the most powerful Class Skill he had on hand, attaining it after his Class Evolution, so the benefits outweigh the time spent leveling it.

All in all, he was becoming better used to support others. He looked up at his barrier, made by his newly advanced Barrier Craft as he pulled up the notifications once again.

> Skill Advancement has commenced.

>

> Your skill Barrier Craft (Rare) has advanced into Barrier Craft (Epic).

>

> You gain points based on the advanced rarity:

>

> +9 INT

>

> Your Skill Barrier Craft has been reset to Level 1. You will still gain the stat bonuses you have acquired before the advancement.

The town barrier still stood strong, even after three days had passed. Thankfully, it was never tested, though Zeke honestly wanted to know how it turned out since it covered such a large area.

The barrier was a lot bigger than he expected. It not only covered the town but several miles ahead from each direction. It covered some of the trees and the plantlife, which ended up pushing away the monsters around their vicinity.

When the soldiers realized they needed to walk a little longer than usual, they weren’t pleased at first.

The lords helped with that, and nobody really complained, especially since now herbalists can safely go out and gather necessary herbs and plants with ease, even helping with their class and skill growth.

There was also another thing, involving Zeke’s own senses. Just like before when the sphere of inheritance created a makeshift barrier of his own, he could now feel presences throughout the entire town. He had a feeling that his Overreach was helping him on this.

It was a doozy when he first found that out. He almost tilted over and fell on his ass the first time he realized this and wanted to try it out. He could close his eyes and feel himself floating adrift across the darkened town, noticing small and bright flames that covered the town like ants near an anthill.

Small sparks and embers and jolts that mingled amongst each other in an array of vibrant colors, some stronger and brighter than others. That’s when he realized that the stronger ones were the higher level people, the soldiers who went with them.

He could even notice their identity, though it wasn’t perfect. He definitely knew the one with the biggest flame was Myra, being an Expert stage with a fire attunement. He also knew Mikella, just as equally powerful with a sharp spark that almost blinded him.

And like before, he could sense Clara, but she didn’t have a flame. No, it was a softer glow, almost translucent. He realized that even Mikella’s spark was decently translucent, reminding Zeke of his connection to the two.

Cloud was monstrous. It almost took up his entire vision until Zeke was able to control it better enough to tone it down. It was a powerful yellow and white flame, some minor colors woven into the fires.

As for Val… that was hard. It was like she had nothing at all. She definitely was there–it was like noticing a sharp dagger filled with green that felt like it could slice the town apart if left loose. He figured that was the kinetic energy, though even that surprised Zeke as he usually notices the magical energy first.

He decided to put that aside for now. It wasn’t that important to pry into. Thanks to this, he could easily spot anyone in the town as long as he could identify their mana sources.

Normally, that would be the end of its usefulness. A big barrier that was capable of seeing everything within. But apparently that wasn’t enough.

After a few hours of the barrier being put up, everyone received a notification like this:

> The Barrier of Eve Glade has granted you a buff. Your mana regeneration has increased by 50% of its total Max MP.

That blew everyone’s top off, to say the least.

It made everyone bust with excitement, and everyone with a mana centered build went crazy with it. The mages certainly got a workout of it. The moment this popped in, they went outside to the edge of the barrier to practice their spells. Zeke also wondered whether his skill being at Epic rarity might have something to do with it as he observed the mages.

Half the reason why mages take a while to increase the levels of their spells is often because they run out of mana. Sometimes they gather them up, and sometimes they take a while to charge. Everyone has a different way of restoring mana even with their Meditation skills, but each one can safely say that none of them want to use up so much mana to get them sick or something.

Unfortunately, Zeke took a while to learn that lesson to heart.

Thanks to that, they’ve been working tirelessly using the 50% boost advantage to raise their spells. Philip, the fire mage that was down in the dumps thanks to Lisa’s passing, became invigorated in mastering his spells. It got to the point where his main skill, Fireball, finally leveled up enough to attain an evolution, becoming Flare Ball–something that took him months before the dungeon raid ever came out.

He was surprised to find out that some mages have difficulty trying to raise even their favored spells to max levels. Sure, his barrier increased rapidly, but he can admit that his weird circumstances boosted the growth a little.

According to Cloud, there are some folks that take a while to level a skill, proving that some elements are beyond their grasp. Still, that doesn’t mean it was impossible. As for Phililp, his affinity towards fire is impressive enough as normally mages around his level would only have the option to advance their Fireball spell to the Rare rarity, not actually gaining an evolution.

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The healers also went crazy, and they didn’t just stop at healing the injured–they even went above and beyond to practice channeling types of spells to themselves, all the while nicking their bodies to ensure the excess vital energy doesn’t make them sick.

Yes, the very same plan Mikella figured she could use to increase her Vitality so long ago are being used by the crazy healers. They would pick up a sharp knife, nick at their thumbs or fingertips, then use their channeled healing to heal the cuts up. Thanks to the mana regeneration, as long as they keep their casting minimal, they can constantly use the channeling to the maximum proficiency, helping them increase at least that spell to higher levels.

Though apparently that still wasn’t enough to net them some Vitality points. Apparently they need to hurt themselves pretty badly for that, but they were focusing on optimizing their healing spells to better heal the critically wounded when short on mana. Zeke had to say that he respected their drive as a healer himself.

As for him? He’s been doing what he’s been doing all this time–helping others. Despite being a lord, nobody really changed their demeanor towards him. They would often call him over when they needed help, jabbing at him whenever they get the chance, and embarrass him whenever they mentioned how the wife is being treated.

He was glad for the lack of change, though that didn’t stop others from referring to him as a lord.

“Hey! Lordy! Come over! I need your fancy schmancy barriers!”

An older, well built man with a Carpenter class, waved him over with a silly grin on his face. All the while, Zeke could actually hear the old lady cackling behind his back. He turned, giving a glare despite not being able to see her before going back to the carpenter.

“I’m coming, dammit!” He growled, knowing full well that everyone was just messing with him. ‘Lordy’ was something they thought up that always got him in a tissy. It made him feel like the child version of a lord–which unfortunately, he was.

…..

He spent an hour helping the man with his crafting. He was trying to rebuild a home for a family that had been staying at a friend’s house just after finishing up another project.

The barrier’s mana regeneration certainly helped in his class, helping him out with wood in a matter of hours where it would’ve taken a regular carpenter in his old world days to do. However, building a foundation usually takes a while, often more weeks into planning than actually doing it.

That’s where Zeke’s barrier comes into play. Using his rectangular shaped barriers, he would create something like a foundation for the workers to put the wood onto. Once that was settled and built into, Zeke would call off the barrier and finish making the house, requiring no more time and effort and saving a lot of materials in the process.

Though half the time he was just there to be something like a model for the carpenters and builders, figuring out what's best to ensure that it would be safe for the inhabitants to live in. Once that was over with, Zeke set off to somewhere else where he was met with a most delightful creature in this entire world.

“Bobo!”

Clara ran up to him, nearly tackling him to the ground by hugging his legs. Zeke almost fell over, not expecting Clara to run at him just now.

“Whoa!” He called out, but he grabbed Clara into a small hug before speaking. “Where’d you come from? Did Mikella let you out?”

“Uh-huh!” Clara nodded. “I always have to have Ana with me at all times, and make sure not to run when outside!”

“...But you just ran to me now, didn’t you?” Zeke raised a brow.

Clara’s eyes widened, realizing her mistake. With a wilting look on her face, she pleaded. “Please don’t tell Sissy! She’ll get angry at me!”

“Haha, alright, but promise me to not run again, alright? I don’t want you to get hurt. Now, where’s Ana?”

“Right here!”

Zeke was worried as he didn’t saw Ana for a moment, but there she was, casually walking up to him with a big grin on her face. Zeke was curious as to why she looked so smug until she spoke.

“I waited like a good girl! I walked! Clara was the one being naughty, hehe!”

“Nuh-uh!” Clara refuted, turning to her friend turned traitor. “You were running with me!”

“But I would never break the rules!” Ana declared triumphully, getting Clara to get back into fighting with her.

Zeke almost wanted to refute by saying she often broke Cloud and Val’s rules whenever she could. Running where she wasn’t supposed to, shouting when she shouldn’t, and often making trouble for others by getting all the children together to play games they shouldn't, even during this recovery process.

Still, he stayed silent. That’s Cloud’s kid to deal with, not his. He was just glad Clara was a sweetheart often trying to tame Ana’s antics rather than getting absorbed into it… sort of.

In the end, Clara ignored Ana’s smugness as she turned to him. “Bobo! Let us come with you. I want to see you being a lord!”

Zeke chuckled. “It’s not all that different. I just do what I normally do. It can get pretty boring too.”

“But it’s boring not being able to play when everyone’s working.” Clara declared. “And I wanna help too!”

“Me too!” Ana raised her hand in accordance, getting Clara to nod. Apparently they already made up.

Zeke was glad to see that. Back during the funeral pyre, Clara and Ana were completely quiet. They weren’t even being told that something important was going on, as they could take in the somber atmosphere.

Ana surprised him the most. Oftentimes she looked like she couldn’t care enough about what’s going on around her. However, she was demure and quiet, sympathizing with everyone’s losses despite being so young. Just like Clara, Ana was special in her own way.

He prefers this way more. Even if Ana can be a little destructive, he would take this over the strangely mature Ana ten times over.

As for Clara, he was more than glad to have her around. Just as he was about to agree, he noticed someone approaching them.

“Hey, Zeke,” Mikella nodded to him, then smiled at the girls. “Hey, you two!”

“Sissy!” Clara shouted, and just before she would run, Zeke placed a hand on her shoulder.

Realizing instantly, she walked to Sissy and gave her a hug, to which Mikella hugged back, but only barely.

“Sorry, I’m a little sweaty,” Mikella said as Zeke noticed a small towel draped over her shoulders, a bead of sweat running down her forehead. “I just finished setting up a base for a building, and I’m taking a break now.”

“Good work,” Zeke said, nodding. “How’s it going so far?”

“Eh, everyone’s doing the same. The barrier is really helping a lot of folks, so the soldiers often find themselves having more breaks than usual. They take the time to train themselves. I just wanted to play with Clara here.”

Clara chuckled as she didn’t care that Mikella was sweating and kept hugging her. Zeke explained what they were planning on doing, and Mikella spoke up.

“You mind if I join? I was just planning on walking around with Clara, and that sounds perfect! Clara, wanna see Bobo during his work day?”

“Yeah!” Clara nodded, and Mikella asked the same to Ana to which she mimicked her.

Figuring now he got himself a crowd, Zeke led the girls with him as he went off to do his rounds. For the next few minutes, he explained what he did, all the while receiving a report from Mikella over what’s going on around the town.

Just like with Val and Cloud, Mikella took it upon herself to take responsibility for checking things around the town to help Zeke. Though she didn’t have to, Zeke was glad for the help.

Throughout the hour, the girls watched Zeke aiding the others. It was a little embarrassing to be watched like this, especially when half the time it was just to recover the debris still left over using his cheat-of-a-spell by using a barrier to sweep the clutter with ease. Though he found out that pushing the wall of the barrier was a lot harder than he expected.

He did it the first time trying to force Mikella and Clara out of the tower from the giant ghost knight, but he knew it was the dopamine and the adrenaline coursing through him at the time.

The girls watched, giving a hand whenever they could, and the children were either watching in awe or bored, mostly for Ana as Clara tried to copy Zeke’s barrier spell on her own.

As time passed, the children ended up running around a bit despite their promise. At this point, Mikella knew she couldn’t reign them in as the road wasn’t as bad as before.

They talked, eagerly walking slowly to let the children run around in front of them.

“Hey Zeke, you ever tried to use your attunement?” Mikella asked, curious for his answer. “And I mean the entire thing, not the Overreach one.”

“Well…” Zeke grumbled. “I tried, but… it’s kinda like trying to get over a huge chasm. I know on the other side is my attunement, but it just feels so far away. Sometimes I feel close, but most of the time, nada.”

Zeke and Mikella had conversations like this when they discovered the Mana regeneration effect given by the barrier. Cloud theorized that it was perhaps his Barrier tinged with his attunement, The World, along with the Epic rarity.

His attunement was from the higher realm, an aspect that’s supposedly harder to grasp than most.

It was hard to describe, but that chasm is more like a psychological thing, rather than a metaphorical feeling like how one would use magic. He felt that if he goes too far, he’ll stretch himself too thin. He might not be the same ‘him’ if he goes to that other side. That scared him a little.

Thankfully, that feeling is what often happens to those who attain higher aspects, at least according to some history textbooks they had on hand. Cloud explained that with patience and experience, one can go to that ‘side’ with ease. So Zeke waited for now, but the Mana regeneration was such a boon, he also couldn’t help but want to attain control a little faster.

Hence why he grumbled to Mikella.

“I know it’s super useful, but it’s hard as hell…” Zeke said, making sure to only keep his rant to Mikella and not reach the kids.

“Hey, don’t beat yourself over it,” Mikella consoled. “It’s a lot better than mine. I can barely use it before I get all crispy and fried. Lightning based attunements are no joke.”

Mikella and Zeke chuckled, and somehow Zeke was reminded of the fried chicken from their old world. As the feeling of true loss passed them when they realized they can’t get that same chicken in this world, Mikella continued.

“Still, I got some improvements on my Mastery skills.”

“Oh, like you new Bow and Hammer Masteries?”

Mikella gained those skills a while ago during the downtime they had, and Zeke couldn’t help but be impressed at her rising repetoire of weapons. Mikella gleamed when he said that.

“I had no idea just how damn useful having a ranged weapon was before I got Bow Mastery. It’s nice handling lightning, but being able to shoot at a distance is cool as hell.”

“So why not just focus on bows than just throwing lightning?” Zeke asked, astounded that he could make such a statement in this world. Who wouldn’t wanna throw lightning around?

“Zeke, I have to keep purchasing arrows. Way too expensive.”

Mikella said with such a somber look on her face, as though she couldn’t believe Zeke said such a thing. Zeke just looked back at her, just as baffled.

Right when Zeke was gonna argue about the usefulness of bows (which again stumped him as a mage), they heard a loud growl from beyond them.

“Godsdammit! Not again!”

Turning to the loud sound to the point that it frightened the kids, they noticed the familiar blacksmith slamming his hammer to the ground, grumbling and cursing to himself as a torrent of smoke seemed to be guzzling out of his shop.

“Whoa, hey!” Zeke shouted. “You okay?”

Zeke ran over with the girls in tow, Mikella making sure to keep the children away from whatever danger the smith’s house was going through. The blacksmith, known as Adam, turned to find the couple in surprise.

“Oh… sorry about that lad,” Adam moaned, rubbing his ashed beard with his hand. “Didn’t mean to scare ya all.”

“Don’t worry about that, you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” Adam waved his meaty hand as he pointed at his smoking home with his chin. “But my precious forge… she’s in tatters, laddy…”