If anyone were to ask him if he expected today to be exciting, Zyler would reject that notion with every fiber of his being. It took a long time for Zyler to get anywhere nearly as exciting as the time he spent fighting during his Expert years.

But ever since reaching Journeymen, and finding himself blocked in his stats, he had to hold back his urges. If he fought anymore before finding any attribute fruits, he would be wasting potential strength and reach extreme pain that not even someone of his magnitude can handle. Even he wasn’t brutish enough to let that happen. It only increased his ire, however, making him more antsy.

But today became the day where he no longer cared about potential losses and possible pain. True, facing a powerful boss in a biodome was something, but he expected the army to take some of the brunt, with his father taking the most of the experience. He was mostly sent here as a backup for any townies he expected to find and kill.

He did so, only to find himself stopped at every turn due to strange circumstances. He found himself blinded by the explosion of the tower, and suddenly found the soldiers he was facing gone. They all must have evacuated by that point, Zyler’s senses being drowned out for being too in keen with his wolf form.

Then he found a really interesting group of soldiers that were far beyond the meager peons he faced. Particularly that lightning girl capable of unleashing powerful attacks and wielding many types of weapons. Now that was exciting.

But once again, he found himself in another unexpected situation. This tiny mage was also one of the townies. Even more so, his scent reminded him of the lightning girl. He had a keen nose, so he could tell that he spent the majority of his time with the girl. He didn’t know whether they were family or bumping each other like mad, but Zyler just wanted to make fun of his prey–it was his habit, and some would say it was his folly.

But damn did the mage have a nasty punch. Even now, his clawed hands reached over to his abdomen. HIs Endurance hit the limit, and he felt his Strength overcoming that by a mile if he hadn’t redirected the blow before he was launched away. His Vitality could take that hit, but it had been a very, very long time that an Expert managed to hit him that hard.

He looked up, his red eyes flashing at the mage who approached him with eyes fueled with murderous rage. Turquoise light filled his irises, and the strange collar on his neck began to spark madly. He wasn’t so keen on accessories meant for mages, but Zyler was sure that collar wasn't supposed to act that way.

He could also perceive some form of aura surrounding him. He faced both mages and warriors alike, each controlling mana and stamina with their respective skills. This mage, however, was the first to make his mana feel as dense as stamina.

This was the first time he ever faced a mage with so much magical energy that could hit as hard as a true brawler. The tiny mage–no, the Runist walked over, his nostrils flaring as he glared at him.

“What did you do to Mikky?” He demanded, his voice sounding deeper than his looks would suggest. “If you did anything to her, I swear I’ll…”

He gritted his teeth, but as though he realized something, he shook his head. He looked like he was trying to calm himself down, the electricity coiling around his collar dampening before they disappeared.

Zyler let out a laugh, a deep bellowing one from his damaged abdomen. He rose to his feet, grinning wildly. At this point, he could care less about the monster rampaging and destroying his allies.

“I just told you, didn’t I? I showed her her place,” Zyler said, pouring as much vitriol into his voice as possible.

He knew this type of man. He faced a few in his life. The types that would prefer not to fight at all. But anyone with any sense of humanity always wanted to fight, deep inside. All Zyler needed to do was push and prod at that instinct, and nothing works better than mentioning something awful about their loved ones. He found it bothersome to even try that method for real, but that didn’t mean the other party wouldn’t believe it. Zyler had the look of someone that would do it, after all.

“It was incredible,” Zyler chuckled, showing more of his carnal desires as it practically dripped over his tone.”So much better than any woman I conquered. It made it all the more satisfying to watch her squirm from my might.”

The mage in front of him was young, he could tell. He couldn’t be any older than his early twenties. For a man his age with that power was unprecedented, but otherwise not a true threat for his life. For young men like him, there was nothing that would piss them off more than someone having a hand on their women. He deliberately made it seem suggestive, as though Zyler did something completely incomprehensible to the girl.

In fairness, Zyler honestly felt he would be in incredible danger if he was brazen enough to try such a thing to that lightning girl. It was better to just kill her and have fun somewhere else. But he didn’t divulge that to the man in front of him.

As expected, his eyes flared in anger, and that strange spark coiled around his collar again. His fists gripped tight, flashing his gritted teeth at him. Zyler let himself breathe, his muscles tensing at the battle to come.

The young man roared at him and ran forward, becoming faster than Zyler could ever expect. But his years of tempering his instincts took over and he faced the mage man to man.

He swung his fist back at the mage, doing the same. He roared in delight at the battle to come.

…..

Clara looked around her vicinity, her chest tightening so hard she felt like she could fall over. She knew she was safe, but she couldn't help but shake at the trembling going around.

The roars filled her ears. She closed her eyes, hoping that it would go away, but they always returned. She pressed her lips tight, her ears hurting from the noise all around her.

But she held on. If she can’t even handle this level of attack, it was no wonder why Bobo and Sissy kept leaving her behind. Everyone around her kept moving frantically, shouting loudly while taking down some of the monsters that went their way.

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

Thanks to Bobo, they were excited to fight something, each one almost trying to beat the others while showing off their skills. Meanwhile, she stayed behind with a girl named Nina who had a cute bird on her shoulder. Nina even offered her advice on how to take care of Brucey.

Brucey was still at her back, actually still sleeping. Even now she was shocked at how easily he hid behind her back, reminding her of herself whenever she hid behind Bobo.

Was she this relaxed? Never, she was scared all the time. Brucey must be incredibly brave, or just really stupid. Bobo did say it was just born, so maybe it didn’t know any better.

A loud explosion happened, causing her to yell out. Nina immediately knelt to her side, smiling gently at her.

“It’s okay, Clara. I’ll make sure you stay safe,” She said, her voice calm and soothing. Clara looked up at her, nodding at her words. She knew she was telling the truth because she felt the same as Bobo and Sissy–strong but kind.

But then she turned to the other person approaching their group, her eyes looking angry and ready to shout.

“Basil! Stop making things explode, you idiot! You’re scaring Clara!”

“Ahh, I didn’t mean to…” Basil, the short and almost bald looking person with the name of a plant, looked embarrassed as he looked over at Clara. “Sorry, Clara.”

Clara nodded her head, then hid behind Nina. She knew that Basil was a nice person, but he still looked scary to her. At the least, Brucey didn’t react and paralyzed him, so he must be a good person.

Nina shook her head, then turned to Clara. There was a glint in her eyes when she saw Brucey. “Hey, can you tell me more about Brucey? Like, where did he come from?”

“Umm…” Clara paused, not really knowing herself. She never actually asked Bobo where he came from. When Zoan, her friend, left her, Brucey was suddenly on her hand looking like pink poop.

She stayed quiet for a while, her lips pressed tighter. That got Nina to speak.

“It’s okay. I’m just curious. I had never seen that monster before. You see, I come from a family that takes care of monsters like yours.”

“Really?” Clara asked in surprise. When she looked at the bird on her shoulder, tilting its head quickly at her, she tilted her own head. “But it looks like a bird.”

Nina chuckled softly. “Piggy is a bird, yes, but it’s an avian monster that can use wind magic. My family also takes care of other sorts of monsters, bigger than you can imagine, and monsters that are as small as your fingernails.”

Clara’s eyes widened in fascination. Nina smiled as she looked like she caught her interest.

“But I never heard about Brucey before. It looks like a bat, but Zeke said that it can also paralyze creatures. You see, tamers like us can’t tame paralyzers so easily.”

“Really?” Clara asked. Brucey just seems so friendly to her, she figured anyone can be friends with him.

“Really. They’re very dangerous, and if you’re not careful, you could be paralyzed for life,” Nina said, but then her face turned thoughtfully as she continued to stare at Brucey. “That’s why I can’t help but be curious about him. But I promise to teach you everything I know, so listen carefully, okay?”

Clara nodded profusely. For a long time now, Clara wanted to do something for Bobo and Sissy. Bobo said that Brucey is extremely important, so she has to take care of Brucey as her owner. She didn’t know why Bobo let Clara keep Brucey as a pet, not really, but she wanted to do everything she can to be useful.

She listened intently, especially on when to feed it, what to feed, and how to take a bath. She didn’t want Brucey to smell like Bobo whenever he goes out on an adventure, that’s for sure.

…..

Hearing Nina give Basil what’s coming for him felt satisfying to watch, but nothing came closer than the feeling of power surging through him.

It wasn’t just the improved 30 points across the board that was giving him so much energy. It was the idea that he wouldn’t be blocked the further they got. The real issue for any person under the system is having to deal with a potential block at some point in their future. If they were lucky enough to find an attribute fruit, they can keep going without a single worry.

But the fruits were incredibly rare, and even more expensive. So Jackie never once thought he could go as far as he could. For Myra, she kept going even if she might hit a stat block at some point, which is why he respected her drive. He hated to say it, but the idea of hitting a stat block put a sort of damper on his motivation on top of everything else.

But now that was gone, he felt like he hadn’t done enough. His arms were aching for experience, for more skill levels, to gain more titles. He literally hoped that a Journeyman-rank monster would show up so that he could take it down himself. Having to deal with groups with his party just wasn’t enough–and he wasn’t alone.

Everyone around them was surging with power, especially those that had already gone as far as they could. For Moars, their leader and the oldest, he was absolutely ecstatic. He had reached a stat block for Vitality a while ago, a very essential attribute, and he worried constantly about missing out on it apparently. That was a first for Jackie to hear, which might explain why he always tried to be so chill.

Now, he was roaring and smiling like a maniac, filled with as much determination as Jackie. At this point, would the boss even be able to handle this much power?

He shook his head. Even in his agitated state, he knew that such a thing was impossible. The boss was literally two tiers above everyone else. Even with their enhanced power, they had no way of even making a dent on it.

Still, they were approaching closer and closer to the boss, hoping to find their leaders soon. The fortress was in reach, and everyone planned on leaving a group out to protect Clara.

While none of them were sure why the little girl was here with them, Zeke made it clear that she needed to be protected. And by gods, they will protect her.

Jackie had a hard time believing the stuff Zeke said, particularly about the monster that turned into a familiar for a kid not even initialized by the system yet. But even if he were to say that the sky was just a dragon’s mouth his entire life, he would believe him. He believed that nobody would dare make Zeke upset after the power boost he gave them all without a care in the world, only asking to take care of his little sister.

That, and Jackie feared what might happen if Mikella, even stronger than all of them combined, found out that Clara got hurt. He actually shivered even as it was just a passing thought of that happening.

“I see them!” One of their scouts shouted, pointing over in a direction. “The lords! They’re fighting against the soldiers!”

“Alright comrades, to arms!” Moars shouted, raising his axe high into the air. The others in the retinue followed suit, their armors clanking and their weapons hungry. “Our main goal is survival–so nobody here goes beyond their station. The more we screw their formations, the better our chances! Let the lords handle the big baddies. We’ll prove what happens when they try to mess with the kingdom!”

Everyone roared in agreement, raising their weapons as their morale couldn’t be any higher than before. With the fruits in their bellies and their stats raised, hell could come for them and they would still charge forward.

“Advance!”

Moars shouted, eventually getting everyone to run forward. A select group, consisting of Nina, Rajin the nature healer, and several others stayed behind with Clara to protect her while keeping any monsters that might show up to screw with them.

Jackie left them be as he himself had his own goal. He wanted to reunite with Myra and the others, and make sure she was alright. No matter how strong she gets, Jackie still wanted to support her whenever he could.

With his new power at his disposal, he won’t just be a burden anymore.