The silver beam vanished after a few seconds. Hakim tacitly stood on water for a few moments. The surroundings returned to normal light levels, and he calmly looked at Lev.

  Lev was about to bow and greet him when Hakim spoke loud enough for him to hear.

  "What are you doing here?"

  "I was just uh… exploring the mountain? Wanted to see the lake."

  "Happened to be here, hmm?" Hakim said with a slight smile. "I suppose you wouldn't have seen this if you weren't allowed to."

  Lev gulped. That sounded more than a little scary. He was also not dumb enough to question who made that decision. Such things were better left unsaid for now.

  He was still incredibly curious, though.

  "Was that teleportation?" Lev asked, unable to keep the question at bay.

  "It was," Hakim nodded as he walked on water towards Lev. "Only works at night."

  Lev looked up at the three moons in the sky with narrowed eyes. It only took a single second of consideration to discard any related questions. He doubted Hakim would answer them, anyway.

  "Will you be judging the participants?" Lev changed the subject to something more relevant.

  They were both standing on the ground a few meters apart when Hakim summoned two large padded chairs and sat down on one. Lev thanked him and sat down as well and summoned a bowl of hot soup. Drinking that was the original plan.

  "Want one?"

  Hakim looked over with a raised brow. "Sure."

  Lev summoned another one for him. They both drank the soup in silence for a few minutes, gazing at the lake and the haven.

  "I'll be one of the judges," Hakim confirmed. "There were other reasons, such as ensuring no one tried to pressure you into some contract and to make sure nothing goes wrong during the hunt."

  Lev tilted his head a little. "So it's taking place in a region where your strength would be required if something goes wrong? Is it the patch of the grand forest inside the outer wall?"

  He ignored the first reason. It was only natural for that to happen once he showcased his strength. Everyone would be scrambling to recruit someone so strong.

  From what little he knew about nobility, one of the Dukes and several lower-ranked nobles came with the refugee ships. They still maintained a large degree of control over the ruling structure. Events like the tournament were a good avenue to scout talent.

  Bleh, politics.

  "Perhaps. Do you think you'll win?"

  "I don't know," Lev honestly replied. "Sherron and everyone else seem to think it will be a cakewalk. Hard to believe it can be that easy. I'm no talented prodigy either."

  "Normally, it would be that easy," Hakim said as he returned the empty bowl. "This time, there are some promising hunters taking part. You've already met the shadow boy and the radiant team. There are a few more."

  Lev smiled. From what Elias had shown him during the wave, Lev knew the hunter was holding back considerably. He had also felt the use of a body enhancement during the fight with the bear, which signified a class that also used mana to some degree.

  "I'm looking forward to it."

  Silence reigned as the conversation ended. Lev didn't mind the atmosphere at all as they both gazed at the clear moons in the sky.

  Hakim got up after a few minutes. Lev got up too and nodded to him before flying away, back to the haven. There was a woosh of air displacement as both the chairs and Hakim vanished.

  ****

  Lev woke up with a huge yawn the next day. Stretching to push away the vestiges of sleep, he took care of his morning routine before ordering a simple breakfast.

  While eating, he thought about his next steps.

  There isn't much to train for except glaive mastery. Finding a teacher at this point would negate all my efforts, so that is a no-go, which means that will also need to be dealt with during the tournament itself. If I don't get the skill during that… well, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

  Lev pointedly ignored a group of hunters stealing glances his way. Before they could come up to him and cause trouble, he simply paid the expenses and left. Thankfully, they didn't follow, or Lev would've been held accountable for a full team writhing on the ground.

  Hakim's and Sherron's words kept coming back to mind. Even the former had confirmed that Lev could've easily won most previous tournaments. By now, it would be stupid to believe otherwise.

  Nobody at my level can survive a few of my lances exploding at once. Even if it isn't lethal, they would still be put out of commission instantly.

  Lev sighed. Fun aside, he wanted to see maximum gains from the rare chance to face off against other humans. Slinging lances, arrows, or even his shields at them would do him no benefit. Each tool in his arsenal was strong for his level, all except one.

  The mountain loomed closer and closer as Lev prepared strategies in his mind.

  I mean, strategies is stretching it. The plan is to push the limits of enhancement formation and practice utilizing the pole of Stargazer during fighting and actively refusing to acquire the skill. Because, as usual, the greatest potential lies in the heart of danger, which will be whoever I face off in the tourney.

  He could've easily found a second-threshold monster in some well-known dangerous spot and trained against that. Between the tournament and that option, Lev felt like earning a skill during the former would feel much more satisfying.

  Rolling his shoulders, Lev inhaled deeply before letting out a slow breath and flying higher.

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  ****

  Days passed quickly as he hunted monsters around the lake. His core supply had swelled severalfold, and he was debating if returning earlier to sell them all would be worth it.

  In the end, the cool atmosphere near the peak won out. No matter how long he spent gazing up at the moons or down at the Haven, Lev never got tired.

  Tonight's the last day, Lev thought to himself, looking at a particularly bright star to the west. It seemed to twinkle once every few hours, which made him curious.

  Shoving the celestial body out of his mind, Lev quickly descended while checking the notifications from his recent monster excursion.

  [

  Mana Tempest has reached Level 186

  Mana Tempest has reached Level 187

  Aerial Maneuvers has reached 2nd Level 9

  Aerial Maneuvers has reached 2nd Level 10

  ]

  The points went into Wisdom, just in case he needed that extra mana. Despite being only two levels' worth, the points still gave enough mana to be considered significant for a normal mage.

  Dawn was still five hours away, so Lev quickly rented a room to get some sleep before that. With his Constitution, two hours of rest were plenty.

  "There you are," someone called out to him as all other sounds vanished. Lev turned around, his face expressionless. He already knew that they were invisible and cut off from the rest of the world.

  "It is impossible for you to have problems finding me."

  Drakys raised a brow. "You sound pretty confident."

  Lev didn't stop moving toward the gates as he replied. "Because I definitely wouldn't have had any trouble doing so at your level."

  "Very humble," Drakys chuckled. "Correct, too. There was too much to take care of before I could come see you leisurely."

  "I don't mind," Lev said. "So, what brings you here?"

  "Just checking in. Did you need something the other day?"

  "Nope," Lev laughed. "Most certainly didn't need to be awed like that but it was a unique experience for sure."

  Drakys simply nodded and vanished as sounds returned to normal around Lev.

  Busy man.

  The huge gates of the haven loomed ever closer. Dozens of hunters walked alongside Lev, each and every one of them a participant. Simply trotting forward amidst that crowd was a memorable experience.

  Everyone looked ready. Eyes sharp, shoulders tense yet relaxed, and postures straight. Nobody who had registered was willing to show anything but their best.

  … I can take them all out in seconds.

  Lev decided to ignore that particular thought. It was both unhealthy and worrying. Instead, he focused on the names being called. Carts were prepared to carry all the hunters to the monster hunt arena.

  "Gold hunter Lev," one of the Master's organizers called out his name. Lev got a thorough once-over as all his items were scanned.

  "You can only keep the blocking stone or the storage ring. Remember, it can only be used to store corpses or cores. Summoning anything from it is grounds for immediate disqualification."

  Oh well, Lev handed over the blocking stone. Hopefully, it would be returned later.

  "Cart #3."

  Lev's cart turned out to be one of the huge ones he had traveled in to reach the haven. Thirteen people were already sitting inside, and Lev wanted to punch a few of them already with how they were looking at him.

  "Did you get lost, kid?" a girl snickered.

  Lev just ignored her. He looked at her face and felt her aura to note for later. Actions spoke louder than words, after all. If fate was a real thing, they would meet in an arena.

  "Good to know there will be some easy rounds ahead of us if even you're allowed to compete," one of the boys in her team jeered. Lev identified them all.

  [Mage - Level 121]

  [Warrior - Level 120]

  [Mage - Level 120]

  [Healer - Level 120]

  Oh. They are in the silver bracket.

  Only a short internal debate was enough to dissuade him from engaging in a pointless argument. Seeing they couldn't get a rise out of him, the team took that as a sign of victory and backed down.

  Two more people entered the cart before they were off. Lev took a good look at the people around him. There were four teams, from how they were seated together, and two solo participants. Lev was one of them.

  The other was a pale boy who looked almost malnourished. His aura, the little Lev could feel, felt wispy and elusive, reminding him of the shadow user he had seen in the final cavern. It remained to be seen if this was the same person.

  Scanning the chatting teams to the best of his ability, Lev only found one of them worthy of note. Surprisingly, it was the team that had tried to provoke him. None of them compared to him, of course, but they seemed capable for their level.

  Leaning back, Lev closed his eyes and only paid half a mind to the teams talking around him. Only a few of the things they were talking about were worth noting.

  "Do you think we can land ourselves any rewards?" one of the gold team's warriors asked.

  "Don't know," a girl answered. "Even the flame princess is participating this time around. Nobody knows what other surprises are waiting for us."

  "I think we still have a chance," another girl added. "From what I've heard, the runic warlord is organizing it all. It wouldn't be surprising if the top fifteen or twenty all earned something."

  Does nobody know what the actual rewards are? Lev thought to himself, disappointed. No matter who he heard taking about them, there were no concrete names, descriptions, or categories. Just 'great' rewards.

  I'm gonna be so pissed if the rewards turn out to be fifty gold coins or something.

  One of the warriors was flirting with a warrior from a different team. Lev ignored those and was about to enter meditation when he detected something odd.

  Is that shadow mana?

  The pale boy, who looked to be eighteen, was cycling a peculiar type of mana around his fingers. It flowed smoothly like traveling through a predetermined pathway and seemed to be following the rogue's orders without question.

  When Lev opened his eyes, the rogue was already looking at him.

  [Rogue - Level 195]

  "Like what you see?" the boy spat, his tone extremely derisive.

  Hah? What?

  Trying not to jump to conclusions, Lev instead tested out the waters, even if the comment had already pissed him.

  "Is that crutch supposed to be impressive?" He replied flatly. The next reaction would decide what Lev would think of the boy.

  "Crutch?" the boy barked out a short laugh. "Ignorant ruffian thinks it's a crutch."

  Lev smiled, pretending to be clueless. "Oh really? What is supposed to be so good about it?"

  His words had the desired effect as the boy straightened, his confidence fully displayed. The rest of the cart had also gone silent to observe the two.

  With a smirk, the boy raised his hand shrouded with shadow mana. "This, you numbskull, is shadow mana. Do you understand? Shadow mana, the type that is impossible to acquire before Master rank."

  Lev nodded along. "Uh-huh, that does sound somewhat impressive."

  "Because it is, you reta-"

  "Then you shouldn't have any excuses if you lose, right?" Lev stared directly into his eyes. "It should be impossible for anyone else to beat you."

  The boy sputtered, taken aback by Lev's audacity for a second before he replied. "That's right-"

  "Wanna make a bet?"

  "What?"

  "Exactly what I said." Lev grinned, the expression far from friendly. "Or are you too insecure to agree?"

  Lev's provocation was met with a scoff. "Why on Monarch would I make a bet with you?"

  "Why not?" Lev shrugged. "Or are you doubting your shadow mana all of a sudden? Wasn't it supposed to be the ticket to an automatic victory?"

  Everyone in the cart was simply watching, content to enjoy the show. Put on the spot, the boy gritted his teeth.

  "Fine," he hissed. "Do you even have anything worth betting?"

  "One hundred gold coins," Lev put forth his offer. "The loser has to properly bow and apologize on the stage."

  Clear indecision was visible on the rogue's face. He seemed to be realizing that Lev was too calm despite the whole ordeal. Nobody had that kind of confidence without reasons backing it.

  "Deal, but if I win, you have to complete five platinum quests for me," the boy added, expecting Lev to decline.

  "Sure."

  The boy blinked. "You cannot back out of this-"

  "I know, dumbass," Lev cut him off. "I'll see you in the duels."

  The girl who had poked fun at him earlier whistled. "Hot damn, I thought you only had a pretty face going for you. Good to see you're not as spineless as you looked," she finished with a wink.

  Lev just stared at her, silenced for an unexpected reason.

  … Pretty face?

  It took some effort not to scratch his cheek and smile. This is the first time someone has complimented my looks… feels nice.

  The other teams had already started ignoring the two after the heated conversation ended. Lev had no doubts that the rumors of their bet would spread in no time.