That was easy. Lev blinked slowly, taking in the brute's charred and shredded legs. Those whips are insane, and the rogue's capabilities were never in doubt to begin with.
"ONE DOWN, LADIES AND GENTS. NOT EVEN TEN MINUTES HAVE PASSED SINCE HALF-TIME, AND OUR HUNTERS ARE ALREADY ON TRACK TO END THE EVENT BEFORE THE TIME LIMIT."
A laugh escaped Lev's lips as the commentator's words registered. He wasn't delusional enough to believe that he alone was the cause, yet the fact remained.
If anything, it is a good sign for the future. I need to contact the fire girl and see if she's up for dangerous quests later on. Can't hurt to try and form a connection with someone with such obvious strength.
He wasn't going to bother with the rogue. Shadow mana might as well have a side effect of inflating heads with how the boy acted.
"The contributions have been decided. Seven participants have qualified for points. 25 for Isabella, 20 for Aryan, 18 for Lev…"
The remaining points were given to those who had cast spells to help. Lev wasn't particularly surprised at the low points. His contribution was flashy but not that impactful. Much of the work was done by the fire mage alone.
45% or so mana left. Welp, time to wait.
Summoning Stargazer, Lev left the makeshift camp and looked for any weaker monsters to slice apart. Enhancement formation ran on a small, controlled flow, utilizing less mana than he regenerated naturally.
Staying on the move, he kept his eyes peeled for Elias and his team. Occasionally, he flew up and checked the first brute's location, finding it empty and the monster unbothered.
Lev entered a particularly dense patch of trees after half an hour of casual monster slaying, keeping his eyes peeled for any signs of movement.
It didn't take long to find one, and it froze him in his tracks. Pale white mist covered the trees to his left, trying to flow towards him as if carried by a gentle breeze.
Memories rushed in, making him lose control over his mana. Before he could overload everything and let loose, Lev reined in his rattled mind and took stock of the situation with a deep, calming breath. Nothing came out of the mist to attack him, and he could faintly feel enchantments in the ground right where the mist ended.
Curiously enough, the enchantments were impossible to decipher beyond their little yet purposefully obvious presence. Lev belatedly realized that they were there to serve as a warning and keep the mist at bay. The commentator's words further cemented his guess.
"Here we have the first person to find the small, cloaked region of mistcrawlers. Will our top contender dare enter? Or will he look for safer avenues instead?"
There isn't gonna be a Chaoswalker inside, right? Lev chuckled to himself, unable to hold the nervousness at bay. Oh, fuck it. Can't be a fucking pussy forever.
Steeling his nerves, Lev held up Stargazer in front of him and slowly stepped inside. The whole mist-infested region was eerily similar to the dungeon except for the addition of trees. Not even ten seconds had passed when Lev dove back, letting a long bone scythe cleave in front of him harmlessly.
[Mistcrawler Juggernaut - Level 203]
The monster was just as giant and scary as he remembered, yet he had killed many of them. One more was nothing.
Enhancement formation was pushed to the limit as Lev rushed in, effortlessly dodging its four arms mid-air before swinging Stargazer in a wide arc. Barely any resistance registered in his mind as the juggernaut's head tumbled to the ground.
[
Your Group has slain [Shade Brute - Level 302]
You have slain [Troll Warrior - Level 102]
…
You have slain [Black Forest Spider - Level 135]
…
You have slain [Thornling - Level 124]
…
You have slain [Forest Harpy - Level 111]
…
You have slain [Mistcrawler Juggernaut - Level 203]
Mana Tempest has reached Level 189
Mana Tempest has reached Level 190
]
The recently gained attribute points were invested into Wisdom, bringing it up to a sweet 525. Lev grinned as the sweet increase of mana and regeneration settled into his soul, renewing his desire to delve deeper into the region.
****
"He's hesitating," Alec remarked as his eyes softened. Orianna nodded by Sherron's side, almost heartbroken at seeing Lev freeze like that. Out of all of them, Lev relied on Orianna's presence the most. Nobody ever got him to relax like she did.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Sherron stayed quiet. Back at the mansion, Lev had tried to hide how badly he was affected, but how could he possibly fool an Exalted's senses? An Exalted sniper's, no less.
The kids by her side were all looking at them, silently observing the exchange. Orianna took the lead and explained.
"Lev had an… incident in the mistcrawler dungeon," Orianna smiled sadly. "No lives were lost but it would him take some time to get over the experience."
That was enough for them to turn back to the screen, mostly because they weren't going to find out more.
"He seems happy, though."
Sherron turned to look at the silver-haired girl, who looked back. The unease and tension from before had mostly vanished, as it tended to be the case when being exposed to strong auras for the first time.
"Lev enjoys improving," Sherron agreed. "Getting over your fears is a huge leap for anyone."
"Does he also like to fight monsters?"
Sherron was about to agree before she paused. Only Alec had accompanied him to the pit and observed Lev fight monsters for extended periods of time, yet he had never mentioned what Lev thought of the combat itself.
For all of Lev's accomplishments and retellings, she had never been able to figure out if Lev actually longed for the thrill or not. Recalling all his performances in the hunt, nothing in particular stood out except what was being shown on the screen at that moment.
Fiends and juggernauts fell left and right, each effortlessly reduced to two or three pieces. All the while, Lev's grinning face was visible inside the barrier armor.
"Maybe he does."
****
Kitty~
Lev smiled when he felt the miststalker boss take notice of him. Immediately, its aura vanished almost completely, dashing any hopes of tracking its location.
With relaxed steps, Lev backtracked. The last fight had ended abruptly due to the use of lightning, and this time would be no different. Durability rune replaced the enhancement formation on his armor in a split second as the stalker pounced from behind.
Waiting till the last moment, Lev whirled around. Narrowly dodging its swipe by ducking low, he grabbed it in a bear hug as they both were sent tumbling from the monster's momentum.
Lightning mana rushed into his armor before they could untangle, locking up the monster. Imbued as it was, the constant contact with the barrier armor allowed Lev to easily wrestle the jolted monster to the ground.
More lightning infused his fists as Lev struck. Slowly at first, before each strike picked up in speed and power. The amount of infused mana also increased sharply, along with Lev's breathing.
Each impact released a small, crackling explosion of fire and lightning. Cracks split the ground underneath as the stunned monster's head sank deeper, unable to free itself with the amount of lightning searing its brain and insides.
Lev's output increased yet again as he channeled a large amount into the durability rune. Every punch descended with the force of a rolling boulder. Teeth and blood flew away as the wet air itself was charged with the abundant lightning, only serving to damage the stalker and Lev's armor more.
A notification had announced the monster's demise a few moments ago but he didn't stop. Only when the monster's upper half had turned into something unrecognizable did he get up and move away from the small maelstrom of lightning caused by his actions.
You were supposed to be the boss that day, Lev steadied his erratic breathing and gave the corpse one last glance. Not some unholy creatures straight out of the depths of hell.
With a long, tired sigh, he harvested the core and flew out of the mist zone. The arena became smaller and smaller underneath as Lev ascended, not letting the distant brute out of his sight.
His fun and excitement had been thoroughly ruined by the last encounter. Even now, the dread from the chaos core easily overwhelmed his mind. Lev was getting sick and tired of it.
When Lev was, by his estimates, half a kilometer above ground, he stopped and formed a long, sleek lance.
****
"Unsightly performance," Duke Fabian commented, intently observing the screen in front of him. It showed Lev pummeling a miststalker mercilessly until only scorched bits of flesh and bone remained for half its body.
Katarina resisted the urge to roll her eyes. The same boy would never willingly sit at the same table as the duke. Black hair adorned the man's lithe, light brown stature, complementing his similarly colored eyes that took in every little detail.
While the Duke was pleasant company in private, that changed completely whenever he was in public. To him, there was no greater sin than a bad showing in front of the people.
Perhaps that was exaggerating it a bit, but it sure felt that way to Katarina. Nobody blamed the noble, however. Anyone who had seen the depths of the ravine or the caverns, or even worse, the dreadwoods, knew just how important it was to keep up appearances.
"He's still young," Fabian continued. "With proper education, he can become a great figure to look up to."
Fabian watched on from atop their high stand, taller than all the surrounding ones, to establish a clear order. Even then, Katarina and Lara's positions were a smidge higher.
"Perhaps," Lara dismissed. "The boy didn't seem interested in any form of political power."
Katarina had to resist smiling as Fabian's lips curled upwards ever so slightly every time his daughter's points increased. Isabella was a prodigy in every sense of the word, outclassing all of her peers with sheer talent.
That didn't even account for her discipline and hard work which set her ways higher than anyone else in her threshold despite being a gold hunter.
The tournament was supposed to be her stage to shine if Lev and the shadow boy hadn't shown up all of a sudden. While the latter's accomplishments were somewhat well-known, Lev was a complete unknown.
The duke turned to look at Lara, the move precisely calculated to radiate polite disinterest. It was a facade, of course. Curiosity was running rampant amongst the few nobles.
"Have you met him, your highness?"
"Briefly," Lara allowed, eyes sharp and expression not betraying a single thought. "Orianna and Sherron are pleasant company, and they like the boy."
The reply indirectly established that Lev was already under the protection of two of humanity's strongest. Everyone surrounding her heard the message loud and clear.
Further conversation paused as Lev flicked some blood off his armor-covered hands and flew up. From far above, he gazed at the level 305 brute like a hawk tracking its prey.
Katarina watched him with a raised brow, not needing a screen to look at him hovering above the arena. In a blink, a large lance formed above him. Lightning and fire mana gathered in the projectile, instantly eclipsing most expectations the people around her had for the attack.
More than a few spectators leaned forward, intrigued by the sheer amount of mana streaming out of a gold hunter. Yet their surprise only increased as the lance turned bright red, orange, and blue, at which point even the brute was wary.
The monster roared, and the sound may not even have reached Lev before the lance landed. The surrounding drones were all hurled away as the huge blast rose into the sky, reaching several dozen meters.
Lightning turned the already impressive explosion into something much more intimidating. Forks of crackling blue danced in a chaotic storm around it, trying and failing to find any victims to scorch and sear.
Silence reigned in Katarina's stall for a full minute as the flames and lightning gradually dispersed. No movement was visible underneath the blast, signifying the end of the brute that hadn't even survived a single attack from a gold hunter.
Whispers broke out around her but Katarina kept half an eye on Fabian. The man betrayed almost nothing in his expression or posture, yet the silence was loud enough.
Poor Lev, she thought with a mental sigh. He's gonna have to learn just how persistent nobles can be.
It wasn't all bad, though. Fabian was both kind and just, and he wouldn't make life harder for Lev for no reason. Sure, he might push it a little more than necessary to try and recruit him for his daughter's team, but nothing beyond that.
