One of the larger Gnolls scrambled to its feet and lunged at the elderly Warrior as her longsword crashed down, but a timely use of [Bloodbound Bastion] and [Archaic Shackles] protected her from greater harm—if one ignored the sudden shock that nearly gave her a heart attack.

Both Hunter and Warrior continued to pursue and eliminate the remaining Gnolls while the Mage filled her Mana Core. Interestingly enough, she hardly struggled to replenish mana and ranked up before the others completed the massacre.

“[Mana Manipulation] ranked up,” David noted as the old Mage opened her eyes.

She grinned mischievously and corrected him. “Twice.”

He cocked an eyebrow at that but nodded. It did make sense for her to rank up so quickly. First, his explanation—based on extensive experience with meditation—addressed specific issues that could occur. Being able to use [Lifeweaver’s Bond] to tell her exactly how to absorb ambient Aether, transform it into natural Aether in her Energy Pathways, and convert it into mana in her Mana Core made everything much easier than it had been for David 18 months ago.

Then again, ambient Aether levels were higher than ever. In all likelihood, the Aether density in Orhain and its immediate surroundings was about 100 times greater than it had been in and around Arc at the beginning of the integration.

It was also interesting that the surrounding regions were superior in terms of Aether quality and quantity compared to most places his Echoes had discovered in the last few days.

“Good job. You might make a good Mage,” David praised the old woman, his attention shifting back to the Divine Seed’s information as it updated.

The changes weren’t extensive, but the grannies’ bonds were now firmly anchored and shifting slightly. Feeling the weave through the bonds was still difficult, but David could perceive the bonds more clearly as long as he stayed close to them.

Should I search for the Loyal bonds and stay closer to them to study the Weave and its power? He considered the idea, then discarded it. First, the ‘Followers,’ as the System labeled the bonds, were busy with other things. Second, he had his own matters to attend to. Third, well... David doubted their bond would stay Loyal for long if he hovered around them like a creepy stalker for days—or even weeks.

As curious as the Divine Seed’s information and the Weave’s power were, the strength feeding the Hunter and the Warrior as their rank increased was equally fascinating. Sure, they were weaker than he had been at the same rank, but the elderly women were not as weak as he’d expected them to be.

Normally, one’s physique was a crucial factor that determined how much of a stat’s potential could be unleashed. That was also why some were stronger, whereas others were physically weaker even if their stats were the same. The same applied to Mind and Soul, though training them was more difficult. David could do so with [Mind Palace] and [Soul Domain], and he had practiced both extensively—pushing them beyond the limits of a mortal, allowing him to unleash Mind and Soul’s boons to the fullest.

He kept working out, ensuring his physique would remain in top shape—even though it would require months of neglect before his body would deteriorate at his rank. Regardless, he didn’t want to take any risks and die at the hands of monsters, Voidlings, or the gods due to neglect.

“Are you up for a proper fight?” David asked when the last Gnoll died to a [Mana Bullet] in the throat.

He cast [Unyielding Vitality] on the new Classers before applying [Vital Weaving]. Their exhaustion faded quickly, and they turned to him.

“You will let us hunt a monster?” the old Mage asked suspiciously, but her tone quickly shifted to light teasing as she added, “You don’t want to kill us, do you?”

David laughed lightly. “I won’t let you die.”

But that doesn’t mean I’ll protect you from harm. You need to get injured and face the desperation of defeat head-on.

As that may be, he did not want them to end up like the other new Classers—the younger generation, whom he may have pushed a little too hard.

“Regardless, we’re going for a hunt. I will make sure nobody dies. I will also empower your bodies and weapons.” He turned to the Mage. “I can empower your Mage Wand, but it won’t be as efficient as the augmented weapons. You may have noticed already that the Mage Wand increases the amount of mana you can release through it. It increases your mana output, which my Skill Rune would only further augment.”

The Mage regarded him for a moment and then looked down at the wooden staff. She shrugged. “That means I can hit harder if you empower it. I can probably release fewer [Mana Bullets], but they might pierce those fuckers’ skulls. That is more than enough.”

David raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. He willed one of the avian Echos to play prey and provoke some of the nearby monsters, all while he roamed the battlefield to collect corpses and salvage their gear.

“This one dropped a Power Fragment. Your Artificers will love those.” He picked up an inconspicuous, purple crystal and showed it to the elderly woman. “They’re often used to concoct inscription serums that enhance enchantments or empower magical devices.”

The new Classers stared at him for a moment, clearly waiting for a more in-depth explanation, but David had to disappoint them.

“While I do know a great Artificer, my understanding of their line of work is close to non-existent.” He chuckled, materializing Serpent Fang in his empty hand while putting on Scalemore

with a mental command.

The old huntress yelped in surprise, and he was sure the Warrior was on the verge of a heart attack — again — but they quickly composed themselves.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

“That arm of yours—...” the old Mage started, but David shook his head.

“That is a Relic I was given by the Pantheon that is also responsible for the integration. For protecting one of their System Sanctuaries from certain destruction,” he explained, trying to sound nonchalant as he revealed the half-truth.

The destruction was certain because it did happen in the last Cycle. His arrival, Asmodeus and Bereth’s interference, and other factors altered the wheels of time and fate, saving Arc from certain destruction. However, Arc no longer existed. Electra had ensured that much.

As for the Pantheon’s responsibility, it was… difficult. While they did indeed integrate the Earthen Union into the System, their home world would have been attacked by the End and its Voidlings regardless. If the System hadn’t jump-started the Earthen Union’s awakening, one Void Fragment would have been enough to obliterate the entire Union, eradicating it within days.

“Finally,” David muttered as new data from the avian Echo — currently baiting a small group of monsters — reached him.

He turned to the right with a smile. “It looks like we have some more guests. Prepare for battle and show me what you got.”

A small sparrow, glistening in crimson light, rushed toward him, its wings fluttering wildly as it crossed the wide-open plains to reach David. Its performance as a weak, helpless monster was excellent, and it didn’t surprise him in the slightest when he saw six fuming monsters.

They were small deer with bulky frames, six bloodshot eyes, and gaping wounds spread all over their bodies, revealing rotting flesh and mottled bones beneath. Their antlers were large and branched out with pointed ends, but the truly interesting thing about these monsters was that they weren’t undead. Their bodies were rotting and must have been rotting for a very long time, given what Bloodthrone Dominion and [True Sight] revealed, yet they still had a source of life. Even so, the life left within them was no more than a spark. It was barely worth mentioning.

“There are five monsters at the Bronze Rank,” David introduced the small monsters that couldn’t be much taller than 130 centimeters.

“But there are six,” the old Mage said, right before a crimson flash whipped through the air, killing the strongest deer before it could cause any trouble.

“Nope. There are only five deer for you to kill.” He smiled at the old woman, who tensed up at the repetitive display.

However, this time, she was not only in awe. Nor was she scared. There was a glimmer in those old eyes, and it brought a smile to David’s face.

Chains burst from the ground as the remaining monsters closed in, shackling four deer to the ground. They bleated and thrashed around to no avail, while their fifth brethren continued to charge forward, courtesy of [Chain of Will], further enraging the monster.

“Show me what you’re capable of. Can you defeat the weakest monster in the region?” David snickered, watching the old woman tense up with an odd sense of excitement. “Have fun with this one.”

Next, he cast [Herald’s Blessing] on the elderly Classers and their weapons.

They were tense but responded swiftly to the incoming threat. The Warrior stood in front of the others, longsword raised to stop the charging monster. While that may have worked if the deer had been a monster at the lower Iron Ranks, given its size and relatively slow speed, this was a Bronze monster. It was strong, durable, unstoppable, and had more than enough deadly tools to impale the Warrior.

The elderly woman seemed to realize her mistake, but it was already too late to bark an order, let alone to escape the monster’s charge. The sword in her hands moved, and she used [Parry] as her feet dug deeper into the ground.

It didn’t work. She protected her body from the antlers’ pointed ends but was subjected to the deer’s charge. It smashed into the Warrior and hurled her to the ground. Cracking noises resounded, followed by a pained scream. The Warrior was still alive, but she’d paid a steep price for her foolish behavior. If not for [Herald’s Blessing], her sword would have shattered alongside the bones in her arms and ribs.

An arrow whistled through the air and struck one of the deer’s eyes. A [Mana Bullet] hit it square in the chest, slowing the monster, but David could only sigh at the sight unfolding before him. If they continued to fight like this, they would die.

Pushing them further—showing them how weak they truly were—was possible. Maybe it would help them understand better. However, David wanted them to truly comprehend their fragility and how easy it was to die outside Orhain in a different way.

He recast [Herald’s Blessing] on them and their weapons and pushed it past its limit. In the same instance, needles of blood pierced the deer’s legs, penetrating flesh and bones effortlessly.

Going through the options a few times in an instant, David nodded. That had to be enough.

The Warrior scrambled to her feet as the deer turned to the huntress and roared in defiance. It sounded pathetic and desperate, yet the deer turned back to the Warrior and attacked again. This time, the deer was not at top speed, lowering the impact force considerably. But the deer was still a Bronze, whereas the Warrior was at the Iron Rank. Not even [Herald’s Blessing]’s physical boost bridged that gap entirely. After all, the Skill Rune’s greatest boon was the percentage-based empowerment rather than the minor base enhancement.

The elderly woman sustained a lot more wounds than David had estimated. She struggled, despair and adrenaline pushing her limit over and over again. In the end, she even managed to counterattack as the deer’s patience ran out. Her strength increased suddenly—clearly, she ranked up—and she used [Slash] to etch a deep cut into the beast’s neck.

It was far from a killing blow, and the Warrior paid the price of attacking the monster instantly as the deer shoved her to the ground in retaliation. The monster trampled upon her chest, breaking several ribs and crushing her intestines.

David intervened and ensured the monster turned to the next target. It attacked the huntress, who’d managed to strike the deer’s existing wounds and another eye with a barrage of four arrows. Once again, the grannies surprised him. Albeit injured and scared witless, they attacked fiercely. If that had been all it took to kill the deer, it would have dropped to the ground a long time ago. Alas, that wasn’t the case.

David was forced to intervene again, triggering [Chain of Will] right after the deer crashed into the Hunter. The Warrior may have survived being trampled, but the Hunter wouldn’t. Thus, he pushed the deer toward the Mage, who cast and released [Mana Bullet] in a hurry. It struck the monster’s head and burst apart.

While the attack was stronger than anticipated, it wasn’t enough. The deer continued its charge, impaling the old woman and hurling her through the air. A moment later, the severely wounded Warrior arrived behind the monster, sword in hand, and cleaved down. The empowered blade cut deep into the deer and tore through it as the monster swung around. Whether it was neglect, panic, or exhaustion catching up to the Warrior, she was too slow to react to the antlers coming toward her head.

A scream resounded as one of the pointed ends of the antlers pierced the Warrior’s left eye.

“What a mess,” David’s voice resounded, swallowing the pained groans and other noises around him.

He sighed deeply and unleashed Bloodlust, restraining the deer instantaneously. Bloodlust shrouded the monster and overwhelmed it, forcefully shutting down its mind. Chains sprouted from the ground, temporarily restraining the wounded monster. [Blood Manipulation] worked its wonders and pushed the deer’s antlers out of the Warrior’s eyeball.

A wave of his hand and some pure Blood were all he needed to tend to the wounded, putting their bodies back together. The Warrior’s condition was the worst, and it was actually surprising how she’d gotten up from the ground the second time. That had been outside his expectations.

A welcome surprise, truly.