Authorâs Note:
Good day, readers. The previous chapter, this one, and the upcoming chapters are all being rewritten. I wasnât satisfied with how they turned out, and I felt that continuing as they were might ruin the story. As a result, I had to take some time to replan. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Thank you for your understanding, and I hope you enjoy reading!
****
PS: All the chapters needed to be rewritten have been edited.
*****
Of course, Michael had no idea about the predicament of the two girls. If he knew, he might have even called them lucky.
Had he not realized his initial location was within highly valuable ruins, he might have wanted to trade places with themâthough perhaps not with the one stranded on an island in the middle of nowhere. But the desert? He would have gladly taken that instead.
Compared to being âguardedâ by a former Rank 2 monsterâa creature so powerful that even strong Rank 1 Awakeners would struggle against itâbeing in the desert was clearly the better option.
As Michael noticed Mira turning her attention toward him, he calmly addressed her.
âI was just a little surprised by the location of the crack weâre heading to, thatâs all,â he said evenly. âI thought it would be Level 1 at most.â
Mira nodded, her expression unchanging. She didnât seem suspicious of Michaelâs response.
âLevel 1 cracks are a great place to level up, but theyâre too weak. The space a corrupted dimensional crack can hold is small, so rather than waste time hunting monsters like goblins, even forest wolves, we could do the same in Level 2 cracks. The numbers are about the same, but they provide more experience points, more money, and generally better rewards.â
Michael nodded at her reasoning. As long as the monster rank was low, monsters of this level could still be found in abundance. This was especially true for corrupted cracks.
If Michael had access to numerous Level 2 or even Level 1 cracks, leveling up would be the least of his concerns for a while. Unfortunately, only the Federation and perhaps a few powerful individuals could monopolize cracks.
Michael also picked up something in Miraâs tone.
It sounded like she, too, was in a hurry to level up.
He couldnât help but feel her urgency might also have something to do with the academy.
However, while he was curious, he decided it wasnât his business to ask.
âAre we taking transportation to carry our loot?â Michael asked, shifting the conversation. Compared to Miraâs motives, his thoughts were preoccupied with costs.
âT-thereâs no n-need. I can keep i-it in my location in the Land of Origin,â Lilian stammered, answering in her usual timid manner.
Michael nodded in reply but couldnât ignore the thought running through his mind.
âTsk. Am I becoming so money-hungry that I canât even afford to give basic trust anymore?â
Once they clarified the crack location and loot storage space, Mira moved on to provide details about the crack itself.
âThough Level 2 creatures are technically still within the ability range of unranked Awakeners, we still need to be careful,â Mira explained. âIf Iâm not mistaken, theyâre likely all Rank 1 creatures. However, their rank canât exceed Commonâotherwise, it would have been classified as at least a Level 3 crack instead of Level 2.â
She paused, her gaze shifting to Michael before continuing.
âFrom the corrupted crackâs name, Ape Region, itâs easy to guess what kind of monsters weâll be facing. And just like the Goblin WorldâŠâ Mira trailed off, studying Michaelâs reaction. âI donât know if youâve been there, but itâs also a forest-type terrain.â
Michael met her gaze, unfazed. âIâve been to the Goblin World. Yesterday, in fact.â
âOh?â Mira raised an eyebrow. âThen, if you donât mind, could you tell me your level? Iâd like to know so we can avoid any⊠accidents.â
From the way Mira directly asked the question after his reply, Michael guessed this had probably been her main intention all along.
âI understand,â Michael said. âLevel 9.â
Michael said honestly, seeing no reason to hide his level. However, when he noticed the astonished looks of surprise on both Lilianâs and Miraâs faces, he realized he might have said something remarkable.
âSo fast?â One exclaimed.
âS-so strong?â Another added.
The former was from Mira, the latter from Lilian.
Michael sensed that something was off in the atmosphere. To clarify, he asked about their levels.
âLevel 7.â
âLevel 4.â
Surprisingly Lilian was the most powerful one.
âSo low?â Michael wanted to blurt out but opted to keep it to himself. Still, his expression must have given him away because Mira quickly went on to explain their situation in the Land of Origin.
Michael could only twitch his mouth in response and choose not to comment further. It seemed he wasnât the only one dealt a bad hand when it came to his initial location.
As for the girls, they were astonished at Michaelâs speed of growth. They knew even Brian, the so-called genius knight who had managed to awaken a dual class, was currently only at level 10.
Of course, his progress was hindered by the nature of dual classes, which required double the experience to level up.
Even so, on the surface, Michaelâs performance appeared only slightly inferior to Brianâs.
They didnât know what Michael had done to reach his current level so quickly, but it stirred a hint of respect for him in both of them.
âWhatâs your class?â Mira inquired.
âNecromancer.â
Mira was momentarily stunned by his reply. Although she didnât know much about the class, the name alone suggested it wasnât a close-combat specialization.
Hearing about his high level had initially led her to assume he was a close-combat Awakener. If he was a support-type and had reached this level, then his overall strength might be even greater than sheâd imagined.
Still, a hint of suspicion lingered in her mind, and she decided to confirm it for herself. Continue your journey with empire
{Detect}
[Level 9 Necromancer Apprentice]
The result matched his words, but the reality of his class made her thoughts a little depressed.
Turned out the leader was the groupâs weakest link.