"That was needlessly scary," Lev broke the silence, both he and Alec hovering above The Pit in the bubble. He had stored his illusion armor after wearing it to exit the guild, preferring to be outside of it for this talk.

  "My teacher has always been strict but he was still showing leniency around you."

  "You've got to be kidding me," Lev deadpanned. "He almost drowned me with his aura."

  Alec grimaced. "I trained in it regularly. Not even close to the worst he's put me through."

  "I'm not his Monarch damned student, and for very good reason. He cannot justify testing me like that except simply because he could," Lev argued half-heartedly, throwing his hands up in resignation. What had happened was already in the past, and he didn't want anything more to do with the Exalted.

  He was also more intimidated than he would admit. Lev didn't know what the silver light was, or why it was so potent, but the origins of the light seemed to be something beyond comprehension. Back then, the only impression he got from trying to feel the origin was instant death.

  "I apologize on his behalf. He might not look like it, but he was pretty happy to see your determination. That your personal goals included clearing lethal zones, too."

  Lev took a breath, about to reply, but just let it out. "Fine, all is forgiven. I wasn't holding it against Hakim, anyway. The man has more burdens than I can imagine," Lev said and looked at his mentor. "I believe we have more urgent matters to address."

  Alec sighed. "That we do."

  Lev waited for his mentor to form the words. It took what anyone would've considered an embarrassingly long time but Lev didn't mind. It just showed how much his mentor cared.

  "The average lifespan at my level and evolution is well above a thousand years. Something you will most likely have trouble wrapping your head around. For us, it's normal. We grew up knowing that, that if we survive, lifespan would be the least of our worries," Alec voiced with a gentle voice and a small smile. Lev patiently waited with a matching smile, not interrupting.

  "You… care. Too much," Lev resisted the change of his expressions, though a bit of it probably slipped through as his mentor continued. "Don't laugh at me. This is the first time I'm doing this. What I'm saying is, I will spend years in some basement now. That is not a long time for me but it is a great period for you. I'm sorry. For not spending more time teaching you,"

  Lev waited for several silent seconds before he inhaled deeply. His mentor probably expected words, but Lev simply walked up and grabbed him in a tight hug. For the first time, he felt Alec's aura go in disarray, letting Lev feel his surprise and genuine happiness.

  "So strong and resourceful but can't hug a kid," Lev teased and looked up into his mentor's eyes. "I do not blame you, and never will. You've given me so much already for nothing in exchange, and I will continue to benefit from it for as long as I live. Thank you and don't be sorry. I am happy with every little bit of what you've provided, and you should be content too. You've done more than enough."

  Strong arms hugged him back, and suddenly Lev was not ashamed to let a few tears out.

  He was going to miss Alec.

  ****

  Lev landed in front of Golden Basilisk, the entrance card to Alec's suite forcefully glued to his hand by a barrier. The glue disintegrated after a few seconds, leaving Lev no choice but to keep the card.

  First time someone has forced riches on me. Lev thought with a hollow chuckle, mind still trying to comprehend his newfound loneliness. Orianna, Sherron, and now Alec. It would be his new routine to be all alone, something new to get used to.

  Having put on his armor before landing, Lev turned around and walked to the Hunters Guild. The guild hall was still as impressive as always, sporting a few hunters going about their business.

  He went straight for the large quest board, most of it unsurprisingly related to the pit. The large hole in the ground was not dissimilar to a dungeon, containing several layers before the seemingly endless drop started.

  Escort quests were scarce. It was not unexpected, considering those who came here were far and few. Only the bravest of hunters and the minimum force required to repel waves were stationed there most of the time.

  Thankfully, there were two going to Runespires.

  "Hey," Lev addressed the woman behind the counter. "When are the caravans for Runespires leaving?"

  She straightened herself before answering. "The one from Gilard leaves tomorrow morning, and the other leaves in four days."

  "No specific requirements?"

  "They asked for a Silver team…" The woman hesitantly replied.

  Lev almost scratched his armored head. "I do not know how I can prove it but I'm a capable mage. Oh, and can you upgrade my badge?"

  He stored the blocking stone from Alec in his ring, something he kept on his person at all times. The woman identified him, and Lev did the same.

  [Worker - Level 130]

  I wonder how long it took to get to that level.

  "Congratulations on your advancement. Would you like to create a profile?"

  "Create one for a barrier mage called Lev. Can you talk to the person who issued the quest that leaves in four days? I can go on half the pay if they don't like that I don't have a team."

  The woman thought for a few seconds, "I'm sure they will not mind. Nobody wants to give up more security if they can help it."

  Lev belatedly remembered that he caused more waves wherever he went ever since getting his class.

  "Yeah," he chuckled, hiding his nervousness. "It would be a good idea to hire another team. When can I expect to get a response?"

  "We can send a runner right now if you don't mind waiting. In the meantime, I need to inform you about the upcoming ranks," Lev motioned for her to go on. "The silver rank is the last rank that can be earned without merits. Seeing how your previous badge is plain and this is your first time interacting with the guild, your current merit score is 0. The new badge has a tracker to keep count of your merit, a feature present in most badges."

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  She handed Lev a silver badge, a long, thin, yet striking strip of metal. It was as long as his finger. Lev stored it in his ring, not intending to mess with the tracker even a little bit. Not like he could find it on the badge, to begin with.

  "Your previous badge was made for someone who would progress without questing so I should inform you about how it works. Whenever you finish a quest, the badge will be updated by one of the clerks after enough proof has been provided. That can be a testimony from the quest issuer or simply arriving with a caravan. In most cases, it is extremely simple."

  Lev thanked the woman for the explanation and took a seat at one of the tables. While a runner was contacting the merchants who had issued the quest, he meditated.

  Clearing his mind of thoughts and distractions, Lev focused on his constant heartbeat. The experience was relaxing but that was all.

  "Hunter Lev," the woman called out.

  "I don't think I got your name earlier," Lev scratched his armored head.

  She smiled at him. "I'm Liz. I have been working as an attendant and receptionist for the past two decades here. The response was positive, and they're willing to take another Silver team while paying you in full."

  Lev dipped his head in a grateful nod. "Thank you for the quick work."

  "Good luck on your quest, hunter."

  Lev returned to Alec's suite, the attendant letting him in quickly after he flashed the card. The receptionist didn't seem too happy about it but Lev didn't care either. He would be out of there in a few days, anyway.

  I guess it's time to wait.

  ****

  Lev spent the rest of the days doing… nothing. He simply wasted time, something he hadn't done in a while.

  Wasting time still sucked, but he didn't want to start the quest with less than full mana. It took him over 18 hours to regenerate a full mana pool, a new element he had to plan for. Most mages didn't have benefits affecting their capacity and regen, meaning they only had to wait 12 hours for a full pool.

  For Lev, that wait time would continue to increase. It wasn't a bad thing, as it truly highlighted how massive his pool was even with the increased regen, but it was something he had to plan around.

  In the meantime, he planned. Boredom crept on him quickly, forcing him to jog his mind. The first order of business was to integrate barriers into his fighting style. Right now, he only had his shields and now-weakened disks other than his arrows and lances. That needed to change.

  Several ideas came to him that made full use of the durability of barriers. It just sucked that his class provided only a single bonus on that front, which was why they were not a priority.

  The priority was enchanting. With his new General Skill slots, Lev wanted to dedicate as many as he could to that. The only other general skill that would be useful to him was Mana Slash, something most mages learned for its usefulness.

  It would pair with Stargazer nicely.

  Beyond that, evolving his Mana Manipulation and turning his archery skill into something broader was on his to-do list. The latter he wasn't sure was possible, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

  Noon was when the caravan would disembark on their journey. Lev reached the gate an hour before that. He inspected his new gauntlets as he walked. Similar to his glaive, Stargazer, they were matte black in color with blue veins running through them. Sturdy and conductive, they were well worth the 40 gold coins he spent on them.

  [

  Dreamchasers - Uncommon

  These gauntlets have been forged by a reliable blacksmith and enchanted by a masterful enchanter. They are designed to be used with maximum force, and capable of handling great impacts.

  Enchantments: Fire Converter, Lightning Converter, Hardening, Minor Weight Increase

  ]

  The first two enchantments were straightforward, and the other two were similarly simple. Hardening let him increase the durability of the gauntlets, like his armor, by pouring mana into them. The last let him triple their weight at a high mana cost. The enchantment was modified to allow short bursts of activation, minimizing the cost by matching the punches.

  "Hunter Lev?"

  Lev looked the athletic man, radiating an aura of luxury and wealth. The superb mustache on his face raised Lev's opinion of the man by a few notches, and he clasped the offered hand.

  [Merchant - Level 200]

  "That would be me. Director Welsh?" Lev asked for confirmation.

  "Indeed, young man."

  While they exchanged pleasantries, the man exerted more and more strength on Lev's armored hand. The armor's feedback told him how close it was to straining, so Lev used increasing amounts mana to reinforce it.

  The smile on Welsh's gradually grew as Lev's armor held, something the man could detect as barrier armor. By the time Lev was reinforcing the hand to its limit, the director's mood had improved considerably.

  "Marvelous. That has to be one of the strongest armors I've seen on a new silver hunter. Is it a crafting class?"

  Lev shook his head as they walked to the slowly gathering caravan. "Combat. The armor was necessary to compensate for the low physical capabilities."

  "Low" was perhaps a bit misleading, as Lev could pummel weaker Classer warriors with ease. Still, the merchant didn't need to know that.

  Welsh nodded approvingly. "Too many people think little of defenses in favor of more mana and firepower. You have chosen well."

  The caravan was smaller than Lev expected. Five horse-drawn carts with a dozen or so merchants. The carts were all empty and designed to carry people instead of goods. The rings on their hands told him enough about where the goods were.

  "Director Welsh," Lev began, "What does your auction deal in?"

  "We deal in a lot of things, young man," he smiled widely. "Monster parts, cores, items, metals, resources, and treasures. There are a few more things but nothing that would interest you."

  "How do I sell these items to your auction?" Lev asked.

  The man's smile, which was just a plain smile before, seemed a bit more genuine now. "You just need to register in any of our Bronze Bids branches, and the rest is as simple as selling for a fixed price or putting up goods for auction. The latter demands a high level of worth, of course."

  Lev thanked the man for the information and stepped into the cart designated for defenders. They were larger and fortified, reminding Lev of tanks from Earth.

  He circled the cart with great interest, noting the metal-clad wheels to keep the cart going even during dire times.

  Several gazes landed on him after a few minutes, reminding Lev that he was not the only defender. The other hired silver hunters were a group of four, three warriors and one mage. Two of the warriors were focused on close-range combat if their equipment was anything to go by, and the last was a shield.

  The mage gave off an aura of long-lasting stability, signifying that her earth magic was more support-oriented.

  "Hey there," the mage waved at Lev. "I'm Claire. These three are Ron, Kai, and Jalen."

  Ron and Kai, the warriors focused on offense going by their great-swords, were around 6 feet tall and lithe. Jalen on the other hand was built like a wrecking ball. The bulk of the shield made sense but it was still quite the sight.

  [Mage - Level 152]

  [Warrior - Level 151]

  [Warrior - Level 153]

  [Warrior - Level 152]

  Still silver? Merit points might be harder to earn than I thought.

  "I'm Lev," he greeted back. "Newly promoted hunter."

  "Oh, that's nice," Claire smiled. "First Silver quest?"

  Lev nodded in assent, after which she observed the caravan for a few moments.

  "The director is strong. He has a reputation for gathering monster parts himself," Claire idly noted. "I don't think they needed even us."

  Lev shrugged. "Yeah, I'm only here because of Director Welsh's kindness. Still, better safe than sorry."

  "True," she acknowledged. "Which cart is ours?"

  "Whichever you want. I'm just one so either is fine by me."

  She gave him a short, curious glance at the answer before choosing the larger of the two carts.

  Lev thought back to his answer, finding nothing wrong with what he had said. Why did she look at him like that?