A week had passed since Michael had advanced to the next stage of his class. He wasted no time in putting the power of his skills to the test.
His old skills had grown slightly more powerful. For instance, his [Life Detection] worked on a wider area than before and consumed the same amount of skill points. Similarly, the speed of his [Flight] had increased, it was not much, but he still noticed the boost.
His new skill, [Air Slash], product of [Air Blast] and [Axe Hand] was also powerful enough to disembowel a person within five metre radius—this skill collapsed beyond that distance. However, what truly set [Air Slash] apart was its impact. Upon hitting its target, the compressed air would explode outward, inflicting multiple lacerations instead of a single cut. A powerful skill indeed.
The boost in his skills wasn't the only change after his advancement in his classes, there were other improvements as well.
His body was far lighter than before, and physically stronger and faster. So much so that he thought he could rival anyone on Mars in raw power and speed, if nothing else. This enhancement in his physical prowess was what soothed him about his loss in levels.
"But is this going to happen every time I advance?"
Michael grimaced. The prospect of losing precious levels with each step forward didn't sit well with him.
He let out a heavy sigh, glancing around the area that had become his home.
"There is no reason for me to stay here now. It is time to leave. I have been putting it off for long enough."
He needed to find civilization. Maybe out there, just maybe, he could find a magic school, a place where he could scavenge its secrets.
"Enough fantasising," Michael chided himself. He knew his tendency to avoid things that were inevitable. "Time to get moving, or I'll find a way to put it off again."
With another sigh, Michael started to work, rummaging through all his belongings, he gathered all the valuables he could find into his cart. He didn't forget the honey, it was his lifeline, and he had collected enough of it to last him for months.
When he finished, he cast a lingering look at the cabin and the pavilion that had become his shelter for months. Then, with a resolute glint in his eyes, Michael shouldered his cart and began to hike upriver.
***
The carriage lurched to a halt, nearly throwing Isha off her seat. Naiker's Hold, the town that was the heart of Naiker's Field, had finally arrived. Peering out the window, she saw a small line of visitors clustered before the town gates. While not as grand as the towering fortifications of the powerful cities of the Empire, the walls were substantial enough for a settlement of this size.
The carriage shuffled forward at a lethargic pace, echoing the movement of the entry line. There weren't many, just four groups ahead of them. So it seemed their wait wouldn't be too long. Castra sat with her back straight, her gaze fixed on something Isha couldn't see.
Nairobi, still unconscious, lay sprawled across the opposite seat.
The coachman spoke to the guards, handling all the questions. Finally, one of the guards, a young man with a spear strapped to his back, climbed into the carriage.
"Apologies for the inconvenience, Mistress," he said, sounding not one bit apologetic, only apprehensive. "But we are required to assess your allegiance to the Empire. An order from the Empress herself, you understand. Please bear with us."
Castra waved a hand. "Inconvenience, bah! Whoever complains about this deserves a one-way trip to rot in Helonar. Nowadays, most towns ignore the protocol—it's reassuring to see some of you taking your duties seriously."
The guard visibly relaxed. "May I proceed, then?"
Castra nodded and proffered her hand to him. The young guard nodded respectfully, retrieving a small pin from his belt pouch. With a prick, he drew a single drop of blood from her index finger. The pin itself shimmered with white light for a moment before fading away.
Satisfied, the guard turned towards Isha. "May I have yours, miss?"
Isha, curious about the procedure, offered her hand as well. "What exactly is this test for?"
"A simple safeguard, miss," the guard said. "It detects demonic influence. As long as the pin glows white, you have nothing to worry about."
Isha relaxed. She had never gone through a test to determine whether a person was a Demonsworn or not. When he pricked her with the needle, it glowed white, obviously—she was no Demonsworn.
The same test confirmed Nairobi's allegiance as well, even though she remained unconscious.
With a final bow and apologies for the delay, the guard ushered them forward, allowing the carriage to pass through the gates of Naiker's Hold.
***
Only seven hours after trudging up the river, Michael stumbled into a small abandoned Fisherman's House.
Three giant cockroaches, with those unnervingly human-like eyes, awaited him, scuttling across the dusty floor.
This time, however, fear was a distant memory. A newfound sense of confidence that surprised even him, surged through him. He could do this—these abominations were nothing compared to the armoured knight he had fought a week ago.
Michael grabbed the axe strapped to his hips, and summoned his Nexus Shard, Last Call—its essence flowed into the weapon, and the axe hummed with a golden glow. Each swing was devastating, the axe more powerful than it had any right to be, cleaving through the chitinous carapaces of the monstrous insects with a sickening crack. Blood oozed from its wounds, its hisses turning into cries of death.
The battle was a storm of black legs and Nexus Shard-enhanced axe blows. He did not even have to use any skills. Not even [Life Detection] that gave him 360 degree vision.
The battle hadn't become easy just because of his Nexus Shard, though it was a huge part. Indeed, his body had grown stronger and faster after his class advancement.
With the last cockroach twitching on the floor, Michael grinned with satisfaction.
[Level Up]
Congratulations, You Are Now A Level 4 [Master Hunter].
Michael blinked in surprise, he had levelled up without transitioning into that white void. Was this another result of his class advancement? Michael did not know.
So it was, Michael decided to spend the night there, after disposing of the rather unpleasant corpses, of course. The house had a comfy bed, after all.
***
They entrusted Nairobi to the most skilled healer Naiker's Hold had to offer. They would come back for her later, but for now, Isha's master had work to do.
Their first stop was the Adventurer's Guild. The bustling hall barely registered their arrival; seasoned adventurers paid them little mind. A few people did raise their heads when they entered the hall, but nobody bothered them.
Castra handed the bag of holding, bulging with the gruesome trophies from their recent encounter, to a kind receptionist. The woman's face drained of colour as she peered inside, prompting her to hastily summon a colleague to handle the task. Isha was just glad Castra hadn't dropped the heads on the desk.
The heads of the bandits gave her a single gold coin, barely worth their time of collecting them. Yet, Isha's master did not seem to be disappointed.
Isha gaped when Castra said, "That was more than I expected."
Maybe I really don't understand the value of coins for commoners.
Castra also left the news about the Demonsworn, but they needn't have bothered, for the proof was already on the forehead of the bandits.
***
"What do you mean you don't have any Messenger Mage in your Guild?" Castra said inside the hall of the Mage Guild where many people were lounging about in the tables doing nothing.
"We are sorry. But we really don't have anyone capable of casting a message spell. The only Mage capable of doing that works for the mayor himself and that Mage is not a member of our Guild. So we must formally request his aid every time we need to send a message."
"Useless lot," she grumbled. "Come, Isha, we have no time to waste here."
"Where are we going?"
"To meet the mayor, of course. I intended to warn him of our discovery anyway. I might as well ask him a favour, to send a message for me as well."
"And you don't know the message spell because?"
Castra looked away. "I could never master it. The spell is harder than you think," she said, a blush creeping up her neck.
"Oh," Isha said, not knowing whether to be surprised or not. "Everyone has their limitations, I suppose"
"Don't patronise me, girl," Castro said, storming out of the Mage Guild. "And hurry up. I want my message to reach the Imperial City yesterday."