About seven hours of high-speed travel later, the bubble touched the ground again. Stepping outside, Lev beheld a small camp, housing a grand total of one hunter.

  Melvine took in the assembled squad with an expressionless face, which was to say, she didn't seem to be annoyed or excited. It was just her usual mood.

  "Greetings," Lev dipped his head with a smile, happy to see her again. "Did you have to wait long?"

  "I returned a few days ago," she replied, not a single change in her expression. "You're a bit late."

  "Sorry about that," he said, giving her a sheepish smile. "We all united today and immediately set off."

  Melvine merely nodded, showing that she didn't mind. Lev then introduced everyone to her and also made it abundantly clear that, if it came down to it, they would all listen to her orders.

  The strength gap demanded that.

  "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Isabella," Melvine greeted afterwards, bowing slightly.

  "Oh, please," Isabella chuckled politely. "Here, I'm a hunter just like everyone else. There's no need to be so formal."

  While they conversed, Lev looked at the horizon, squinting his eyes. What seemed to be many dozens of kilometers away, the mountain range could just barely be seen. Given the grand distance, he could only imagine how massive those natural structures needed to be if he could see them from so far away.

  "What do you see?" Lisa asked, coming to a stop next to him.

  "Grass," Lev grinned. "And more grass."

  She rolled her eyes, bringing her hands up. Shielding her eyes from the evening suns, she spoke again.

  "Seriously, you've been staring for several minutes now. Is it a monster?"

  "No, I'm just looking at the very distant mountains. Only a faint outline is visible from here."

  "You can see them?" Lisa exclaimed, surprised. "How ridiculous is your eyesight?"

  "See what?" Viktor questioned, joining them.

  "The mountain range," Lev answered. "It's still very far away. We will still need to fly for a few hours."

  The warrior didn't even bother asking why he could notice them. Lev was learning just how insane the combination of his Perception and Class skills was, even if he already knew that it was very strong.

  Melvine had little to pack, so they were off in the bubble after a few minutes. The flight continued, and the chatter this time was more subdued. Everyone wanted Melvine to contribute, and slowly, she also began to talk about her adventures and quests.

  "The worst, by far, was an underground miner escort quest," she began after Elias asked that question. "Nothing should've been able to challenge me there, and I had already been a Master for several years with plenty of experience. Long story short, I just barely managed to stop myself from beheading the miner next to me, but the experience is still raw enough to make me constantly scan my mind."

  "Mind magic?" Isabella asked, the frown on her face deepening at the implications. "Those creatures shouldn't be present so high up in the mines."

  "Comes down to luck again," Lev voiced. "Anything we should keep in mind to deal with mental attacks?"

  "Just don't hyperfixate on anything. The higher the desire, the easier it becomes to twist. Even the smallest changes can mess up your whole mind."

  "Lady Melvine," Luna began slowly. "Is there a way to detect the attacks in advance?"

  "The only known method is through Mana Perception," she answered after a bit of thought. "I could feel a strange haze once I detected the assault, which let me resist it easier."

  They all cemented that knowledge in their minds, knowing how valuable the tidbit was. Lev was also considering how to stop foreign mana types from seeping into his armor, and surprisingly, he already had a few leads.

  "As for the closest," Melvine hmm'd, the most casual he had ever seen her. "I think it was in the Grand Forest. I was accompanying a group of harvesters with several Master teams, and we were all about to be overrun by a horde of second and third-threshold monsters. Something intervened before any of us could die, and somehow, it chose the largest monsters and dragged them underground with roots and vines. None of us hesitated in bolting, and no one has ever been able to figure out what happened that day."

  Then she looked at Lev, asking for his input.

  "Doesn't seem like luck is what saved you guys," he mused. "The monsters were probably targeted on purpose to let you all escape."

  "It was strange," she nodded, agreeing with his assessment. "Regardless, it's a good thing we never found the source. The roots alone were strong enough that the third-threshold monsters died before they were pulled deep. I don't want to know how powerful the actual creature was."

  Thank you for the information then, and also damn you for stroking my curiosity like that. Seems like I'll be on the lookout for nature-based creatures whenever I go there with my team.

  "What about these mountains?" Elias said, bringing the topic back to the present. "Should we be prepared for strong monsters immediately?"

  "No, there are only mole-like monsters at the edges. Since we are here to cull the numbers, let them congregate in our positions. The rest is up to you. I'll step in if the larger variants are close to overwhelming you guys."

  Lev could feel that they wanted to ask why she wasn't going to join them, but realization didn't take long. Melvine was way higher in level, and killing second-threshold monsters was pointless for her.

  "Their main advantage is in numbers?" he asked, getting a nod in answer. "I suppose I can test some creations, then."

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  "Aren't you always testing?" Isabella questioned. "I swear to Monarch you were never idling in your bubble."

  "I am a crafter, after all. It only makes sense for me to be constantly practicing my craft."

  "What kind of creations?" Viktor overrode Isabella's reply. "Anything fancy?"

  "I have some Rare disks that work with several mana types, mainly air. There's also an Epic sword, which… honestly, isn't all that great, but definitely not bad. Do any of you want to test a fire sword?"

  Glances were exchanged, more incredulous than not. Elias tilted his head. "What type?"

  "Greatsword, pretty much."

  "I'll test it out," Zack said. "You want data, right?"

  "Yep."

  Summoning Heatwave from his ring, Lev made it float over to Zack, who clasped the hilt with raised eyebrows. A trickle of fire mana was sent into the weapon, and the result made a grin form on his face.

  The sword could hold a lot of fire mana.

  "I'll make good use of this," Zack nodded, visibly controlling his excitement.

  "Seems like I'll need to work extra hard," Kora mused, smiling lightly.

  "What else?" Viktor asked. "Anything for me?"

  One of Lev's best walls flew out of its stack and landed amidst them. He looked at Viktor, thinking.

  "Summon your shield."

  The warrior obliged, and after taking it from him, Lev set the wall and the shield next to each other. Bringing the jar of expensive sap out of his ring, he quickly created a mechanism to bathe the wall to increase its mana conductivity, while layering enchantments on its surface.

  Three different layers were carved, absorbing kinetic energy, storing it, using it to increase the newly formed shield's durability, and also absorbing basic elements to augment itself further. There was also a potent weight manipulation enchantment, and all of it was topped off by a third-threshold ripper core that further enhanced all manner of durability runes.

  After two hours of silent carving, a new Epic item was born.

  [

  Sentinel's Wall - Epic

  Enchantments: Extreme Mana Conductivity, Elemental Absorption, Shock Absorption, Kinetic Empowerment, Weight Control, Durability Nexus.

  ]

  Yet another enchantment formed by the item instead of the runes.

  All in all, the shield was exactly what he wanted, and for the first time, the results were in line with his expectations. It was neither worse nor better than the intended result, and that spoke volumes about his progress. Granted, it was a lower-Epic item and would not hold against strong third-threshold monsters, but it was still a great backup.

  Without a second thought, he chucked both shields towards Viktor, who could only look at the new addition with exasperation. The barrier shield was also a rarity higher than his own, which was another point nobody brought up.

  "That was… interesting," Elias broke the silence. "Do you create Epic items often? How the hell did you just do that?"

  "I pretty much threw dozens of platinum coins at the shield," Lev shrugged, though it was quite funny to see Viktor break out in coughs. "The jar of sap you saw is the only reason I can create Epic items. Better make good use of it in an unexplored region."

  "Let me guess," Viktor sighed. "You only have as much sap as the jar."

  "Yep."

  "Idiot."

  "You're welcome," Lev rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat. Creating such an item was very demanding, and he didn't want to enter the mountains with a tired mind.

  "I'm going to slow down the bubbles to rest for a bit," he announced. No one protested, so he closed his eyes to meditate.

  ****

  A few hours later, the bubble touched down once again. Under the bright light of three silvery moons, Lev and company exited the construct with carefree steps, not feeling any monsters nearby.

  That changed immediately when he released half of his aura.

  Screeches from all around reached them, making the hunters pause.

  "I'll deal with the weaker monsters," Lev spoke up. "No need to waste mana."

  The ground trembled a few dozen meters to the left. He made the bubble rise high up and infused it with lightning, dumping half his regeneration into the conversion. Something told him that would be overkill, though he erred on the side of caution.

  A few seconds later, an ugly monster breached the surface. With a long, leathery nose similar to a trunk, the creature immediately raised it towards the humans. Stone mana gathered in the nose, only for a lightning-infused rope to go through its head.

  Before the corpse could hit the ground, a rumble went through the humans. Standing calmly amidst the minor earthquake, everyone waited for Lev to make his move.

  He answered the unasked question by unfurling all the sharp, pointy ropes coiled around the bubble. Dumping all the converted mana inside, they slithered towards the unearthing monsters, each moving as if possessing a consciousness.

  Within seconds, many skulls were pierced. Corpses littered the region around them as the humans moved on, jogging deeper into the region. Meanwhile, notifications continued to roll in, announcing just how weak the creatures were.

  [

  You have slain [Ground Shaper - Level 298]

  You have slain [Ground Shaper - Level 277]

  …

  You have slain [Ground Shaper - Level 280]

  …

  ]

  Seeing that he had it under control, Isabella spoke through a communication crystal. It telepathically connected to everyone, and it wasn't hard to guess the rarity of the tool.

  "How long can you keep this up?"

  "Technically forever," Lev answered, finding the task intuitive. The item was pretty neat. "The numbers are dwindling already."

  Indeed, only a few ground shapers were left above the surface. Zack nodded in thanks and brandished Heatwave, already channeling fire mana into it. Without even activating his body enhancements, the warrior lunged.

  The monster had no chance to react as the sword cleaved through its face, cleanly bisecting the head. Zack stepped away from the corpse and held the sword up in one hand, head tilted.

  "Is the weight balanced for someone?" he asked after a moment.

  Lev grunted. "My teammate."

  "Yeah, it's obvious. I'm assuming she's more balanced than my style."

  "Speed, strength, and manipulation in equal measure," he confirmed.

  "Must be a ridiculous class," Zack smiled and headed towards the remaining monsters. So high was their Perception that the ground shapers, the same level as them, still hadn't reached the humans during the talk.

  A few more bright flashes later, the sword easily passed through flesh and bone, and Zack decided he had seen enough.

  Lev took back the sword, looking at him questioningly.

  "It's obviously a great weapon," Zack explained. "I can tell that the sharpness and capacity are way more than I will realistically need right now, and even if the balance doesn't suit me, the weapon is well-made. I'd rather use my gauntlets now."

  With a chuckle, Lev stored the greatsword. It made sense that the warrior was excited to use his new tool, though that would have to wait. With a thought, the remaining monsters were easily slain, and they continued deeper.

  In front of them was a mountain, but the closer they got, the more Lev had to reassess the structure. For once, his eyesight wasn't enough, not letting him peer past its cliffs and slopes to see the peak. The top of the mountain was so incredibly high, he had to actively resist the temptation to fly up there.

  Actually, why can't I?

  "Should we move to a vantage point?" he sent in the crystal. "Better line of sight for any large monsters."

  "I was about to suggest that," Viktor agreed. "Harpies are known to be present at high altitudes, and it wouldn't be surprising if we found a third-threshold variant in this region. Let's not get caught unprepared."

  Well, that was easy.