"Assholes," Lev announced him waking up to the world with those words. Only Sherron was present in the same room as him, and he created a sound ward to mask their conversation while getting up.

Glancing around, his own room from the inn he stayed at greeted him in all its plain simplicity. Sherron was sitting on a padded chair next to the bed he was perched on.

"Rude."

"No," Lev refuted, his tone coming out harsher than intended. "It's no secret that I'm very sensitive to auras. Standing next to him was quite literally damaging my mind. Who the fuck thought it was a good idea?"

Sherron took a moment to process that as a frown slowly appeared on her face. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said," Lev replied flatly. "My mind felt like it was going to split in two. Just from standing near him and that stupidly long sword of his."

He wasn't expecting Sherron to facepalm. "Were you… trying to push against it? Fighting it?"

"… Yes?" Lev timidly answered, anger taking a backseat.

"And why were you doing that?"

"I don't know?" he scowled. "Is that not normal?"

"Not even close," she sighed. "I should've guessed that something unexpected was going to take place, no matter how calculated it was."

"Explain."

She snorted. "Let me gather the words first. You see, Hakim wasn't looking to dominate your spirit or even harm you in any way. Had you simply accepted that he is much stronger than you, your auras wouldn't have clashed, and the pressure from his presence would've lowered significantly. On the other side of that same coin, you tried to push it back, which made it much worse."

"… How the fuck was I supposed to know? More importantly, what the hell is that sword? That metal felt out of this world."

Lev couldn't remain upset for long after learning it was his own stupidity that caused the severe reaction. Grievances aside, there indeed was much to learn from the abrupt encounter.

"Forget about that sword," Sherron waved off his question. "The metal came from the moon. A gift from the Goddess herself to her beloved Chosen."

…Beloved? Lev blinked a few times, taking time to digest the word. It was one thing to be chosen, and an entirely other thing to be a beloved chosen. In favor of not getting smote on the spot, he hastily cut off that line of thought.

"Then what?" he spoke after a few seconds of silence. "I just got an extreme lecture in humility for no reason at all?"

"Do you really believe that?"

"… Not really, but still. The kombas' bodies were largely intact, which taught me a lesson already. I didn't need to be flexed on to learn that."

"Flexed," Sherron chuckled. "Don't hold it against him, though. It's just his preferred method of teaching. No matter what others do to impart lessons, it is nothing compared to the experiences he had to go through."

"You're oddly accommodating for this semi-torture," Lev mused while staring into her eyes. "I'm assuming everyone has to go through that?"

She tilted her head slightly. "Hmm, somewhat. We Exalted spar with each other infrequently. Whoever has to face Hakim usually goes through the same treatment as you did."

For a while, Lev just imagined that in his head. Then he laughed. Hakim could apparently toss around the strongest of humanity as easily as he could Lev, which was, honestly, terrifying. It also made him glad the guardian of humanity was someone so unbelievably strong.

"Well, that was that," Lev plopped back down on the bed with a sigh. "Warn a kid next time, please?"

"That would diminish the effectiveness," came the mechanical reply with an undertone of amusement.

"Hakim's words?"

"Yep."

"So you did know. I will remember this betrayal."

She threw a cushion at him. "You needed it."

"At least you guys excluded Beatrice," Lev muttered while easily catching it. "She probably would've died on the spot."

"Unlikely," Sherron countered. "She seems to have a good head on her shoulders and probably wouldn't have resisted. Which reminds me… should I know something?"

"Do I need your seal of approval for any such affairs?" Lev grinned and looked at her. "Didn't think you would be controlling like that."

"You're twelve. Don't get me started."

"I actually forgot my age," he laughed. "How absurd is that, by the way- wait," Lev immediately sat up. "Won't I get a title for being the youngest to evolve to Master?"

"Yeah," Sherron casually replied. "What's so surprising?"

"Oh," his face fell. "It didn't even cross my mind. Thought you guys were probably in the dark like me as well."

"Frankly, we don't know for certain if you will get that title. Considering that Martha got a class at the same age as you are right now, the chances are very high. It's also why I didn't protest your demands of soloing platinum dungeons too much. Too much potential power is at risk if you slow down."

"Why didn't I get one for reaching Adept, then?"

Sherron shrugged. "Significance? The System only gives such titles in the most impressive cases. Evolving to Adept on Monarch is very easy."

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Fair enough, Lev nodded. "How long was I out this time?"

"Just one day."

"Just," he echoed with an eyeroll. "It's becoming concerning how often I fall unconscious."

Sherron didn't seem to share his thoughts. "You'll be fine. I often woke up like that as well."

"That's even more alarming."

A controlled streak of lightning spun around her raised finger, a clear warning. Lev stared at it, bemused.

"Am I supposed to be scared?"

The lightning vanished. "Try asking Katarina about that," Sherron smirked. "That girl learnt to control herself the hard way."

"The electric way," Lev chortled and got off the bed. The wave had concluded already, which left the upcoming delve in two weeks. He could've tried to delve the second dungeon, but the idea was foolish. Without first clearing it in the presence of several teams and a guardian like Umbrina, the chances of accidents or unfortunate encounters were far too high.

"Say, what are you going to do now that the wave's finished?"

Sherron took the random question in stride. "Spend a few days culling the pit and the ravine before returning to this place and dealing with any summons that require an Exalted. Why do you ask?"

"Planning my next steps," Lev summoned breakfast for himself. He offered Sherron a cup of hot chocolate, who refused. "There's nothing for me to do except delve into platinum dungeons and help with waves."

"Have you tried mundane volunteer work?"

"What sorts?" Lev asked, intrigued.

"Helping with construction, managing stores, standing guard, escorting gatherers, and many more. Really, just helping with day-to-day life."

"No escort quests," he immediately ruled out. "Those are a bait, especially with the involvement of the Dreadwoods and your absence for the next few days."

"I haven't asked this before, but what are you trying to achieve by becoming a Master? Beyond the obvious."

Lev answered amidst bites of toast. "I'll have a team in two years or less, which is the first reason. By the time they're with me, I want to be able to train them with permanent barriers and have enough mana for the fire warrior to not worry about fire mana for her class. She's the one who needs to be the strongest in the team due to the nature of her role and the difficulty of mastering hybrid classes."

"You don't need to worry about the latter," Sherron interjected. "If anyone can take one to great heights, it's her."

"Why?"

"Because of the blood that flows in her," she explained patiently. "Being born to strong parents usually isn't important, but fringe cases like her exist. From a young age, she has been able to minutely influence fire without access to The System. Once all that talent is realized, no one knows just what she will be able to do."

"So it's because of her… bloodline, or something?"

"Not exactly," Sherron replied after thinking it over. "Bloodlines aren't a thing, or at least, we haven't seen The System ever acknowledge any. Amelia is the daughter of a fire mage and fire enhancer, but her entire family tree perished a few years back in the grand forest. Orianna took her in after some… difficulties, but her presence only served to connect the girl to fire even more. Many are waiting to see just what she will be capable of with the strongest class we can teach her. Our strongest Master fire enhancer is overseeing her selection."

Amelia. Yeah, that's a name that would be popular, Lev grinned, excited about teaming up with someone so talented. It wouldn't matter that much if she overtook even him and all of his advantages as long as they were good teammates. On second thought, it would matter a lot. He was gonna have to try extra hard.

"What about the other two?" Lev questioned further. "Are they any special?"

"Nothing worthy of note outwardly," Sherron replied. "But that doesn't matter. Even you popped up out of nowhere."

"Funny," Lev drawled.

"Definitely," Sherron grinned. "I thought Alec had lost his mind when he took in a six-year-old."

Hmm, do I dare?

"That reminds me," Lev began, keeping his tone neutral. "What, exactly, is he working on?"

"You're not subtle," Sherron quipped. "But Orianna was displeased by us keeping things from you, and you already heard about space mana. He and a dozen others are pretty much wasting treasuries' worth of resources to try and create portals."

"… Huh," Lev took it all in. "Guess that's another thing added to the list."

"What list?" Sherron raised a brow.

"Oh, you know, things to keep an eye out for. Since barriers specialize in using various mana types, who knows what my class will be capable of?"

"… Did Drakys give you a hint?"

"He did, actually," Lev remembered with a smile. "Something about my barriers specializing in absorbing mana types."

Sherron sighed for whatever reason. "We're only operating on theories here, so don't take his word for it. Regardless, that's a good list to have. What are the current occupants?"

"Nothing too complicated. Firstly, keep an eye out for anything that empowers my soul. Everything points to willpower being extremely important, and I get a huge boost in that department due to my advantages. Unlikely that my two titles would've existed without the company of the other. They seem to be a bundle, because no one has any titles that do even half of one of them."

Sherron idly scratched her cheek. "You've given this some thought. I will relay that conclusion to Alec. What else?"

"Other than space mana? Only treatments to increase the mana conductivity of my body. My teacher says there isn't anything that will help me, so it's a priority now."

"And also for your armor?" she nodded along.

"Yep. They're also like a bundle at this point. Whatever I can do with my body, I can do with my armor to a lesser or greater extent, depending on the task."

"That's all?"

"Some other minor things," Lev hesitantly voiced. "Half of that, I'm not telling. The other half is mostly finding runes and ways to increase my Constitution."

Sherron's snort told him she knew exactly what was on that list. Face slightly burning, Lev avoided looking at her.

"Don't you have rounds to make? Go on, hush."

She leaned forward and ruffled his hair thoroughly before getting up.

"Hakim will still be here, so even if you do go to the Dreadwoods, don't venture too deep. Take care, and finish growing first."

"Don't worry, I have no plans to go there," Lev smiled, his expression matching hers. She left the room after that, leaving him behind to stew in his own thoughts.

Half an hour later, he left the room as well. Night was in full swing, but Lev had just woken up from a thirty-hour nap. No hints of drowsiness or tiredness were present in his mind or body, so he walked to his usual spot in the massive park of Windkeep.

Beatrice was already there, practicing her barriers in the empty park due to the time. She paused when Lev neared, staring at him without any particular emotion.

"You seem fine," she broke the silence.

"Because I am, indeed, fine," Lev curtly answered, amused.

A barrier blocked him from coming any closer. They both gazed at each other, one emotionless and the other confused.

"Tax," Beatrice simply voiced without explaining.

Lev wracked his brain for whatever the hell she could mean before it dawned on him. With a deep inhale, he gave her an astounded look at the sheer audacity, but handed her a cup of chocolate milk regardless. There was only one left in his ring, which he took out for himself once he was allowed to sit down.

"How come it's costing me to sit at my spot?" Lev asked, stressing the word.

"Who said anything about the spot?" Beatrice grinned. "It's me you're sitting next to. Giving me something so tasty is the least you can do."

"I feel some contradictions in there."

"How much does a cup cost, anyway?" she took a sip and glanced at him. "It's so good."

"Fifty copper."

"… Seriously?"

"Yep," Lev smirked. "It's a steal."

He took a few moments to explain the directions at her insistence. The utility store was close to the hunter's guild, which was why he had found it in the first place.

"Hmm," Beatrice finished her cup and handed it back to him, unwilling to litter. "Now, we wait? What are your plans?"

"Don't have any," Lev replied, plucking a few blades of grass. "Delve the dungeons, help with waves, and tinker with formations. That's about it. You?"

"Temporary contracts. In hospitals, construction, mining, farming, and other low-intensity jobs. Aura mages are always welcome in places with a lot of workers."

"Especially one as high-level as you," Lev added with a nod. "I'll look into these as well."

"Come to the farms," she suggested. "They need to travel a lot. Your bubble will be greatly appreciated."

Lev didn't have to think for long. "Sure, why not?"

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