After shaking his fear-stricken friends awake and resting for half an hour, Julius and his group backtracked their steps to return to the gate.
On the way, Adam grinned before his last kill notification.
[Tier 2 Elite magical beast: Frost naga defeated. You have gained 200 experience points.]
Talent: Unlocked at thirteen
Job: Tier one alchemist
Class: T2 Mana Conjuror
Free attribute points: 5
Note: Soul is damaged... Kill stealing now? Have you no shame?
"Haha. I reached level five in a single expedition!" Adam said with a bright smile, his blazing eyes taking the form of two crescents. "My years of training weren't for nought!"
Despite his profound earlier words, he didn't realise he was an anomaly created by luck and improbable occurrences. After all, how many people could drink forbidden potions from destroyed paths? How many people had a system helping them progress faster?
And how many fought Gaston, a man with unrivalled potential, for four years, allowing them to perfect their techniques in real-life battles without risking death?
No, ordinary magic practitioners were like Julius' party members, relying on each other to defeat beasts of the same tier with difficulties. Very few could win in a one-versus-one scenario before becoming veterans.
After celebrating his newfound level, Adam's grin widened as he followed the group through the frozen corridors of the cave. Their footsteps echoed against the icy walls, a testament to their expedition's progress. But just as their confidence gradually settled, three ominous figures emerged ahead, their armor glinting in the faint light.
Noticing the evil smile plastered on their faces, Shiro instantly raised her gauntlets warily and said, "Who are you?"
The eldest stepped forward, his hand resting on the pommel of his sword before moving so fast that he disappeared from everyone's vision but Julius'.
The boy's eyes widened as he felt the old man's familiar life force, recognising the guard who checked their documents.
"Careful, Shiro! He is in the third tier!" He said urgently, unsheathing his gladius and lunging in front of the bewildered woman.
"You're still wet behind the ears, boy. Yet, you dare stand before me?" Thomas scoffed, changing his grip on the sword to strike Julius without killing him. After all, he was their target.
He stomped his right leg heavily, causing the frozen floor to crack under his armored boots, and swung his sword like a bat, making the wind howl behind it.
The flat side of his sword collided heavily with Julius' gladius. The boy's arms swelled under the pressure while his black hair flew backwards, accompanying the wind blast.
A loud crashing sound resounded in the cave, followed by rocks hitting the ground.
Adam swiftly turned his head in the commotion's direction, only to see Julius, his mouth dripping with blood, encased in the cave's walls.
"JULIUS!" His hands trembled, and he gritted his teeth as he screamed in panic.
Sadly, the boy didn't offer any answer. His eyes were void of expression and glassy.
A flood of contradicting emotions filled his mind upon seeing the boy in this critical state, his life or death unknown.
"AAAAAAAAH!" His body shook, mana covering his ethereal features like a sky-blue mantle, swirling vigorously around him as if to echo his anger.
His bright eyes emanated ominous wisps of grey mana as he gazed at the two middle-aged knights charging at the rest of the party.
Following his hate-filled gaze, the ambient mana solidified, taking the form of tangible transparent bullets dancing around his mysterious figure under Shiro's shell-shocked gaze.
The air trembled as twenty miniature explosions echoed simultaneously.
The mana bullets, further condensed by the ambient mana, travelled at incredible speeds, piercing the air in the two knights' directions.
The two middle-aged knights gazed at the omnidirectional attack launched by the mysterious entity in a stupor. What kind of crazy control was required to manipulate so many bullets simultaneously?
They understood they wouldn't have enough time to dodge the vicious barrage. Thus, they aimed to block the most dangerous bullets and endure the others.
However, who was Adam? Despite his anger, he was in complete control of his thought process. Each strike was aimed at swiftly resolving the confrontation. That's the battle style he developed after fighting and dying at Gaston hand's several hundreds of thousands of times.
As the bullets closed in and collided with their weapons and heavy armor, he snapped his ethereal fingers, causing the solid bullets to lose firmness and weaken.
However, this operation was key. He recycled the mana to destabilise the surrounding atoms, releasing immense amounts of energy in a controlled explosion at point-blank range.
Engulfed by the unexpected explosions, the two knights screamed in a mix of pain and disbelief as their skins became charred black and their metal armors turned white from the heat.
Everyone's attention was drawn to the surreal but macabre scene. Two veteran body cultivators, in the late stage of the second tier, were dispatched in seconds in such a gruesome manner.
Arun and Asha failed to register the events, as they happened too fast. However, Louise, despite her shock, blurted out. "Let's move back. Asha, check on Julius and use your ember mend spell to help him recover!"
Simultaneously, Adam turned to gaze at Thomas hatefully, condensing his mana on his right fist to deliver his most powerful strike at the arrogant old knight.
As he witnessed the mysterious entity's actions, Thomas sweated bullets. He had known the child was accompanied by a ghost but never anticipated it was that strong!
"I miscalculated. Should have taken the boy hostage." He said under his breath with creased brows.
"I need to get rid of the woman and reach the kid," he planned his next course of action, unbothered by his underlings demise.
His demeanor changed as his eyes turned as sharp as blades, and his muscles drew ambient mana to fortify themselves, making him look more imposing.
The mission he considered easy became much tougher, but he was ready to give his all to accomplish it.