This time, Hakim stood over the wall as Lev and his team recreated the aura-concealing bubble to spar. He wanted to get a feel for how strong they were before leaving, and Sherron was planning to take him the their destination tomorrow.

"Kayla," he called out and created a replica of Stargazer. "Don't buff me. Use it on these two as much as you can."

She nodded in assent. His team's eyes lingered on the barrier glaive instead of the original, though they still didn't say anything. Lev approved. It meant that they were still well aware of how outclassed they were.

For the sake of testing their capabilities thoroughly, he disenchanted his armor. All that remained was his raw mental power and the might of his skills, a baseline to compare. Even if he was a Master, Lev still remembered the extent of his strength back when he evolved to Adept. He really wanted to know how his old class compared.

Time seemed to slow to a standstill as his team took their stances. Jack's shield was slightly bigger and hammer heavier, now possessing decent enchantments befitting his level. Amelia's sword was longer, enchanted much more thoroughly than Jack's equipment in comparison.

Their armors were still the same, even if the new versions were made of stronger materials. The enchantments Lev could feel inside were muted, requiring mana from the wearers to be pushed without negatively affecting their progress.

Kayla's light, brown armor was enchanted better. It provided her with better agility and close-range attack protection, something he approved of.

Now then, he lowered into a stance, unable to hold back a grin as Amelia's smile widened. Show me what you can do.

The swordswoman sprang forward first, emotions no longer present on her face. Her intense and focused gaze tracked his glaive, except Lev knew that she was also looking out for any barrier projectiles.

He didn't resort to them anyway and charged. Like usual, Kayla and Jack let them spar for a bit to have their fun. Longsword— or perhaps it was a greatsword now? Either way, when glaive and sword clashed, neither lost out.

Instead, a small shockwave was produced from the impact, and Lev's eyes widened a bit when he felt the strength in the straightforward blow.

Physically stronger than I was right off the bat, which makes sense. My Adept self wasn't quite a melee fighter just yet, he noted, and backtracked a little. His longer reach was utilized fully as he deflected another swing and thrust the glaive towards her stomach.

Amelia's enhancement flared brightly, this time without paining her, as she took a single step. The thrust missed, and her sword rushed for his fingers in the same instant. Lev's grin widened as he casually slapped away the sword and picked up the pace.

Jack and Kayla also joined in at that moment, and Lev only now realized that the latter wasn't buffing anyone yet. Amelia's speed shot up in tune with Jack's shield throw.

Both of them were much faster than expected, so he decided to be a bit unfair. Shattering one of Kayla's round barriers with a kick, he twirled his glaive. The blade passed through another one, and so did the haft in the same move.

Lev's eyes were locked onto the approaching shield. Amelia was visibly ticked off by that, so he let her bait herself and smacked Jack's shield with his glave. The force behind his swing was too much, launching the shield back to the sender. In the same moment, the tip of a flaming sword missed his neck by mere inches as he leaned sideways, feeling the heat inside through his armor.

Not bad, he breathed out and jumped back, his glaive pushing away another one of Kayla's barriers. Even if I survived the exchange, they left no opening for me to rush Kayla. Hakim really put them through the grinder, huh?

Rolling his shoulders, he decided to turn things up a notch. He could just flutter around and test their skills for however long he wanted. Real limit testing, however, only happened when one was at risk of losing. Lev couldn't recreate a life-threatening situation, but he could get close.

"You'd better take this more seriously now," he said, intentionally making himself sound more serious than he actually was. Perhaps old people had a point when they treated youngsters like this. It was fun.

His team stiffened for an instant, eyes no longer at ease. Instead, they stared at him warily, somewhat curious if he would actually hurt them.

Lev wondered about that, too. Then he remembered that Hakim had trained them. It would be fine. Hopefully.

Putting his thoughts into action, he dashed at Amelia. She was prepared for him, not his new speed. Barrier glaive slammed into her defensive sweep with the force of a train. Only a timely burst of her enhancement let her regain her balance and kick him in the chest.

The force behind that move was not to be denied, apparently. Lev had to block it with his arm and slid back a few meters, genuinely impressed. Even if smoke was rising from her body this time, that kick was dangerous.

A duck let Jack's shield pass inches above his head, so he focused on Amelia still. She was up on her feet quickly, something he greatly approved. Every moment mattered against monsters.

Jack swung his hammer from behind Lev, the wide sweep leaving little room for dodge. Lev instead kicked the ground, rising a few meters in an instant. A barrier platform was waiting for him, letting him step on it and accelerate in a burst. His glave slid across Amelia's barely raised longsword, eventually landing on her chest with a bang.

Spittle flew out of her mouth from the force, and it was gratifying to see Kayla's healing reach her immediately. His glaive was swung downward and behind in the same movement, forcing Jack to abort his lunge and raise his shield.

Lev took a step back as his glaive landed on the shield, letting the hammer sail past before his leg rose in a wide kick straight to the warrior's face. Two of Kayla's barriers were already there, shattering at the cost of slowing his kick and letting Jack escape.

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Before he could turn to the healer, a fire slash made him jump to the side. The slash exploded long before it could endanger Jack, the vicinity sending Lev tumbling on the ground. Getting to his feet, his eyes widened when a hammer almost landed on his forehead.

Dodging it by a hair's breadth, his grin turned into a wide smile as he straightened again. Somehow, what felt like enough was suddenly not enough. He liked that.

He liked that a lot.

Unfortunately, his team also felt the change. Lev's smile might have looked a little terrifying now, and he made good use of that by dashing at the defender first. Jack's palms were slightly sweaty as he blocked the glaive, using the absorbed force to position himself in the way of the Healer.

Amelia was on the same page, sandwiching him from behind. Waiting for that, Lev moved fast for the first time. A twirl of his glaive slapped away the flaming longsword as a punch launched Jack off his feet, the shield unable to hold the force at bay. Even then, the warrior managed to throw his hammer just as Amelia transitioned her slash into a kick.

This time, he was too swift. In a blink, he was lying on the ground, easily dodging both of the attacks before a single step saw him in front of Kayla. Prepared as she was, her hesitation was an instant too long as his slowed punch landed on her gut. Lev raised a brow when he felt it hit a barrier instead, one hidden underneath her clothes.

His surprise rose exponentially when she opened her mouth. Lev expected words, only for a mana bolt to almost land on his helmet, one expertly hidden in her mouth. The hasty dodge let her create distance as the other two reached him again. Amelia's fire slash was aimed ahead of time to intercept him if he went after Kayla, whereas Jack's hammer throw was heading for his side.

This is a bit ridiculous… Lev laughed to himself. At this point, both Jack and Amelia were undoubtedly much stronger in melee than his Adept self. Even Kayla had reacted far better than he had expected, catching him off guard.

I think this is enough for limit testing. Amelia's breathing is uneven, and Jack's eyes are also showing discomfort. Kayla is still whole and fine, at least.

Overall, he was pretty damn happy with the outcome. Combined, the Adept Lev couldn't hold a candle against his team up close. Sure, he could bomb them from a long distance, but that comparison would just defeat the whole point. Since he could already do that, it was his team's job to cover other aspects, and they did so well.

For the last push, he let his Perception slow down to the maximum. His team immediately moved as if through syrup, slower than usual. Lev almost glided forward through his sheer mental strength despite only running on the ground. Amelia's longsword harmlessly slid off his glaive, the fireslash was dodged by minimal movements, and her last-ditch wave of fire was also powered through.

A single punch saw her temporarily out of the fight, and all of that happened before Jack could reach him. Lev caught his hammer with his right hand. Jack's eyes widened as he felt his hammer come to a sudden stop on the barrier armor, though he still managed to hold onto his shield as the approaching glaive sent him flying in a straight line.

Kayla was already healing both of them when he turned to her. She just raised both of her hands, the universal gesture for surrender.

"Why!?" Amelia whined, holding her stomach where Lev had punched her. "Also, what the fuck? That hurt!"

"Hopefully not too much?" Lev smiled, slightly abashed. He almost got lost in the moment. "And I wanted to see if that would make you stay down."

"At least you left the Healer alone," Jack shook his head as he walked back. "Was that last bit necessary?"

"I gauged your reaction time," Lev shrugged. "That was needed, so yeah."

"And how did we do?" Amelia asked, already fully healed and operational. Kayla's skills were no joke now. "I think we could've beaten you at the second strongest point."

"Nope," Lev flatly refuted. "I used nothing but my physical and a bit of mental strength. If I used my class, you wouldn't stand a chance."

Their expressions soured after hearing that, exactly like planned.

"Regardless, you're all about as strong as I was when I first evolved," he added, seeing their expressions brighten. "If we ignore my Wisdom Boost, that is. You guys know just how big an advantage it is, but already, you're closing the gap admirably. Well done. Surpassing me is far from impossible, and I'll be waiting for you guys to join me outside the walls."

His words took a moment to have the desired effect. A Wisdom Boost was far from the requirement to be the strongest, proven several times by the strongest of humanity. It was merely an advantage their teammate had, one that could potentially be overtaken.

The fire in their eyes reflected that.

Lev grinned. "Return to the starting positions now, we're only getting started. Kayla, how much mana do you have left?"

****

Lev was supposed to just test their limits and endurance. Unfortunately, he was having too much fun. Jack's shield had noticeable dents in it now, and even Amelia's sword needed minor repairs. Kayla was spared from the worst of it, the internal bleeding taking no time to heal.

Mistakes happened. He didn't regret anything, though. The sparring was eye-opening.

By the time the moons were high in the sky, Lev was still wide awake and floating above Windkeep in his bubble. His mana and aura were completely concealed, letting him observe the bustling city in all its glory.

To his immense surprise, Umbrina found him from a corner of the city, sending a pulse of mana his way. He flew closer and let a barrier platform carry her up from the ground.

"Greetings," Lev bowed his head with a small smile. "I was not expecting you to be able to find me."

"It is manageable once you know what to look for, young hunter," she replied in her usual motherly tone. Lev summoned a comfortable chair for her, which she took without prompting. "How are you, Lev?"

He took a moment to think things over and let out a sigh. What was there to say, even?

"I'm fine, I suppose," Lev replied softly. "Resigned, maybe? It's hard to put into words."

"Hakim told me about everything," she spoke after a small pause. "Your past, present, and the likely future. I hope you do not mind me knowing about it."

He shook his head before she even finished speaking. "I really don't. You're one of the few people who should know. Besides, there really isn't much to hide except a few things from the public. Don't want to be excommunicated or something, haha."

"It is alarming that you even consider that," Umbrina remarked, decidedly less amused. "No one will dare disregard both you as a person or your power as a hunter. If someone does, I will see to it myself before anyone else."

Lev gulped. The threat was meant for whoever would be against it, yet it sent shivers down his spine all the same. No matter what, he couldn't afford to piss off the rogue in front of him.

"Have you taken some time off, at least?" she continued. "It has been less than a week since you awoke, and already, plans have been put into motion."

"I spent the whole week with my team," Lev answered with a smile. "Trust me, if I needed more time, I would take it. You've experienced life way more times than me, so it should be obvious what's going through my head right now."

She didn't try to refute his words. They both knew just how true they rang, and that there was only one way forward. Such was the cruel reality on Monarch. Those who tried fell in battle, and those who didn't always lived with a small, nagging fear that never left the back of their minds, making them stare warily at the city walls that had a history of collapsing under too much pressure.

Lev greatly appreciated that Umbrina was a woman of few words. He summoned a cup of hot chocolate for both of them, eliciting an amused and grateful smile. Under the silvery moonlight of all three moons, they quietly drank from their cups as he planned his next steps, thankful for the silent company.

Even if she didn't say it outright, Lev knew Umbrina cared about his well-being just as much as everyone else.

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