Michael quickly made his way out of the Safe Zone, keeping the Rune of Shadows active. The surprised gasps and stares were inconsequential. They would forget everything within a few minutes.

With this in mind once he left the Safe Zone, Michael jumped to the top of a destroyed building and eyed the ground. There was a Sapling in the middle of the street, its mana resonating with the world as if it were about to attack him. He pointed his staff at it.

Arcane Missile.

The spear of mana coalesced and pierced through the air, easily reaching the Sapling in less than two seconds and detonating. The explosion of mana swallowed up the whole lifeform, destroying everything inside its radius. After a few moments, the Sapling was no more, and the System notification confirmed it.

As if he hadn't done anything significant, Michael only waved his staff and cast Whisper. First, he wanted to speak to Rose. Once the mouth of blue mana took shape, it remained silent for a few seconds before he could perceive the connection being made.

"Michael?" it said in Rose's voice. "Damn, I was scared you were dead. What happened? Why didn't you contact me before this?"

Michael smiled bitterly, even though she couldn't see him.

"Just this and that. Had to go around killing all the Trees I could find to make the city a bit safer. Over the past few days, I've started making contact with different factions to see how humanity is going to develop. Are you in one?"

"What are you, Batman? You don't need to keep the city safe. You should've just called me earlier," the mouth grumbled, making Michael chuckle. "Yeah, I'm in a faction. Safe Zone B17. Have you been here?"

"Yeah. I know where it is. I'll be there shortly. It'll be easier to talk in person."

"Sure. See you soon."

Michael dismissed the spell. His expression reverted to a serious one. Truthfully, letting Rose remember him was risky. The more people who remembered him, the higher the possible odds of one of the Gods of War or Angels figuring out his existence, especially because he still didn't understand how their abilities worked and if they could read a person's memories. The safest tactic would be to let both Rose and Viktor forget him, if it were possible.

I don't know how the Rune of Shadows behaves when it comes to people who knew me before I got it.

Did the Rune erase his past from their memories? Or did its effects only apply to someone from the moment he acquired it? Part of the reason why he was willing to meet Rose and Viktor was that he needed to find out the answer to those questions as soon as possible. Whether they were only unable to create new memories about him or if they forgot about his existence entirely – he needed to know which one was true.

I don't really want Rose to forget me, but I don't mind testing it out on her crew and on Viktor.

It was a strange feeling. Rose had been the first person he met during the Tutorial, and someone whose first impression had been terrible. Over time, however, they became allies and then friends. She supported him through the entire hunt for Lohann and Derek, and not just because of his power. Overall, she was someone he wanted to keep his relationship with. On the other hand, while he was grateful that Viktor had taken care of his mother, he wasn't particularly attached to the man.

Michael turned in the direction of the quickest route he knew to get to Rose's Safe Zone, which was in the Bronx, and jumped off the building, reached the ground, then started running. Every so often, he would encounter a Tree in his way. They were all Saplings, since he'd mostly cleared this stretch of the city, and the new Trees hadn't had time to grow. Naturally, he slayed every single one. He also came across plenty of the evolved animals.

Looking at the carcass of a monstrous feline that was several meters long, without taking the tail into account, Michael realized the monsters were starting to change.

They're getting bigger.

The difference wasn't dramatic yet, but he was certain that the monsters were growing larger compared to the ones from the first day after the Tutorial. From a certain point of view, it was obvious. Since the monsters could also Level up and increase their stats, it made sense that they would grow bigger over time. They weren't good news. Michael frowned at the carcass.

I hope everyone can keep up with their evolution rate.

The Trees weren't the city's only enemies. Time was short, and it kept ticking down mercilessly. He could only try his best to prepare as many people as he could for the battles that would ensue. Shaking his head, Michael kept going.

After running and fighting for a while, the Safe Zone he was looking for appeared in the distance.

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Michael's eyes zeroed in on it as he leaped off a building, making him smile. He looked down as he started falling.

There are plenty of people around.

The people were divided into different teams, with a few even facing off against a couple of Saplings. The others only faced the big beasts, shouting orders at each other and trying to make their coordination work. Even at first glance, it was obvious that there were teams with members who were much more in tune with each other than other teams. Had they been part of the same Tutorial? Or had they simply adapted quickly to one another?

As the thoughts kept running through his mind, Michael started falling. He didn't stop analyzing the area below.

They're moving faster than back in the Tutorial.

Not only that, but the spells were also greater, and the Warriors were hitting harder. It was obvious that almost everyone had Leveled up considerably. He smiled at the sight. Finally, as he fell, he looked at the Safe Zone itself. It was larger than his loved ones', but he had already figured out that some Safe Zones were bigger than others. The only thing that puzzled him was why people from the same Tutorial hadn't all been sent to the same Safe Zone.

Michael continued to fall. The asphalt closed in rapidly, but he didn't even blink. Once he landed, he could feel a veritable shockwave travel up his leg, but his muscles and bones could bear its burden. He only crouched a bit, then started walking, scratching the back of his head.

It's kind of trippy when you think about it. I've become so much stronger, but not even a kilogram heavier.

As he walked, he turned to look at the group of people a few meters away. They were all staring at him with wide eyes, just in front of a beast that looked like it had just been killed. The Warriors had wounds on their chest and shoulders, while the two Healers were standing close to them, not casting their spell, likely due to shock.

Michael nodded at them and continued on his way.

"…What the fuck? Where did he fall from?" The first few words reached his ears, filled with disbelief. They were spoken by one of the Mages, a young man who appeared to be in his twenties.

"No fucking way," one of the Warriors gasped out. "From the top of the building? What kind of stats — ugh, just heal me already!"

The comments continued, but Michael only glanced at them once the woman at the forefront stepped closer to him with a determined expression.

"Excuse me," she said firmly. She had chestnut hair and hazel eyes, and was quite beautiful, looking to be in her thirties. "If it's not too much to ask, could you please tell us where you leveled up so much?"

Michael slowly shook his head at her.

"No. It's for your own safety. Now, I must go."

The woman furrowed her brow. Just as he was about to jump to the top of the nearest pile of rubble, he heard her speak again.

"Is it you? The one who killed all the Saplings?"

Michael's eyebrow twitched.

It's this widespread?

It wasn't as if he'd tried to be discreet when he went around killing the Trees and Saplings, but there was almost no way for a small team to be aware of what he'd done, given the sheer number of Trees and the fact that they weren't able to hunt those in the first place.

So how does she know?

Michael stopped walking and looked at the woman. She blinked, then stared back at him firmly.

"I'm right, aren't I? It's you," she continued, then gulped.

Michael simply nodded.

"Yeah, it's me."

She took a deep breath.

"Can you tell me how you became so powerful? I need to become stronger to protect the people I care about."

Michael's gaze softened.

Should I?

He hadn't tried it before, but was it possible to manipulate the Rune of Shadows' effects and make her remember his words, but not that it had been he who said them? The only reason he was even considering it was because he understood her plight. He knew what it was like to struggle desperately for the sake of one's loved ones. He'd endured two years of having his bones shattered and his flesh crushed for that sole reason. At the very least, couldn't he leave behind some words for her? Especially because she wouldn't remember who said them?

He smiled at her, having made up his mind.

"Take it slow, one step at a time," he started. "Start with the beasts, move on to the Saplings once you and your crew are strong enough. There are no shortcuts to power. If you want to speed up the process, you'll need to put your life at risk. It's your choice, really."

She flinched, then recovered her serious expression.

"How did you do it?" she asked.

Michael kept his smile.

"I kept fighting. I almost died so many times I lost count. If you try to do the same, understand that it's likely that you will die," her expression changed as he spoke, her determination clearly wavering. "Your injuries will hurt like hell. Chances are, you won't even have the time to be injured before you die. Every time you leave safety, it'll be with the knowledge that you might die a dog's death in some random ditch, forgotten by everyone."

The air between him and the group went still as they looked at each other.

"I wouldn't recommend it to anyone," Michael continued. "But if you really wanna go down that road, the least you can do is come to terms with the possibility of your own death. If you still have strength after that, know that your determination will be unshakable. You can succeed."

The woman blinked before nodding grimly.

"If that's what it takes—"

"No," one of the men behind her interrupted. "She doesn't need to throw her life away. We're already doing fine."

She frowned and turned around, clearly ready to argue.

That's my cue.

Michael moved his gaze away from them and jumped, drawing out surprised gasps from the others. He landed on the balcony of an apartment in one of the ruined buildings, then stepped on the large tree root that coiled around it. Two more leaps later, he was at the top of the building, which had partially crumbled.

He dashed forward, getting increasingly closer to the Safe Zone. All enemies and Saplings on his way were easily slain. In the end, after less than two minutes of running, Michael arrived near the Safe Zone. He slowed down as he jumped back to street level, avoiding the gaze of others. The encounter with the previous group had been enough.

After some more walking, he entered the Safe Zone and used Whisper.

"I'm here," he said the moment he could feel the connection.

Michael narrowed his eyes before Rose could even reply. There was something he wanted to try.

He focused on the vague strand of mana he could perceive that united the two of them.

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