Read I Can Make Everything Level UP Chapter 31 - Earth Manipulation (4) online for free - AllNovelFull

Since Billy couldn't use magic and he was too small to fight the enemies with a spear, he decided to train earnestly with the bow. Training Light Spear will have to be done by using it whenever possible. As for training with the bow, he would use both the traditional and use the system to improve it.

At first, when Billy carried his bow and his target to the post, the others frowned, and they frowned, even more when he stopped sparring with the others and trained with the bow whenever possible. However, his father knew what he was thinking… It was the best method for him to become useful in fights as soon as possible.

Drew watched his son for a while and confirmed that his skill and power had increased considerably. His arrows were piercing the target thirty meters away and quite deeply every single time on the same spot. Even when it comes to archery, he was on the same level as the kids two years older than him.

"Billy, if you want to participate in some hunts, I can ask the redheads to take you," Drew said. "A few kilometers south of their post, there is a forest in which they hunt now and then."

"Why do I have to join another group? Can't we just do the same?" Billy asked.

"Lately, the place we usually hunt Is being targeted by the elementalists, so the number of games is small," Drew explained. "However, things are different with others. You can also earn some extra money if you perform well."

Billy didn't want to deal with the redhead archers. Lily's father was especially troublesome… Still, that was an excellent opportunity to earn some money and to train his Archery. So, Billy accepted it.

"They might be a bit hard to deal with, but you should follow their lead," Drew said. "Even if they are unpleasant and hard to deal with, you can't cause problems… just focus on learning as much as possible."

Drew said that to his son the next day after telling him which direction he had to go to find their post. While he was walking, Billy realized if he should have called Alexander to come with him, it must have been a while since he met Lily. While the recruits had more free time than their adults, they spent most of their free time training aside from the night. Billy also wondered if the training that he did with Natalie for a year had been enough to boost her stamina and make her endure the foolishness of the other members of her tribe.

Nevertheless, Billy eventually found the post, and even though he arrived earlier than most of the recruits, he still was welcomed by the serious gaze of Lily's father. She was on his right side.

"Hello, my name is Billy," Billy said.

"I know that… my name is Leo," the beardo said. "Do you think you can keep up with us, kid?"

"I will do my best," Billy said.

"... Let's see if you are as good as your father told you to be," Leo said. "Hit those five dummies in the head."

The redhead archers even had some dummies in the area they were supposed to protect. Billy wanted one of those, but they are hard to make. Nevertheless, he obeyed Leo's commands and fired the arrows as fast as possible. Since the targets were only twenty meters away, he didn't have a hard time hitting them in the head.

"Your aim and speed are decent… Let's see how well you will fare against leaving targets," Leo said.

After that, Leo left to scold the other recruits, even though they weren't late. Meanwhile, Lily stayed behind while showing a wrily smile.

"Don't mind my dad. He is always like that," Lily said. "He says that discipline is more important than everything for an archer, so he tries to be as strict as possible to make our archers also become as disciplined."

"Is that so," Billy said. "I heard that your post did well on the last attack, and you guys managed to repel the enemies without waiting for help."

"I also heard that your tribe had to deal with something crazy," Lily said. "Well, in our case, Dad's skill with the bow is legendary, so he made the elementalists run away. With some luck, you will have the chance to see it today."

Billy used Appraisal since he couldn't wait, and aside from the usual skills Double Shot, Triple Shot that all the recruits had, Leo also had Firing Speed, Hawkeye, and Critical Eye. What those skills could do, Billy could only assume, but the last two ones seemed way above the others.

In the end, Leo took only the recruits with him to hunt. It was hard to know if that was the usual or if it was different because Billy was there. Nevertheless, he could learn a few extra things as long as one adult is there.

For the first time in a very long while, Billy felt pretty free and calm when they crossed the gate and began to walk the forest in the south. Despite the fact that some enemies might be nearby, he felt a powerful sense of freedom… that was right. He was reincarnated but didn't know much about the world. It was a fucking another world, and for the past nine years, he only worried about surviving, and not a single time he thought about exploring.. Things had to change… and Billy wanted the skills to change that.

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Upon arriving in the forest, Billy raised his guard since it was pretty dense and it would be hard to identify upcoming attacks or attackers in such a place, but Leo looked pretty calm. Was that confidence or arrogance? Both? Billy was pretty sure he had the skills to back his arrogance, but… he recalled the incident before where he got his balls smashed by a five-year-old.

After walking for a couple of minutes, the group suddenly stopped in an area between trees that were large enough to camp. They stopped, but they didn't do anything. Billy frowned since they looked at them, but it looked like they had turned into statues, and they closed their eyes. Billy could tell that they were concentrating on doing something, and it was probably a trick to find the nearest targets; he just wished that he had been informed of that…

"Which direction, Lily?" Leo asked.

"There is a small group of deers West of here," Lily replied.

"Good, lead the way," Leo said.

Billy frowned when he heard that. Do deers exist in that world? Or is it just another type of animal with the same name? Nevertheless, after a while, Billy confirmed that Leo was acting differently because he was there or didn't teach others things. He shows and expects them to learn. The second option was probably true since he knew that Billy was his daughter's friend. Even though some small stuff happened in the past, he couldn't be a small enough man to still hold grudges because of it.

Nevertheless, the group eventually found the deers that Lily had mentioned, and they were essentially the same as the one from Earth. The only difference was that the adult ones were three times as big as the ones from Earth and their horns? Looked as sharp as hell.

The group had five deers, while eight recruits were on their side. With Leo's help, taking them all down should be easy. However, Leo stepped back and gave the sign for Lily to take the command. The girl nodded, and with hand signs alone, she told the others their targets. Billy didn't understand much of the signs. Aside from that, himself and Lily would attack the big deers at the same time. There was no time for hesitation, and they had to pull it off.

"They are fifty meters away, so they are outside my best range… but I will Have to do it," Billy thought.

As silently as possible, Billy nocked an arrow and then began to Aim. He noticed that Lily did that in a single and fluid motion, to the point that even the string didn't make any noise, and she did that with three arrows at the same time. He recalled that before, she was trying to show off in the training grounds, but this time, she wasn't.

It was hard to tell when they were supposed to fire, but Billy assumed that they had to follow Lily's lead and fire soon after her, and so everyone did it. In the end, Billy's arrow pierced the belly of the beast, while Lily's arrow pierced the head of the deer. The others also hit their targets, but only two others fell dead. The remaining suffered mortal damage but still ran away for a while.

Billy thought that he would get scolded since the atmosphere grew heavy and the recruits that failed had their heads down, but in the end, Leo only gave them the order to chase their prey and bring them to that place.

"You got a lot better than I remember, Billy," Lily said. "I thought that you went to some specialized training regimen like the rest of us, but it seems you didn't abandon the bow for a year."

"It looks quite condescending when you say that firing three arrows at the same time and hitting the creature in the head," Billy frowned. "My arrow was essentially useless."

"Well… I would feel worthless if I were to lose to a spearman," Lily said while forcing a smile.

"You are not half-bad, kid," Leo said. "Your technique is lacking some polish, but if you train hard enough, you can achieve mediocrity."

That certainly wasn't a level that Billy wanted to reach, he wanted to be way beyond mediocre, but he wouldn't hear that kind of incentive from Leo. Nevertheless, instead of continuing their hunt, the recruits had to do the worst part of the hunting time… carry their trophies back home.

That same thing happened several times on that day, hunting was relatively simple, but Billy didn't have the skills to be proficient. Lily gave Billy some pointers when her father was correcting the other recruits. When searching for targets and enemies, don't rely solely on your eyes. Use them only when necessary, and that was when he was preparing to shoot. An archer also needed good ears and a good nose, after all.

Another thing that Lily asked Billy to do was to practice his firing posture without firing arrows. By doing so, he would be able to improve it without wasting the time that he uses to collect them. Unfortunately, that day, Billy didn't have the chance to see Leo's skills in action, but at least he earned some extra coins and the permission to come and hunt whenever he felt like it.

"Your skills won't slow us down if you keep practicing," Leo said. "So, you can come and help whenever you feel like it. Tell your father that he owes me one."

Billy nodded. While it seemed that Leo was planning to make Drew owe him many favors, Billy didn't feel any malicious intent coming from him.. He was troublesome and short-tempered to everything else aside from using a bow, but he wasn't a bad person… probably.

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While Billy wasn't making Archery level up by doing that, he practiced what Lily told him to: the movements of firing an arrow. He had a feeling that it was the same type of training he did to learn Light Spear, so it clearly wasn't a waste of time.

"Maybe if I refine this stance, I can learn that skill that Leo has, the one that probably increases firing speed," Billy thought. "I have no idea how to learn the others, though."

Now that Billy thought about it, having a high firing speed will make him use arrows faster, and without the skill in his bow that creates them, he will run out of ammo pretty fast. That wouldn't be bad as long as he hits the enemies with all of them, but…

"Billy, you are training too much lately," Camilla said while she was carrying Samuel and Samara. "If you don't rest properly, all the training will be useless."

"Yes, Mom," Billy said upon noticing that his siblings wanted to play with him.

Letting the muscles rest after training was also important for development, but Billy didn't have to worry about that, as long as he got to experience and his skills level up. Still, he decided to stop because he felt like his siblings were missing him. In a few years, they will become teenagers and think that he is old and uncool, so he had to make use of these moments while they last.

"Billy, let's play horse!" Samara said.

"No! Let's play battle!" Samuel said.

It looked like Samuel wanted to follow in the footsteps of the tribe. He was too young to be able to train, but Billy could tell that the kid truly was looking forward to it. At the same time, Samara looked a bit fearful since her dad and older brother always looked too serious while holding their weapons. In any case, Billy managed to play with both of them at the same time. Using one finger to win an arm-wrestling match against Samuel while he was carrying Samara on his back.

The next few days proceeded rather anticlimactically. His allies couldn't help but frown while seeing Billy training with the bow without firing a single arrow. They also couldn't understand how come Billy was sweating so much since he was doing something so simple and very slowly. They had no idea how troublesome and painful it was to pull the string hundreds of times in a row. Not to mention, the bow was heavy, so keeping that posture for long periods of time also was strength training.

Nevertheless, Billy could see his posture improving amidst his exhaustion and muscular pain. He had no other choice but to improve his posture to save energy and put less strain on his muscles, after all. Thanks to all that, after a month of training, his firing stance improved considerably. When he tried to check the results, he fired an arrow and hit a dummy in the head fifty meters away with barely any time to aim.

Congratulations! You have learned the skill Firing Speed.

Billy's assumptions were right… that training was to learn Firing Speed. However, how come Lily didn't have that skill and still taught him how to learn it? In any case, Billy tried to check the skill in action, and while it was a passive one, the effects still were visible, he could tell that his firing speed increased by around five percent… rather than that, he was more worried about what happened with his status screen.

Billy - Lv 48- 550/4000 EXP

HP: 113/113

MP: 307/307

SP: 131/131

Strength: 52

Speed: 45

Magic: 136

Endurance: 15

Dexterity: 22

Status Points: 71

Skills: Mana/EXP conversion Lv , Exp Master Lv , Analyze Lv 22, Appraisal Lv 25, Meditation Lv 21, Deadly Wind Lv 01, Steel Spear Lv 01, Light Spear Lv 01, Earth Manipulation Lv 09,

Passive: Language Skill Lv 39, Spearmanship Lv 27, Swordsmanship Lv 15, Archery Lv 19, Firing Speed Lv 01

Out of nowhere, the skills suddenly began to be divided by their type. It didn't make any sense… Was it because he thought of that? When Billy thought that the spells should also have a section for themselves, he checked his status again, and there it was… a section for spells. For some reason, the system was adapting to him.

"What the hell is going on here?" Billy thought while he was rubbing his chin.

It was clear that the system was a lot deeper than imagined, but Billy didn't know how he could see all that. He thought that the system was simple because it didn't give descriptions of anything, even the status or the skills, but it was clear that he was wrong. He needed to investigate more about it.

After messing with the system a bit more, Billy realized that he could use Analyze to find the description of the skills and status, but the status wasn't that accurate, or at least they didn't look accurate. With his current speed, the system said that he could run fifteen meters per second, but he had a hard time achieving eleven… maybe the max was the potential that he could show, but he couldn't show it all the time. Nevertheless, Billy learned a lot and confirmed things that he already knew. With each point in strength, he gained a boost of two points in kilograms.. So, currently, he could lift up things that were heavier than one hundred kilograms… endurance decreased the damage caused by physical attacks by one point, and magic also decreased the effects of magic attacks by one point, for every three points in magic.

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For whatever reason, one day, Lily suddenly appeared and asked Billy to hunt with her group the next day. She looked pretty proud of something, and when Billy used Appraisal, he knew the reason why… she had learned Firing Speed. As usual, she wanted to show off.

"It looks like she has some talent, but she isn't that diligent… that is why I learned it first," Billy thought.

In the end, Billy asked Alexander to come with him since he would feel bad about leaving him behind again. He gladly accepted the offer, but the other day he regretted it when he saw Leo. He looked as serious and annoyed as usual, but he didn't mistreat Alexander.

Regardless, when he checked Lily's skill, Billy saw that Firing Speed was level five and that yesterday night and the following day. It was already at level seven… she was just like a kid. Unless she achieves something, she won't feel the urge to improve her skills day in and day out.

When they found another group of deers, Lily used her new skill instead of the Triple Shot. While she wasn't at the level where she could fire two times faster than newbies, it still was obviously faster. The first arrow hit the neck of the target. The second hit the left eye when the animal was groaning in pain. There wasn't a need for the third one.

"Amazing, right?" Lily raised her chin and said, boasting.

"... This is an important job," Leo said and then dropped a light chop on his daughter's head. "You can try to show off once you get better than me."

Billy and Alexander also attacked the deers, but Alexander missed, and Billy hit the chest of his target. He already knew that Alexander was rather clumsy, but he had a high strength and speed.

"Have you seen Natalie lately?" Lily asked.

"When something happens, I usually report everything to the post that her tribe is supposed to protect," Alexander said. "The few times I saw her, she seemed fine but a bit lonely."

It looked like the training paid off, but it didn't help her with the problem of being an outcast. It was a bit worrisome, but Billy had already helped her more than enough. She had to grow up and solve that matter herself. If Billy tries to help every single troubled child in the world, his work will never end… Regardless, Billy decided not to show that he also could use Firing speed since that would be a huge blow on Lily's ego. He could see that Leo was looking at him with suspicious eyes despite that. He could tell that Billy's muscles in the arms and shoulders had increased, so it didn't make any sense that his skill apparently was on the same level.

Although his aim was subpar, Alexander still was given a chance to come to hunt whenever he wanted. Thanks to that, he came to bother Billy every night when he was practicing archery for tips.

"It is hard to be an adult around teens…" Billy thought.

In the end, Billy decided to help the kid with his first love because he already could imagine Leo telling Alexander that he could only marry his daughter if his aim became better than his. While he was helping Alexander, Billy wondered how people would handle that kind of situation… if someone of one tribe wanted to marry another person of another.

"Oh, well… this isn't my problem either," Billy thought while shrugging.

While Billy was teaching Alexander how to improve his aim, he wondered if he could mix the teachings of one fighting style with another. Light Spear was powerful, but it was a skill that could only be used a few times. As for Firing Speed, it was a passive one, but it was limited by the number of arrows one could carry, but what if he could learn a skill like Attack Speed with his spear? Does that exist? If not, could it be created?

"Maybe I am getting too greedy… instead of doing too many things at the same time, I should focus on what can really help right now," Billy thought. "When the elementalists return, I need to have a trick upon my sleeve to deal with them."

If his training doesn't work, Billy could always rely on his system and gain a boost with his Archery and then attack them. Regardless, now that he could fire arrows again, Billy could level up Archery and Firing Speed at the same time. Things were going really well. To the point that Billy was starting to get worried…

During two months, things were as peaceful as they could be. Billy trained his archery skills day and night, and Alexander also improved considerably. His strength was high, so his firepower was top-notch from the beginning. He just needed to improve his aim. However, those peaceful days ended when the guards saw some dust clouds approaching in the distance. Immediately, the recruits left to warn the others.. Even Alexander left but Drew told Billy to stay behind. It was time to show the results of his training…

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Billy's bow was only at level five. Still, the weapon was at a level which granted him twenty-five extra points into dexterity. Thanks to his training, status, and skills, Billy was confident that he could even hit targets when they were seventy meters away. When the elementalists entered his range, Billy began to fire at a fearsome speed and without hesitation. The arrows began to land on the enemies. Still, due to their movement speed, the wind, and Billy's relative inexperience, the arrows didn't kill anyone. It only scratched those who had good reflexes and pierced the limbs of those who didn't. Three enemies fell on the ground, hurt… but Billy found a problem, the bow wasn't powerful enough to withstand him firing arrows that could fly such a distance. Every time he fired, the weapon lost some durability.

"It is fine… it is a stone bow," Billy said. "It has a high durability…"

Even if it had high durability, did strings still could break. Nevertheless, Billy didn't stop firing, and the enemies soon took notice of him and aimed their stone Bullets toward Billy instead of the wall. Billy quickly lowered his stance, but he had bought enough time for Drew's group approach.

When Billy got up again, he saw the Elementalists raising earth walls to stop Drew and the others. They sure like to do that, but in the end, Billy had considered that and made the arrows fall on them falling following the curse of an arc. This time, Billy missed more, but those that got hit died with arrows in their heads.

The skill Archery has leveled up.

The skill Firing Speed has leveled up.

Billy kept firing arrows from above, and that made the elementalists use wind magic to stop the attacks. Still, in the end, that gave a chance for Drew and the others to attack. Billy killed three elementalists, and five others were cut down instantly. The others quickly began to escape while making sure to fire bursts of winds toward Drew and the others to keep them away. Billy tried to attack, but they used wind Manipulation to keep his arrows away as well. If they could do that, running away was something that could await. They decided to retreat too fast… was it because the surprise attack made them lose some allies too fast? Billy wasn't the only one dumbfounded.

"This was too easy…" Billy thought.

Drew withdrew, but he didn't drop his guard. He waited until the enemies disappeared in the distance before he left with half of the guards to help the other groups. Fortunately, there was no sign of tornadoes, so the guards would be dealing with the usual.

Billy had heard that out of all groups, the red archers were the ones who had an easier time against the elementalists. Even when the enemies were wary of them, they couldn't do much aside from focusing on defense when a rain of arrows was falling on them. It was even harder to block the arrows when they came flying in a straight line. The power of arrows fired by men such as Leo was on par with their stone bullets, and they didn't have to rely on mana, and their range was even greater as well.

Nevertheless, after a couple of hours, Drew returned and informed them that they had repelled another attack. They had lost ten soldiers, but they killed three times more. A victory such as that was rare…

"Well done," Drew said and then patted Billy's head.

Billy smiled a little because he had accomplished his goal. He changed the flow for the better on his flavor. However, he also realized that he had taken some lives. On the other attack, he did it as well, but this time, he did so without relying on luck.

"Am I being praised for killing them?" Billy thought. "No… I can't think that way. I am fighting to protect our current life… I don't find joy in taking other people's lives."

Although he thought that, Billy still had a weird feeling inside him. He was just fighting those that made his tribe suffer for so long, that made them abandon their homes… people that tried to kill his father and his mother, not particularly them, but as a tribe… whatever the reason they might be, dying was just a result of their actions.

Once he thought of that, Billy felt calmer. The battles didn't last long because neither side had too many people, which made Billy realize… How many people existed in that world? Could it be that the elementalists had lower numbers because they were trying to conquer numerous regions simultaneously? That sure would be reckless… Given that they spent several weeks between attacks nowadays, that possibility wasn't high.

Just to be safe, the guards stayed on guard for several days, but nothing happened, so they resumed their usual routine of taking turns at guarding the walls. Anna and Camilla looked quite proud when they heard about Billy's accomplishments. Even though he didn't use a spear, it wasn't until much later where one of them could fight the elementalists… Billy was just ten years old, and he could face them under the right circumstances. Samuel and Samara didn't get the reason for the excitement, but they sure looked happier than usual. Only Billy and Drew didn't look that excited over it.

From that day onward, the other members of the tribe began to treat Billy with more respect. The other recruits felt a bit jealous, but that only gave them more reason to work harder and improve their skills with other types of weapons as well.

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It took a while, but Billy had the chance to visit his old friends without a particular reason. His father gave the order to pass some miscellaneous messages to the leaders of the other posts, so he had the chance to meet with Natalie. Just like Alexander said, she was training alone while slicing the air with a real stone sword. It seemed like she had gotten better, but her skills didn't level up all that much. It was a clear sign that she didn't have many chances to spar over the year.

"Hey… if it isn't mister popular," Natalie noticed Billy's presence even before he could call her. "I have been hearing a lot from you."

"I was lucky since I learned a few things from Lily's father," Billy said. "Anyway, it seems that you earned your place here, but you still aren't that welcome."

"I don't mind, I am here to reach my goals and perform my duties for this city," Natalie said.

That was a good response, but Billy could tell that she wasn't as full of life as before. Natalie had a big pride, after all. Based on what Billy knew, her mother should be around to keep her company. Still, Billy didn't see anyone particularly looking toward them.

"Is your mother part of the guards that work at night?" Billy asked.

"Yes, how did you guess?" Natalie asked.

"Why don't you work with her?" Billy asked.

"It is better this way… what, do you think I am lonely or something?" Natalie asked. "Don't look down on me."

Billy wondered why he cared so much about these kids. It wasn't like he had a particularly troubling past. Was it because he didn't see many people helping them, or was he trying to help because he could? Anyway, it seemed that he had too much free time on his hands.

"After our working hours, Alexander and I usually train a bit in our area, if you feel like it, you can join us," Billy said.

"Sure, sure," Natalie shrugged. "I will consider it if I am bored."

"Or if you are fine with having less battle experience than someone three years younger than you," Billy said and then left the area.

Billy had plenty of soaring partners now that the adults of his tribe recognized his strength, but sparing again and again with the people that use the same weapon was boring. Besides, Natalie's learning capacity was higher than theirs. So, Billy was expecting a lot from her. It will depend on whether Natalie can throw away her pride to get stronger.

"Come to think of it, the level difference between me and Dad shouldn't be that high anymore and he still never tried to spar with me," Billy thought. "I wonder why…"

Drew certainly wasn't jealous of Billy. He was the strongest of the tribe, and the other tribes' leaders respected him. Probably, he was expecting Billy to become stronger with a spear or ask him for a spar… Nevertheless, now that Billy could repel the elementalists using his bow skills, he could focus on fighting with the spear again and also experiment with what he had thought before.

The next day, Billy began his training to polish his attacking stance. Just like what he did with the bow, he began to practice his thrusts attacks as slowly as possible while trying to mimic the Light Spear while not using any SP. As one would expect, focusing on precision was hard because the weight of the weapon put a lot of pressure on his right arm while he was moving it. People think that lifting heavy things as many times as possible without stopping is hard, but what is truly hard is lifting something as slowly as possible.

"You are doing weird training again…" Alexander said.

"I am training to polish my attacking stance with thrust," Billy said.

"You already mastered Light Spear… isn't that enough to say that your stance is near perfect?" Alexander frowned.

"If you are satisfied with just, you won't reach new heights," Billy said. "Are you getting carried away just because you are a bit stronger and faster than a few who are older than you?"

It was clear that Alexander wasn't a kid who would do that. Still, he stopped to think about it deeply. His goal was to become as strong as his father, but now that his tribe finally could fight back without suffering too many losses, they were getting stronger as a whole. Even the strength of the adults was increasing. Billy had realized that the lifespan of the people in that world was higher since his grandmother didn't look a single day older than she was ten years ago. That was great. With some luck and appropriate training, he could live a lot longer than ordinary humans, but that also could be applied to other people… probably. Imagine what would happen if he had to fight an elementalists with fifty years of training and combat experience. Could he win or even survive? That kind of thought was what propelled Billy to train day in and day out.

As for the other kids, they didn't copy them.. They would feel embarrassed in following the footsteps of those younger than them, after all.

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Alexander didn't know if he could polish his thrust stance, but he decided to copy Billy and see what happens. The training was training, and there was no such a thing as useless effort, after all.

The day ended rather quickly, and as usual, Billy had dinner with his family, and then he left to train again. He found Alexander and Natalie waiting for him. He had thought that she would come a few days later and in the middle of their training, but even though she was trying to hide it, it was clear that she was a bit flustered.

"What?" Natalie asked.

"I am just surprised you came so soon…" Billy said.

"Should we call Lily?" Alexander asked. "She will feel left out if she hears about this."

"I doubt that her father will let her come at night… you should ask him then," Billy said.

"Are you crazy? Of course I can't go alone…" Alexander said while imagining some terrifying reaction from Leo. "We have to go together."

That probably would solve the issue, but Lily didn't need much training in the group. She just needed some diligence… Perhaps seeing her friends' training will help her with that. Besides, it wasn't dangerous for kids to walk across the town at night. It was just uncommon since they had to work during the day.

"In any case, go continue your archery training to impress Lily, I will see if Natalie has improved in the last two years," Billy said.

"I am not training to impress her!" Alexander said.

"Whatever you say," Billy shrugged.

"I thought that you would have fixed that attitude of yours toward those who are older, but you are still the same, huh," Natalie said and then grabbed her old training sword.

Billy already had gotten used to the weight of his new weapon, so he frowned since the training one seemed too light. In any case, he assumed his defensive stance as usual and waited for the attack. As one would expect, Natalie didn't fix her wild tendencies to attack first, but at least she didn't give many rooms for the counterattack. Whenever Billy moved his spear in a strange way, she would take a step backward and take a deep breath.

Aside from that, Natalie had grown physically quite a lot, to the point where her training sword looked like a short one. Her strength increased to the point where she could wield the heavy stone sword even faster than before with a single hand. However, Billy could see her attacks thanks to his training with Light Spear. Regardless, after a few minutes of sparring, Billy had a good idea of Natalie's current level.

"As expected, you are lacking experience… your current speed with that sword should drop by around thirty percent, perhaps fifty percent if you wield it with a single hand," Billy said. "Attacking with a single sword and leaving the other free doesn't seem like a good idea, so why don't you switch to a dual wielding style. That will cover your bases and you will have the chance to attack and defend at the same time while you train with both swords."

Natalie got lost when Billy began to talk about percentages. Nevertheless, he explained things in a simple manner afterward. Natalie didn't know what to think about dual wielding. The weapons her people used were like cutlasses, thick, but short and no one used two. Leaving one hand free could give her some extra speed, but dodging was a waste of time and momentum considering her aggressive fighting style, but blocking and using her high strength to counterattack could give her some serious advantages.

"I don't have much money at the moment, but I will save some from now on," Natalie said. "I spent too much of my salary last month with snacks."

Billy frowned when he heard that. It didn't seem like Natalie was a glutton. Or maybe she had to eat a lot because she was in her growing phase. She was pretty tall for a girl, after all.

In any case, after sparring a few more times, Billy told Natalie that training method that he and Alexander were using. It was a bit tough, and it would take a while to show great results, but it would be pretty good on her hands since she was almost completely self-taught.

After two hours of training, the group dispersed, and Billy decided to help with his siblings to make them spend their extra energy before going to bed.

"Who was that girl, Billy?" Camilla asked.

"One of the light seekers," Billy replied while he was carrying Samara on his back while mimicking a horse.

"Is she a close friend?" Camilla said, visibly too interested in the subject.

"... Kind of," Billy said after a long sigh.

"I suppose it is unavoidable… kids of several tribes will get together over the next few years," Anna said.

Billy wished that his relatives didn't talk about such a thing like he wasn't there. The fact that they were considering that while thinking of a ten years old boy made things even more uncomfortable for him. Besides, Billy wasn't interested in kids… considering that the people in that world lived more than usual, she had a good opportunity to find the perfect milf. He didn't have much luck with them in his last life, but perhaps in this one… still, it will take a while before he has the chance to do so or for some of them to take notice of him.

"Well, for the time being, let's focus on getting stronger and not get ahead of myself," Billy thought.

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After a few weeks of training, Billy could already see a lot of improvement in his form. Light Spear even looked more powerful and fast, even though none of the spear-related skills had leveled up. Unfortunately, Billy didn't learn Attack Speed either, but he could tell that it was just a matter of time. He was certain now that he would learn the skill…

After seeing Billy and Alexander improving in skill, the other recruits began to imitate them. Still, they weren't that diligent and liked to spar more than do such a monotonous training. During that time, Natalie also obtained a new sword and began to train with it. At first, she was rather clumsy, but after just one week, she started to become a real pain in the ass. She essentially could attack two places at the same time, after all.

"Hehe, I am starting to like this," Natalie said since it was clear that Billy didn't have many more chances to defeat her.

"Don't get carried away, sparring and real fights are different," Billy said. "Besides, since you are self taught, you don't have any skills that are above others, like the multiple shots of Lily and our special moves."

"You are right… Can you show them?" Natalie asked.

To show how those skills were useful, Billy asked Natalie to stand in front of him and use her swords to protect herself. Even though he didn't land a direct hit on her weapons, the shockwave still surprised her. If she were to get bit by that, she would roll on the ground and probably break some bones even by blocking it.

"Ouch… I can see what you meant after this," Natalie said while cleaning her elbows. "Still… I am going to pass on the use of such techniques."

"Why?" Billy asked.

"My tribe also had some techniques like that that fit our style, but as you already know, I want to follow my father's footsteps," Natalie said.

"I see… so once you reach his level of strength, you will stop right there," Billy said.

"No… I didn't say that," Natalia frowned.

"Really? That is what it sounds like," Billy said. "Besides, I wasn't telling you to copy your tribe, but to follow your father's steps and then surpass him by creating your own techniques. I already know that you are too dumb and prideful to follow the tips of others, so that is your only possible option."

"... Why did you have to say the last part?" Natalie asked while showing an angry smile. "Still, I can understand now… I should create my own techniques… I will try that."

After saying that, Natalie stopped coming to their training sessions for a few weeks. When Billy and Alexander went to check what she was doing with her free time, they saw her meditating. She was probably trying to think about what she could do to develop her own techniques. During that time, Billy eventually learned Quick Spear, the version of Firing Speed that he wanted. Two weeks later, Alexander also learned that. It wasn't by any means a passive ability that granted them the same speed as when they attacked with Light Spear but is granted a five percent boost per level when attacking.

Billy practiced that skill for several weeks, and when it reached level ten, he considered the possibility of sparring with his father. When it comes to strength, Drew still was two times stronger and faster, but now Billy decreased their difference in speed by fifty percent… he should be able to put up a good fight. There is nothing better when it comes to training than practicing with an opponent many levels above you, after all.

"Dad, can we have a spar?" Billy asked one as soon as they arrived on their post.

"... Sure, the other guys seem pretty calm over the night turn, so I suppose we have some time to kill," Drew said while showing a small smile.

Drew seemed pretty confident. He even told Billy to grab his real weapon… Billy could tell why since he barely leveled up his father and his weapon over the years, and also considering that he leveled up more than anyone else from the tribe… aside from Billy.

After they had prepared everything, some of the guards showed interest in the spar but Drew scolded them to keep their eyes on the area around the town. It was rare to find father and son practicing seriously, after all. Over the last few decades, it was even rarer to find the chance to find father and son working together as guards…

Nevertheless, Billy assumed his thrust stance while his father just held his spear in a defensive one. It was the same thing Billy did when he sparred with the violent Natalie. It seemed like negligence, but Billy decided to think that it was the confidence of someone who had twenty years more fighting experience than him. Regardless, Billy used that chance to attack.

Billy's spear moved toward the limbs of his father several times in a few seconds. Considering that the weapon was bigger than him, it was amazing that he could land two attacks so precisely in different spots in a single second. Still… the difference in skill and strength was evident. Drew just moved his spear from one point to the other while slightly moving forward to counter the momentum of Billy's attacks and disperse the energy.

Billy had trained a lot and well, but he couldn't keep attacking like that for more than five minutes even while on the complete offense.. When that time passed, Billy dropped his stance since he couldn't move his arms.

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"You have potential to become stronger than me in a year or two, but you shouldn't get carried away, Billy," Drew said.

"... Yes," Billy said while he was trying to catch his breath.

Billy was trying to be diligent and humble. That was why he asked his father for a spar after learning and practicing one skill that would increase his overall attack speed a lot. Still, he didn't consider many factors. He ended up not doing anything, even though his father didn't even try to attack.

"The world is a lot larger than we think, Billy," Drew said while climbing the stairs. "This town, our villages… they are small if compared with the grand scheme of things. There are many more beasts out there with absurd levels of power that can't even be compared with the elementalists. Don't forget about that."

Billy nodded again and then let his back fall on the ground, and he began to rest with his arms wide open while facing the sky. The world was big… of course, it was. Besides, Billy was the one who had been negligent. He practiced his magic, archery, and spear, and he still hoped to make his father, who only trained a single one of those for decades.

"Why didn't you use the Light Spear?" Alexander asked.

"It wouldn't make any difference," Billy replied.

"How can you be so sure?" Alexander frowned.

"There is a clear difference in all aspects between my father and I," Billy explained. "If I can't defeat him on the most simple types of fight, there is no way I can do so on the higher levels."

Besides, Billy could see the level of his skills. That was just another combination. While Billy and his father might have the same mental age, their life experiences still were too far away from each other. Billy might be more skilled and stronger than kids five to six years older than him, but there was another wall beyond that that it would take some years to surpass.

Besides, Drew had a skill that Billy didn't have: Block Mastery. It was because of that that he so effortlessly deflected Billy's attacks without breaking a sweat. The skill was there in the shop for fifty skill points, but again, he wanted to learn that by himself.

"All right, let's practice," Billy said. "We will alternate in only attacking and only blocking. You can start."

That was probably the fastest way to learn Block Mastery. While that was a skill that not all warriors of the tribe had, Billy didn't think it needed any status requirements. It was probably a matter of skill and persistence to acquire that one. Nevertheless, they persisted.

Before they could come up with any progress on that matter, Natalie finally returned after two months, and she wasn't alone. Lily was with her for some reason. A few months ago, they went to ask Leo if she could train with them in her free time, but he said no. He said that she could train by herself, and slacking off during the day wasn't an excuse just to try to recover the lost time at night.

"I suppose she reached her rebellious phase… that is what you get from being so strict," Billy thought.

"Not fair… you three really left me behind," Lily said.

"That is your fault for being such a slacker during the day," Billy said.

"What did you say!" Lily shouted.

"Let's not make a scene, otherwise your father will get even madder when he learns this," Alexander said while forcing a smile.

"It is fine, he thinks that I am at Natalie's house," Lily said.

"So, it was a problem to leave her with boys… I suppose you start to worry about that when being the father of a girl of her age," Billy frowned while thinking that.

"In any case, I finally developed my own technique!" Natalie said. "Behold my awesomeness!"

Billy had just received a warning not to get ahead of himself, but it didn't seem like someone had said anything like that to the girl. In any case, she sure looked excited, so Billy was expecting something shocking. Still, was it normal for teens to develop new techniques that fast? Or that group of misfits was secretly a group of geniuses?

Billy immediately prepared himself to fight while assuming a defensive stance, so it was the usual against Natalie. Soon Billy confirmed that Natalie had come with some nice stuff. While pointing her left sword horizontally and toward him, Natalie put her right one a few centimeters over her right shoulder. Her right side was completely open, but the left one could cover for her at any moment. It was hard to know if she had created that stance with that in mind or not, but it didn't matter.

Suddenly, Natalie dashed toward Billy and swung her left sword horizontally toward Billy's chest. His spear was already there to block it, so he didn't have to do anything. However, as soon as the weapons collided, Natalie swung her right sword aiming almost at the same spot. Billy didn't even see the attack.. He only felt the impact on the cable of his weapon that made a powerful sound echo through the area and pushed him backward several meters.

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Billy closed his right eye out of reflex and clenched his teeth due to the pain in his arms. He prepared to block another attack, but nothing came. Natalie's special moves were just two quick hits. The first was to force the target to block the attack, and the second was to destroy the block.

"Tsk… I failed, huh," Natalie said.

In the end, it seemed that Natalie had planned to either forcefully destroy Billy's block or destroy his weapon. Neither of those was achieved… for the first time. They realized that those stone materials were a lot sturdier than expected. However, Billy could see that his weapon lost half of its durability… that attack certainly was on the level of Light Spear.

"Not bad, I guess," Billy said while massaging his hands. "It isn't flashy, but it is highly effective. As long as you can attack like that with all stances, your dual wielding style will be fearsome."

"That will take too much time… I would rather keep improving the same moves over and over again," Natalie said.

That is why kids will be kids… she doesn't realize that by training that technique and using it in all types of attacks, her strength and speed will increase naturally, making all of them evolve. What is the point of relying on a single move that can be sealed or read after being used so many times? Still, Natalie was a child that could only understand such a thing the hard way, so Billy showed that he could do many things when he knew that the attack was coming. Repelling with Light Spear, repelling with sole quick thrust attacks. Stepping backward… Eventually, Natalie began to train that technique with different combinations.

At first, Billy thought that it was only a matter of time before Leo could appear and make noise due to Lily. Still, after several weeks, Billy assumed that it was no longer a problem. During that time, Billy also learned Block Mastery, and he taught Alexander how to do the same. The trick was simple. He just had to repel an attack with the same level of strength in order not to have his stance broken.

The next day, Drew praised him for learning that by himself. Even though Drew wasn't surprised by his son's learning speed at that point in time. He came up with the blocking technique to face the stone Bullets of the elementalists. Still, only a few warriors could put it into good use.

"I have a lot of skills and even though I am practicing them daily, I still am not leveling up like before even though all my mana is being used to that," Billy thought. "I need a new skill to increase my mana recovery, Zen may do that, but I don't know how it works… so, I guess my best option is to level up some equipment and see what happens."

Billy was helping his home with a part of his money. However, he still had been saving quite a lot… before the elementalists could come, he needed to discover more of his options to grow stronger. When Billy had the chance, he asked his father to let him pay a visit to John's shop. Aside from ordinary weapons and armor, he also had accessories, line rings, and amulets. Even though they were pretty old… the city wasn't that rich, after all. There was no way its inhabitants would waste money with that kind of thing.

"It has been a while, kid," John said. "I heard a few stories about your accomplishments."

"Are you going to sell me your wares for a cheaper price because of that?" Billy asked.

"Of course not," John said as a matter of fact.

Well, Billy wasn't expecting that anyway, but it didn't hurt to try. Nevertheless, he began to check the old items of the shop, the rings, amulets… Billy didn't remember seeing bracers before, but he found them now, and they seemed pretty useful and powerful.

Iron Bracers - Lv 0 (0/10)

Endurance 3, Strength 1

Durability: 10/10

Fighting with those alone didn't seem like a good idea, even though it seemed cool to fight while fists alone. Nevertheless, Billy checked the rings and amulets and confirmed that they increased his magic by two and five points. They weren't just made for appearance purposes. They existed because they could mage. In the end, Billy decided to buy one of each.

"I didn't think your tribe would be into that kind of thing," John said.

"It is a gift for someone," Billy lied.

John was a businessman, so he didn't try to pry any further. Regardless, the ring cost thirty copper coins, and the amulet cost one silver coin. Speaking of which, silver coins were equal to one hundred copper coins. So, Billy spent in a single time almost one month of his entire salary… he would feel truly depressed if they didn't give him what he wanted.

"I suppose I can make money if I resell weapons after making them with Earth Manipulation and making them level up, but people would wonder how I created them and how they are stronger than the others," Billy thought.

Without wasting time, Billy began to infuse his mana into the ring. He did that for several days while making use of Meditation to make his mana recover faster. However, even when the ring reached level ten and had fifty skill points to exchange for effects, Billy didn't find what he wanted.. Aside from the usual bonus in HP, MP, and SP, Billy only found effects that granted elemental bonuses to increase the power of attacks… Billy sighed so much after such a waste of time.

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