Read I Can Make Everything Level UP Chapter 61 - New Lands (3) online for free - AllNovelFull
At the end of the second week, the group had created five pillars of earth in the river. Since everyone started to get used to their work and their skills were improving as well, they thought things would progress faster, but they didn't consider that the river would become deeper and deeper… thus, they needed more earth blocks to create the fourth and fifth pillar which were ten meters tall. Regardless, Billy finally will have the chance to take a break and return home. Most of the recruits also had the same chance, but he was the only one in his group that was going to return.
"I feel like l am more motivated here, staying at home will probably make me lazy again," Lily said.
"Dad is also going to stay, so I will stay as well," Alexander said. "Besides, I feel like I didn't do much."
"What a liar… you wanted to stay close to Lily," Billy thought while frowning. "What a simp…"
"I am going to train here as well," Natalie said. "You will get behind at this rate, Billy."
"I don't mind," Billy said. "I can train at home, my diligence doesn't need external factors like you guys."
Power was something that could be obtained in that world, as long as everyone had diligence. However, seeing his siblings grow up from up-close wasn't something that he could enjoy forever. Alexander, Lily, and Natalie didn't understand that because they were only children. Besides, Billy won't be able to train the way he wants by staying there… Returning home was more than necessary for his goals.
"First things first… I have to buy some rings and then slowly make them level up and obtain the meditation effect," Billy thought. "It will take a few months to make them reach that level, but they certainly will improve my training speed and ability to trade mana for experience."
After three days, Drew and Billy were back home. While it wasn't a good idea for the leader of the tribe to leave his allies behind, he put Nikola in command, and everyone knew how he trusted him. Regardless, as one would expect, Samuel and Samara looked ecstatic when Drew and Billy returned and asked him to play horse without giving Billy any time to rest. It was a bit rough, but Billy couldn't say no to them.
"Did something happen while we were away?" Drew asked.
"No… everything is boringly peaceful," Camilla replied. "Now we don't have to worry about anything… aside from the magic beasts. Speaking of which, some guards visited that arid area of the elementalists and they spotted a new type of monster. They are the earthworms… according to the elementalists that stayed behind. They always existed, but kept their territory away from their base. Also, they don't leave that area."
"I guess that is fine then," Drew said. "We have no business there… Anyway, I am going to report to the lord tomorrow. What are you going to do, Billy?"
"I guess I will buy some things that might help once we return," Billy replied.
Billy recalled that rings could also increase his magic power, so he would be able to train more and be more effective while controlling. So, perhaps he should stop being stingy and spend all his savings on equipment. Even though he will look weird with several rings. The next day, Billy went to visit John's shop, and he confirmed that things were the same as usual. He had close to zero customers. After selling the few ores he got, Billy only had fifty copper coins. It was worth three days working outside the town.
"It has been a while, I heard that you went on that expedition to build the bridge," John said. "You found those ores in there?"
"Yes… if I find something worthwhile and that I don't need, I will sell it to you," Billy said. "So, give me some discounts on these."
"You can ask for that once you actually manage to find something," John frowned. "That is how business actually works, kid."
Billy shrugged and then began to check the wares of the shop. He was hoping to find something cheap but good with his Appraisal, but he didn't find such a thing. Either John had good eyes for his merchandise, or he was playing safe. Considering that Edward also had a habit of collecting old relics, it was natural that he wouldn't find anything impressive. Still, he tried anyway, much to no avail.
"I guess the only way to get good gear is by searching after completing the bridge," Billy thought. "Considering the old spearhead, I am expecting good things from these new lands."
In any case, while that was a bit costly and made John frown, Billy decided to buy nine rings and make them level up. He would raise some suspicions by wearing them all the time, but he should be able to hide from the others when he needed to. Perhaps buying an extra-large pair of gloves will do the trick. While armor wasn't something that his tribe didn't use much, some people in the town used it.
After buying his things, Billy immediately proceeded to level up the rings. Making one reach level twenty and then repeat the process of another to obtain another level of automatic meditation would be good. Still, instead of that, Billy decided to level them up equally in order for him to gain as many extra points in magic as possible. Thanks to his current mana, Billy managed to make the rings reach level three, and all of them granted him fifteen extra points into magic. Once he did that, he recovered some of his mana after meditating at home and then used all of it to control the temperature around him and focus on a single spot. At the same time, he used Wind Manipulation and mixed both. He quickly obtained the result that he wanted...
Congratulations! You have learned Fire Manipulation.
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As Billy had expected… Learning magic is easier when you have that parameter at a high level. It was supposed to be obvious, considering that he only learned light spear when he became fast and strong enough. In any case, even though he could use Fire Manipulation, he couldn't train anywhere, even if he were careful. At the very least, the fire will consume the oxygen in a closed space. That was more than enough reason not to use it at home.
"Using this at the training grounds is no good as well…" Billy rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose I will keep practicing the other elements first."
Billy decided to combine water and wind and see what happens. While he could control each element with each hand, he only ended up creating a water sphere that had air inside even with the power of the rings… he had a long way ahead.
In the end, the week off passed in the blink of an eye, even though Billy didn't interact with the troublemakers that usually take most of his time. He spent most of his time playing with his siblings since they were a well of energy. They were almost five, so it was time for them to start learning how to fight. Billy could see Samuel training vividly, but Samara was a bit too quiet for that. Her mana was starting to develop faster than Samuel, but her physical strength was getting behind due to it.
"Perhaps I should help her with that… but maybe she will dislike even using magic to fight," Billy thought. "She is pretty close to Anna, so perhaps she will follow her footsteps."
It didn't matter which path his siblings were going to take in the end. Billy was determined to watch and help them whenever possible. After saying goodbye to his family again, Billy, his father, and those who came with them a week ago began to move toward the bridge site. Three days later, they arrived, and while three more pillars had been put in the river, the people there looked troubled for some reason.
"What is wrong? what did I miss?" Billy asked.
"Hey, you are back, Billy…" Alexander said. "Well… we noticed some weird motivation on the other side of the river. It looks like people truly live on the other side, but they seemed rather cautious of us."
"Isn't that normal?" Billy frowned. "They don't know what we are building and what our intentions are… any one with half a brain would be cautious."
"That is right, we are doing this for one day to explore more these lands… it was bound to happen that we would find other tribes," Natalie said.
"Still, I am worried if we can strike a conversation first without having to fight them," Lily said.
There was a possibility that it might take place, but only in six months… there was no need to worry about that. Nevertheless, those three quickly returned to normal and then began to show the fruits of their training. Lily already could use Water Manipulation, and Natalie had gotten a bit stronger as well. As for Alexander, he was improving fast with his spear skills, but his other arts still were at a so-so level. That was a bit childish, but he decided to show them Fire Manipulation as well, to make them eager to train.
In the end, since those three had some big mouths, the world that Billy had mastered the elemental tour Manipulations spread in the group. Thanks to that, someone unexpected approached. It was Sarah.
"... I heard that you mastered Fire Manipulation, is that true?" Sarah asked while showing an expression calmer than usual.
"What if I had?" Billy asked.
"For a very long time, we heard from our elders that we can only obtain power when we are skilled and with the constant practice," Sarah said. "They also said that only a few us are chosen to be able to use the four elements… if you can use it, then that means that what they said is a lie."
It wasn't a lie… it was just their assumption of something they couldn't understand. Billy had realized that the elementalists didn't teach things to the others. They only practiced. If one wanted to learn something aside from earth Manipulation, they needed to have a wave of inspiration or succeed it by luck.
"So, I would like to see you using it," Sarah said.
Billy didn't have to show her anything since her attitude was annoying, and the elementalists were more than a little bit troublesome. Still, things will never improve if both sides keep acting like that, so Billy created a Fireball of the size of his fist.
"You just learned it less than a week… and you already can do that," Sarah furrowed her eyebrows. "... I heard that you taught some of your friends our magic. Can you do the same and teach those who don't know of our tribe fire Manipulation?"
"It depends, what will I gain from that?" Billy asked.
"I can teach you Zen and that will grant you the chance to control your magic powers more easily," Sarah said. "That arte will also increase your mana."
Billy already knew what the skill could do, and perhaps he could have some idea to learn it by himself. Still, it was only a possibility… Besides, the more mana he has, the better, and the sooner he learns it, the faster it will level up.
"Okay, I will help… but you will have to teach me that first," Billy said.
"Understood," Sarah nodded.
Billy wondered why Sarah was so quiet and calm. Was she trying to fool him? That sudden behavior change was too weird… there was also the possibility that Billy made her change her mindset. Considering what she said, she apparently thought that she was special since she could use Fire Manipulation.. Still, since Billy learned much faster than anyone else, she realized that it wasn't true.
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"To learn Zen, you need to do two things," Sarah said. "First is to take Meditation to the next level by completely clearing your mind, and the second is to don't move a single inch."
Billy frowned when he heard that… It seemed too simple. Besides, the first step basically was the only thing necessary. If one's head is empty, then one won't have the reason to move.
While Billy had just arrived, he still had work to do. That being said, he sat on the ground and entered the lotus position. He also closed his eyes and began to clear his mind. He had to learn that as soon as possible to make the most out of the situation.
"You keep your head clear and don't move for ten seconds, you should be able to feel the effects of Zen," Sarah said. "Imagine yourself looking at the sky, the blue sky of an afternoon. Look at the clouds quickly crossing the sky without thinking of anything."
Billy thought that he had to clear his mind completely, but it seemed that he could have an image in his head. As long as that doesn't make him think of anything else… Despite that tip, Billy had a hard time keeping his mind clear. It was probably because he could feel too many magic presences around him.
"No good, huh… it seems you will need some practice," Sarah said.
Billy closed his eyes again and proceeded to take some deep breaths. His body began to relax, and he could feel the presence slowly dimming out and disappearing in the distance. Since he didn't want to focus on the people around him, his mana began to obey him. It stopped searching for the surroundings for everything. Without feeling anything around him, Billy's mind began to calm down. He did that pretty fast, but it was probably because of his high magic…
Nevertheless, Billy probably reached the second level of Meditation. Still, since he didn't receive any confirmation… then, it was complete yet. He had stopped moving as well. In the end, that only took fifteen minutes… he just had to relax all his muscles, completely to the point where he almost fell asleep at first. The theory behind it was a lot simpler than learning elemental manipulation despite its usefulness.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill Zen.
"You already did it… as expected, you are not normal," Sarah said.
"That doesn't sound like praise…" Billy said. "Anyway, I will talk with you guys at night. Once our job is over."
Sarah nodded and then left the area without making much of a fuss. It wasn't like they could train right now. After all, they had work to do. Regardless, Billy decided to see what he could do with that skill, and aside from the bonus in magic, he already could control his magic a bit more than before. As if they had been waiting for Sarah to leave, Billy's friends showed up.
"Did something happen, Billy?" Alexander asked. "I never saw Sarah talking with someone for that long… aside from the people of her tribe."
"She wanted to confirm something and asked for help," Billy said.
Billy explained to his friends what he had just learned and about the agreement he made with Sarah. If he manages to teach Zen to others, they probably will have an easier time learning magic. After all, that increased their overall mana pool. In any case, Alexander and Lily nodded after hearing that. It seemed that the Elementalist was raised while hearing stories that their people were limited by their talent instead of their hard work. They could only comply with that since they couldn't understand and explain the magic powers they obtained over the years. Even if they could, they only used abstract concepts, which only made things more complicated.
As for Natalie, she didn't hide her displeasure. While she wasn't close to anyone in her village, it seemed that Sarah had killed a few of the light seekers, and she couldn't forget that… there was also the fact that her father died by their hands… it was truly something complicated to deal with. Despite that, she didn't say anything… Billy was starting to think that his lack of consideration toward his friends' feelings was putting a crack in their friendship.
"Sorry, Natalie… if we want to avoid problems with them in the future, this kind of cooperation is necessary," Billy said.
"I don't care," Natalie said, then turned around and left.
She was still a child… Despite that, Billy couldn't shrug or sigh because he probably would act the same way if he had lost a parent or a close friend against the elementalists over the years. He even considered completely ignoring them when his father was recovering from the injuries that almost crippled him, after all. He couldn't blame her and yet, he couldn't ignore the possibilities that tribe could give him.
Regardless, after working through the day, Billy went to the elementalists to teach them what he knew. While some of them looked really displeased about the fact that someone who wasn't from their tribe was teaching them something they were supposed to be good at, Billy ignored that. Let prideful fools be prideful fools by ignoring them.
"Although he is the youngest of us, Billy sure is mature… to be able to forget the bad blood that exists between us and the elementalists, even most of the adults can't do that," Lily said. "Still, I am a bit worried since he moves too fast... even considering that it is something that is bound to happen."
"I don't think his father is going to retire any time soon, but I suppose he has the martial skills and the communication skills to become the next leader of our tribe," Alexander said.
"Whatever, let's spar, Alexander," Natalie said and then unsheathed her swords.
Alexander didn't want to since Natalie was in a bad mood, and she would kick his ass, and that indeed ended up happening.
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It took one week for the first Elementalist to finally learn fire manipulation while being instructed by Billy. During that week, they thought that it would never happen and kept their eyes of skepticism at him, but once they first learned, they threw away all that and began to practice in earnest. They were a simple bunch…
Considering that Sarah only spent half an hour teaching him Zen, it wasn't fair that Billy was using that much time for them. Still, heended up teaching them for two weeks, and thanks to that, nine other elementalists learned Fire Manipulation. They looked ecstatic… because they felt like they had become complete magicians. Now, the others just had to keep trying and practicing what Billy told them.
During those two weeks, Billy didn't see anyone on the other side of the river. It was quite disappointing since he was looking forward to it and because his friends said that they had appeared three times during the weeks he was away.
"... You really helped us, thank you," Sarah said.
"There is no need for thanks, I gained something out of this," Billy said. "Besides, I know that you are still itching to kill me."
Sarah didn't even try to fake some surprise. Billy wasn't stupid, and it was only obvious that such resentment would last for a while. Most likely, that guy he killed was her sibling, cousin, or perhaps even boyfriend. Still, due to her position and to make her tribe become a bit stronger, she threw away her pride and asked Billy for a favor. That was evidence that she was growing up, and her feelings were getting weaker. Billy didn't want to fight the people that could be useful to him, but if she were to attack him someday...
Nevertheless, after that, Billy returned home to have some days off, and when he returned, he saw his home empty. After a while, he looked around and saw his siblings on the training grounds. That was right. They were already five… and he was already twelve since Billy was seven years older than him.
"Time sure flies…" Billy thought.
It seemed that he wouldn't have the chance to play with his siblings all that much during that vacation, but it was natural. Kids would grow up and spend less and less time with their family until they would become teenagers, and they would think that their parents are lame and such. While thinking about that, Billy was laughing since it was a bit funny.
"Mother probably decided to return to guard the walls or maybe she is hunting those spider-like scorpions," Billy thought. "I suppose I can use this extra time to level up the rings."
Billy - Lv 59 - 2250/8000 EXP
HP: 167/167
MP: 377/377
SP: 161/181
Strength: 69
Speed: 58
Magic: 156
Endurance: 28
Dexterity: 34
Status Points: 95
Skills: Deadly Wind Lv 13, Steel Spear Lv 11 ( 01), Light Spear Lv 09 ( 02),
Spells:Mana/EXP conversion Lv , Exp Master Lv , Analyze Lv 22, Appraisal Lv 29 ( 03), Meditation Lv 26 ( 03), Earth Manipulation Lv 22, Mana Infusion Lv 22 ( 11), Water Manipulation Lv 16 ( 04), Wind Manipulation Lv 07 ( 03), Fire Manipulation Lv 05 ( 04), Zen Lv 03 ( 03)
Passive: Language Skill Lv 48 ( 03), Spearmanship Lv 38 ( 05), Swordsmanship Lv 15, Archery Lv 27 ( 02), Firing Speed Lv 15 ( 01), Quick Spear Lv 09 ( 03), Block Mastery Lv 06 ( 03)
Skill Points: 170
Since Billy was busy leveling up his rings, he didn't level up all that much in the last two months, but that was fine. Leveling up the rings will make his level-up speed a lot faster in the future. It was an investment. Regardless, when the sun started to set, Billy saw his mother, grandmother, and siblings returning. Although they seemed fine, they looked troubled as well.
"What is wrong, mother?" Billy asked.
"I just heard that Samara fought with other kids," Camilla said. "They were making fun of her because she liked to practice her magic more than her Spearmanship. Samuel argued with them as well and then they began to pull each other's hairs."
"At least they didn't use their training spears…" Billy said. "You don't have to listen to others when they are taunting you, Samara. They were probably… no, it is nothing."
It probably wasn't a good idea to tell a kid that she was better than the others in a certain aspect. It might make Samara become reckless and arrogant. She was a nice kid, but certain life experiences might make that happen.
"But they were laughing at me… they said that I am weak and slow," Samara said with her head down.
"It doesn't matter, what matter is if you think you need to improve that aspect," Billy said. "Run if you think that you are slow, practice every day if you think that you are weak. It is good to focus on what you like to do, but magic needs mana, and mana takes time to recover. That is why you need to train with the spear as well."
"Okay…" Samara said, still feeling down.
"Let's wake up early tomorrow and do some special training," Billy said.
"Not fair, I want to participate too!" Samuel protested.
"Of course you will," Billy said. "You also need some training, while you fought because you wanted to protect Samara, it is no good if you have to retort to violence so soon. Instead of that, aim to be strong enough to make others think twice before picking a fight with you, but you also need to know that strength doesn't give you the right to do anything that you want."
"Okay, I got it!" Samuel said.
"It seems Billy took over your job of educating your kids," Anna said with a serious expression on her face.
"Hahaha, it is fine now and then," Camilla said. "Besides, they probably will listen to him more because he is close to their age.. Still… Billy truly is scarily reliable."
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In the end, making his siblings level up or improve their spears could solve the problem, but that wouldn't teach Billy's siblings that they could overcome almost everything with hard work. Still, it wasn't like Billy had done any special training that made him improve, so when the next morning came, he only asked them to spar in order to see their good and bad points.
After just five minutes, Billy discovered the problem. Samara was top defensive, and she hesitated in attacking when she found an opportunity to do so. On the other hand, thanks to that, she could see the moves of the opponent and predict them. Samuel, on the other hand, was too focused on attacking, he had speed and power for a five-year-old boy, but thanks to that, he had too many openings. The twins were basically polar opposites.
"I get it now… Samara, move away a little bit," Billy said. "Attack me, Samuel."
"Where is your spear?" Samuel asked.
"I don't need it," Billy said. "Come on."
Samuel didn't like that, but he didn't hesitate much. He took a step forward, and out of nowhere, a water Ball appeared in front of him, and he collided against it.
"Not fair, you can't use magic!" Samuel protested.
"I won't use again, I just wanted to show you that some people might use magic against you and if you charge without thinking, you will get hit," Billy said. "All right, try again."
Billy wondered if Samuel had understood that. He was just five… but he should learn as soon as possible that in most of his battles, things won't be in his favor. Still, he nodded as if he had understood something… despite that, he charged recklessly again. It seemed that he liked to overpower his opponents. In any case, when he thrust his spear toward Billy's stomach, Billy just reflected the weapon to the side with his left hand and then dropped a chop on Samuel's head.
"Ouch…" Samuel said.
"Did you get it now?" Billy asked. "You can't just attack while only thinking of attacking. Cool down your head and keep your focus when you decide to attack. Otherwise, your opponent will read your moves and prepare an attack. It is your turn now, Samara."
Billy took Samuel's spear since he knew that Samara wouldn't attack first. She stepped forward looking pretty nervous, and even when Billy told her to attack, she approached… very slowly, one step after the other, very carefully. In the end, Billy swung the spear toward her left leg, and she used her own to block the attack. While that wasn't so bad, she had reacted fast enough to parry it. Billy attacked again, and he swung down the spear toward her head this time. Once again, Samara blocked the attack, but she didn't do anything else.
"Fighting defensively when the enemy is stronger and faster is the right answer, but if you focus only on blocking, the chance to attack will never come," Billy explained and then increased his power over the spear. "See? A stronger opponent would try to overpower you, and a fast one wouldn't let their attack be blocked so easily."
"But isn't that dangerous?" Samara asked.
"It is if you don't practice enough, but once you get good at it, you can render your opponent completely wide open," Billy said. "Just like a parried Samuel's attack. You don't need to be stronger or faster to do that, you just need to be skilled, and to become skilled, you need constant practice. Now, practice with each other while considering what I said."
While his siblings obeyed, they only followed his instructions at the beginning. After a while, they let their vicious control them again. Billy had to remind them of what they had to do every time that happened. Fortunately, they were smart kids, so little by little, they began to fight while considering that for more extended periods of time.
While they couldn't practice under Billy's supervision for long, they did make some progress over the course of the following weak. Now and then, Samara would parry, followed by an attack, and now answer, then Samuel would see that one coming and prevent it from happening. Weirdly enough, even without Billy interfering with his system, he saw their Spearmanship level jumping from three to five.
"I wonder if receiving tips also increases the leveling up speed of skills…" Billy thought.
If that was possible, some optical mental training might be as effective as the physical one. Perhaps even more since one would be able to imagine all types of scenarios. Billy realized that it was something worth checking… considering that he had just learned Zen. Doing something like that didn't seem impossible.
The skill that was on the lowest level was Fire Manipulation, so Billy decided to do some mental training with that. Just imagining himself creating a Fireball and firing didn't seem that efficient. So, Billy imagined himself creating a Fire Arrow. As one would expect, that was difficult. Even in his mind, Billy couldn't just imagine an arrow of flames easily appearing. He had to follow the rules of the real world…
"I suppose suddenly making it appear on that kind of shape would be too much," Billy rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Billy focused on making the heat take a triangular shape instead of a circular one. Pointy right above and getting thicker as it goes downward… it wasn't perfect, but Billy managed to imagine that. When he tried to make it in the real world, it didn't take the same shape, and it happened slower, but the projectile had a shape that was different from a Ball.
"Hmm… who could have thought that helping my siblings would give me such an inspiration," Billy nodded to himself in satisfaction. "This has a lot of potential... even among the other magic attacks, if I change their shapes, it will be easier to control them or make them have even more power."
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While Billy was returning to the bridge site, he imagined all kinds of applications he could do with magic. The most obvious one was to fly… but while he indeed could propel his body upward while firing a gust of wind from his feet after jumping, it wasn't that perfect. Firing two gusts of wind from his feet at the same time was hard.
"There are so many things I want to try…" Billy thought. "But it will take a while before I am skilled enough to do so. Considering the power that the rings will give me, it should be less of a hassle to achieve what I want."
Although he said that, Billy was more excited than anything since the possibilities of what he could do with magic seemed endless. Even more so, considering that the rings were leveling up every day and the bonus in magic they granted was tremendous. Once they reach level twenty, the bonus in magic will be one thousand points… how insane is that? Billy would have two times more mana than the strongest of the elementalists… he felt like he was cheating, though.
In any case, to help with his mental training, Billy also practiced creating Water Arrows. Creating them with the earth was easy, but things changed with the other elements. However, all that work was worth it since the speed the water arrows flew was two times faster than water balls and thirty percent faster than the earth arrows. Perhaps the fire arrows will be faster than the wind ones since they will use the fire to propel themselves…
"You sure like to travel around," Natalie said when Billy returned. "Are you that bored or do you miss home that much?"
"A change of scenario is necessary to keep the body and the mind fresh, but since you have muscles for the brain, you don't notice that," Billy said.
"Ha-ha, very funny, you should at least try something new to taunt me," Natalie said.
"Anyway, did I miss something?" Billy asked. "Where Alexanded and Lily?"
"Since some of us have too much time in our hands, the tribe leaders decided to send some of us to explore the river upstream and downstream," Natalie explained. "This is the place where the river is the thinnest, but aside from that, we don't know much about this… they left a week ago, and they received orders to go to both directions for ten days and then return."
"But we already know what is in the south, it is the ocean…" Billy frowned.
"Yes, that is why both groups will have ten days, it is the distance to reach the ocean," Natalie said. "Besides, we can't focus on a single place now that the inhabitants on the other side aren't showing up anymore. Who knows what they are plotting… Anyway, Alexander left with one of those groups, Lily is looking for materials to craft arrows."
It seemed that Billy was free for the rest of the day. That was disappointing… maybe he should check if his magic is strong enough now that the rings had reached level ten to pull the fish out of the river by himself. Once he does that, the others will have the chance to kill the Sahati with ease. However, Natalie needed his help.
"If you are free, help me with my training," Natalie said. "I want you to fire Fireballs toward me."
"Why specifically Fireballs?" Billy frowned. "They will damage your swords, you know."
"It is fine, I was planning to buy new ones anyway," Natalie said.
"All right… if you miss it, this is going to hurt," Billy said and then created a Fire Bullet while aiming his index finger like a gun toward Natalie.
"...How can something so small can have so much power?" Natalie said, visibly shocked.
That was surprising. Natalie noticed the power of such a small projectile instantly… knowing her. Billy thought she would complain and tell him to attack seriously. Her senses indeed were something else. In any case, Billy decided to start slowly and let Natalie get used to them. When he fired, Billy saw the projectile actually burning itself as a fuel to propel even faster. He wondered if it was due to the environment or due to the friction in the air… Nevertheless, the fire bullet crossed a distance of twenty meters instantly. However, Natalie blocked with both swords.
"There was no weight behind it…" Natalie said.
"That is because… it is just how things are," Billy said since it would be much of a pain to explain how fire was formed. "If you want to deal with heavy projectiles, we will have to use something else."
Considering that Billy could see a dent in one of the swords, it was only a matter of time before either of them got destroyed. If he focuses on weight, then even if he doesn't use fire, the weapons will lose durability insanely fast.
"I suppose just blocking won't solve anything… I have to repel it with my blade," Natalie said.
"... That is actually a good idea, I am surprised that you realized that," Billy said. "Still, you should use only one sword and leave the other for defense."
"You are such a worrywart… this is training, it is normal for people to get hurt," Natalie said.
"That carelessness will get you killed someday," Billy said. "You are already fifteen, stop being reckless like a child."
"I am older than you! Don't call me a child!" Natalie said.
"This short temper of yours doesn't help your argument," Billy said and then shrugged. "Anyway, I will show you how dangerous that attitude can be."
While Natalie was seriously glaring at him, he wondered how he could make her grow up and be less reckless.. The fact that she was ostracized by the people of her tribe didn't help with that… probably because even her mother didn't tell her what to do, or she gave up on it because Natalie was just too damn stubborn.
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Just helping Natalie with her training wouldn't do him any good, so Billy decided to alternate his firing elements. That way, if a situation required him to fire a certain element, he would be able to respond as fast as possible. Natalie complained at first, but once she heard the explanation, she decided to ignore it. She wasn't the only one who could benefit from the training…
"Why do your earth bullets make that weird sound?" Natalie asked.
"I make them rotate to gain some extra piercing power and speed," Billy replied. "It requires some concentration, so I am not sure you can pull that off in the middle of a fight. Perhaps if you manage to do something about your short temper, you will be able to do it."
"Putting that aside, can you fire your strongest earth bullet?" Natalie asked. "I want to see if I can repel them with my swift strike."
"Again with those unreasonable requests… Do you have a death wish?" Billy asked after a long sigh. "A single mistake and you will be killed."
Swift strike was the name of the two quick strikes that Natalie managed to develop as her own special technique. Natalie probably could repel Billy's strongest Earth Bullet, but only if he takes his rings out. He didn't even have the chance to test how high his current magic power is.
"I suppose it can't be helped," Natalie shrugged.
On the next day, Billy's routine returned to the usual. He experimented with Water Manipulation and actually managed to fish the magic monsters by making a stream of water coming from below to take them out of water. However, even when the beast was on the ground, it could move and even use a Water Ball. In the end, Leo put an arrow on its head, he told Billy not to do that again. A black point shot of Water Ball might kill someone if it hits the wrong spot…
Regardless, thanks to the bonus of the rings, Billy didn't spend even half of his mana while helping the redhead archers. He could help the elementalists by creating the Earth blocks for the bridge. Still, he didn't want to stand out even more with his illusory massive mana pool.
In any case, once again, his two weeks of working passed rather anticlimactically. The stone pillars had already reached the last fourth part of the river. Soon enough, they will begin to craft the bridge's real body. Still, just when Billy was about to go home and enjoy his week off, the groups that went to explore had returned with some troublesome news.
"We found large numbers of people on the other side of the river moving in groups and toward this direction," Nikola said. "It seems that they don't want to let us complete the village."
"What are their weapons and numbers?" Drew asked.
"They use round shields and long spears, all of them," Nikola said. "They also wear helmets and some weird shirts of iron… we saw around three hundred of them."
The other group was made by hammersmiths, and they said the same thing. They saw a small army mobilizing toward direction… It seemed that they trained as a group instead of individually. Thus their individual power shouldn't be high, but as a group, Billy knew that they could pose a threat. Even if they fought as a group, the people in that world could become strangely strong, and adding the factor or tactics and organization, they could wipe out the tribes that didn't have much experience in fighting alongside each other.
"We already received orders about how we should react in this type of situation," Drew said. "We should try to open dialog no matter what, but if the other side refuses to hear us… then we will fight."
It couldn't be helped, but Billy thought that fighting if things went wrong in the beginning was a bad move since it would be the start of another battle that might last for many years. They didn't know the numbers of the people on the other side, but considering that they were going to use six hundred, then it was clear that they had the advantage.
"War for resources truly is a pain…" Billy thought.
The tribes finally had the peace that they wished for decades, but now they wanted more… Hopefully, things would end up well. Billy didn't want to see his siblings growing up amidst a war.
"You saw them, Alexander," Lily said. "What do you think?"
"It is hard to get a good feeling about them from so far away…" Alexander frowned. "However, we didn't find any magic beasts on the other side, so they either exterminated them, or their numbers are extremely low. That shows that they have some high battle prowess. Adding to the fact that all of their gear is made of iron and apparently, high quality, they must need it to fight some sort of enemy."
"But if they want to stop us with those numbers, then they must have some free time in their hands or their lands are completely at peace," Natalie said.
It was hard to say, but they probably never had or didn't have to deal with magic attacks in a long time. After all, the armor wasn't particularly good against fire magic. So, despite the difference in numbers, the tribes probably would have a chance to win if it comes to a battle, as long as they use the elementalists wisely.
"We will have to stay here for a while, so we might as well train as much as possible in preparation for what might happens next," Lily said. "I didn't think of that, but if we lose, this same bridge could become an asset in the hands of those guys and they might use it to reach our town."
That wasn't good… before something like that could happen, Billy would wipe them out, even if he had to scare even his allies with his power.
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Aside from messengers, all soldiers were forced to stay on the bridge site from now on. So, Billy will have to forget about his week off for a while. Again, it was a pain, but it was inevitable...
"Hopefully, Samuel and Samara will continue on with their training without me," Billy thought.
"You are looking absent-minded again… you are losing your edge, Billy," Natalie said. "Come to think of it, it has been a while since you had a spar and fought using only your spear."
"I suppose so, what is your point?" Billy asked. "If you want to duel, I will keep you company."
"That is what I wanted to hear," Natalie smirked. "Prepare to get your ass kicked."
Billy naturally held back since he didn't want to damage his weapon and hurt Natalie. Still, even so, he was supposed to have an advantage over her… Unfortunately, during the duel, Billy was forced to keep a defensive stance because Natalie focused on attacking several times. Her attacks were relatively light, but she aimed for troublesome spots. All in all, she overwhelmed him with sheer speed and accuracy. He knew that she had gotten better and she had talent, but that still was troublesome. Even though he helped her overcome her weakness...
"I guess I am getting rusty," Billy frowned.
"That is only obvious since you practice so many things at the same time," Lily said. "If you ask me, that is only natural, but he is unreasonable enough to try and master all of those."
"Considering that Billy learned Light Spear when he was nine, I kind of wanted to see how good he would be by focusing on training a single style," Alexander said. "But I suppose that isn't possible, huh. I suppose I will become the best of my generations, then. Just kidding."
Alexander laughed, but Billy could tell that despite his attitude, he truly wanted that. Regardless. It seemed pretty interesting, but it also would make it easy for enemies to find ways to surprise Billy. By having many tricks up his sleeve, he would be the one surprising the others. Speaking of tricks, Billy had another idea… he went silent for a moment and then turned around in order not to let his friends see what he was doing. In the end, they opened their eyes widely when he turned around, and the spear was floating around him.
"Now I will defeat you without using my hands," Billy said. "Behold my awesomeness and despair."
"How did you… ah, you are using wind Manipulation to control the spear," Natalie said. "That is..."
"That is so cool!" Alexander said. "I wish I could do that."
"You can, just envelope your spear with Earth and control it the same way with your mind," Billy said.
There was no point in keeping that secret since anyone with half of a brain and good senses could understand what Billy did. Natalie was someone like that. In any case, Billy assumed something wrong before. He thought that manipulating the elements was somewhat limited, like he could only force them to do something when he put his mana on them, but that wasn't true. He could keep sending his mana and change the orders, and he didn't even have to touch the elements since they were already under his control.
In any case, Alexander tried that, but his control over his spear was limited by his low magic. He could make it move at his walking speed, but nothing more. As for Billy, he could make his move at his running speed while he rotated and spun at the same time. When Natalie asked to him to attack with the spear-like that, she felt quite the power. Even though Billy only used the butt of the spear. However, he couldn't forget the extra power the rings granted him.
"Hey, Drew," Nikola said when he noticed that a lot of people were looking at Billy's group. "It seems that your son came up with another novel idea."
"Hah… I wonder who he took after to be so creative," Drew forced a smile. "I am just a muscle head, after all."
With that skill, Billy probably could fish the magic beasts in the river by himself. However, after doing some experiments, he realized that the further away he moves his spear, the more mana he will use. Still, it was an excellent combination of martial arts and magic.
"This is enough for now, let's return to the old school sparring," Billy said and then grabbed his spear again.
Billy felt that he wasn't training Light Spear and Quick Spear enough lately, so that was an excellent chance to do that. After taking a deep breath, he prepared his stance and then began to thrust his spear toward Natalie at fearsome speeds. He didn't give her the chance to do anything aside from blocking. Even that, she couldn't do it properly since each strike had a lot of power and destroyed her stance.
In the end, what Billy warned Natalie many times happened. He felt strange feedback when he was attacking and then stopped, Natalie frowned at that, but then half of one of her swords cracked and fell on the ground.
"I told you," Billy said.
"Come on… just when things were starting to become fun," Natalie said and then sighed. "Now what am I going to do if those guys appear?"
"You should have asked yourself that earlier…" Billy facepalmed. "Let's see if I can make a spare sword made of dirt. It will be heavier, but the durability will be higher as well."
Thanks to all that mental training, Billy managed to craft a copy of Natalie's sword really fast. The shape and size were perfect, but it was two times heavier, but there was a problem. Her previous weapon granted her a small boost in strength and speed, but the new one didn't grant that.
Earth Sword - Lv 0
Durability: 70/70
"This isn't so bad…" Natalie said while swinging the new sword. "Make another one because it will mess up with my stance if I wield two weapons with different weights."
"Instead of saying thank you for a favor… you ask for another one?" Billy frowned. "Seriously, kids these days are something else…"
When they dueled again, Natalie was even slower than before. Still, at least the weapon was absorbing the damage properly, and she no longer looked cornered. She was actually using their weight to her advantage… she was probably doing that unconsciously since she was a muscle head. Still, Billy couldn't help but be impressed.
After a while, Billy and Alexander decided to practice as well. It has been a while. Still, Billy already knew that based on status alone, Alexander had the advantage. He was older, taller, and trained daily with the spear more than Billy. Still, by focusing on counter-attacking, Billy managed to hold his ground.
"I wish I could train by fighting as well," Lily said. "Not in serious fights, but I don't plan on using anything aside from a bow."
"It isn't the same thing but you can train your evasion maneuvers against magic," Billy said. "You should ask Alexander and Natalie help you with that, their attack power with magic still is relatively low and they need to practice theit accuracy."
While Alexander nodded at that, Natalie looked a bit annoyed. It didn't matter which aspect she disliked to hear that she was weak. Still, she decided to help Lily with that. Alexander was hesitant to hurt Lily, but he also decided to cooperate. It looked like they had returned to the good old days… that actually weren't that old.
In any case, the next month passed in the blink of an eye, and ninety percent of the pillar had already been put in the river. Before allocating the last two, the tribe leaders decided to start forming the actual body of the bridge because the remaining two pillars would give a chance to the people on the other side to reach them as well.
"I suppose this should be enough to make them realize that we don't want to invade," Billy thought.
Despite that, as soon as the group began to create and put the remaining parts of the bridge, the group that they had mentioned earlier finally showed up and assumed a battle formation. They really looked like a medieval army, just like Billy had imagined. Ignoring them didn't seem like a good idea, so the tribe leaders reunited to discuss about what they should do.
"We should at least try to talk with them," Drew said. "It will be better if the tribe leaders go as well."
"We will be exposing ourselves to danger and we won't have much back up since only a few of us can cross the river by jumping over the pillars," Leo said. "Their spears don't seem the trowable type, but it wouldn't surprise me if they have some hidden weapons around."
"Can't you and Sarah cover us if things go downhill?" Drew asked. "Not against that many enemies."
"If your son comes with us, we might be able to pull it off," Sarah suddenly declared. "While he doesn't show, I am certain that his magic powers already surpassed mine."
"Hmm… all right, I will talk to him," Drew said.
Billy frowned when his father told him about the contents of the conversation. Sarah was sharp, but not sharp enough since she didn't realize that Billy's magic power only increased due to the rings.
"Not fair! Why is Billy getting special treatment?" Natalie protested after she told his friends what he was going to do.
"Well, if you think logically, Billy is skilled enough to make a difference with his set of skills," Lily said while forcing a smile.
"Still…" Natalie said.
"You sure are bloodthirsty," Billy said. "9f you keep acting like that, then it will be hard for you to participate in this kind of situation in the future. You are too reckless, after all. In any case, I am off."
The leaders of the tribes and Billy had their weapons with them, but they were on their backs. That was another way of them trying to say that they were there to talk and not to fight. In any case, they began to jump over the pillars, but Sarah used some wind magic to help her since her physical strength wasn't that high. Once they did that, the army on the other side began to move as well. Their weapons and shields were ready to be used in the blink of an eye. Despite that, the tribe leaders didn't stop.
When they reached the last pillar, they took some time to look around the army. As for Billy, he used Appraisal and confirmed that the overall level of those soldiers was fifty. They weren't shockingly powerful, but their strength wasn't something to laugh at. Neither of them had magical skills either, or even bow skills. So, their strength was in melee combat, and considering their high HP, they would take a while to fall.
"Hello… we are the soldiers of lord Edward and we came to negotiate," Drew said. "If you have a leader or a temporary commander, could you please call them?"
"I am the Captain of this unit, my name is Pierre," a single soldier stepped forward and said. "State your name and business here."
"We didn't know that the lands beyond the river were populated, so we received the orders to build a bridge and explore the other side," Drew said. "My name is Drew, so at the orders of our lord, we would like to start amicable negotiations with your people."
"... I can't decide that on my own," Pierre said.. "We also have a feudal lord, your own lord can come to negotiate with him, until that happens, it would be better if you are to stop the construction of the bridge."
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Putting the demands aside, Billy was more worried about the name of that Captain. Pierre… that was definitely a french name. Until now, he only found English-like names. So, that made him frown.
"Very well, we will explain the situation to our leader," Drew said. "It will take a few days, though."
While the leaders of the tribes understood those demands, the other members frowned. It looked like they were being looked down… a mere captain demanding the presence of Edward. Still, they only thought that because they had only experimented with diplomacy a few times. Besides, they were on the weak end of that negotiation. Since they didn't try to cross the river, the people on the other side didn't need to negotiate with a small town such as the hammersmiths. In fact, they probably knew about their existence and decided to ignore it completely.
"I am surprised that there are other lords across the river," Lily said. "I am curious as to the kind of place they live in."
"Since they have so much equipment made of iron and theirs also seemed high quality, I would say they are more advanced than ours," Billy said, still wondering about Pierre's name.
"Since that is the case, once they realize that, they might try to subjugate us," Natalie said.
"Let's not think about something so scary… at least for now," Alexander said. "What are you going to do, Billy?"
"I wanted to go home, but Dad said that we should keep a strong number of soldiers here just in case," Billy said. "Only a few of us are going to report to Edward and then escort him if he decides to come."
At the very least, Drew will go and inform the family that everything is fine, and he and the others left on that very same day. As for the army on the other side, nothing changed.
In any case, since they couldn't work, everyone spent that week bored out of their minds. As for Billy, he trained with his friends as usual. It was already the norm for them to practice when they had free time. Once that week passed, Edward actually came to the site… considering the traveling speed, it seemed that he was actually looking forward to it.
"Oh, your progress is faster than I had anticipated," Edward said while looking at the pillars and the first part of the bridge. "It also looks a lot sturdier than I had imagined."
"What are your orders, sir," Drew asked.
"Let's talk with this Captain you mentioned," Edward replied. "He should have sent the message to his superiors by now."
The other leaders nodded and then prepared to move. After ten minutes, they headed toward the other side. Still, Billy stayed behind since only so many people could stay in the pillars at the same time. After five minutes, they returned.
"We received the permission to cross the river, and lord Edward can take fifteen guards with him," Drew said. "The rest of us will stay here and keep working on the production of the materials necessary for the bridge."
Billy thought that each tribe leader would choose a member of their tribe to help with the work, but Edward was the one who decided that. As if things weren't weird enough, he also picked Billy's entire group.
"Sir, they are talented kinds… even while putting aside my pride as a father," Drew said. "Still, they are just kids."
"Don't worry about the small stuff, Drew," Edward said while patting his shoulders. "We aren't going to a fight. We are going to talk."
Billy was as much troubled as his father, but his friends barely could contain their excitement, which made Natalie's and Lily's parents frown. They clearly weren't up for the task of guarding the lord of the town in an unknown land that they knew nothing about. Still, they couldn't disobey the orders of their leader.
"Ah… I am being surpassed by my fourteen years old son," Nikola said with a fake depressed smile. "I am a failure as a father."
"You guys… you shouldn't do anything weird, you hear me?" Drew asked. "This mission is no joke and we can't afford to make any mistakes or give the wrong impression."
"It is useless, I can already see those brats making mistakes every ten steps…" Leo said.
While the parents were trying to make their kids behave, Natalie's mother was utterly silent. Billy had forgotten her name since she was a person of few words, and then he confirmed with Appraisal that her name was Lucy. Billy had never been a parent, but her cold attitude was starting to annoy him… even if his daughter was troublesome, that overly cold attitude was messed up. Despite that, Natalie was calm and anxious because she had heard from Billy many times that she needed to deal with her short fuse.
After the preparations had been made, the group began to jump over the pillars and reached the shore on the other side. The soldiers frowned when they saw the four misfits. They were too young to look like elite guards, after all.
Pierre- Lv 68 - 2250/8000 EXP
HP: 650/650
MP: 130/130
SP: 544/544
Skills: War Cry Lv 24, Shield Smash Lv 32, Defensive Stance Lv 22
Spells:
Passive: Language Skill Lv 55, Spearmanship Lv 35, Shield Mastery Lv 35, Pain Resistance Lv 30
Billy frowned when he checked Pierre's status… putting aside his level. He sure had some weird skills. What surprised Billy most was the Pain Resistance. He had got wounded several times during training, but he never got that skill. Wasn't something that could be learned just like that? He had to investigate it.
"Are you ready?" Pierre asked. "The main town is pretty far away, it will take five days on a horse."
"It is pretty far away… how come you managed to deliver a message to your lord so fast?" Drew asked.
"We sent a raven," Pierre said.
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