"Princesses, huh?" Lev sighed. Grabbing another tome, he gave them both a disappointed look. "Why do you think I can read this language?"

  "Wh- oh."

  Katarina's eyes widened, but Lev hadn't expected them to turn sad. Lara also looked regretful for some reason.

  "Just to be clear, I haven't left anyone behind nor did I have to live through the apocalypse," Lev opened the tome, glad to see pretty much all of it was intact. "Stop giving me those looks."

  "That is not a positive you seem to think it is," Lara said, unhappy with Lev's nonchalance.

  "Not a negative either," Lev shrugged before ignoring her and reading the contents out loud.

  'The governments are panicking as well now. The more of these creatures they kill, the more of them show up. Humans around the world have picked up 'classes' and can fight back against dozens of monsters by themselves but that has given rise to entirely new problems.

  Several different reports of mass murders and other similar crimes have been received, and that is just one continent. No God has descended to save us.'

  "This one seems like it's from the early days," Lev commented, not really wanting to read further. From the tone the first few pages had set, there would just be more suffering to read out loud.

  "Can you give me the smaller ones? I doubt these have anything of importance."

  His simple attempt to avoid reading the tome was shoddy at best but nobody mentioned it. If anything, they seemed to be realizing how Lev was pretty much reading the end of his world out to them.

  Grabbing another diary written in English, Lev started reading.

  'Kobolds continue to assault the gates. My family has given up hope, their eyes no longer see everything, only the monsters that refuse to stop coming. I, Derrick, the eldest son, vow to keep them all alive. It has been several months since we last saw sunlight, but we will survive. No matter what it takes.'

  "I'm starting to change my mind," Lev muttered. "Lay them all out in front of me on the bed. I'll read something if it sounds useful."

  The records were all sprawled out on the bed, and Lev leafed through them in a few moments. Only one title stood out.

  'Goblins and Orcs seem to be the norm around these parts, their numbers never dwindling. Eye of the Scholar keeps me updated on all the different variations in the same species, specifically the commanders, shamans, and generals. It is fascinating how the commanders are built so much better than humans themselves. Their bodies are somehow born for war. Is it possible for humans to change their physique like that as well?'

  "I doubt you guys need the details?" Lev questioned everyone present.

  Alec replied. "No, we have extensive knowledge about different monster physiques. It is a fruitless endeavor."

  'Dinosaurs have been spotted. The hunters sounded frantic, in just as much disbelief as those listening to the report. I will be sent to observe them with a large scouting party in a few days.'

  Lev rubbed his eyes, also in disbelief.

  Dinosaurs. Are you serious?

  But the records were in front of him, and he didn't have a reason to believe they were lying.

  "What's so special about these dinosaurs?" Orianna asked gently, as if the question might hurt Lev.

  He gave her a flat stare for being so cautious. "They're supposed to be extinct. Humans only ever found their extremely old remains buried underground. From their estimates, these animals used to exist millions of years before humanity. Really, even I used to be fascinated by them as a kid."

  "Oh," she looked at Alec. "I think that's a first?"

  "It is," Alec replied, mind whirring. "We've always assumed that monsters were born of mana entirely, but it seems natural life can also play a role in it. This changes little beyond being another piece of the puzzle, but it is a grand discovery nonetheless."

  'The whole operation was a folly. Even the weakest of them were above the third-threshold, or four marks as most call it. It only took the call of one for dozens to swarm us. Out of 78, only 5 of us have returned. The idiots prioritized my life, a mere scholar, and lured them all away. The world is cruel, not letting me wallow in pity for the new enemy will come knocking soon. We must be prepared, and my knowledge will be the edge we need.'

  "Everything's fucking depressing," Lev whispered, skipping pages to see if there was anything useful left. Sadly, it was all records of battles and catalogs of different monsters. Those at least, were similar to the monsters of Monarch. It proved that monsters of all kinds could be born anywhere.

  Lev picked up another diary, the smallest one.

  'Seven years after the apocalypse descended, my wanderlust has finally doomed me. I am writing this in hopes that the beast will not find the diary and that a fellow human eventually will.

  -

  The beast talks. It- no, she seems to be just as wary of the world as I, seeking refuge inside a mountain cave despite looking like a bird sculpted for carnage. I finally dared to Identify her, afraid of seeking her wrath. She told me how such skills were unnoticeable to all but the strongest, beings far beyond even her.

  [Dreadhawk - ?????]

  The communication method is fascinating. She does not talk in words, but raw concepts that are translated by a general skill to not overload my brain. Every day, we grow closer despite the sheer inconceivable difference in strength. She has started treating me like a child to be cared for, something I am completely fine with. Her presence is reassuring.'

  Lev observed the reactions of everyone present. They did not seem surprised at all, which was both expected and unexpected. The plains were vast, and there were no doubt several beings capable of communication present in it. Only he was struggling to wrap his head around such existences, but then again, it was not that world-shattering.

  Lev really, really wanted to meet such beings though, which was a horrible idea with his current negligible strength.

  "Where is the-"

  "No," Alec cut him off, leveling a stern glare at him.

  "Oh come on, how bad can it be?" Lev pouted, the expression only working on Orianna. She still didn't seem inclined to agree.

  "We absolutely cannot risk earning their ire, Lev. They are… beyond compare."

  Beyond compare, Lev tossed around the term Orianna used in his head, noting how she could've just mentioned their threshold. Intriguing, but nothing that affected him right now.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "Ugh, fine. I will meet them one day," Lev announced, which didn't seem to surprise anyone, even the two princesses. "Why are you two so accepting?"

  Katarina shrugged a shoulder. "It didn't take long to guess all your ambitions. This seems perfectly in line with them."

  Lara smiled. "You will definitely need a team, though. Do you have one?"

  "Not yet," Lev replied. "Will get one in a few years."

  "Why wait?"

  "You can ask everyone else present," he deflected. "I can write a guide on the language if you wish?" Lev asked Alec.

  "That would be helpful," his mentor nodded.

  The next few hours passed in Lev writing out the letters and numbers, explaining them to everyone present. Explaining the basics only took a few minutes with his heightened perception, but translating all the words he could into Empyrean Standard took hours.

  Feeling wrung out, Lev motioned for Orianna to come sit next to him. She did so, tilting her head in a silent question.

  Wordlessly, Lev shifted on the bed and put his head on her lap. He was out in seconds.

  ****

  "You've shown a remarkable level of restraint," Sherron clapped lightly. "Well done."

  Both princesses looked at her with mouths agape, unable to comprehend the sheer audacity.

  Katarina shook her head, not about to argue with Sherron. That often ended in her getting zapped.

  "He's different from what I expected," she commented, Lara nodding in agreement.

  "With how strong you made him sound like, I was expecting some arrogant righteous behavior," Lara added.

  "I can agree with these two," Drakys spoke up. "Finding a completely normal boy, albeit sort of anti-social, was quite the surprise."

  Sherron gave them an incredulous glance. "Was there still any doubt after the way I talked about him?"

  Katarina waved her off. "It's hard to tell with you three. Especially Orianna."

  "What do you mean?" Orianna asked, confused.

  "It means you care for literally everyone," Katarina replied. "Difficult to guess someone's personality based on your opinion."

  Alec observed Lev sleeping in his friend's lap, surrounded by a sound ward, before replying. "We wouldn't have given him so much power if his personality wasn't fitting."

  "Even if it was our only chance to get that title?" Lara questioned.

  Alec nodded without hesitation. "Especially so. It would take no time for him to go from humanity's hope to humanity's downfall after Exalted. We spent so much time with him before teaching anything to make sure that wouldn't happen."

  ****

  "For fuck sake," Lev muttered, rubbing the remaining sleep out of his eyes. Only Orianna remained in his mentor's suite. "I'm sorry."

  "It's fine," she giggled. "You're a healthy young boy."

  Shaking his head, Lev took care of his morning routine in the restroom. Within a few minutes, he was ready to go again.

  "Where did everyone go?" Lev asked and sat down on the bed.

  "Alec returned to the lab, and Sherron is doing rounds in the pit. Drakys is on break, so he can be anywhere. The princesses are just shopping," Orianna motioned to Lev, making him sit in front of her while facing the other way. Running a hand through his hair, she spoke, "How are you doing these days?"

  "Hmm, could do without the fear of attracting calamities but otherwise, pretty well. Making money and growing stronger at the same time, it's like a dream come true," Lev giggled. "Is my future team doing well?"

  "They are," Orianna, the smile audible in her voice. "The only boy in the team is being trained by the Earthen Wardens. I'm sure you've heard of them."

  "The super popular Master team?"

  "Yep."

  "Hoh, and here I was observing other hunters to eventually teach my team."

  "You should keep doing that," Orianna advised, laying back on the bed. "The apprenticeship only covers so much. They will also have no real combat experience. Teaching them the limits of their class before fighting lethal battles is a great idea."

  "Will do. What will their classes be like?"

  "Healer and aura mage, fire warrior hybrid, and defensive frontliner."

  Lev mentally saluted the kid brave enough to choose the last option. Getting up close to monsters only to block their attacks required balls of steel.

  It was only made more impressive because Lev was preparing for the same inevitability. He knew how hard it was to overcome that mental barrier.

  "Why is the guild mass-clearing dungeons, though?" Lev 'innocently' questioned, which Orianna obviously noticed but replied anyway.

  "They didn't tell you?"

  "Nope. Something about being contacted when the time is right."

  "Hmm, I can see that," Orianna mused before shaking her head. "But still, Alec should have considered how your mind works."

  "What do you mean?" Lev interrupted.

  "How long does a decade feel to you?"

  "Pretty damn long. Should it not?"

  "Not really," Orianna replied. "To us, a decade feels like what a year feels to you, at least by my estimates. We view time differently, something that will take you years to get used to."

  "How does this relate to the original question?"

  "Because the guild is making plans that span decades, of course. How much of the plains do you think we have explored?"

  "Explored as in mapped?"

  "No, control."

  "Uhh… Like 30% of it?"

  She chuckled. "Not even close, Lev. Despite covering such a large area inside the outer wall, it is less than 10% of the plains. Even that estimate remains dubious because of how dangerous some regions are to explore."

  "10%…" Lev whispered, his mind utterly failing to comprehend the size involved. "I … see. What about it?"

  "Not that long ago, some of our best scouts finalized a report about the center of the plains. The consensus is that mana density is considerably lower overall, and the area is completely flat, several times the size covered by the outer wall."

  "Hold on," Lev straightened, fully engrossed. "You mean to say the center is safer?"

  Orianna nodded. "Yes, and it also has no lethal zones like the ravine or the pit."

  "We're marching, aren't we?" Lev hazarded a guess.

  She chuckled. "In full force."

  "Why on Monarch would they hide this from me?" Lev wondered with a sigh. "Even if I fail to become the strongest, surely I will still be strong enough to cover any weaknesses."

  Orianna sat up again, frowning. "Don't talk like that. You're already doing great."

  "Doesn't feel like that though. Much of my strength is just the consequence of my insane attributes. I've only managed two useful creations of my own so far, and they are incredibly basic."

  "Lev," Orianna began. "You earned the class."

  "I know," Lev sighed. "Just feels like I'm not doing enough. The class does everything for me but barriers are supposed to be so much more, no?"

  "Where is this even coming from? You literally cannot do much before Master. Enchanting takes a lot of time, effort, resources, and mana. Before your barriers become permanent, all effort is rendered moot. Nobody blames you for not expanding your arsenal before that. If anything, you should only have a select few tools as you are right now. Practice the foundations and level your skills."

  "… Truly?"

  "Why would I lie?" Orianna asked, hugging him from behind. "You think you're lacking but after being trained by Drakys, I daresay there will be no Adept as strong as you."

  Comfortable silence enveloped the room, both of them getting lost in thought. Lev took a few moments to scan his mental state, finding it much better than before. He hadn't even realized how much throwing mana at problems was bothering him, especially with how much he needed to use to match other mages.

  "I suppose that says enough about my strength after evolving," Lev sighed again. "The ravine awaits."

  "Heh, you're in for a surprise. If you think you will be one of the strongest from the start, you are very sorely mistaken. We have several Masters that have their skills in the fifth rank, and some with even multiple of them."

  "Fifth!?" Lev exclaimed. His own had barely leveled in the third tier.

  "They're centuries old. While the Exalted are undoubtedly the mightiest, some of the most skilled and talented combatants are still Masters."

  "Huh."

  Sherron entered the suite before Lev could ask further. She looked just as relaxed as before, no signs of carnage that she likely caused in the past few hours showing on her person.

  "You're up. Drakys was waiting for you to go down the pit," she said, sitting down on the other bed.

  "I don't think that is a good idea anymore. Exploring the pit sounded natural before but only now am I realizing just how much I want to go down its depths. The desire is not natural. Even I'm not that suicidal."

  Sherron and Orianna shared a glance, visibly confused. Lev didn't blame them. Both his desire to get stronger and explore the depths of Monarch burned a bit too brightly for his liking. It was honestly confusing. Why were his own emotions slightly out of his control?

  "I … see. I'll bring him back here."

  Sherron blurred out of the room, and Lev waited for his current teacher to return.