Chapter 165 - 157

Nick's premonition turned out to be truer than he'd believed. There really is something stirring up all the monsters, huh? Dodging a particularly stubborn mole monster that didn't seem to realize how much weaker it was than the people it was trying to attack, he scoffed. Nick could have killed it on the spot with a [Wind Blast], but the damn thing was quite slippery, and its ability to tunnel into the ground and disappear at a moment's notice made it difficult to pin down. He was almost tempted to grab it with telekinesis and finish it by crushing it, but he was trying to win without overwhelming force for once. Seeing how stunned the girls had been by his quick victory over the sparrow-hawks made it clear that he should be more careful with his displays of power. He would still use everything at his disposal if it came to life or death, but the desperate fights in the dungeon had meant he'd become too accustomed to not holding back. And while that was good for all-or-nothing situations, it wasn't if he wanted to maintain a low profile. It didn't really matter if Elia and Rhea knew how powerful he was, but if he wanted to continue adventuring after this trial was over, he needed to fight at a level that wouldn't raise eyebrows. "Stupid, damn thing," Rhea grumbled, picking herself up from where she had been thrown by one of the other moles' attacks. The little monsters may not have been as deadly as a thunderhoof, but they were certainly dangerous. They could create shockwaves in the ground that made standing still nearly impossible, and then pop out to launch barrages of rock bullets. It was a simple yet highly effective tactic. If Rhea had been alone, he was fairly certain she would have had to resort to some of the heavy-duty potions she no doubt kept in her spatial pouch. As it was, Nick was drawing the bulk of the moles' attention by levitating off the ground just high enough to counter their destabilization tactics and by effortlessly dodging every rock bullet they sent his way, easily tracking their paths with his senses. Elia was also taking care of a significant portion of the swarm. Steel-meltingly hot flames burned around her, and her two tails lazily waved behind her, giving her the appearance of a character from a storybook. Unlike Nick, she couldn't avoid the full impact of the shockwaves, but her DEX must be very high because she was jumping all over, landing only long enough to draw a mole out and then blast it with her fire. A [Wind Blast] flew from Nick's hand at high speeds as he focused less on power for once. This time, the little monster didn't have a chance to escape him. The spell connected, pulping it. "Ugh, nasty," Nick grumbled. The mole had exploded like an overripe fruit, despite the lack of power behind his [Wind Blast]. <table border="1" class="chapter-table" style="border-collapse: collapse"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 99.0753%"> <p><strong>CONGRATULATIONS!</strong></p> <p><strong>You have defeated [Seismic Mole - Lv. 13]</strong></p> <p><strong>+620 Exp</strong></p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> That was a pittance compared to what he needed to level up, which made fighting the moles not worthwhile. Nick certainly wouldn't have picked a fight with them. Unfortunately, he didn't have a choice because the little monsters had attacked them less than half an hour after he'd dispatched the flock. Blue fire roared as he turned to see Elia snarl, pouring more power into the ground while crouching down. It took Nick a moment to realize what was about to happen, but when he did, he used telekinesis to grab hold of Rhea and pulled them both away, creating a [Force Barrier] around them. "What are y—" Rhea yelled, but soon, the answer became clear. A dozen pillars of blue fire erupted from all the holes that had been dug as Elia poured more power into the tunnels. The show continued for a full thirty seconds before finally petering out. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Nick dismissed the system notification before it could fully appear. He didn't need to know the small amount he had just gotten for contributing to the death of the mole swarm. "There! Damn!" Elia shouted, breathing heavily. "Stupid moles with your stupid rocks! I loved this dress!" And the reason for her anger became clear. Elia had been wearing a surprisingly fine outfit that reminded Nick of Earth's kimonos, though it was made more agile by the slits in the sides—which now bore both mud patches and a few tears. He would have commented that perhaps the choice of dress hadn't been the smartest, but he didn't want to get a fireball thrown at him, so he kept quiet. She's more powerful than I expected. She must have been training diligently. This isn't merely a result of gaining levels—she has complete mastery over her fires. Rhea clicked her tongue, gingerly making her way to the foxgirl's side, avoiding the still-hissing patches of ground. "Come on, let me take a look. I have a sewing kit and a cleansing potion." Nick smiled as he watched them work. They were good friends to each other and to him. He had been lucky in this life in more ways than one. Opening and closing his hand, he tried to think about just how much power he'd need to ensure his friends could leave their lives peacefully. He wasn't one to seek out conflict, not unless it was already inevitable, but the events of the past month—from the dungeon raid to the beastmen rebellion to the latest problem, the belligerent expansion of Sashara's domain over much of the town—showed that he wasn't ready yet. Sure, he had exceeded what most had expected of him in the dungeon. Nick himself would have struggled to believe that the power he wielded now was possible at one time. But all that had done was widen his horizons. He hoped this trial could be handled with the strength he had, and so far, he hadn't seen anything to make him doubt that; however, that didn't mean his problems would end. Marthas was plotting something; that much was clear. While his parents—and Arthur—were trying very hard to keep him away from it all, he doubted it would pass him by. Marthas is also much more powerful than what I can realistically aim for in what little time I have. Prestige is still very far away, and he's shown to be even more powerful than that. Yeah, he had his work cut out for him. Nick needed to develop additional abilities, possibly ones that the Prelate couldn't counter with simple brute force. He hoped it wouldn't come to blows and that an agreement could be found, but his actions made it clear that the current peace would not last forever. "Are you going to space out for much longer?" Rhea asked, cocking an eyebrow at him, and Nick shook off his worries. Now wasn't the time to get lost in his thoughts. A quick glance showed that Elia's dress had been repaired and cleaned. "Huh, that looks pristine. Good job," he said, earning a haughty sniff. "Of course, I am a proper lady, after all." The superior glance Rhea shot him made it clear that she didn't think he was proper at all, and Nick shook his head while Elia laughed. "Alright, let's get going." he said with a clap, drawing a squawk of indignation, as he'd been the one to slow down in the first place. Ignoring the outrage behind him, Nick started down the road again, lazily sweeping through it with his senses. He couldn't feel anything out of the ordinary yet, but it was clear that something was upsetting the balance. Being attacked while on the road twice in a row wasn't something that should happen outside of the true wilderness, and while the grassland wasn't tamed, it also wasn't anything like the Green Ocean. "How much longer do we have to walk before we can leave the path? If this is how the safe part of the journey feels, I doubt we'll be able to get any sleep tonight," Rhea said as she caught up, indicating that she had also noticed the disturbance. "I believe we still have a few miles to go. We should find a bridge in less than an hour, and from there we'll have to leave the road and follow the stream north," Nick answered, having memorized the map Elia had shown them. It helped that he could constantly orient himself with the [Wind God's Third Eye]. It was a very handy spell, even beyond its battle uses. They traveled in silence until they reached the bridge he had mentioned. However, upon arriving, they discovered something unexpected. "Oy, look what we have here!" A reedy voice exclaimed. Its owner was little more than a teenager, with a few pimples still on his cheeks and the affected swagger of someone who was still new to being a bad guy. Nick had noticed them before they came into view, of course, and had warned the girls that the people they were about to encounter didn't look like pleasant folk. However, he thought they would be seen if they left the path early and walked through the grassland, and doing so without the river's guidance would lengthen their journey too much. "Oho! Looks like we've struck gold!" another man exclaimed, licking his lips as his eyes fell on the two girls. Rhea was a conventional beauty, despite her short hair and the obvious equipment that marked her as an alchemist, but the way their eyes roamed over Elia made Nick's hackles rise. Despite having matured in the past few months, she was still little more than a kid. These men didn't seem to care. "This better be good," the third and largest man grumbled, standing up from where he'd been lying on the cart they'd used to block the bridge. "Mhm, the girls might actually be worth something. The older one is a ransom for sure, but the animal we might be able to sell. There is always some dirty old man with too much money." His words felt like a death sentence, and in this instance, they were. Just not for those whom the man expected. Looking over the three bandits, Nick decided that he could forget his decision to hold back for a moment. He doubted the trio had any valuables on them, after all. The first two looked more like farmers who had turned to crime than anyone with real experience, but the leader might be able to put up a fight if Nick allowed him to. He was tall, at least six feet four, but more importantly, he was extremely broad. Fat and muscle filled his frame equally, and very large, scarred hands indicated to Nick that this was a man who relished getting close to his victims, even if it resulted in injury. If it had been just the first two, he might have beaten them up and left them to rethink their life choices. But this man… this was someone who had killed many, many times before, and if left to his own devices, would prove to be a thorn in Floria's side. "What the fuck do you think you are?!" Rhea yelled from behind him. "Do you even know what you are doing? There are several Prestige classes not even a day from here that will come down like the wrath of the gods on you!" The two less-experienced bandits flinched at that. It meant they hadn't done their due diligence and, more importantly, they weren't locals. Nick had almost pinned them as farmhands who'd suffered a bad harvest, but the timing was wrong, and the way they deferred instinctively to the bigger man indicated they had spent some time under him. Not too long, but enough to learn to respect and fear him. "Bah, you think those people will bother with small fries like you? I know the types! They spend their days inside their little world, only caring about the big picture and their legacy." The leader retorted, and immediately, the other two calmed down. Oh well, we gave diplomacy a try. And if Nick wasn't too heartbroken about that… Well, who would know?