The quest was turned in swiftly before Elias' team and Lev decided to book somewhere fancy to rest.

  Kamala's Spring turned out to be one of the best reasonably expensive options. The resort cost them fifty silvers per night, a price they could afford rather easily, and it was well worth the money.

  There was a large swimming pool, a park, several different luxury avenues like spas or theaters, and many other things Lev had no intention of using. The hunters all went to sleep in their rooms after a brief tour.

  Everyone woke up refreshed the next day and gathered in the beautifully trimmed and maintained park at midday.

  "I'll be going my way now," Lev announced when they had gathered.

  The radiant team had expected that. Elias held out his hand and smirked.

  "We'll be busy training for the rest of the time here," he gave Lev a look. "Don't chicken out now. I'll see you in the arena."

  Lev smirked back. "For sure. Take care."

  Saying his goodbyes, Lev found himself properly gazing at the Haven after coming straight to the resort yesterday. The first thing that stood out was a huge mountain in the distance.

  The great city bordered the base of Mount Tamara. Most of the buildings were present on the ground, and Lev could see several different marks of human presence on the mountain too. It was quite far away, which only served to show how huge the city was.

  Only about a tenth of the mountain's height was inside the haven's walls. Not only that, the wall atop the mountain was way taller than the ones on the ground. It wasn't hard to guess it was meant to prevent monsters from abusing the height advantage.

  Lev didn't think it was necessary but he approved the precaution regardless. Given the number of hunters and adventurers present in the city, he doubted there were many dangerous monsters on the mountain.

  Since he wanted to spend the day exploring, Lev made his way to the gates of the city while keeping his senses limited and his mind occupied.

  Only once he reached it did he start to examine everything in detail. Like runespires, the main road connected to the gate was gigantic. Despite the huge population, there was easily enough space for several carts to pass side-by-side amidst the people.

  Surprisingly, the colors were extremely varied. White and gold were still the majority, but now they were mixed with a myriad of different shades.

  Blue was the next most prevalent color. Red, orange, gray, and black were also visible in places.

  Another difference became obvious as Lev frowned. The quality of the buildings near the gates was significantly lower than the structures near the gates of runespires.

  While he walked further inward without any particular destination, he could also feel several gazes scanning him. Nothing hostile, but that could change. He was confident in handling himself since most people were below level 150.

  No pickpockets, Lev thought to himself, smiling. He had dealt with more than a few of those on Earth, once by throwing change at the poor runt who ran away faster than the wind. They were the last bit of wealth in his possession.

  The crowds were rejuvenated. Lev could easily guess why everyone seemed lively. Tournaments of this scale were rare, enough so to be called a once-a-decade event. Lev was lucky to join one before ascending to Master rank given his rate of advancement.

  Eavesdropping on some conversations and whispers, the task made trivial by his insane Perception, Lev easily found the directions to the tournament registration. Unsurprisingly, it was the hunters guild main branch.

  He wasn't in a hurry to go there, so he took a detour. Hours passed as Lev wandered through the merchants district before he briefly explored the crafters district. Both of them were mind-bogglingly large, filled to the brim with stalls and markets, yet there were just as many customers buying equipment and materials.

  When the suns were close to setting, Lev arrived at the largest of the five hunters guild branches in the haven. Immediately, he was noticed by a certain Exalted.

  Since Drakys didn't come to see him, Lev went about the registration. The process was simple for those who knew what to do. Lev didn't, so he waited in the long lines for half an hour.

  "I'm sorry for taking up your time, but can you summarize the process for me?" He questioned the receptionist behind the counter. The girl gave him a tired smile before speaking.

  "You simply need to take this form and fill it. Follow the instructions."

  Lev thanked her and grabbed the large piece of paper before making his way to a secluded corner. Nobody disturbed him as he read the rules and information.

  I actually have to mark the rules after reading them, Lev noted in amusement. That was one way to ensure everyone read the rules.

  There were five events. Monster Hunt, Solo Combat, Team Combat, Crafting Spree, and Way of the Wind.

  The last one was a mesh of several different smaller events that decided a winner based on the accumulated points throughout all of them.

  Lev looked at the fourth option with slight regret before marking the first three. Information about them was limited. Most of it boiled down to 'You/your team will hunt monsters in a specific region for points.'

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  The other two were self-explanatory. Lev marked everything required with his mana before handing the form to the same girl behind the counter. She had to do a double-take at seeing him selecting the gold category and choosing both solo and team combat while being solo.

  Before she could say anything, Lev summoned his badge and showed it to her. That was apparently enough, as she marked the form as approved after confirming his level after he briefly stored the blocking stone.

  Now… do I want to go see him?

  It wouldn't hurt to do so. Lev made his way to the guildmaster's office but stopped when he felt several auras inside. He was about to turn back when the doors opened by themselves.

  … Goddamit.

  Drakys was lounging in a chair opposite the guildmaster of the haven. There was another person inside sitting next to Drakys. With dark brown hair and an average build, he looked pretty unassuming, and Lev's mouth went dry when he realized the person was also an Exalted.

  Lev bowed at the waist. "I greet the Exalted."

  Drakys grinned at him while the other Exalted scrutinized him. Lev felt several skills scan him, but he didn't dare show any sign of displeasure.

  "Wild, as you said," the Exalted remarked before addressing Lev. "How has my creation been treating you, hunter?"

  "She has treated me well," Lev nervously replied, not sure which honorific to use.

  "No need," the person shot down his worries. "Show me the glaive."

  Lev summoned Stargazer and entered the room. He had to awkwardly stand on the side after handing the glaive to the Exalted. Seconds passed in silence as Lev identified everyone present.

  [Crafter - ????]

  [Mage - ???]

  [Warrior - ????]

  This was, by far, the most intimidating company he had ever found himself in after Hakim. Drakys was fine but from the rumors he had heard, the guildmaster was extremely strong. The other person was an Exalted, so he was naturally a force of nature too.

  "You are barely making use of it except for some mana skill. Why?"

  "I'm still learning how to wield a glaive," Lev gulped before continuing. "Half the purpose of coming here was to acquire a skill for glaives."

  "Self-taught Mastery," the crafter nodded. "It is definitely worth the investment."

  Lev was handed back Stargazer before he looked around. Nobody addressed him, and he seemed to have interrupted some meeting, so he left as calmly as he could.

  Only when he exited the guild did Lev breathe a sigh of relief. Then he frowned.

  The fuck you mean wild? This is the second time someone has called me that.

  He was starting to suspect that it was more than just his desire to remain independent. Was it related to his aura in some way? Lev hadn't shown any signs of defiance or aggression in the guildmaster's chambers.

  He dismissed the concerns with a shrug before looking around.

  Now what?

  Since there was nothing else to do except train, Lev recalled the map he had seen in the resort and found the nearest park. Unfortunately, it was filled to the brim, so instead he set his sights on the mountain behind the city.

  By the time Lev reached the base of the huge natural structure, sunlight had vanished beneath the horizon. He belatedly realized that the mountain was far, far larger than he had expected.

  Like, seriously, Lev mused, still amazed. How do K2 and Everest compare to this lone mountain? It will take me hours to simply fly to the peak, and I ascend pretty fast.

  There were several quests to be done in the region, but Lev didn't care about those. From what he had heard, there was a huge lake somewhere up there. The surrounding monsters were also close to his level, so earning more levels in the gold bracket wouldn't hurt.

  Minutes passed as he flew close to the ground, slowly moving higher and higher. Lev got to see several new monsters like goats, monkeys, some form of flying eels, mountain harpies, and more.

  Those that attacked him were dealt with by simple arrows. He didn't even need to infuse them to put down the weak first-threshold creatures.

  More time passed as three moons became fully visible on the horizon. The occurrence was pretty rare, so Lev took his time to admire the scenery. Everything was bathed in an ethereal silvery glow, turning the greenery into something far more scenic.

  Trees became far more common as Lev ascended. Half an hour later, he was flying through a small forest on the mountain. Mana in the atmosphere rose considerably as he slowed down. Skills ready, he was prepared to face whatever might jump at him.

  Several sources had spoken about how there was nothing above level 230 on the mountain, and how it was constantly scouted for anything that may have spawned.

  Two panthers stalked him from behind, trying to stay stealthy and silent. Lev had noticed them the moment they started moving, courtesy of the bright moonlight, but didn't react.

  Stargazer appeared in his hands, and a blade formed the moment the monsters made the move. Crescent lightning cut the first in twain before Lev rushed the second, utilizing his empowerment formation in a controlled manner.

  Sidestepping its pounce, he empowered his downward strike at the last moment, lopping off one of the panther's legs. It roared in pain and whirled around, just in time for an empowered straight thrust to pierce its brain.

  [

  You have slain [Striped Black Panther - Level 165]

  You have slain [Striped Black Panther - Level 164]

  ]

  The cores and corpses were ignored as Lev continued further, keeping track of the landmarks visible on the mountain's surface in the distance. He was getting close to the lake.

  Dozens of similar fights later, Lev beheld a large flat region of the mountain in front of him. The huge lake was visible in the distance. Most of the natural landscape was centered here, with only a small part of the mountain extending even higher.

  Storing his skinsuit, Lev took a deep breath. The thin air, which was also cold enough to make him shiver, was an entirely new experience for him. Eyes closed, Lev savored the clean and cool air for a while before summoning the skinsuit.

  He had waited all this time for the perfect view. Now that he was so high up, Lev turned around and gazed at the breathtaking sight of the haven sprawled far underneath.

  For the first time, he wished there was someone next to him to share the view with.

  Such was not meant to be, so he turned around with a sigh. The lake rapidly closed in as he flew at full speed, but he still stopped over a hundred meters away from it.

  Even in the bright night, he couldn't see anything underneath the water. It was all utterly dark, devoid of life and flora.

  It was as horrifying as it was mesmerizing, and he maintained a safe distance at all times. Getting an idea, Lev looked for a high spot from where he could look at both the lake and the haven.

  It didn't take long to find one. Uneven terrain provided more than a few high points, and Lev settled down to spend the night doing some peaceful stargazing.

  The peace was shattered abruptly when a giant beam of moonlight descended in the center of the lake. Lev was already up and fleeing at full speed when a person stepped out of the light.

  That made Lev slow down before he came to a halt as the person's gaze settled on him. The man's aura was still as intense as ever, and for the first time, he was able to glimpse the true depths of the aura.

  It was glorious.

  Lev didn't even know it was possible for a human to be so unfathomably powerful. Sherron's and Drakys' auras were vast, no doubt, but neither of them held a candle to Hakim's.

  The question about the silver light was now also answered. Frankly, Lev would be embarrassed for taking so long to figure it out if he wasn't locked in a staring contest with Hakim.

  Disbelief and fascination were slowly washed away as Lev realized the gravity of the situation, at which point he could only chuckle nervously.

  I wasn't supposed to see that, was I?