Ten minutes later, Lev was on the west wall of windkeep. People weren't usually allowed on the walls, but Hakim and Sherron's presence bypassed that.

  "What can I expect?" Lev asked the two Exalted.

  "Monsters," Sherron answered smugly. "Their attacks, too."

  Hakim didn't even bother to reply. Lev sighed.

  He could reliably kill monsters from so far if he had a bow. That wasn't an option any longer. He wanted to evolve his general skill to encapsulate long-range aiming instead of empowering a bow.

  Which meant he had to aim from afar without a tool. He could settle for that. Currently, he had no economic formations or skills to empower the arrows shot directly by his mind, thus the regret of being unable to use a bow.

  "Should I go close to the woods?"

  "Depends," Sherron answered seriously this time. "Do you think you can survive a horde of second-threshold monsters?"

  Lev wanted to say that he could reliably run away. That would be a lie. Even now, if he faced two core guardians at once, there would be no surviving that. Facing dozens of weaker second-threshold monsters would see him dying even quicker.

  "Fair point. Guess I will just throw mana at problems," Lev remarked, a bit surly. He couldn't wait to create permanent constructs. Barrages coming from those would feel much more rewarding.

  "Most would do anything to have that problem," she smiled and ruffled his hair. "Even I want a wisdom boost so badly."

  Lev rolled his eyes. "You're already so strong without it. I doubt it would've made that much of a difference. No doubt much of your overall power would've been sacrificed to accommodate it."

  "False," Hakim spoke up. "Martha had no equal when it came to manipulation. Mana capacity or regeneration is irrelevant to that. Her class afforded her all that power without demanding more mana for every skill as well. The Wisdom boost only emboldened it all to the greatest heights."

  "… Huh. I thought The System kept things balanced?"

  "We wouldn't be on Monarch if it did. If anything, The System empowers everything too equally. You know what that means."

  Like the rich getting richer, Lev thought, rendered silent.

  "That turned morbid quickly," Sherron filled in the silence. "Look."

  Far into the distance, shapes were slowly streaming out of the dreadwoods. Lev could observe them somewhat clearly despite the tens of kilometers between them.

  Panthers, treants, bears, thornlings, orcs, trolls, hawks, harpies, crystalboars, and so many more. Goodness, there really is no shortage of variety.

  Hakim glanced at him once. Lev immediately understood and looked for the closest person arranging defenders down below. Spotting one, he jumped off the wall.

  "Done gazing?" the Master warrior asked once Lev landed.

  "Yes, sir," Lev replied, unsure what else to say.

  The warrior rolled his eyes. "Class?"

  "Barrier mage, long-range attacks, and acceptable melee."

  "Useful," the man commented. "See that warrior with golden armor? Go to him and tell him to switch with the middle team. Support the entire section from there."

  Lev nodded and flew to the warrior while jogging his memory.

  Sections are… the arrangement of hunters. Each section is a battle formation that is beneficial for all the squads present in it. Me being sent to the middle means I need to support everyone equally. Huh, the dude figured out my use instantly.

  The golden warrior turned out to be someone Lev knew. Elias looked different from when they had last met. He carried himself much more seriously.

  "Elias," he called out.

  Elias turned to look at Lev. "Yes?"

  "The Master near the wall wants you to switch with the middle team."

  "Why would he say that?" Elias countered with a frown.

  Lev smiled. "Because I will be joining you."

  Narrowed eyes met his claim before they widened. "You… Lev, right?"

  "That will be me."

  "Holy crap you're young," Elias shook his hand.

  Lisa, Viktor, and Rena joined them as well. The Radiant team looked and felt even stronger than before as they stood around him.

  "Oh my gosh, you are so adorable," came the comment from Lisa. She looked like she wanted to pinch his cheeks. Lev kept his skills ready to bolt at a moment's notice.

  "Uh… thank you? I would honestly prefer to be imposing or something."

  "Ignore her. She has a huge soft spot for kids," Viktor extended his hand. "It's good to see you out and about."

  "Likewise," Lev clasped the proffered hand. "When did you guys move here?"

  "Two days ago," Rena, the mage, answered with a smile. "Thankfully, there was no wave during the journey."

  Lev identified them while they talked.

  [Warrior - Level 184]

  [Warrior - Level 186]

  [Mage - Level 185]

  [Healer - Level 184]

  Elias was a tall man with golden hair and carried two long swords on his back. Rena and Lisa both had dark brown hair and matching eyes, while Viktor was the second warrior with a shield and an axe.

  "Everyone in runespires was talking about you before we left," Rena voiced. "The Runic Warlord abducted you, or so they said."

  Lev laughed. "No, I was just approached for training."

  Viktor shook his head. "For training, he says. Like it's something normal to be approached by an Exalted."

  "But… why you? I don't want to sound mean. You are not even a physical fighter," Elias said.

  Further interaction was cut off as they approached the middle squad. Elias relayed the Master's order, and they were given the spot without a word. Four teams were surrounding them, two on each side and none in front.

  "You will see," Lev simply answered the earlier question. He turned to look at the wall, where Hakim and Sherron were both observing him while talking to each other. Sherron raised a brow, the move visible despite the large distance.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Lev just gave her a smile before focusing back on the radiant team.

  "Have you guys faced waves in Windkeep before?"

  "Yep, seven of them," Elias replied. "What about you?"

  "First time. What can we expect?"

  "Treants are the most dangerous because of their wood manipulation. Quite sharp and accurate. Panthers are in the same league. Treants pretty much recreate their home turf with their roots, giving the felines an advantage. Watch out for their leaps.

  "Bears, orcs, trolls, spiders, thornlings, hornstrikers, and some more. Harpies rarely show up but they are a pain in the ass. We had to fight them twice and had to return injured both times."

  "I saw harpies before coming down."

  Eliash sighed. "Your barriers will be handy against their dives, at least."

  "Take your positions."

  The order came from the Master warrior managing this part of the wall. Lev intently scanned his surroundings, noting the teams around him. Most of the hunters were mages, which made sense. Not everyone could get close and personal with monsters.

  Lev formed a barrier platform ten meters above his team and landed on top of it. The height advantage would let him throw arrows anywhere in the sections.

  "Say, Elias," Lev began, knowing the warrior would hear him easily. "Why do we not use structures to fight off waves?"

  "Too costly," came the reply. "High chance of breaking during the battle. Not enough resources to use them every time. There are also several diviners and strategists ensuring that no section is overwhelmed from up ahead, where the Masters are fighting, and that further removes the need for structures."

  A loud horn blared in the city, announcing the start of the wave. Lev refrained from making a move for now.

  For minutes, he observed as the quantity of monsters far into the distance steadily increased. Fire salamanders immediately stood out. The second threshold monsters were famous for their regeneration that outshone even trolls, but they had to actively use fire mana for it. They were also huge and easy to observe with their black bodies and yellow stripes.

  The first monsters to reach them were orcs, which were swiftly put down by mages. While more ground monsters reached them, Lev was starting to get a little worried about the darkening skies.

  What… are those? Locusts?

  They were butterflies. Pretty low-level too. He hoped they didn't get stronger with higher numbers because there were a lot of them. Before he could think of ways to deal with them, huge waves of fire immediately disintegrated most of them.

  Treants showed up five minutes later. They did not have arms or legs like Lev expected. Instead, they extended roots and glided forward atop them.

  [Treant - Level 210]

  [Treant - Level 211]

  [Treant - Level 209]

  [Treant - Level 210]

  Their levels were similar to the previous waves, which was a great relief. It boded well for the rest of the wave.

  Treants had sap instead of blood flowing through their bodies, which was susceptible to lightning. Lev hoped his arrows could penetrate deep enough to make use of that.

  Two dozen arrows formed above him, each filled with a moderate amount of lightning to experiment with. Elias and his team were waiting for him. Their curiosity seemed to be burning bright.

  Lev hid a smirk and fired, the distance of four hundred meters no hindrance. The whole barrage barely put a dent in his mana pool, which was already regenerating at an amazing rate.

  Branches and roots extended from the monsters, slithering as if possessing a mind of their own. Many of the arrows were blocked with small explosions. The lightning in them seemed to affect the wood, at least visually.

  More arrows formed. Lightning was channeled, and they were launched again. The larger barrage saw many arrows hitting their main bodies. They did more damage too, if the sap leaking from their bodies was any indication.

  Lev was happy with the result when the bleeding sap solidified in a blink, effectively reducing the damage dealt to none. He stared for a moment, then shrugged.

  Two dozen more arrows formed. Lightning streamed into them, filling them to the brim this time. With their vastly increased speed, Lev only targeted two of the treants. Impact after impact jolted their bodies, which were gravely damaged by the following explosions.

  To his surprise, they died in that single round of arrows.

  [

  You have slain [Treant - Level 210]

  You have slain [Treant - Level 209]

  ]

  What on Monarch? Do I just counter them too well, or are they physically weak?

  "Was that supposed to happen?"

  Rena nodded. "The sap is very vulnerable to all forms of heat. Lightning works well against their bark armor and burns the sap quickly."

  "What about the cores?" Lev questioned, which caused Elias to laugh.

  "Kids these days," he muttered loudly, shaking his head.

  "Be careful, old man. Several Exalted accompany this kid for a reason."

  Neither was truly serious, but the invitation for a spar had been delivered.

  "Old man, huh? Just you wait, young'un. I will teach you the classic Empyrean Manners."

  Lev chortled. Fucking Empyrean Manners. That sounds so stuck-up.

  Stargazer appeared in his hands, charged with lightning, when a screech reached them from above. A group of more than twenty harpies was descending toward the squad to his left.

  Lev's manipulation range, which had slowly increased with his Intelligence, was hovering around 120 meters. The hunter team was only around fifty meters away, close enough for Lev to form four enchanted shields amidst them with a bit of effort.

  Keeping half an eye on the area in front of him, Lev supported the hunter team from afar.

  More than a dozen harpies dove down at once. Stone bullets shot out of the ground, formed by the only mage in the team. Three harpies were too damaged to continue their flight, falling some distance away, while the rest continued their charge.

  The three remaining melee fighters were grim but looked ready. Lev could feel Rena preparing a spell, but he was a step ahead of her.

  Ten lightning arrows landed accurately on the flying monsters, stunning them and causing them to descend uncontrollably. The warriors didn't miss a beat, rushing them with a sword, a spear, and a shield raised.

  Lev only had to interfere once more to block a last harpy from attacking the mage with his shield.

  [

  Your group has slain [Forest Harpy - Level 176]

  Your group has slain [Forest Harpy - Level 175]

  …

  ]

  Lev remembered hearing about harpies on the internet, so he took a good look at the corpses. There were no female faces or bodies. The birds looked monstrous with their white feathers and a barely humanoid torso. Large, sharp beaks adorned their face, not allowing him to harbor any illusions about their lethality. Giant claws were present on the ends of all limbs, even the wings.

  After his recent experience with the chaoswalker, Lev much, much preferred them to be monstrous instead of human.

  "Don't use too much mana," Rena lazily reminded him.

  Lev blinked. He hadn't even used 1% of his total on that whole harpy group. It had already regenerated.

  "Okay," he nodded, just to show she wasn't ignored. Her advice however, was.

  Minutes passed slowly. Monsters continued to run out of the dreadwoods and were torn apart by the waiting Master teams far ahead.

  Half an hour later, the wave began in earnest. Panthers rushed the hunters near him, at which point Lev stopped holding back as well.

  Ten lances formed behind him. Keeping them ready, he observed the approaching monsters.

  Fast but not overly so. I don't think landing lances is going to be possible with these opponents.

  The lances were dismissed. Since no mana had been infused in them, the loss was negligible. Arrows took their place, each infused with lightning to empower their speed.

  "How many should I target?" Lev asked the team below him before making a move.

  "Five or so. The other teams can handle three each," Elias replied, swords in hands. The team was ready to act at any instant.

  All the panthers targeted his team, and Lev didn't need to guess why.

  With a sigh, he flew down and took a spot next to the warriors. Elias and Viktor both looked at him for an explanation.

  "I already said you will see," Lev deadpanned. "Stop staring."

  "We need to plan around your capabilities, Lev," Elias' words were serious. "If there are even more surprises, its best to make us aware beforehand."

  … I suppose that makes sense.

  "My melee capabilities are comparable to a silver warrior, and I can also fire some overcharged attacks at anything too strong if you guys find me an opening. Rest is just long-range attacks and barriers."

  Elias simply nodded and adopted a stance. Lev wouldn't say it out loud, but the man looked badass as sunlight reflected off his armor and swords. He looked ready to face anything the wave would throw at them.

  The panthers interrupted any further musings as they tried to circle the team. Spells rained down on them from the other teams in their section, and his arrows joined in.

  Blue blurs were the only hints of their passing, yet most of them missed or were dodged. Two landed, and the weakness of the panthers became apparent as the tumbled to the ground.

  Elias moved, faster than Lev's maximum output, and crashed into one of the panthers. Viktor was only a step behind, and they both squared off against all the surviving monsters.

  Lev kept an eye on the panthers now aiming for the other teams but it didn't seem like he needed to interfere, so he observed Elias and Viktor.

  Both of them were somehow tense and relaxed at once. Elias let the first panther lunge at him, taking a calculated step back and thrusting his sword into its skull.

  Viktor stared down the three monsters charging him and advanced. Shield in one hand and axe in the other, the first panther was met with a shield bash that thoroughly stunned it.

  The other two monsters dove as one, but Viktor seemed to be expecting it. His axe crashed into the side of a panther, sending it flying in a shower of blood. In the same motion, he spun around and kicked the wide-open jaw of the second panther, flooring it as well.

  While he finished off them disoriented monsters, one of the panthers had its eyes fixed on Lev. Stargazer moved down in a lazy motion, shooting a lightning slash at the leaping monster.

  The attack landed on its head in a cackling explosion, frying its brain and bones.

  [

  You have slain [Forest Panther - Level 177]

  ]

  "Why are you using so much mana?" Rena looked at him with a frown.

  "Because I have more than enough to use so much for casual attacks."

  "I can see that. Still, waves last for hours or even days. You shouldn't risk bottoming out too quickly."

  Lev smiled. "I have the regeneration to match."

  She exhaled. "Fine. Do whatever you wish."