Twice, Lev debated not going to the wall. There were two new Exalted atop it, and that was understandably scary.

  Mustering his resolve, he accelerated before landing close to Sherron. With a cursory glance, Lev could tell the new duo was somehow related to each other. Both had light blonde hair and heroic visages to match. They looked like white knights from movies, except in casual clothing.

  Two pairs of brown eyes stared at him, and Lev gave them an awkward bow.

  "I greet the Exalted."

  Sherron blinked. "You've never done that for me."

  Don't make this more difficult for me, please.

  Lev gave her a nervous glance, which only seemed to amuse her even further.

  "This gal here," Sherron said, swinging an arm over the female Exalted's shoulder, "is Stella. She's a great friend of mine, so you better treat her well. That's her brother, Stephan."

  … In what world would I dare treat her badly?

  Lev just mentally sighed and introduced himself. "I'm Lev, a gold hunter. It is a pleasure to meet you."

  Man, that sounded so mechanical, he thought, cringing internally.

  "Why did you rush your skills?"

  Lev blinked. Then blinked a few more times. "What do you mean? I made sure to get them to end of second rank before evolving."

  Stella looked disappointed. "That just means you didn't explore them as much as you could've and forced the levels quicker. Your evolution also suffered because of that."

  I could've gotten an even stronger class?

  Nobody had told him that. If he knew taking longer would've improved his choice even further-

  "Not necessarily," Sherron interrupted his musings. "Not in his case, at least. Lev here used the skills more than enough to test their limits."

  Lev tilted his head. What did she mean?

  "You already saw the amount of mana he has. It was the same before evolving."

  Oh. She means I practiced way more than other people do because of my high Wisdom as a Classer. That makes sense.

  Stella looked at him. "How many months?"

  "… Three?"

  She went silent for a few seconds, then looked at Sherron, who seemed to understand what was going on in the other's head.

  "Yep. Wisdom Boost as a Classer and a strong barrier class. He's living the dream."

  Stephan addressed him next. "Why did you get it?"

  "Because my soul was strong enough to handle it," Lev carefully explained.

  "Why?"

  "I don't know. It just was."

  Lev was surprised to see that Stephan easily accepted that. It wasn't a lie either, because The System censored everything about the soul. Lev knowing anything would be much more alarming.

  Stephan didn't need to know the related events, though.

  "Was the wave supposed to be this easy?" Lev changed the subject.

  "Your section was the only one who had no troubles at all. With a radiant team and your presence, there were minimal casualties overall," Sherron answered.

  Lev was aghast. "People died today?"

  "Only two silver hunters, and because a group of orc shamans snuck up on them using illusions."

  That does not make it any better, Lev frowned. He had been ignoring his emotions on the matter for a while now. Ever since he had met the threader, it became obvious that death was going to be a constant companion. People would die wherever he went.

  Yet the lack of anger because of that left him befuddled. His greatest motivation to grow stronger was to save lives, but he also seemed to not care that much? It was easier to just ignore the matter entirely.

  Now however, he felt angry again. Lev didn't let the feeling go but instead dove deeper. He wanted to know what caused that reaction and what didn't.

  It became obvious almost immediately. He was bitter that mindless beasts dared kill humans like cattle. That their warped instincts kept reaping lives everywhere with nothing to show for all the loss.

  Then there were the embers of rage. Not because of deaths but fanned by the world itself.

  Humanity was just trying to live, yet the task had been made impossible, and not in some metaphorical way either. The Exalted and most everyone in power knew that survival was literally impossible. Lev had asked The System himself.

  It pissed him off.

  He had been given a second chance in this miraculous world. Lev wanted to see all of it, meet new people, and carve out a piece of life for himself. If the circumstances allowed, he would not be averse to settling down and starting a family either.

  None of that was possible. Lands would be overrun by monsters, loved ones would be slaughtered, and all the wonders were deadlier than the last.

  Simply because that was how everything worked in this world. Nobody had the power to change it, and neither did they have the tools to scout for safer lands.

  The center of the plains was supposedly more secure. Even if humanity migrated to those distant lands, they would still be on the same continent. Not even that, they would be in the same region of the continent.

  Threats like the ravine, the grand forest, and the oceans would continue to exist. With more distance between them, humanity would have the advantage of better preparation, but the monsters would come for them all the same.

  What do I want to do about it?

  Nobody interrupted him as Lev searched his being for answers. With great relief, he noted that he wasn't some selfless saint willing to die for this cause. If he died, all his advantages would cease to exist with him. That would be a great blow to humanity as well.

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  Of course, that belief was far from absolute. Maya's face came to mind. If there was ever a situation where he had to save her in a hopeless scenario, he didn't think it would be possible to turn away. Neither did he want to.

  Scratch that, I would happily give everything for a chance to protect that adorable face.

  That was just how he was, and so were most people deep down.

  Lev took a deep breath and let it out slowly. So, where does this leave me?

  Saving lives was still a must. What would the point of life be if there was not a thriving world around him?

  Yet the motivations had shifted again. He wasn't doing it for the people anymore. Lev just didn't want to give up on lives, as the alternative was monsters killing even more people.

  Fuck that.

  The thought alone made his blood pressure increase a little. These abominations were, at the end of the day, everything that was wrong in this world.

  His desire to explore and become stronger was still the same, except even more unburdened now.

  Grow stronger…

  There were still no answers on that front. Sure, Lev enjoyed the feeling of improving his skills and increasing his strength through levels, but there was a completely different fire lit under his resolve since the start. It remained just as elusive as ever, only urging him to amass power and delve into the pit.

  Lev scowled. All the answers had clarified some things, but they had also given rise to a new issue.

  Now that he knew what exactly he was fighting for… he was still no closer to having a hobby.

  Sherron gripping Lev's shoulder interrupted his thoughts. He gave her a small smile and answered the silent question.

  "Just doing some soul-searching. What do you do in your free time?"

  "Hmm, let's see. Most of the time, I just relax. Bring my Perception to normal and just look at the sky. Why'd you ask?"

  "If I'm not wrong, the last 50 levels will take years to cross. I don't know how to spend the time," Lev answered truthfully. "Crafting definitely interests me, but I can't really start working on that before evolving."

  "Clubbing? Partying?"

  Lev didn't have to think for long. "Neither."

  Stella smirked at him. "We can play cards in the ravine."

  Cards… in the ravine? Is she right in the head?

  "… I'll pass. Thank you for the offer, though."

  Sherron snickered and lightly elbowed Stella before looking at the two men who were content staying silent.

  "Suggestions?"

  Lev gulped. He had a bad feeling about this.

  "You can form a small group of delvers," Stephan said without any hint of levity. "I always found gathering metals, minerals, and materials underground to be a rewarding activity."

  That… is not a bad idea whatsoever. Huh.

  "That does sound fun. Money and exploration in one," Lev respectfully praised, though the task was likely much harder for him.

  He happened to be a trouble magnet. Going deep underground for metals was just asking for complications.

  "Training," came the predictable reply from Hakim. "Or reading."

  "What library would you recommend?"

  "There are many in the Haven and Windkeep. Whichever you can access."

  They all looked at Stella, who was deep in thought. It took twenty seconds for her to reply.

  She shrugged. "I just spend that time with Sherron or Orianna."

  Lev chuckled. He would also love to spend all his time like that. Unfortunately, he was his own person and needed to have his own hobbies.

  "Say…" Lev started, not sure if it was the right time to ask. "Where can I get some cores for myself from the wave monsters?"

  ****

  One mature harpy core and dozens of others. No more second-threshold cores, which is fine. I only really fought one to feel like I earned it.

  The entire process had taken him a grand total of ten seconds. Lev had just walked up to the receptionist to ask for his reward. After proving his identity, he quickly stored the cores and practically ran away.

  Several people had looked like they wanted to talk to him, and Lev had no idea what to say to them. He couldn't just tell them the reasons for his strength, which left the only option of lying. Deflection was an art he sucked at, and lying was not something he wanted to resort to.

  He fled.

  Back at Sherron's empty mansion, he jumped into a warm shower and thought back to the wave.

  This is pretty much the only free wave I will participate in, Lev leaned back into the bathtub and let out a content sigh. There's no way a wave after two months didn't have any calamities. Four Exalted spectating from the wall also proves there was something more going on.

  Lev didn't even consider that they were just relaxing and minimizing casualties. Despite their presence, two hunters died at the hands of second-threshold illusion monsters that struck from underground.

  With that out of the way, there is really only one more thing on my agenda. I want to compete against others once before rushing to Master without stopping. By the time I'm done, my team will be ready too.

  The exact plans for that still remained to be seen. Dungeon delving could only be done so often as high-level dungeons were rare. Rare enough that there were only four platinum dungeons near Windkeep, and half of them were only doable with several teams. For reference, there were more than eighty lower-leveled dungeons.

  Nobody knew how or why dungeons formed. New ones were found sometimes, but that was all.

  From what he had heard, the main issue with diving platinum hunters was the resting period after giving it your all in each dive. Hunter teams took a week or two to decompress after those intense dungeons. He wasn't willing to wait that long, and he also had another idea.

  Lev wanted to attempt them solo. It was the height of stupidity, but if he couldn't, then who could?

  Though he would still ask for permission. If someone like Hakim or Sherron refused to let him go, he wouldn't dare go in anyway. They knew better.

  But first, I want to see the haven.

  The Haven was the largest city, housing nearly 50% of humanity. It was absolutely gigantic, and Lev was more than a little excited to see it.

  Several minutes later, Lev was back in his usual spot at the park. Watching his mana pool slowly regenerate would never not be interesting, and time passed quickly as he sat under a tree.

  Night was in full swing when footsteps reached his ears again. Lev didn't need to open his eyes to know who it was.

  "Do you ever sleep?"

  "Nope," Sherron's voice reached him. "Only sometimes, for fun."

  "Sleep is nice," Lev distractedly commented, absorbed in the peaceful meditation.

  Sherron sat down next to him, nodding her head. "That it is. Why are you out here again?"

  "Why not? There are no insects or mosquitoes for whatever reason, so I might as well enjoy that."

  "Mosquitoes?"

  Lev peered at her with one eye. "Don't tell me there were no mosquitoes in the Empire?"

  She shrugged. "Never heard of them. What are they?"

  "Small flies that sucked the blood out of you. Generally annoying, and sometimes they spread diseases. Some more dangerous variants killed many."

  "Really? How did you guys deal with them, then?"

  "Sprays and lotions that repelled them, or just by killing them. There was no end to their numbers."

  "Must have bloody sucked," Sherron smirked.

  Lev gave her a flat look with his eyes still closed, causing her to burst out laughing. That was not a good pun.

  "Do you think it is fine for me to go the Haven?"

  "Of course? Didn't think you would want to be amongst so many people."

  Lev coughed. "I, uh, wanted to participate in whatever competition was taking place there. Just to see how I compare against strong individuals of a similar level."

  Sherron wasn't amused. "Even if you will win every time without question?"

  "Surely there are people who can match me?"

  "For a minute or two, sure. Then what?"

  "Then I win," Lev shrugged. The point was to see how his skills held up against theirs and if he was really pushing himself as much as them.

  The latter was highly unlikely to be untrue. If anything, the only reason he would lose would be his lack of experience. The combatants would have years or decades of experience on him, and the fights would be much less set in stone than expected.

  Lev explained that to her.

  "Fair, but what about all the questions that will follow?"

  He shrugged. "I was hoping someone could shield me. It would be my last chance to compete in an event."

  "What do you mean last chance?"

  "Because, once I am joined by my team, we're not gonna sit still. If what I've been told, they shouldn't mind the chance to become stronger either, especially under my watch."

  "That still doesn't make it impossible to compete," Sherron raised a brow. "Did you think all Masters were perpetually busy?"

  "… Yes?"

  She let out a short laugh. "You know how burnout works. Can you imagine if someone was forced to fight monsters all day all week? Even Master's don't have the mental fortitude to survive that."

  Monsters also become stronger during that rank, Lev remembered, giving him a lot to think about.

  "I've never questioned this before, but when everyone says monsters become stronger during the second-threshold, what kind of teams are they being compared to?"

  Sherron took a deep breath, and answered as a deep, suffering sigh escaped her lips. "The elite, Lev. The strongest we have. You've already seen how big of a difference a good class makes. We can evolve and bridge the gap when compared to other humans, but monsters benefit even more from the process. If you ever see a troll or orc at the third threshold, just run. There is no winning that fight."

  "So, monsters born at that threshold are weaker?"

  "Much weaker," she nodded. "Relatively."

  Lev exhaled. "Which means it comes down to luck again. Just one unfortunate encounter would be the last."

  Silence met his deduction. Glancing to his side, Sherron looked deep in thought, eyes dull. The two moons reflected in her eyes gleamed like silver, gentle in their glow.

  She turned to him when Lev grabbed her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze and a matching smile.

  They just had to do their best.