“Everyone got all the quests they could?” Drake asked, standing in front of the group of teens.

 

“Yep yep! Quetz has 20 quests!” Quetz chirped first.

 

Charlotte smiled next to her, not able to understand but she also answered, “Yeah, I have about 20. Most of them are cow quests though. Has anyone else noticed that the non-F-Rank monsters just have ‘Mana’ in front of their name for the most part?” she asked.

 

“Sure, but I thought it just made sense,” Landin nodded, “I’m guessing they haven’t ‘upgraded’ like we haven’t so they just get it to show they’re being infused with mana?”

 

“I do not understand the need for these trials of the gods. Should we not just hunt as we have? Testing our strength against greater opponents?” Kalik grumbled.

 

“We will do anything that Lord Drake instructs. We give full confidence in his guidance,” Atropos beamed, Clotho shaking his head to the side.

 

Drake smiled at Clotho and nodded to the rest.

 

“Good, then let’s set some ground rules. This will mostly be the same as before. Sah Ul’ and I will not interfere unless absolutely necessary due to something out of the ordinary happening. While you are gaining the necessary titles I will be close by just because of the nature of the title needing to reduce your health to below 5%. You all have potions, do not be afraid to use them. Their price means nothing if you let them sit in your inventory worried about it. Your lives mean far more than any item, weapon, or healing salve we could buy.”

 

Drake paused making sure each of the teens understood before he continued.

 

“Next is weapons. I have spares for most of you,” he said, pulling a spear out for Charlotte, “So if your weapon breaks don’t sweat it for now, but I will only do this for the non-graded items. Everything in F-Grade and after is your responsibility. Now, Clotho and Atropos. Do you both have weapons? We gave you some armor as well but,” Drake said hesitantly.

 

“We both still have our weapons from the tutorial. There is unfortunately a problem though,” Atropos said, her lips thinning.

 

“Well?” Drake asked.

 

“Both of our classes do not use the weapons anymore. My base class was a mage and my brother’s was a warrior. It is not as detrimental for myself due to my class skill allowing me to change any weapon into a scythe, but Clotho needs a very specific type of weapon for his skills and class it would seem…”

 

Drake tapped his finger to his chin for a moment.

 

“It just needs to be twined right? The stronger the material the better?” he asked.

 

Clotho nodded hesitantly, seemingly unsure himself.

 

“Not a problem,” Drake smiled, pulling several non-graded swords, his arms flaring to life in golden light.

 

Drake broke off the handles of the swords, easily bending them with his hands and molding them into long thin-like poles almost looking like wire.

 

They felt heavy and if Drake had to say they didn’t have much give, but he hoped it counted as twined.

 

“Give this a shot.”

 

He tossed it to Clotho, and the boy caught it in both his hands as he lurched forward a step with a grunt.

 

But after catching it, the twined metal bent, almost like it was loose string.

 

At first, the string moved like it was being blown in the wind, snaking and whipping around in every direction. Clotho was obviously having a difficult time controlling the material or skill. Drake just assumed he hadn’t had time to practice.

 

After a few more seconds the twined metta snapped with purpose, going ramrod straight, then curled around Clotho’s fingers as if turning into marionette strings. Then with a slight grin, the boy quickly motioned with his fingers, the string wrapping itself around his knuckles and up his arms resting in place.

 

Drake scoffed and gave a toothy grin, “Now that’s what I’m talking about. So weapons set for everyone then. Perfect, let’s get going. Time to walk in some tall grass!”

 

“We aren’t Pokemon dude,” Landin smiled.

 

“Be quiet Wobbuffet,” Drake snapped.

 

“I’m not even a starter” Couldn’t I at least be like Pikachu or Charmander or something?!”

 

“Pokemon? What one am I then?” Charlotte asked.

 

“Silence Snubble! No more questions!” Drake barked.

 

—--------

 

The exit from the center and town was quick. The group, but primarily Drake, wanted to put the incident with the ghouls behind them.

 

He gave a single look over his shoulders as they exited the town’s gate, his head dipping slightly in the direction of the massive monument of rocks marking the grave of the people.

 

Drake would have a lot of questions when they returned. The vial of blood, the massive conversion that happened, and just how was he supposed to proceed?

 

Would he have to go on the path of killing every last vampire and undead he saw? Eradicating them from the planet? But what if there were people undeserving of that? There could be decent people within the undead ranks, he was sure. Not everyone could be born evil.

 

He shook his head as they continued to transverse the forest in the direction of his family’s location on the map Talyia had given him.

 

“We’re still a day or so out from the place we’re going. And with everyone needing to level up and gain titles ital probably take two days at least,” he shouted over his shoulders to the following teens and Sah Ul’.

 

“What are we doing out here then?” Charlotte asked, scanning the trees and forest floor for monsters as they went.

 

“We have to find-” Drake began but suddenly smashed into something tumbling forward.

 

He skidded to a stop thumping onto something that gave a gruff moo and he tried to get up hearing the snapping of metal and the rustling of hoofs all around him.

 

“Ah… what the fu- It… It’s real…” Drake said in wonder as he looked out into the landscape in front of him with awe.

 

“Patriarch are you alr-” Sah Ul’ tried to say, but then her jaw hung there at the scene as well.

 

Drake panned his head looking at the mass of black and white moving around in huge groups in front of the stopped group.

 

“There’s so many! This is perfect!” he shouted, then looked down to see he was covered in barbed wire, his hoodie torn to shreds, “Come on man, I’m going to run out of these soon…” he sighed.

 

“Wow, that's a lot of cows… The Diablo Devs lied to us!” Landin laughed, “Why do you even wear a hoodie anyway? It isn’t like you get cold or something right? Is it to hide your gear? What even is your armor, I don’t think we’ve ever even really seen it.”

 

Drake covered his body in mock embarrassment, “A maiden’s skin is sacred and I refuse to show it,” he said his face losing the haughty joking attitude quickly as he saw the group's deadpan faces.

 

“Fine. I don’t like showing my armor because I'm basically naked,” Drake sighed, his hoodie going up in smoke, revealing the chest plate that only covered his upper half and the golden soundless chains hanging from the shoulders and chest, “See what I mean? And it isn’t like the hoodie impedes me or anything.”

 

The moment he did, Clotho placed his hands over his sister’s eyes even with them already being closed, and it seemed to do nothing as her milky skin still went scarlet.

 

Charlotte also turned a shade of red as she looked away slightly, while Quetz just tilted her head curiously.

 

Landin gave a long ‘ooohhh’ poking Drake in the stomach, “You always had those? I would be showing them off nonstop.”

 

“Don’t touch me, that’s weird. And yeah, since I had my rank up I’ve gotten just a little bit more attractive,” Drake muttered, turning away.

 

I can hear Natto screaming in my head already. ‘Ha! Ape you are still just as ugly as before! Only slightly less fat!’ Or something. Drake sighed inside his head.

 

Sah Ul’ only continued to look out at the massive herd of cows, their mooing becoming a cacophony in the background.

 

Drake raised a brow, slightly disappointed that she wasn’t giving the same reaction as the teens.

 

Is it because she already saw me in full armor when we fought? That’s kinda disappointing…

 

He also turned, walking next to her as he slipped on another hoodie, getting down to his last sets. Kalik on her other side his axes already drawn and ready to go.

 

“Hold on there tiger,” Drake said.

 

Sah Ul’ suddenly whipped around her ax drawn, “Where?!”

 

Drake blinked, sighing.

 

“No, it's a turn of phrase.”

 

“I have never heard a phrase turning, is it magic?”

 

Drake slapped his forehead, groaning softly, “Never mind, I don’t even know how you can make that confusing. That’s like an accomplishment in it of itself…”

 

“Thank you,” Sah Ul’ nodded in pride, shouldering her weapon.

 

“I’m not- Never mind. Big breaths Drake, big breaths…” he sighed again, “Alright, let’s see what we’re working with.”

 

Drake excused himself from the comedy act that was Sarah right now and began inspecting the cows in earnest.

 

[Mana Cow Level 3]

 

[Mana Cow Level 7]

 

[Alpha Iron Hide Bull Level 13]

 

[Iron Hide Bull Level 10]

 

[Iron Hide Bull Level 7]

 

Drake grimaced, “Their levels are all over the place… That isn’t good.”

 

“Why isn’t that good?” Landin probed, tapping his mace against his thigh.

 

“Well, it means that there's too much of a disparity between the monsters' levels. We need everyone who doesn’t have the near-death titles to get to low health. So what happens if you are fighting a level 3 and a level 7 suddenly jumps in? You die, that’s what,” Drake explained.

 

“Oh… that’s what you mean.”

 

Drake sighed, “I guess we go with plan B.”

 

“Plan B?” the teens asked in unison.

 

“Yup, try not to resent me for it,” Drake said, his voice suddenly devoid of emotion as he threw his hand up, an earthen brown magic circle forming.

 

Drake quickly summoned a simple building of black earth, four walls, no doors, and no roof.

 

“What’s going on… What are you going to do?” Charlotte asked with a hint of concern.

 

“My aura is pretty oppressive,” Drake said, spreading it out over the small area, “While under its full influence, you will begin to lose health and if it should go on long enough, you will die. I obviously won’t do that. But I need you all to stay conscious and tell me when you have reached below 5% health.”

 

He began to release his aura in earnest, the teen’s faces as well Sah Ul’s paling as they fell to their knees as if gravity had suddenly increased several folds.

 

The teens fought against it, several of them looking with determination and two with detestation, Kalik growling against the pressure of the aura.

 

Sah Ul’ wasn’t nearly as affected as Drake wasn’t directing it specifically at her but with the release of his aura and being in such a small area, it was almost inevitable that she would be somewhat affected after all his boosts to it.

 

Drake grit his teeth as he looked at the teens writhing in pain in front of him, but this was the safest way to get them the titles.

 

“Like I said, I hope you don’t resent me for it…” he let slip under his breath.

 

“H-how..” Atropos groaned, sweat beading down the side of her face, her wolf ears dropped down to the point they cupped against her head, “How could we ever resent t-the person who saved us…?” she eeked out.

 

“Or is o-only doing this for our benefit…” Charlotte added, trying to struggle against the pressure, slipping her elbows under her to raise her head.

 

“Q-quetz won’t let h-her flock disappear again…! If this makes Quetz s-stronger she’ll do it!” Quetz said with a wry chirp.

 

“I– swear, if I’m the only one who fails this I’ll never hear the end of it..!” Landin groaned through his teeth.

 

“This is…nothing!” Kalik growled.

 

Drake gave a wry grin, once again the feeling of pride welling up in his chest. Seeing the teens fight back against his aura, even if it wasn’t filled with real killing intent or on full blast was admirable. And just seeing them grow at this rapid pace was something else.

 

“I’m growing little monsters aren’t I?” he smirked.

 

“I-I’m not a Pokemon…” Landin gasped, “But I am almost d-dead…!”

 

Drake reigned in his aura, the teens all gasping for air, as Landin’s hands began to glow with a soft white light as he tapped everyone.

 

“Oh wait, Landin, you don’t have to do this, do you? You already have the third title,” Drake said, scratching his cheek.

 

“I-i hate you…” Landin gasped between crawling from one person to the next, his face deathly pale, and sweating, “Sooooooo much right now….”