Lee lay there for a few moments; he relished the feeling of not having to fight or stress about everything every single second. Juris walked up from behind him and spoke with a relieved tone. “Our part is over. The higher levels will take it from here. We wouldn’t stand a chance against a Giant or Ogre.”

He glanced down at Lee with a proud look. “You did well, Lee. I am glad I was one of the many fighting with you supporting at our backs.”

Lee groaned and pushed himself up to stand. He did not look happy. “I’m afraid my part is far from over.” Lee willed the Void Sphere channeling to an end. The spell instantly vanished with the same suction force extending all across the monsters near, causing them to trip and fall.

Juris nodded. “Your skillset will be useful anywhere. Do not be afraid to call upon me if the need arises.” Juris’ eyes turned sharper. “Now… Let me see if I can have that nice discussion with Maika now.” Lee watched as Juris calmly stormed off in search of his next battle.

Lee stood there exhausted and upset. His mind was whirling and thinking about the unneeded death and destruction caused by monsters. About how Nitis had the strength to end all of this without any casualties. About how Pallesia functioned with monsters on a daily basis. Where do monsters come from? What is their purpose?

His spiraling thoughts ended as he found himself standing in front of Anya’s white clinic tent. The entrance flap wasn’t nearly as white as it used to be. Blood stains, muck, and grime coated the formerly pristine flap. Shrugging, Lee opened the flap and made his way inside.

I must have walked here…

Inside, the tent was much more orderly than he had anticipated. Dark Elves lined the beds, suffering from wounds of every sort. Amputations, gashes, burns, puncture wounds, you name it. Lee swept his tired eyes across the clinic, searching for Anya. Not finding her anywhere, he made his way to the center of the tent, where a large wooden pillar stood.

The pillar was the main support holding up the center of the tent. Lee sat down with his back against the smooth wood and turned on Healer’s Beacon. The silvery aura of life magic sprung forth around himself, encompassing everyone around him.

The aura wasn’t nearly as large as the tent, but it would touch those near. Those around eyed the miraculous silver light as their wounds slowly closed. Some wounds closed simply, leaving the elves wide-eyed and disbelieving. Others were not as lucky. Searing white hot pain erupted from their injuries, causing them to grit their teeth. Slowly the pain faded, leaving them fully healed but gasping for breath.

The elves, in utter disbelief, stared at the man responsible, finding him in a deep sleep.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Neia stood with her father up upon the ramparts overlooking the monster siege, eyes wandering the battlefield. She silently searched for a human within the chaotic monster-infested field but did not find his presence.

This is where he adapts… or falters…

She hoped that he would rise to the challenge. She had heard very little about his world so far, but she knew it was nowhere close to what he was used to. No monsters? What a paradise it must have been. No magic or levels? What kind of life would she have lived there?

She was broken out of her thoughts by her father gasping her shoulder. She turned and looked up into his caring eyes.

“He entered past the defensive line holding the gate not a minute ago. He made his way to the clinic tent.” Nitis said.

A weight she didn't know she was carrying lifted off her shoulders as she took a deep breath. Her father always knew what she was thinking. Ever since she was young, he had always known. She smiled slightly. “That’s good news.” She looked down to the battlefield once more, weighing the pros and cons of a siege. “When will you intervene? We’ve lost around a hundred so far… It’s getting to a point where you should step in.”

Nitis gazed to the far end of the battlefield, eyeing the leading sapient Troll. He then side-eyed her and gave a smile. “How would you feel about stepping in? It’s level 78. It might bump you to level 100.”

She snapped her neck towards her father. Eyes wide in surprise, she searched his face for any signs of a joke. He was serious. She slowly looked out past the small skirmishes and tried to spot the Troll. She couldn’t find it, with it being two miles away.

She brought up her status and started doing mental math on whether or not this would push her over the edge. Level 100 was a dream to most, but she was close—a class evolution milestone within her grasp.

It would be close, but it was doable… If she could actually kill the leader Troll and a few of the other higher-leveled monsters… The Giants would be problematic with how much mana they would cost to take down, but the other Trolls should be fine.

She looked up at her father. “It’s possible, but I don’t know if I could do it alone. We don’t know what the Troll has learned. Its class might be a severe threat.” She felt nervous, waiting for her father's response.

Nitis nodded with a calculating gaze. “That is true. It reached enough sapience to create a monster siege, but it wasn’t smart enough to know that it was a lost cause. It shouldn’t have an Epic class to match yours, and I believe that you could take down most sapients with a rare class. You’re balanced build shores up a lot of weakness, but it leaves you vulnerable to a single stronger threat. This would be a great achievement for your level 100 class evolution.”

It would be a great achievement, but… still, she worried. “I worry about the mana expenditure. I would have to fight my way forward. That alone would be taxing my mana. My skill combinations can deal with a single strong threat, but the cost is too much. I don’t think I could make it to the leader without using too much mana.”

Nitis smiled softly and reached into a small pouch at his side, withdrawing a small glass bottle filled with glowing cyan liquid. “I was saving this for your class evolution, but it might be proper to give it to you early.” He slowly handed over the potion.

Neia gasped as she identified the potion.

She stared, gaping at the potion. “H… ho… How? Where?”

Nitis smiled ruefully. “Someone got lucky in the mines versus a Carapce. Well? Are you going to drink it? It cost me a hefty amount of gold.”

With a smile way too childish for her age, she happily popped open the cork on the end of the bottle and downed the contents. The potion tasted like nothing, but it filled her body with biting cold. She waited for another reaction, anything really, but nothing else happened.

She looked up to her father. “Well, I suppose you’ll be there to bail me out of trouble if I go?”

Nitis nodded with a smirk. “No. I’d just let my daughter die to monsters in front of me, I think.”

He schooled his features and turned serious. “But Neia, you must be careful. I cannot guarantee safety, as you well know.”

She nodded seriously. “I’ll make you proud. Let me prepare.” She turned and quickly strode to the stairway leading to the top of the battlements. Nitis watched her back and mumbled under his breath with a radiant smile. “I’ve always been proud.”

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lee blinked his bleary eyes as he started to wake from a commotion happening around him. Not knowing where he was, his mind went into overdrive. He quickly stood looking for incoming Goblins or Hobgoblins. Instead of monsters, he found himself crowded by Dark Elves all around. They were packed into the radius of his healing aura like sardines.

Confused, Lee looked around. The tent was nearly empty except for the Dark Elves surrounding him. He spotted Anya and another elf from the clinic noisily moving a wooden table over.

“Just lift your side a little more Kera. I’m doing all the work!” Anya hissed in annoyance.

“I’m trying!” Kera shouted.

All the Dark Elves surrounding Lee shuffled uneasily in their rest. Lee looked over and spoke quietly. “Be quiet. What the hell are you two doing?”

Anya, who had just now noticed Lee, dropped her side of the table and smiled. “You’re like a little healing zone. We moved everyone around you while you slept.”

Kera just harshly whispered at Anya. “Fuck this table! Do it yourself!” Then strode out of the open tent flaps.

Lee was still putting two and two together. “You were using me as a healing station while I slept?”

“Yeah. You’re aura was still on and everything. It worked wonders. I still can’t believe what I saw.” Anya stated while smiling warmly.

Lee wasn’t sure if he should be happy or sad. After all, this is exactly the type of thing Neia warned him about. Some people would kidnap him for this exact reason.

He was about to turn off his Healer’s Beacon when he noticed a status prompt.