Maximilian continued with his plan and increased the danger rating for the next quest. Soon after he made the choice, he appeared in an open field. Or to be more accurate, a massive battlefield. The iron tang of blood permeated the air to such a degree that he wanted to puke. He dry heaved but before he could turn his head, he saw them. Hundreds of corpses, broken swords and dead animals. For a moment he thought he was in hell, but that wasn’t it. It would be more accurate to say that he was in the past at some European battle. He couldn’t decide if he wanted to breathe through his nose or mouth. Either option meant he had to experience the surrounding horror. When he tried to circulate his cultivation technique, he realized something else. The energy here was horrible. It felt like was trying to squeeze water from a stone. Every “drop” of energy required him to cultivate for several seconds. Was this what a low ranked planet was like? Was this what Earth was like? The thought helped sober him up as he tried to figure what was going on.

  A quick survey told him he wasn’t alone. There was a small group of warriors about thirty feet away. They wore a mix of leather chain mail armors with one of them in more expensive armor than the others. The richer man had a saber on his hip and an emblem on his chest. An emblem of a creature that was a three-headed tiger. He was about to introduce himself when the quest prompt appeared. Some of his hesitation melted away when he saw what he had to do. He was playing an RPG.

  Crown Prince Gong of the Sui Dynasty has become separated from the imperial army and is in danger of being assassinated. Ensure he reaches the main army safely.

  He read the message twice before he dismissed it. He wasn’t sure if the “Sui Dynasty” was real or if this was a simulation created by the Network, so he played it safe. He wouldn’t mention anything about Earth or the tutorial. He assumed the Network would’ve taken care of his reason for being here, but he composed a few basic lies in his mind. He would be a general mercenary paid to make sure the prince made it back to the royal family. He wasn’t sure how gender and royalty worked, so he wouldn’t risk using Queen or King. It turned out he hadn’t needed to bother with the effort.

  “This one greets the Practitioner.” One of the poorer men called out as soon as Maximilian got within five feet of the group. The man looked to be in his forties, though he couldn’t be sure. His armor was almost all leather, and he had a spear stabbed into the ground next to him. The man had dark brown skin and a nasty scar that went across the right side of his face. He then gave a bow that made Maximilian feel like he was in some king’s court. Once he got over his initial shock, he noticed several things. First, the richer man, who he assumed was the prince, didn’t speak. Nor did he bow or really do anything that acknowledged his presence. Which meant the Crown prince was above Maximilian socially, though he didn’t think that was the case. Or they were in a weird grey area.

  “Thank you. You may call me Maximilian. I am going to see your group back to the main army.” Maximilian let his gaze pass over the group and noted when three of the remaining four didn’t look at him. It took him a moment to realize they were afraid of him. At first he thought he had let his aura slip, but that wasn’t it. He shouldn’t be emitting anything at all. Were they afraid because he was a practitioner? Or had the prince done something? The crown prince didn’t look afraid, so that was something. “Crown Prince Gong. Are you and your protectors ready? It is best for us to get moving as soon as possible.”

  “Yes, Practitioner Maximilian. We went over the dead while you were preparing, and I believe we have done all we can for the fallen.” Maximilian nodded. His opinion of the man increased when he saw the bitter look on his face. It was possible that he was pretending, but Maximilian doubted it. The crown prince cared for his people. “We can set right away.”

  “Alright, if we encounter any danger, the four of you are tasked with the defense of the Crown Prince. I will deal with the threat.” Maximilian leveled a sharp stare at the man closest to the prince. His armor was more ornate than the others, second only to royal, and he had a pair of swords on his back. It didn’t take a genius to tell that he didn’t agree. “No arguing. The goal is the prince’s safety, not combat. I doubt there is anything here I can’t handle, but in case there is, you all will see to it the prince survives.”

  Maximilian didn’t like the idea of prioritizing one person over the others, but that was the quest, and he wouldn’t argue with that. Further he might get a better grade if he got all five back. Which meant he needed them out of the fighting. There was also the lack of energy to worry about. He would need each kill to keep himself going. They went over a few more things like what to do should they get separated and the direction the main army was marching, before they departed. He couldn’t tell if the Network had made the group more open to sharing information in a game like meta control over the narrative or if it was how much the group trusted him, but they had no issues sharing. The main army was fifty-thousand warriors, though they were all mortals. The number was the most on this continent by an order of magnitude.

  It wasn’t until they set out that Maximilian realized just how much he had changed. The men were soldiers and in great shape, but they might as well have never worked out for all the good it did them. Maximilian had to slow down to a fast walk to avoid leaving the group behind, and even then they had to push themselves to keep up. Despite the difficulty, the group didn’t complain, which raised Maximilian’s opinion of the group. Even if the prince kept on running with his men. They had run for about an hour before Maximilian called for a break. The group had started to fade, which meant it would be bad if they got into a fight. They had left the battlefield behind, which he hoped would grant them some safety. “Alright, we are going to rest here in the shade for an hour. Stay put and together.” Thick trees surrounded the area he picked, so he figured they would be safe. He also hoped that anyone who could follow would be forced to either come closer and attack or stay back. If they attacked, then he would get to test his abilities.

  “If you don’t mind my asking.” The scarred warrior began. “Is it true what they say?”

  Maximilian raised an eyebrow in silent question to the man. “What do they say?”

  “Ah well,asked, I once heard that practitioners can split mountains and overturn the heavens.” He asked, his nervousness being replaced with eager excitement.

  Maximilian wasn’t sure how he should answer that question. He doubted he knew much more than the man did, but he didn’t want to disappoint the group. After a moment, he lied a little. It shouldn’t make much of a difference, and it might earn him a few bonus points. “I can’t do that, though I have heard stories. Warriors of lightning and thunder could command the skies. Swordsmen capable of splitting a mountain in two with one swing of their sword. Perhaps the elders can do even more. I have never seen what they were like in an actual battle.”

  “So, there has been peace amongst practitioners?” Prince Gong asked. “My grandfather told me a story about the last time great practitioners went to war. Enough blood flooded the ground to turn the earth red”.

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  Maximilian nodded. “As far as I know. Of course, some problems arose among the younger people, but nothing would make the powerful act.” He was a bit surprised by how many of Earth’s conflicts could be described the same way. Powerful countries avoided war while the weaker ones bled. They called that peace as well, but was it?

  “I don’t see a weapon.” The dual-sword user began. His voice was heavy and resonant, like stones grinding together. “Are you a warrior?”

  Maximilian considered showing him one of his skills but decided against it. He didn’t want to waste the energy to show off. He still didn’t know what the threat would be. He also had to consider that he was one of the four warriors. The less they knew about him, the better. “I am, but I don’t need a weapon. You could say I am the weapon.” The warrior glanced at the prince for a moment before he nodded. A sign that showed Maximilian that it wasn’t just the warrior who was curious. From there, the conversation slowed down. The soldiers focused on rest while Maximilian kept watch. Just as they were about to leave, a pack of wolves charged them. The pack had five members, and each one was closer to the size of a horse than a proper wolf. Something that piqued Maximilian’s interest. None of the beasts caused his instincts to pick up, so he wasn’t too worried. The others grabbed their weapons, but Maximilian stepped up to deal with it.

  The wolves charged as Maximilian activated Static Bolt. Electricity shot from him and into the beasts like arrows from a bow. The wolves were faster than he had given them credit but it mattered little. The battle was brief. After the largest of the wolves was paralyzed, the others were soon to follow. Maximilian had to kill some of them because he couldn’t keep the group locked down. Fortunately, they abandoned their hunt once half of their number were dead. He let them escape more out of a desire to limit bloodshed than anything else.

  “You are going to let them leave?” Prince Gong asked as he and his guards stepped up.

  He replied, “I prefer not to kill if it can be avoided.”

  “I wasn’t aware that practitioners had such kindness.” The stress the prince put on kindness made it clear that he wasn’t in favor of the decision. Maximilian felt like he should defend himself but decided not to. He made the decision, and he didn’t regret it. If he could avoid killing things. He would if not then he would deal with it.

  “We should get moving. I doubt those will be the only animals to come after us, and I don’t want to get surrounded by too many.” From there, the group settled into silence as they moved through the grasslands and forest. Despite how fast they were moving, he felt like it wasn’t enough. He hated these kinds of quest in video games for this reason. The situation was made worse because of how lifelike they were. He couldn’t help but think that the Network had sent him somewhere else. That these were real people. A part of him understood what the Network wanted, and it irritated him. The bodies, the violence it was training him by exposure. It wanted to get him okay with seeing dead people. The description of the quest made it clear he would have to fight a person. Kill a person. He also knew there wasn’t much he could do about it. When they were attacked for the second time, his frustrations had reached a boiling point. This time the creature was an ape. It was around seven feet tall, with emerald green fur and fists the size of dinner plates.

  “It’s a corrogo. Perhaps we should turn back.” Prince Gong said. The slight tremor in his voice made Maximilian pay the creature even more attention. He considered it for a moment before shaking his head. Even if he wanted to escape, he doubted the others would be fast enough. In their armors carrying them would be difficult. He might manage the prince and one other, but that would be pushing it. Before he could make a choice, the ape turned toward the group and roared. The ape unleashed its aura and, like a tornado of violence. It felt like he stood in front of the apex of the animal kingdom, a creature that had climbed over a mountain of bodies to stand in front of him. The hair on the back of his neck stood up as he abandoned the idea of running. Maximilian was pleased to see that the prince and his men hadn’t been hurt by the aura, nor had they run. He wasn’t sure if that was because the Network protected them or if it was because of their work.

  “Stay here and protect the prince.” The words came out with more authority and power than he had intended. He took a step and then another. The next second, the ape dropped down as if preparing to charge. The distance between them wasn’t enough for him to move freely. Not without endangering the others. Maximilian activated the Prismatic Barrier. The rainbow shield had gained a new color since his proficiency increase, and green joined the baby rainbow. He didn’t stop the flow even after the barrier appeared. He had no idea how strong the creature was, but his gut told him it was stronger than him. Stronger than any attack he had received until now. The next moment, the ape moved. The distance between them disappeared in a blink. The corrogo slammed a fist into the empowered barrier so hard it sounded like a shotgun. Even with the additional energy the barrier wavered. Cracks spread across its surface. Maximilian pushed more energy into the barrier to repair but it was like stopping a river with his bare hands.

  The ape followed its first attack with another and another. By the fifth strike, Maximilian abandoned the shield. He pushed spiritual energy into his feet and leaped backwards. Before he landed, he formed and fired Static Bolt into the beast’s chest. The ape howled and stumbled back a step. Maximilian triggered the shield on his robes and dodged another strike. He was about to launch an empowered fist into the beast when his instincts screamed at him to stop. The feeling was so strong that it stunned him. The corrogo took full advantage. Its fist shattered the barrier in an instant. Maximilian was just fast enough to avoid it. He backpedaled desperately to put space between them before he abandoned defense. He sacrificed his right arm to the ape to buy himself enough time to activate Severing Disc.

  The damage distribution of his robes made little difference as his arm broke under the attack. He launched his attack as he was launched backwards with the force of a cannon. He bit back a scream as he slammed into a tree with near back breaking force. His vision swam as he struggled to catch his breath. When his wits returned, he stood up and found the ape struggling. The ape’s right hand had split down the middle and up into its forearm. The sight of the ape’s emerald blood draining onto the ground helped reduce the pain he was in by a bit. He stood up and activated Severing Disc again. This time he chose not to launch the spinning blade. Instead, he activated Static Bolt. The confidence boost of having both his offensive skills floating next to him helped to solidify his resolve against the pain. When the ape saw him, it roared, and the battle began again. His offensive skills forced the creature back, but they weren’t enough to finish it.

  The pair went back and forth until Maximilian had lost a fourth of his energy. He gritted his teeth and decided to gamble. He rushed the ape. The beast must’ve assumed that its enemy had gone mad as it charged. Maximilian dodged the ape’s first blow as he activated Severing Disc. The skill cut into the beast’s chest a second before Static Bolt shot into its face. Not to be outdone, the beast landed a punch into Maximilian’s side. He felt his ribs break under the impact, but he refused to give in. Severing Disc sliced into the ape’s chest and exposed its rib cage just enough for Maximilian to slam his fists inside. He unleashed blow after blow until the beast stopped moving. When the kill energy flooded into him, he grinned and leaped back from the body. He pulled out his bottle of healing pills, swallowed two and sat down. He grimaced as the healing energy spread through his body. It wasn’t as gentle as what the Network did, nor could it be considered pleasant to feel his bones and muscles reconnect. The process felt like an eternity, though it was closer to ten minutes. When he was confident he could fight again, he stood up and searched for the prince and his men. There was no way someone wouldn’t have noticed the battle. Whether it was a beast or an assassin wouldn’t matter if they stayed.

  “Are you going to collect the corpse?” The prince asked.