That has got to be the weakest monster of that level, Lev remarked in his head, scanning the notifications.

  [

  Your Group has slain [Giant Tarantula - Level 605]

  Arcane Maelstrom has reached Level 285

  Gaze of the Marskman has reached 2nd Level 7

  ]

  Aaaaand, there.

  [

  You have earned a new title.

  Wisdom Specialist:

  You have proven your dedication by reaching 1000 points in Wisdom earlier than most.

  +25 Wisdom

  ]

  A rush of power swept him up, invigorating him while noticeably expanding his pool. The already ridiculous capacity was pushed to new heights, and by now, Lev was reasonably certain that his own pool was larger than Stargazer's core and the mana stored passively in its enchantments combined.

  After taking in the extent of the new changes, he returned to the sword he was crafting. It was, by far, his most intricate creation. Comprised of seven layers, the weapon made use of all of his best runes, such as Flameforged Constitution, as well as the best sap he had available for treatment.

  Funnily enough, that small jar of Sap had been gifted to him by Grand Strategist Wayne. It came from one of the three third-threshold treants seen in recorded history, and to date, arcane barriers benefited the most from that miracle fluid.

  He could attest to that. The sword in his hands thrummed with power, and he had taken some liberties to increase its size while maintaining the sense of balance.

  [

  Heatwave - Epic

  Enchantments: Molten Edge, Extraordinary Mana Conductivity, Flame Furnace, Weight Control, Basic Self-Repair, Durable.

  ]

  Lev was not satisfied with the result.

  Sure, the enchantments meshed well enough for the item to be considered Epic rarity, and the barrier shape itself was quite nice, but he could feel that it was probably the weakest Epic item ever to exist.

  Still, it was his first-ever Epic creation. Ignoring the fact that he had an expensive third-threshold core slotted inside, Lev finalized the creation in his head, marking it as complete.

  [

  You have earned a new title.

  Epic Crafter:

  To craft an Epic item is the mark of a remarkable crafter. You, however, have stumbled your way to the milestone with the help of extraordinary resources and a potent class. Nonetheless, the achievement has been noted.

  Flaws in your creations will now be easier to spot. The effectiveness of runes is improved slightly.

  ]

  Oho? That is quite a nice title.

  He accepted it, seeing no reason not to. The increase in the power of his runes was very nice, improving the overall strength of every tool in his arsenal. If he wasn't mistaken, even Stargazer saw a small boost to her enchantments.

  Then he returned to the longsword in his hand. The Arcane Barrier rune situated near the core ensured that all the damaged edges would be repaired instantly, restored to pristine condition. He had kept them free of enchantments for that reason.

  What made the sword truly stand out was the sheer amount of fire it could store. It wouldn't even be wrong to say that Amelia could store her fire mana in it for hours before jumping into battle, and the sword would handle it without trouble.

  Let's worry about those things when she evolves to Master, he reminded himself. Any such weapons will only reduce the quality of her evolutions before that.

  Regardless, the day was a major success. He had increased his personal strength by a small yet significant margin with the two new titles, and also taken his first real step on the path of becoming the greatest crafter to ever exist.

  The cost was already astronomical.

  It was also going to keep rising.

  Lev wisely shut down that line of thought. He was lucky to be able to utilize his element in such a way. The only other element that could allow that was metal, but users of that class couldn't be combatants.

  It wasn't impossible, per se. Only highly improbable because of how costly it was to interact with metals in any way. Fighting mage style with it was out of the equation, and choosing a hybrid class also came with the downside of insane mana costs to even repair equipment.

  Needless to say, hybrid classes couldn't progress without a large amount of resources, and using external aid crippled the evolution potential. It was a losing proposition all around.

  Isabella and Jared stepped into his bubble while he was lost in thought. Giving her a side eye, Lev looked over Heatwave one last time before storing it in his ring. Both people in front of him had already identified it as an Epic item and his creation, exactly as planned. He wanted to discuss how it would go to reveal how he could create such items relatively easily, though only because of the jar of sap. That thing was priceless.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "Yours?" Isabella began, less to confirm and more to start a conversation.

  Lev summoned two chairs for her and Jared, sitting back down on his usual seat. "Yep. Took a few weeks to get to this point, but I can probably mass-produce Rare variants of that sword."

  "How much weaker would those be?" Jared hmm'd, already lost in thought. "I'm assuming since they're a lower rarity, the weapons wouldn't be fit for Masters."

  He and Isabella both paused when no reply came through. Lev was avoiding looking at them, resisting the urge to scratch his cheek.

  "Well… if things go as planned, they would not be weaker at all. The only real downgrade would be the amount of fire they can channel and store, yet that's going to remain decent because of my element's properties."

  "I see," Isabella nodded. "And you want to know how to proceed, correct?"

  He just bobbed his head twice.

  "To begin with, are you contracted with any merchant houses? One of the nobles? Or the guild, perhaps?"

  "None."

  "Totally independent, then," she mused, smoothly continuing. "Do you plan to pledge your services to any particular group? I know for a fact that you can earn a lot of resources if you join the auctions in Haven. Any medium-sized group can allow you entry, which should be plenty if you wish to remain untethered as a hunter."

  "I don't think you even need to look elsewhere," Jared added. "Both The Silver Night and Runic Warlord favor you. Just ask them, and they will probably make anything happen as long as you continue to fight with us."

  Lev waved away that option. "I don't want to live on their kindness and favors. If all of my strength isn't enough to stand on my own feet, then what use is it?"

  Then he coughed. "Sorry for the dramaticism. I'm just not a fan of relying on anyone else to have my items be sold properly without attracting too much attention, which isn't even a bad thing at this point. It's more a matter of how much I can get away with without stepping on toes for no reason and avoiding creating a situation."

  "Situation," Isabella echoed with a grin. "You do have a stellar track record in that regard."

  "Funny," Lev drawled. "The world can't stand how good I am at living, obviously. Not my fault."

  "Totally," she nodded sagely. "Should I call you princess from now on, too?"

  "I'll graciously let you keep that title," Lev announced, nose pointing to the sky. "Besides, it won't be seen favorably to overthrow you like that, let alone so easily. Consider this a grand favor you'll owe me in the future."

  "Yes, Your Highness," she bowed her head in a smooth motion. "This one is forever in your debt."

  Jared coughed, bringing them back to the present. "What of the sword you just made?"

  "What about it?"

  "Is it designed for someone? Do you intend to sell it? The knowledge of a new Epic item crafter will cause a stir, no doubt."

  "Oh, no. That one's intended for my teammate, and it's still unfinished. I have yet to install another particularly troublesome rune. It's going to take some time to be proficient enough for that."

  "Fair enough. Think about the options Isabella presented. Some of them might not be as bad as they seem."

  Lev turned off the bubble's invisibility enchantments and made it fly. "Thanks for the information. I would've needed to ask either Strategist Wayne or wait for someone I know to come along, though they will probably arrive soon."

  They merely acknowledged it, more curious about what he was doing. Mana left him in a steady stream as the bubble accelerated, reaching the downed monster in less than a minute.

  Stargazer flew back into his hands through a quickly formed hole in the bubble. He dismissed the barrier blade and let the filth attached to it fall outside, then stored the glaive pole.

  Large ropes materialized below them, connected to the bottom of the bubble. A burst of mana rushed through their enchantments, making them move like snakes, each possessing a mind of its own.

  They wrapped around the tarantula's limbs and dragged it out of the decimated ground. The cost to move such a massive monster was insane, and when it stubbornly remained stuck in a few places, Lev added thrusters to his bubble.

  Two massive jets of fire clouded his vision, aimed diagonally to drag the corpse up and out of its restraints. His mana depleted quickly enough that blood burst out of his arms and legs, damaged by the immense flow.

  Before the healing mana coursing through his body could be overwhelmed, the spider's body was pulled out, carried along for hundreds of meters with much less effort.

  When it was close enough to the wall for Lev to fire his arrows without worrying about friendly fire, he let the limbs drop and flew back to the fort's roof, letting his bubble return to its passive state.

  "Impressive," Isabella commented, glancing at him for a moment. "I smelled blood, too."

  Jared nodded silently, not missing that particular detail. Lev shrugged. That wasn't anything new for him.

  "I'm used to it," he said, not giving the matter any more thought. "How's the situation?"

  "Less monsters than before," the princess answered. "We've probably dealt with every big threat in this region, leaving only the eastern side. The mountains haven't come to life yet, though they will once we pack our things here."

  "Is my team coming along?" Jared questioned.

  "No, it's just her team and me," Lev answered, shrinking down a little. "No offense, but we plan to fight everything in sight for as long as we can. I doubt your team will find that agreeable."

  "They won't," the gravity mage agreed easily. "Besides, the first wave of recruits will be mobilized in a few days. We need to stay here and ensure all of that goes well."

  "The fort's size will also multiply," Isabella added. "There will at least be twenty new Masters joining the battlefield, though I expect half of them to be the more casual ones. Still, Masters are Masters, and the fighting force will be quite impressive."

  "What is the plan here, to be exact?" Jared asked, straightening now that she was finally willing to reveal more information. He hadn't asked before, for if he and his team needed to be informed, someone would fetch them.

  "It's based on what happens when we explore the mountains," she began, thinking over her words. "Everyone knows how Lev's aura affects things wherever he goes. Do not reveal that to the newcomers. Grand Strategist Wayne is here to ensure that the recruits react according to whatever situation arises when we depart. If too many monsters start showing signs of rousing, a full retreat will be ordered.

  "Similarly, if the amount is high but not high enough for us to be overwhelmed, we will stand our ground. The whole point is to fortify the stronghold with the earned cores and give the first batch of hunters a sense of belonging. Their essence gains will also be maximized that way, hopefully resulting in at least two more teams of Masters from the platinum teams within three months."

  "And what about the threshold? A few hundred more humans will start attracting waves as cities do. How do they plan to deal with that?"

  "We have backup coming," she reassured him. "Mel, Elias, Aryan, and several other well-known hunters are going to be stationed here. Moreover, if things back home don't deteriorate, Lady Sherron will also join you. Even if we're really far from the ocean, her element works extremely well against those monsters. The guild won't take any chances."

  Jared gave her a sheepish glance. "I don't mean any disrespect, but who are those people you mentioned?"

  "Tournament finalists," Lev answered instead. "She lost to Elias, so you can imagine how strong he is. Aryan had a good chance at beating me, though only if he managed that in the first minute. Mel is a very strong Master, probably close to the third gap. You might have met her back at the camp."

  "Ah, the scouts," Jared exclaimed in realization. "I didn't see them again. What happened to them?"

  "They're with The Runic Warlord," Isabella piped up. "Strong monsters keep appearing further ahead, so they're pretty much patrolling the center of the plains."

  "I see. Those guys you mentioned before probably plan to push for Master before anyone else, I'm assuming?"

  "Well," Lev began thoughtfully. "They might just join us if they have evolved. At that point, it would be rather overkill to have them stay in the back. Joining us two in the dangerous region would result in a lot of quick levels for them. Which also reminds me, which harvester team is going to accompany us?"

  "None," Isabella shrugged. "It's not like they're gonna get many opportunities to do their job. More often than not, we will be on the run from hordes, not the other way around."

  While they discussed their plans to hash out the details, another bubble landed just outside the fort, this one way higher in quality than Lev's own.