Alex and Sherry moved swiftly, following the navigation on his phone's map. A beacon pulsed on the screen, blinking—a high-density monster zone.
Exactly what they needed.
"According to this," Alex muttered, narrowing his eyes and adjusting their heading slightly, "we're about halfway there."
They had been moving nonstop for nearly a full day, bypassing small monster groups and ignoring any encounters below B-rank. C-rank and D-rank monsters simply weren't worth their time anymore.
Their new motto was simple: quality over quantity.
If the map was accurate—and if their luck held—the place they headed would be packed with the kind of monsters they needed.
The past few days had made something painfully clear for Alex: his magical strength was beginning to lag behind his physical strength. It wasn't due to a lack of power—but a lack of use.
His swordsmanship had advanced rapidly—sharp, efficient, deadly. The Obsidian Venomshard, with its viciously poisoned edge, made each cut count. And with Alicia's custom-tailored A-rank Wilderness Combat Armor covering him like a second skin, he could charge into melee skirmishes with little fear of serious injury. In close quarters, he was nearly untouchable.
But magic was his true core.
And he'd been neglecting it.
Part of it had been hesitation—concern over being seen using magic and drawing unwanted attention.
But after the Silverback Monkey's ambush... that changed everything.
That moment had reignited something inside him—a reminder of what he was capable of.
Whenever they weren't navigating or riding the ATV, Alex spent every free moment training, casting magic.
And the results were showing: nearly all of his spells had undergone breakthroughs in mastery.
Among his Tier-1 spells,
In his Tier-2 arsenal, both
Then there was
A Tier-4 spell with dark and space attributes. Aurora had given it to him in place of the Tier-5 spell she'd promised—claiming it would be "more useful in your current state."
It drained mana quickly, but its destructive power was undeniable. He was close—so close—to raising its mastery again.
But there was one skill that remained frustratingly elusive: a D-rank passive skill, Resonance, which he still hadn't been able to use, as he had yet to execute it with a weapon. It was more suited for magical attacks. It was just that it demanded faster casting speed.
==============================
Skill: Resonance (Passive)
Rank: D
Description:
- Triggers when the user lands multiple strikes on the same target within a brief instant, causing the attacks to resonate and deal additional damage.
- Successive hits amplify the resonance effect, building up burst damage with each consecutive strike.
- At higher resonance, the accumulated force releases a shockwave, dealing minor area-of-effect damage around the target.
==============================
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆
They'd been riding the ATV non-stop for a day and a half, the soft growl of the engine merging with the constant whisper of the wind. The terrain had shifted—now a spread of moss-laced rock and scattered earth, patches of green clinging stubbornly to an otherwise barren stretch of wilderness.
Alex sat at the front, eyes fixed on the trail ahead, fingers relaxed on the throttle. Behind him, Sherry leaned gently against his back, half-dozing. Her arms were loosely wrapped around his waist, and every now and then, her head would droop against his shoulder before she jerked awake again with a quiet, sheepish murmur.
Aside from the occasional monsters wandering across their path—either ignored or killed with a casual flick of magic—there wasn't much to hold their attention.
The silence stretched, filled only by the engine's hum and the rustle of wind through dry grass.
Then Aurora's voice broke through.
"Alright," she drawled, floating lazily above the ATV with one leg crossed over the other like she was lounging on air. "You're going to rot if you keep riding like this. Let's teach you something useful before you turn into part of the scenery."
Alex glanced up at her, eyebrow raised. "Another spell?"
Aurora smirked. "
The name alone snapped his attention into focus.
"It's a Tier-4 movement spell." she continued, tone casual but with an edge of pride. "Since you're always charging around with swords like some blood-crazed knight, I figured it's about time you learned how to really move."
Alex raised a skeptical brow. "I already have movement techniques."
"Techniques, sure." she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "But not a proper movement spell. This isn't some footwork trick or combat dash. This is spatial manipulation—you fold the space between two points and step through the gap."
He blinked. "…So, like teleportation?"
"No," Aurora corrected, wagging a finger. "That's way more advanced. This is closer to a blink—short-distance displacement. It is quick, efficient, and incredibly versatile. Escape, chase, dodge, reposition—you name it. It does have a high mana cost, but endless utility. And once you master it, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it."
Alex nodded slowly, already interested. "Sounds like a good time to learn. We've still got hours on the road anyway."
Then there was Insta-Move, a system-given skill. A short-burst, unidirectional speed boost that drained stamina for speed. It was highly useful, but inflexible.
And of course, Alicia's personal movement technique—Formless Steps. A beautifully fluid style designed for close-quarters melee. Deadly when paired with a weapon, but again… tied to combat rhythm. Not traversal.
A high-speed movement spell built purely for refined traversal—exactly the kind of precision-based mobility he lacked.
Alex's lips curled slightly as he leaned into the throttle, the ATV kicking up a trail of moss and dust behind them.
"Alright," he said, glancing briefly at Aurora. "Teach me."
Aurora grinned like a fox. "With pleasure."
With a snap of her fingers, the magic circle shimmered into existence before him. Its outer ring pitch-black in color, while within, intricate bluish-violet runes bloomed—precise, geometric, delicate like a constellation cast in arcane glass.
Even as the ATV rumbled across uneven ground, Alex was already studying the formation, eyes fixed with razor focus.
He began learning the spell on the move—memorizing the magic circle with uncanny speed.
==============================
[The host has learned a new magic spell]
Tier: 4
Attribute: Dark/Space
Mana Cost: 1000
Mastery: F
==============================
Forty-three minutes later, he had it.
Aurora's mouth twitched.
'He just learned a Tier-4 spell… in forty-three minutes.'
She sighed, rubbing her temple like she had a headache. "You do know that even geniuses usually take a week to learn something like that, right?"
Alex turned to look at her, still marveling at the spell's structure. "It's a very mana-hungry spell." he admitted. "More than anything I've used before."
"It's a spatial displacement spell. Of course it is." Aurora groaned, crossing her arms, clearly teetering between being impressed and annoyed. "You're just… absurd."
"You're the one who taught it."
Aurora huffed, folding her arms with theatrical exasperation. "I was bored!"
Their banter was cut short as Sherry stirred behind him. She sat up straighter, tension creeping into her shoulders.
Something had changed. Alex felt it too. The rhythm of the ATV over the ground had shifted. Subtle, but unmistakable.
The moss and stone beneath their wheels had given way to packed, hard earth—flattened smooth, like it had been trampled over again and again.
Alex eased off the throttle, slowing the vehicle to a crawl. His senses flared—like static crawling across his skin.
The underbrush was crushed flat. Branches broken. Trees scarred.
Deep gouges raked into trunks in long, jagged lines. Parallel claw marks.
And the scent—blood, sweat, and old fur—lingered like rot in the air.
Then he saw the tracks.
Massive, hoofed prints. Too large and uniform. Dozens. No—hundreds.
Thousands.
This wasn't a trail.
It was a corridor.
"A migration route…" Alex murmured. Then his eyes narrowed. "No. A monster highway."
Aurora floated upward, scanning the terrain. Her voice came down after a pause. "It stretches far—easily wide enough for a caravan." She pointed. "There are some fresh marks ahead."
Sherry leaned forward, alert now, her earlier grogginess gone. "If monsters move through here in numbers like that… then wherever this path leads, it has to be significant."
Alex's gaze sharpened, "Then let's find out."
He revved the engine slightly, steering the ATV forward. Slower now. Cautious. But beneath that calm exterior, a flicker of excitement sparked within his eyes.
This was what he'd been waiting for.