When Ethan was far away enough in order not to be seen by anyone, he knocked down a treant without killing it. After that, he touched the monster with his right hand.

pαndα,noνɐ1,ｃoΜ You obtained 10.000 experience points.

Congratulations! You learned the skill Poison Mist!

Damage: MAG (x 100%) – Res per second.

Cost: 50 mana

Lv 01 – 0/100

Congratulations! The skill Ice Spear has reached the level twenty!

…

The skill Poison Resistance has leveled up.

Congratulations! The skill Ice Spear has reached the level twenty!

"Mmm… I had never looked for magic stones before. Still, the high amount of experience I gained before every time I used this power was probably due to them. In any case, this power doesn't seem stronger… so, I am fine by absorbing magic stones?"

Truth to be told, even if Omni Hero were to become stronger, if Ethan continues to absorb magic stones, he wouldn't stop. Maybe the things he experienced thanks to Zen were influencing his mind a bit. Still, Ethan always knew that he couldn't keep hesitating forever. It was better to fail by action than by inaction.

Still, his mood worsened a little bit since he gained a poison spell. He didn't like those, not because they were cowardly, but because it would make his foes agonize before death. Although some deserved that, Ethan didn't need to hear their chokes and screams while he was nearby. Fortunately, the treants poison was the type that is only useful when the foe inhales it for a long time. Their nervous system will enter into shock and make them suffer quite an intense pain… the good side is that they wouldn't have many chances to scream.

In any case, Ethan kept using his powers on the half-dead treants. He kept increasing his experience as well as leveling up his Poison Resistance and Poison Mist. At the end of that day, since he went all out and didn't hold back, he leveled up two times.

Name: Ethan

Class: Omni Hero/????

Level: 61 (100.000/500.000)Health: 340 + 190

Mana: 161 + 530

Stamina: 110 + 214

STR: 105

MAG: 60

PHY: 10

END: 50 + 17

RES: 05

SPE: 50

DEX: 05

EVA: 05 + 13

ACC: 05 + 5

Coins: 109.000

Status Points: 65

Skill Points: 52

Skill ListPhysical: Dash Lv 31 (+ 02 UP), Bash Lv 40 (+ 02 UP)

Magic: Mana Tracking Lv 22 (+ 2 UP), Poison Mist Lv 11 (+ 10 UP),

Passive: Swordsmanship Lv 32 (+ 02 UP), Vigor Lv 21 (+ 01 UP), Iron Heart Lv 06 (+ 01 UP), Poison Resistance Lv 30 (+ 10 UP),

"I guess this is what I can do when I don't hold back… not bad for a few hours of progress if I do say so myself."

Ethan wasn't the only one satisfied with his progress. The mercenaries were also quite happy, and even though they were supposed to be working, some of them were drinking and making a lot of noise during dinner.

"Father told me that their hunting speed triplicated thanks to your crossbows. Their consumption of mana potion also increased by that same amount," Anna explained.

"Is that a bad thing for you?" Ethan asked.

"No, I already said that I automated the process of creating low-level potions," Anna replied.

Ethan just asked for the sake of asking. He didn't really care if his solution caused problems or solved problems for some people. Still, even if it caused some problems for Ian's family, it would be worth the hassle because that means that the mission would be finished faster. Finally, everyone noticed why Ethan agreed to help the mercenaries so readily.

"So, it was like that, huh," Emily said, impressed. "For a straightforward warrior-type, you certainly have the vision."

"I prefer to think that I can see the obvious," Ethan said.

Although that would mess up a bit with their biological clock, Ethan, Ian, and Emily would stay behind another day since time passed three times faster in that world. Still, even though Ethan received some good news, that good news would force him to be a bit more cautious on the next day.

"From tomorrow onwards, we are going to build some watchtowers along the way," Ian said. "In those towers, we will install some surveillance cameras. The mercenaries can't use magic to build something that complex so fast, so I am going to go with them. Anna will go with you two as usual, and she will do the same. However, she isn't a warrior type, so I am going to ask you to look after her for real."

"Just tomorrow?" Ethan asked. "It would be great if you could stay with them for a few days. I am certain that they will love to have you around joking nonstop."

"I am serious, Ethan," Ian said with a serious expression. "Don't let anything happen to my little sister."

"… You knew this was going to happen, and yet you bothered me more than once these days," Ethan sighed. "You are quite insane."

"Well, I am the type who doesn't think that far ahead," Ian shrugged. "I will be counting on you… Emily."

Even after asking such a serious favor, Ian couldn't stay serious for more than a few seconds. In any case, even though that was a bit bothersome, Ethan wouldn't let anything happen to the backline. As a warrior, he learned that he was supposed to be the shield that had to protect those behind him no matter what.

The next day, Ethan properly worked alongside Emily, Anna, and the Clannian people. Maybe it was thanks to the fact that Ian wasn't around. Emily felt comfortable of striking up a serious conversation with Ethan.

"Did something happen yesterday?" Emily asked. "You seemed a bit on edge. Even Ian felt that something was off."

"No, nothing happened," Ethan replied. "I guess you can say I tend to get a bit more serious when a big battle is about to happen. That is something only warriors can understand, no offense. While it is cool to fight from the backlines firing magic, a single mistake on the front line can cause your death. In order to prevent that, when I fight, I give my all, and by giving my all, you can say that I look a bit on edge."

"Well… I saw you fighting that day on the simulator, and that was damn impressive," Emily said. "Still, yesterday felt different… like you weren't only angry or mad. On the simulator, you looked like a beast that only had instincts, but yesterday you looked a bit angry with yourself. I think."