The carriage was way more rundown than Ethan expected. The wood was rough, the seats had no padding, and the wheels creaked with every turn on the road. Still... it made sense. The sanctuary they were in was secret, and a luxurious carriage would attract way too much attention. Discretion was the priority.
Ethan had expected Aeris to drive the carriage herself or that someone would be waiting to take them... but to his surprise, the driver was basically a mannequin in disguise. A golem. He had read about this kind of construct in the novel but didn't expect to see one this soon.
It seemed the cult had really taken precautions to ensure as few people as possible knew about their presence here. Though Ethan wasn't sure if that was to protect him... or to make it easier to get rid of him later.
Despite the carriage having space for more passengers, only Ethan and Aeris were riding. Even so, he chose to sit right next to her. Without warning, he casually wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
Aeris froze. Her face immediately started turning red, like all the heat in her body rushed straight to her cheeks. Despite the obvious surprise, she didn't pull away. Her gaze shifted, and her fingers started nervously playing with the edge of her dress. There was shyness in every little gesture, but no rejection.
Ethan smiled, satisfied. At the very least, Aeris didn't seem like she wanted to kill him. But he still couldn't rule out the possibility.
As the wheels creaked along the road, Ethan leaned back and let his thoughts wander. Now that he had a decent grasp of his abilities, it was time to plan his next steps. He knew his existence wasn't part of this world's script, which meant freedom... but also responsibility.
'The cults in the novel fought for power whenever they had the chance... They won't accept a new Herald just popping out of nowhere,' he thought. 'I need to get stronger before the world even notices I'm here.'
He closed his eyes for a moment, mentally cross-referencing his memories of the story. Places where he could train, hidden artifacts, potential allies... everything needed to be calculated. But before any big plans, he needed levels.
A good old-fashioned forest fire should solve that.
He opened his eyes and turned toward Aeris. "There are a lot of monsters in that forest, right?"
She nodded, still visibly flustered. "Yes, my lord. That was one of the reasons the sanctuary was built here. Aside from a few adventurers, most people stay far away from it."
"Perfect."
Aeris glanced at him for a moment, clearly fighting her own curiosity. "If I may ask… what exactly do you plan to do there?"
Ethan smiled sideways. "You'll understand once we get there."
It didn't take long for the carriage to reach the forest. But even before stopping, they could already hear the growls and howls of monsters echoing from within.
As soon as they stepped out of the carriage, Ethan raised his hand and pulled out two scrolls from the Dimensional Ring. Aeris tilted her head, curious.
"Hmm... Greater Fireball... and... Hurricane," Ethan muttered, reading the labels on the scrolls. "Theoretically, this should be enough."
Aeris blinked, confused. "My lord... What exactly do you mean to…"
Before she could finish, Ethan tore both scrolls at the same time.
A burst of mana exploded outward, almost knocking Aeris off her feet.
The sky seemed to split open as a massive hurricane began forming in the center of the forest. And in the very next instant, the hurricane ignited, spinning violently while engulfed in flames.
Trees were ripped from the ground and hurled into the air like twigs, while others simply caught fire and crumbled into ash.
The sound was deafening. The heat, suffocating.
Ethan crossed his arms, watching the scene, then started laughing.
It began as a low chuckle. Then louder. Then louder still. Until it morphed into full-on, borderline psychotic laughter.
"Hahaha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Now THIS is efficient grinding!" His eyes gleamed as if he were admiring a masterpiece.
Aeris, in shock, covered her mouth with both hands, staring at the flaming hurricane as it devoured everything in sight. "M-My lord...! W-What about the adventurers who might be in the forest?!"
Ethan simply shrugged, still smiling. "Aeris... any adventurer who sees a flaming hurricane that big and doesn't immediately start running... honestly, isn't very smart."
He pointed casually toward a tree, spinning through the air completely engulfed in flames like a meteor. "And if they can't escape that... let's be real, they probably wouldn't survive the life of an adventurer anyway. Better this than getting eaten by a monster."
Aeris fell completely silent, staring at him... then at the catastrophic inferno... then back at him again. Completely torn between admiration, fear... and total devotion.
The sounds of dying monsters, distant screams, and trees exploding filled the valley.
Ethan simply crossed his arms again, watching with complete satisfaction as the sea of fire continued to consume everything.
A constant stream of notification sounds began popping up in his vision, one after another, so fast he couldn't even read them all.
[You defeated: Wolf – EXP +240]
[You defeated: Giant Spider – EXP +310]
[You defeated: Devourer Bear – EXP +520]
[You defeated: Dire Wolf – EXP +1,200]
[You defeated: Human – EXP +5,000]
[You defeated: Human – EXP +7,800]
And more. And more. And more.
An absurd chain of monster kills, plus two notifications confirming that some adventurers got caught in the firestorm.
Soon, a larger golden message popped up:
[Congratulations! You have reached Level 60!]
Ethan's wide grin faded for a moment. "That's it...?" he muttered, almost disappointed. "I burned down an entire forest. I thought it'd be way more."
Beside him, Aeris stood frozen, staring at him like she was witnessing something downright impossible. "M-My lord... y-you... you're Level 60...!" Her hand flew to her mouth, her ears trembling. "T-This is... This is absurd...! This should take years! Even clearing the entire forest... this shouldn't be possible!"
Ethan turned his gaze to his status screen. 'Could it be…' His eyes shifted toward that one passive skill, still hidden, ????.
'Or maybe... it's my soul? Aurelia said it was different from normal souls. Maybe it also absorbs way more EXP than it should.'
Before he could think about it any further, the sound of heavy footsteps came rushing toward them. Smoke and ash parted, revealing three staggering figures, all covered in burns, soot, and torn clothing. Some had scorched skin, others bleeding from deep cuts mixed with dirt and ash.
"YOU!!!" one of them roared, a muscular man wielding a cracked sword, his eyes burning with hatred. "Was it YOU who did THIS?!"
"That was a goddamn area spell, you PSYCHOPATH!!" screamed another, a female archer, half of her hair completely burned off, her cloak still smoldering as she frantically beat at the flames.
"Are you INSANE?! Do you have any idea how many people got caught in your spell, you bastard?!" spat the third, a half-bald mage, coughing up soot between every word.
Ethan raised an eyebrow at them, then smiled, that cold, sharp smile that always made Aeris shiver somewhere between worship and fear.
"Me? Do you have any proof it was me who did this?" He crossed his arms casually. "Or... are you just looking for someone to blame because I didn't get caught in it?"
Aeris quietly drew a staff from her own dimensional ring. "My lord... shall I...?"
"Don't worry, Aeris." Ethan raised his hand, stopping her. "Let's see... what is it that you want? Money? Compensation? Or... perhaps... a formal apology for being in the wrong place... at the wrong time?"
The three adventurers went pale, not from fear, but from sheer disbelief and outrage.
"DO YOU THINK THIS IS A JOKE?!" the swordsman snarled.
Ethan's grin only widened. Nexus began to hum in his hand, as if sensing its master's intent.
"Me? No... I simply find it fascinating." His eyes gleamed gold. "You've got a lot of nerve yelling at someone who supposedly cast that kind of magic."
The smoke around them thickened. The creatures of the forest may have been dead, but the flames still burned, slowly, persistently.
"YOU BASTARD!!" the swordsman roared, swinging his cracked blade. "I'LL RIP THAT ARROGANT FACE OFF!!"
The archer didn't wait either, she quickly began drawing her arrows without hesitation. The third, the half-bald mage, rushed to chant a lightning spell, his hoarse voice shaking with rage.
Ethan just raised an eyebrow. "Well... I guess this counts as self-defense now."
The swordsman was the first. His blade sliced through the air, aiming straight for Ethan's neck, only to stop dead as a black blade burst from Nexus, impaling him through the chest. His eyes widened. His sword slipped from his fingers. Blood foamed from his mouth as he dropped to his knees.
The archer fired three arrows, all aimed at vital points. Ethan grabbed them with Nexus and flicked them right back at her. The first pierced her left eye. The second her chest. The third her thigh. She staggered, tried to scream, but only managed to cough up a fountain of blood.
"Two," Ethan muttered, voice indifferent.
The mage, now fully panicking, unleashed his lightning spell, a bolt of crackling blue energy. Nexus instantly formed a barrier, absorbing it entirely. The last thing the mage saw was a curved, black blade falling from above, reflecting the golden glow of Ethan's eyes, before being split in two, from head to groin.
The ground was soaked in blood.
[You defeated: Human – EXP +7,500]
[You defeated: Human – EXP +7,200]
[You defeated: Half-Elf – EXP +5,100]
Ethan glanced at the notification window, visibly disappointed. "Seriously? Not even enough for Level 61."
Aeris, who had remained still under Ethan's command until now, took a deep breath. Even though she had faith in him, even though she believed in his power as a herald, a part of her couldn't help but feel shaken. Seeing how natural all of this seemed to Ethan... killing... for him, it looked so effortless. So simple.
And somehow, as illogical as it was... that only made her admiration grow even stronger.
But before she could say anything, a deep rumble echoed. A heavy, thunderous sound coming from the center of the forest.
The ground trembled. The ashes began to scatter, as if something was pushing the smoke away with sheer magical pressure.
The center of the forest seemed to rise, as if something enormous was crawling out from beneath the earth itself.
Ethan raised his gaze, those sharp golden eyes glinting as he watched. A look of pure interest crossed his face.
"Hooo... in the end, maybe I'll be able to level up a bit more."