(A/N:Not yet done with this chapter. I have to go for a checkup at the hospital.)
As Leon mowed through the monsters in a different side of the monster wave, he noticed that most of them were C rank monsters. The B rank monsters among them were not as many as the lower ranked ones.
‘I’ve always wanted some troll underlings. Too bad I didn’t get them in the Tower of Trials.’ He thought to himself as he chopped off the head of a B rank troll that tried swinging its tree-club down on his head. He quickly sidestepped its body as it thumped to the ground.
A troll’s healing and regenerative factor was excellent, however, it was not enough to save it if it was beheaded. A B rank troll quickly took up its fallen brethren’s place as it tried to smash Leon aside, but it was easily stopped as the gravity of its tree-club was reversed, lifting it up into the sky, and leaving the troll exposed for a devastating stab attack from Leon. A black flame engulfed the troll’s heart, burning all signs of life from it, and leaving it as a lifeless corpse.
After that, Leon turned around to examine the battlefield. His people were quickly dealing with the remaining trolls, while some had already run off into the forest.
‘Hmm, there should be a troll lair somewhere around here. But I don’t have the time to find it.’ Leon thought to himself while rubbing his chin. It was a bummer, but he did not mind it too much. He could conquer the lair some other time. Or he might even find something better in the Desolate Lands.
When the last of the trolls were killed, Leon clapped and a wave of mana rolled out of his body, spreading around and seeping into the bodies of all the slain monsters. At once, they burst into black flames, and after a few seconds, black, mana-based summons were standing in place of their corpses. The corpses had been burnt up in the summoning process intentionally, as Leon did not want them to rot and cause problems for Fort Bender.
“That was amazing!” From inside the carriage, Elena’s head popped out of the window, her eyes sparkling brightly. She would have loved to join in on the fight, but it was out of her league. The monsters were C rank at worst, while she was still E rank. If there were D rank monsters, then she would have jumped out to help and gain some levels, but she was out of her league.
“I know, right? They are all strong.” Leon laughed and winked at her, causing her to freeze up and hide back inside the carriage. Leon simply laughed and turned to sweep his new summons back into the Abyss of the Undead.
After that, he returned to his carriage while Eric split up the soldiers in the group. Previously, they had stuck with the caravan, but now, he let a few of them act as scouts to keep an eye ahead. After that, he returned to the carriage before the caravan set off once again. Immediately he sat and closed his eyes, entering a meditative state. He was still a bit irked at how strong Leon was, so he wanted to put in as much time as he could into enhancing his own strength.
Although he was in a meditative state, it was not too deep, so that he could easily pull himself out of the trance like state if there was an emergency.
“Here, use this.” All of a sudden, Leon threw a fist sized fruit at Eric.
“Huh?” Eric’s eyes snapped open and he caught the green fruit in his hands and stared at it with wide eyes. “Y-you are giving me this?!” Eric was shocked. He could feel the thick, rich mana that wafted off the fruit, and he could tell how valuable the fruit was. This was absolutely what he would need to make much needed progress to A rank! It had been a bit over a year since he reached the peak of B rank, and he had thought that this would be the end of the road for him.
‘If I can successfully process and absorb the essence of this treasure, then I might be able to reach A rank!’ Eric was so shocked that he was left staring at the fruit for the next minute before Leon snapped him out of it.
“Yes, as one of my strongest followers, you deserve to get this much as a motivator. The better you prove yourself to me, the more support you will get from me. The same thing applies to the others. I will not make things easy for you, but I will smooth things out for you as much as necessary. However, I will absolutely not waste resources on anyone!” Leon stated firmly, his aura flaring around him and giving him a dark glow.
“I understand. I will not let you down!” Eric banged his fist on his chest and bowed his head. He had not received this sort of treatment, even in the Empire of Light. After all, he was one of its many Peak B rank fighters, and his talents were not particularly outstanding. He had only received reluctant help from the Empire, and that was through his accumulated merits. Now, Leon had just randomly given him a valuable resource. He would not let this opportunity go to waste!
Leon nodded his head as he felt the fervent gratitude overflowing from Eric. Immediately, the brown haired man devoured the green fruit and crossed his legs before returning to his meditative position. This time, his mind had settled much deeper, as he needed to put in more effort and concentration in order to make the most out of the energy provided by the fruit.
Leon turned to see Elena looking at him with curiosity.
,m “What? Do you want one too?” He smirked and brought out another fruit from his spatial ring.
“Humph! I have mine too!” Elena huffed and turned her head away, before bringing out a fruit, but of a weaker variant. She quickly ate it and receded into a meditative state as well, leaving Leon to himself in the carriage.
‘Heh. She’s a bit of a sensitive girl.’ Leon smiled and shook his head.