11 - Level up

"Wait, you dumb muscle mountain. I know this place is hot, but it's time to put those knives to good use." Albert stated.

"Oh right! We should harvest the mana crystals." Lele realized.

The group started the gruesome job. As the process unfolded, Finn retched twice as he struggled with the gore. He had never been comfortable with blood and guts. Finally the 9th gem was extracted.

"Can we go now? I'm not feeling great, after puking twice I'm quite dehydrated."

"Hold on a little longer, brother. I really wanted to check out the landscape here. I wonder how big this pocket space is, but unfortunately, we're not in the best condition. Since we decided to not register as awakeners, we can't use our abilities openly. Rifts provide a great chance to use our skills without the risk of being noticed or reported. I'm going to start by checking the results of the last fight.

[8 beast have been slayed, 0% damage dealt, 800 XP has been awarded. You leveled up to LV 2, you have been awarded 1 status point and 1 skill point. Milestone level reached, you can now equip a common rarity class. XP needed to level up 375/1235]"

"You can equip one common class of your choosing? That's crazy!" Mase exclaimed.

"Yeah, I gotta admit it's pretty crazy, however I'm not going to choose right now, I definitely need some time to think about it."

"I want to try my chessboard skill, help me out if I faint."

"Sure, go ahead."

"Chessboard LV 1"

Blue lines of mana formed a grid with 8 rows and 8 columns, creating a chessboard that covered a total of 256 square meters. Each square on the board was approximately 2 meters per segment.

Mase's complexion looked pale.

"Are you all right?" Lele asked while Finn was using him as a stand.

"Not really, I feel nauseous. After I use my next skill I'm going to pass out for sure, but I still need to confirm if the skill works the way I envisioned it. Chess Move."

The white pawn located in square C2 instantly teleported to square C3 on the mana grid.

The group turned their attention to where Mase was standing, only to see him face down in the sand.

Lele effortlessly lifted him with one arm."Well I wanted to try going all out, but we'll have to save that for another time."

Albert nodded in agreement."Let's go back."

The four of them, with Mase carried by Lele, Finn unsteady on his feet, and Albert, stepped into the rift.

[Later at Albert's house]

Lele and Finn were sprawled on the sofa, while Albert was fidgeting with the mana crystals. Mase was laying in bed still unconscious.

"Man, I'm hungry it's almost 2 PM." Lele complained.

"Yeah we should cook something, but before we do that are you down to stay here for the rest of the week?" Albert asked.

"Hell yeah!"

"Then inform your parents."

This was rather a common occurrence. The small villa where the brothers lived was divided into 2 floors. The first floor was usually where their parents lived, while the entirety of the second floor was left to Finn and Albert. The second floor was basically a complete house with several rooms, a kitchen, a living room, three bedrooms and a bathroom. Since the house had so much free space during the holidays or weekends it basically became the lair for the group of friends. Since there weren't enough beds for the night, they often used inflatable mattresses or the couch to sleep on.

"Hey mom, yes I'm at Albert's house, yeah, I'm going to stay there all week, yes, love you mom." The call ended.

"I'm going to go for a quick stop home to get some clothes."

"Wait, let's eat first. You can go home after."

"You are right."

Finn filled a pot with water and placed it on the fire to boil, in preparation for making pasta.

"By the way, Mase is still out cold."

"I guess mana strain is more dangerous than I thought." Albert said

"What do you guys want? Spaghetti or Penne?"

"Spaghetti!" Lele replied with enthusiasm.

Albert was reflecting on which class to pick. 'Maybe I should pick something ranged. Both Mase and Lele are close range fighters and my gut feeling tells me that Finn's class is better suited to long range fights. If I also choose a class like archer or sorcerer, I will be able to aid them too.'

A more important concern popped in his head.

"I think that we should get some proper weapons."

At the mention of weapons Lele and Finn's eyes started to sparkle.

"The knives were basically useless aside from gutting the already dead monsters. Lele is kind of a special case, but for the rest of us close combat is basically a death sentence."

"I agree." Finn said with glowing eyes.

"You are just excited to get a new toy to play with."

"Yep, No I mean it's a vital measure."

"Sure, sure. Well It's settled after launch we are going to the smithy."

[Somewhere in the city]

"Hmm this is weird."

A licensed awakener stood at the exact coordinates where a rift was supposed to be.

'I guess I received the wrong data, just to be safe I'm going to report this.'

[Tokyo, Japan]

A female with long blue hair made her way through a seemingly never-ending corridor. Finally, she reached the end where she was greeted by an imposing door guarded by four sturdy bodyguards.

"Who is there? State your buisness."

"I'm Yamagata Ren. Tell the mistress that I have important news about the mana crystals."

The guard whispered into his walkie-talkie for a few seconds before opening the door and announcing: "The miss is ready to meet you."

The room was adorned with fine furnishings and luxurious decor. In the center of the room was a large desk, behind which sat a girl.

The young woman appeared to be in her teenage years, but her appearance was striking. Her long, silky hair was pure white and her skin was as fair and radiant as a pearl. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of golden yellow and her gaze was piercing, belying her youthful appearance. She was dressed in an elegant white and gold gown that flowed gracefully around her. The intricate designs and patterns woven into the fabric further accentuated her regal presence. Despite her youthful appearance, she exuded a powerful aura of authority and commanded the utmost respect from those around her. She sat with grace and poise, every movement reflecting her noble status and elevated position.

"Ojou-sama, my apologies for the intrusion." Ren said as she respectfully bowed her head. "I bring news that we have discovered a way to harness the power of the crystal to enhance one's strength."

"If that's true, this is going to shake the world."