Level Up

"Thud"

A heavy sound was heard in the area surrounding the Askalan forest. It heard like something like a heavy object fell on the ground. As for how heavy it was, the whole mountain trembled for a few seconds like an earthquake which made the people near the object fall on their backs.

It was a huge beast. It had the shape of a bear. It should be at least five meters tall and nearly two meters wide. It must be at least four thousand kilograms, maybe even more. A group of people was standing around the now dead beast. They looked very satisfied even though they were exhausted. The lip allotted teeth showed a very obvious smile. Every person was very satisfied deep from their heart. Some of the members of the party were even astonished to the point of thinking they were dreaming and what they see wasn't real. The other members envied each other for their accomplishments and enquired about the injuries. They were still shocked because the beast lying down was a huge level beast. At least at level five or above. A level where no beast or men dare to pick a fight. It has a level way higher than a leader beast. But this one was a single-man beast. They don't live in groups. They have brute strength unlike the beasts living in packs.

Unlike the beasts that live in groups, the single man-beasts will be called with ranks in numbers. It is because their habitat is hard to get intelligence from. When these beasts see a human they will make sure one of them is dead. The fact is the ranks for the beasts living in a group are not given by humans but by the status of the beast in the group. Since these beasts have no groups to rely on so they were just measured with numbers. Most hunters use the terms or ranks for the beasts but others just use numbers instead of memorizing the levels of beasts.

Darius who was standing on top of the beast still had no idea how was the beast defeated. Even others at the party had the same doubt but were very excited because the party was getting leveled up.

Lin Cian tilted his face and a grin appeared on his face from ear to another ear. Almost everyone was excited to the core.

It was a year after William and Lin Cian have joined the party. Lin Cian and the others didn't know that there was a calm and cunning person at the party. It turned out Harry was actually raising questions to June and watching Lin Cian for the answers he want. He watched Lin Cian closely for more than six months. However, once he got his answer he raised an opinion. It was much like a proposal. He proposed Lin Cian arrange battle strategies. At first, everyone was shocked including the leader. But he explained his reasons and everything from meeting Lin Cian to the present. Only by then, did they realize what Harry stated was factual. Lin Cian was amused by Harry's perseverance. He realized that Harry have watched him closely just to see whether Lin Cian would fit the role of strategist. After all, that was his real strength.

After leaving Lassi village, the party went to explore more and the party become famous thanks to Lin Cian. Lin Cian's sharp analyzing skills really came in handy. Lin Cian would perfectly suggest the missions. Usually, Aveda was the one to undergo the pain of choosing the right mission. If she chose the wrong one they are bound to doom. She can't choose a mission stronger for them or weak for them because if she chooses a mission within the territory of stronger beasts no one needs an explanation as to what will happen to them. On the other hand, a weaker mission can't fill their stomach. So she had to consider his suggestion with extreme care. Lin Cian not only suggested the particular mission but also marked the probability of winning and the probability of gaining. He also told the probability of getting a special treasure.

The special treasure was a special element of a beast that can be gained by killing the beasts which have at least been cultivated for hundred years. It can be an organ of the beast, sometimes it will be the core of the beasts, another option was a piece of bone.

Not long ago Lin Cian and William became very close to the party. They respected the seniors and stood by their side no matter what. Even if Lin Cian had to say something he would go to them and say personally about his opinion. Lin Cian and William started to consider them comrades. Better to say as a family. They started to call others casually by their names and they did the same. Lin Cian was the youngest but no one treated him that way. The opinion every one of the other members of the party had about him was alike. They valued his intelligence and knowledge. Each and everyone was given a specific task or most importantly a specific role.

Aveda, the leader of the party was a powerful person. So she was responsible for the safety of every member of the ghost party. She claimed it herself. She proposed herself to be the vanguard of the party.

Vice-captain Harry Lockwood, was the quickest and responsible for surprising, gathering intelligence, and spying on the enemy. After all, he was a calm and collected person. The nickname he had was the witness for his behavior and personality.

Darius Loaner was the strongest. His brute strength and the appetite he had was a witness for him. Only after a month of joining the party did Lin Cian and William learn that his name was not the 'angry ghost' but the 'hungry ghost'. His appetite was not something an average person could have. Not even a foodie is a match to him. He was formerly a street performer. He would challenge others to eat. If anyone could eat more than him, Darius would pay if not the loser should pay. Of course, he won every match before the people of his hometown kicked him out. When he was begging for food, by some accident he discovered his strength, and people who witnessed him started to fear him except for Wei Li, Harry Lockwood, and Aveda. They took Darius in and they became teammates. The strength Darius had was very strong, so he himself volunteered to be the defense of the party.

Wei Li was the weirdest person at the party. He used to make use of cheap tricks and most importantly very skilled in controlling his power precisely. Even people stronger than him may find it difficult to control their own energy. Wei Li was a mage and his role was also weird. It was to take down the core element of the battle. To explain it further, he was the one who specialized in distracting others. He used to distract the opponent, no matter whether it was a man or a beast. But he was a trump card of the party. He also had to hide his strength. He would deceive enemies with his weakness but surprise them later. He was really an annoying person to his enemies. Even though his personality was weird, his actions were always reasonable. Despite his name, he genuinely cared for the members of his party.

June Lockwood, formerly called June Frey was the last member to join before the additional numbers of Lin Cian and William. She was a talented mage who had twin professions. she can either be a warlock or support. Warlock was her first profession and the other one was her next. When she joined the party she was asked to be a support because of her inexperience as a hunter. As she promised her now-husband that she would listen to him for her safety, she accepted to be a support. Now she was a warlock in the disguise of support. She was definitely a strong person. In the last year, her level increased and she improved by leaps and bounds. Her role was to assist the team and control the battle.

William was one of the newcomers to the party. He was responsible for the surprise and he was the other one to act weak. He was another trump card of the party but the seniors mostly refused to use him because they cared about his safety. After proving to them his capability a number of times they half-heartedly agreed him to be one of the trump cards of the party. William was responsible for protecting the mages and any possible injured members. That doesn't mean William had to sacrifice himself when others were in danger. The chanting period was an important as well as a vulnerable period for a mage so a member of the team will always be with them in order to not let them get distracted. As a junior, he was not very experienced or strong enough to face the powerful battle for a long time. So he will be used at the right time. He ended up protecting Wei Li when he chants.

Lin Cian was the youngest among his comrades. He was glad that he wasn't treated as one but like others at the party. He was responsible for battle strategies and controlling the battle with June. He also had the role of protecting the mages when they chant. He ended up being a bodyguard for June. But that was the right choice for him because that can let June protect him. Everyone knew about Lin Cian's physic so they took some extra care of him indirectly.

After a few years of staying as a C-level party, the ghost party becomes an A-level party within a year.