Ganthor!

Link flew in the air, heading to the meet up point. He was dressed in military attire brought by a courier. It was a black colored uniform with the emblem he received yesterday hanging on the left side of his chest.

The whole time he flew, Link couldn't stop thinking about what he should do with the team, and if he'll need them in the first place.

Being a peak 2 Star Mage with the Mana of an army, Link didn't think he even needed a team to attack an enemy camp. But the more he thought about it, the more he agreed with himself. No matter if there was another Star Mage or not in the camp, he'll still be more than enough to take care of it… So why? He thought. The King forced it on me for a reason, right?

"Whatever it is, I'll need to play along for now" Link muttered, spacing out for a few seconds before speaking again. "Is this related to the people spying on me?" He asked himself. "That would explain their absence yesterday and today"

For a long time, Link had been noticing the appearance of a few rude stalkers around. But these ones were on a whole different Level from the previous assassins that watched him back when he first came to the Kingdom.

"Well.. either way, I will use this opportunity to learn a few things" Link said. "This new Skill will be very useful as well"

After becoming a part of the Military, Link requested all the Skills that he had access to. With rows of books delivered to his home, Link learned all the Skills, even though he had no use for all of them. His rank did not give him access to Level 6 and above Skills, but he was happy enough with the ones he got.

Sell!

He sold all of them to the Shop and bought a special Skill he had his eyes on for quite a while.

<Lightspeed Cerebrum>

The Cerebrum is the principal and most anterior part of the brain in vertebrates, located in the front area of the skull and consisting of two hemispheres, left and right, separated by a fissure. It is responsible for the integration of complex sensory and neural functions and the initiation and coordination of voluntary activity in the body.

With the new Skill maxed out, Link is now on a whole different Level. Unfortunately it was an Active Skill instead of a passive one and consumed a ton of Mana, but the value of it doesn't change. This was a Level 8 Skill.

Link had a plan. He wished to relinquish participating in the battle and try to use his team with a good strategy to take care of the enemy. Leading a team was something he had never done before, and he wanted to give it a go.

With the new Skill, either be it in combat or a strategic decision, it'll be useful.

"There they are" Link muttered, looking at the group of people waiting outside of the gate while riding on different mounts.

Link managed to see a few Magical Creatures he recognized, but a few were new.

There were Giant White Wolves, a Bull looking Creatures with two heads and a purple panther.

"Interesting" Link chuckled. He slowly came down in front of them, catching their full attention.

"You must be Link!" Helga stepped forward and spoke. "It'll be our honor working under you" She greeted, and so did the rest.. except Ganthor.

"Seriously!" He yelled. "A kid?"

Ganthor's comment made the others take a better look at Link, sizing him up.

Link looked like a 20 year old. Although his true age would have probably shocked them even further.

"Is there a problem?" Link spoke.

"You are too young.. You do not qualify to lead an Alpha team" Ganthor continued. "Are you the son of some noble? Is that why you were given such treatment?"

Link did not answer and kept listening to Ganthor speak.

"We are peak Level 4 Mages and Warriors. We fought in deadly battles and have been protecting this Kingdom for years. Then we're used as training puppets because some noble wishes to train his kid!" Ganthor glared at Link and turned around with his mount. "I will not participate in this, I'm leaving!"

Ganthor ignored his team members' calls and kept moving. He had a mad expression on his face.

"Stop right there!" Link's words echoed in everyone's ears. Their hearts dropped as the light in the world vanished. The sky became dark and eerie where two moons sat, providing what little light they could to the cursed land. "If you leave right now, you will be disobeying orders, which will lead to 2 years of confinement and a dishonorable discharge.. Think very carefully about what you're going to do next!"

Ganthor froze, looking around with a hint of fear in his heart. This was both because of the change and Link's words.

Military Soldiers such as Ganthor were trained and nurtured by the Military. If they are dishonorably discharged, then their Mana Core will be broken, leading to the loss of their power.

Ganthor took a deep breath and spoke. "Threats.. I guess that is all the nobily is good for!" He turned back around and stood next to his teammates, which were still looking around with worry.

"I do not understand and neither do I care about your issue with Nobles.. Or was it how young I looked? Did I hurt your little pride?" Link mocked. He was annoyed and pissed off with Ganthor's words and actions, so he wanted to hurt him as much as he could… But not physically. "Here's the thing.. I was a peasant from Toula village, I worked my ass off and survived countless shit to reach my rank and receive a Noble Title from the King himself, but you being stuck at your Level is not my problem.." Link took a step towards Ganthor. "And you seem to have forgotten something. I am a Master Mage. If any trash could be one then the title wouldn't be so grand. Speak like that to me again and I'll show you the difference between us!" Suffocating pressure fell onto Ganthor. He fell off his mount and clenched his chest, unable to breath. His teammates looked terrified. Ganthor was a peak Level 4 Warrior, but a simple pressure from this young looking man was enough to make him fall.

"Captain, please" Helga spoke. "Ganthor might seem hostile, but he is a good man, and an even better soldier"

Link wasn't planning on killing him in the first place, but the team looked terrified enough to think so.

To them, it seemed like Link did something and they are no longer in their old world. This place looked abandoned and dark, which boosted their fear.

"We'll start moving in an hour!" Link said before vanishing, with the world changing back to normal.

The place Link brought them in was the Spirit World, but not the real one. Being the first thing that came to Link's mind, the illusion took form as so.

Ganthor stayed on the ground for a bit longer even after everything disappeared. He was sad and ashamed.

Back when he was a kid, Ganthor watched his parents get beaten to death because they accidentally bumped into a noble. This of course has not been ignored by the King and the Nobleman was put on trial. He used the argument that dwarves were a demi-human race and why were they taking their side.

The noble lost his title with everything he had. He got a 30 year sentence which ended after great suffering for him. He was used to a certain lifestyle. On the day he left, Ganthor was waiting for him in a dark alleyway. Assassinating him the moment his eyes landed on the man. And although his revenge had been fulfilled, Ganthor still held great hatred towards the nobles even after the Demi-human laws were released.

Although Link's words were hurtful, he knew too well that they were the truth. No Master Mage is unworthy of his title, be it a noble or not.

"Sorry!" Ganthor said. Knowing that Link was still around somewhere.

**********************************************************

Don't stop the comments and votes, it helps. <3

--- twitter.com/Moncef_Zm ---

--- instagram.com/monopia.wn ---

**********************************************************