Rank Up!

The spark from swords clashing was the only thing Ian could see once he opened the Forge's doors. When the smoke and sparks cleared, Ian noticed a young red-haired woman in her early 20s taking cover behind a register. The previously panicked noises seemed to be coming from her.

"Find Bridget at once! Her skill is too valuable to be let loose without reins!"

A knight shouted towards one other well-dressed knight. The well-dressed knight appeared to be fighting off a ferocious dog that was defending the young woman known as Bridget.

By Ian's side was Artemis, who seemed horrified by the sight of this scene. The one place she treasured this village for was now bound to be destroyed unless she intervened. After regaining her calmness, Artemis swiftly charged forward as she unsheathed her blade.

"Follow me, Ian! We cannot allow these vile knights to reach Bridget. I promise to you that this Forge will increase your strength greatly if you assist me in saving it."

Artemis quickly encouraged Ian to join the fight, knowing that this fight would be too dangerous to compete in alone. Ian on the other hand was not as stressed. Recalling his four new skills, Ian felt slightly more confident in his combat ability.

As Ian began to start moving, Artemis was suddenly facing a knight's blade. With no time to back away, she prepared for immense damage to be dealt to her defense. However, when the knight's blade was slicing through the air, it began to bounce away from Artemis, shocking everyone but Ian.

The skill [Force Shield] was activated the moment Ian witnessed a blade coming toward Artemis. He was able to move fairly close to her before having to activate the skill. She was thought of as an ally by the Afterlife's system, so he was able to properly protect her. With that attack, however, she was only able to withstand 2 more attacks. That was enough for her though, so she quickly threw away her surprise and dodged away from the several other strikes coming toward her.

"What could have that possibly been…?"

Artemis continued to be curious as to what sort of being could have protected her from that vigorous attack. Behind her was Ian, who was simply smirking while trying to decide what other skill he should test. Just before he was going to activate [Flame Gale], he realized that he should check the knight's levels. [Flame Gale] could be fatal to the knights, and he wasn't planning on committing such a murder yet.

{Josh Seed --

Experienced Rank, Level 2

Occupation: Royal Knight

Alliance: Royal Empire}

The blue screen laid itself out in front of Ian, teaching him a basic summary of the knight's strength. Everything came to be a surprise to Ian though.

First was the fact that this John Seed seemed to be Experienced rank, the rank after Beginner! Ian recalled the immense struggle he had facing the peak Beginner rank moonsprite, but quickly brushed away his fear after remembering the mass of levels and skills he obtained.

The occupation of the knight, Royal Knight, also concerned Ian. If knights such as these were affiliated with the Royal Empire, he had to become a lot more cautious when facing them. It would be fatal if a large number of these Experienced ranked knights came after him, even with his new skills.

After measuring the two knights' strength, Ian began to proceed with using [Flame Gale], not worried about what the aftermath could entail. A robust ball of fire charged forth to the two knights, creating a radiant light that could be seen from the nearby buildings. The Knights put up a shield to minimize some of the damage that they'd take from [Flame Gale].

{Critical Hit! x2.1}

Only being able to block a fraction of the skill, the knights soon felt the flame coursing through their entire bodies. The foremost impact took away half of their defense, and they began to run around the room, not being able to stay calm with the immense pain. After 30 seconds of Artemis and Bridget simply gazing at the scene, terrified by the power behind the skill cast by the being known as Ian.

"Fuck, I underestimated this skill. I guess I'll have to get my information from that young woman instead…"

Shocking Artemis, Ian seemed to be disappointed by the massacre he caused.

{Royal Knight Josh Seed has been defeated. Rank difference of 2. Tripling Experience.}

{Royal Knight Bill Reverend has been defeated. Rank difference of 2. Tripling Experience.}

{Ian has leveled up to level 10} {Rank Up is available} {Remaining EXP has been stored until RANK UP}

The power Ian desperately desired. More of it could perhaps come from this strange concept. It was time to rank up!