Alex was satisfied with the two level-ups. The Advanced Battle Instinct Spell allowed him to control and compress mana much better, which was why the Mana Bullet Spell had leveled up so easily. The Elastic Thread Spell had already been close to leveling up because he had been training it alongside Mana Sense to increase the range of his perception, so this level-up was expected and welcome.
Alex walked toward the Wild Orc’s corpse and created a mana sword in his hand. He was still happy that he could finally create a full-length sword out of mana, because the increased reach allowed him to dig out the elemental stone from the monster’s heart without having to get his hands covered in blood.
As he worked, Alex suddenly realized that he did not feel anything about salvaging something from a corpse, even though the Wild Orc’s shape was humanoid. He did not know when that change had happened, because as far as he knew, people were supposed to hesitate when killing, or looting something. When had he become so ruthless? Perhaps it had happened when he nearly died to the first Netherclaw Prowler and killed it in return, or when he got his first taste of power, or maybe when his emotions became much easier to control because of the Battle Instinct Spell.
Alex could not identify the exact moment, but he honestly did not think this change was a bad one.
These monsters wanted to kill him, so he would kill them in return without hesitation. If their corpses could help him grow stronger, then he would use them as well, because surviving in this world meant taking every advantage he could get.
Alex still had not obtained his Class, but he was sure it would eventually allow him to craft useful items from elemental stones. There was no reason to leave such resources behind when they could become important later, so he carefully stored the stone before returning to the group.
Tina and Ophelia were being healed by Sophia and Charlotta when Alex returned. The little girl and Caleb, the older twin, were animatedly praising them and reciting parts of their battles, making everyone smile as they listened.
Everyone was happy. Tina, Ophelia, and Rae had shown that they could grow strong enough to protect themselves, and although they still had a long way to go, their improvement gave everyone something to feel good about.
Alex looked around and eventually noticed Zach standing alone in a corner. Their eyes met, and the two of them went into another room of the destroyed police headquarters so they could speak without everyone listening.
"So, what did you decide?" Alex asked.
"We will follow you," Zach said after a moment.
Alex studied the older man before asking, "What brought you to change your mind? I was pretty sure you wanted to leave your family with Stefan."
"The world is still changing, so stronger monsters might appear at Stefan’s base at any moment. I know it might sound hypocritical considering my own strength, but I don’t think they are strong enough to protect my family. At least you and the others can protect them," Zach replied. He glanced toward the door before continuing, his expression becoming complicated.
Alex understood what Zach was trying to say. The older man repeatedly looked toward the door to make sure nobody was listening, and Alex had seen a similar expression on his own father before, because the old man would never show weakness or hesitation in front of Alex.
Just like Alex’s father, Zach did not want his family to see his helpless side. Alex nodded at his decision and patted the man’s shoulder, but he did not know what to say to comfort him.
He had never been good at those things, and there was a good chance he would say something awkward and make the situation worse. So, rather than forcing himself to say something, Alex simply left the room.
The group then picked up the Gene Potentials from the monster corpses scattered around the police headquarters. They were low-level and low-rank, but nobody would refuse free resources, especially when they could be exchanged for something useful.
Additionally, Ben and Edward could sell these things in Easy Difficulty. According to them, they could kill weak monsters on farms to level up, but they had to give up the corpses and half of the Gene Potentials they obtained as tax, on top of the initial fees required to enter the farms.
Clearly, there was still a use for these low-rank and low-level Gene Potentials. Ben and Edward could sell them and use the resources or information they received from the Land of Origin, so the group made sure to collect everything they could.
Once they finished, the group started moving again. Alex continued practicing his Mana Sense Spell while walking, focusing on reinforcing his soul so that it could generate more Will.
He then condensed more Will and worked on imbuing it into his mana. Will had always been mixed with his mana, and it was Will that allowed Alex to control mana in the first place.
When he released mana, he was actually releasing the Will contained within it. That was why the mana dissipated into the air afterward, preventing him from calling it back. This time, Alex tried something different and deliberately imbued more Will into each unit of mana before attempting to control it.
To his surprise, the mana responded much more easily. The stronger presence of Will made the mana more obedient to his thoughts, allowing him to manipulate it with less effort and greater precision. It was just as he had expected, and Alex smiled faintly when he realized how useful this discovery could become.
If he could increase the amount of Will contained in his mana, then his control would improve significantly. It would help him manipulate his spells more finely and could also make it easier for him to create more complicated techniques in the future.
While they were walking, the female guard Sia suddenly spoke to him. "Don’t you find it weird?"
"The fact that the spear came, and it was stronger?" Alex asked, already knowing what she wanted to discuss.
"Yes. There were no Wild Orcs sent after us even though you already stopped one spear before this. Considering how cautious the Wild Orc’s leader seems to be, I would have thought it would send more spears or Wild Orcs after us instead of simply trying the same attack again," Sia said.
She paused for a moment before continuing. "Honestly, I’ve also been thinking about the dungeon theory you mentioned. You said that Jaelo Supermart was probably a dungeon and that the Wild Orc outside it had been attracted by the Origin Energy leaking from inside. If the Wild Orc leader is intelligent, then it should have some way for its subordinates to tell it whenever a dungeon is discovered, yet the Wild Orcs never came to Jaelo Supermart."
"That means the Wild Orc leader has something even better than the dungeon in its sights. It’s busy with that, which is why it didn’t come for the dungeon, and it’s probably using its subordinates for whatever that is. That would also explain why it didn’t send them after us, but then there’s one thing that doesn’t make sense. Why did the last spear come when it should already know that we can block it?" Alex asked, finishing her thoughts.
"Yes, that’s what I’ve been thinking as well," Sia said with a nod.
..
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