Level Eater

Chapter 91: Ominous Signs

Depris, who had lost the Queen Bee, still attempted to fulfill their final orders, which were to eliminate the enemy and stall them. However, when they lost their ability to counter wind magic, they were completely at the mercy of Jeanne's magic and were ultimately defeated by Tatsuro's fire magic.

Once it was over, they planned to regroup with Ai and inspect their partially destroyed nest. Something strange that emitted magical energy had been discovered. The reaction came from the area where the honey was located. Tatsuro collected everything in his [Item Box] discarded what they didn't need, and extracted only that something.

"What is this?" (Tatsuro)

"It looks like a crystal ball though" (Ai)

In the palm of Tatsuro's hand lay an orange crystal ball about the size of a clenched fist. Even when examined with [Dispel Magic], they couldn't discern much about it except for the small amount of magical energy it contained.

"Well, let's keep it as a war trophy" (Tatsuro)

"Yeah, when we return to town, we can investigate it; maybe we'll find out something" (Ai)

So, Tatsuro stored it in the [Item Box] once more and used [Earth Magic] to unearth the Depris that had been left buried in the ground. He then opened a hole in the ground with the dimensions of a box and, from there, safely used [Level Eater] to absorb their skill levels. Tatsuro absorbed the skill levels and, after transferring them to Ai, she used a gemstone sword to cut them open, finally putting an end to them.

Level: 16

Skills: [Poison Needle Lv.3], [Flight Lv.3], [Honey Generation Lv.3]

While they could only obtain roughly the same amount of SP from each individual, they managed to acquire a total of 184 SP, 42 from the Queen Bee Bipris, and 142 from the eight Depris.

Both of them were overjoyed by this.

"What a bountiful harvest after so long. We haven't had over a hundred since our battle with the Magic Dragon" (Tatsuro)

"This should bring us a step closer to finding our way back, right?" (Ai)

"It's still a long road ahead, but we're steadily getting closer" (Tatsuro)

After giving each other a high-five and celebrating, Ai remembered another change that had occurred.

"By the way, my level increased by two, and I gained two new skills during all this commotion" (Ai)

"Two levels? That's impressive. But with all the enemies we've defeated, it's not that surprising" (Tatsuro)

As they looked at the countless giant bee corpses piled on the ground, Tatsuro, who was burning them with his fire magic, sighed. "Ah, my magic is running low. Ai, come here."

"Woo-hoo!" (Ai)

Amidst the blazing monster corpses, they hugged and kissed each other under the pretense of healing, enjoying their time together. While Cardina and Jeanne seemed eager to join in, they kept a watchful eye to ensure that nothing disturbed their masters' happy moments.

Tatsuro's mana and Ai's Ki were almost fully restored, and they were ready for another battle with the Depris army. After thanking the two loyal beings who had vigilantly guarded the area, they replenished their magical energy through affectionate moments.

"Now, before we check Ai's stats, let's make use of the SP we obtained" (Tatsuro)

"Alright, I've been waiting!" (Ai)

"Where do you think you are doing? A comedy show? Well, never mind. This time, I'm thinking of raising [Dark Magic] to level 10 and acquiring the title while also raising [Dispel Magic] to 8. Then, with the remaining 19 SP, I'll get [Life Magic] to 2 and try out a new skill, [Curse Magic]." (Tatsuro)

(TL Notes: I have been referring to [Dispel magic] as [Information magic] when I translate it in Tatsuro status. I will be going with dispel magic because it gives more meaning in most scenes than information magic. Just keep it in mind that Dispel magic is also used to check other people's status.)

"[Curse Magic], that's the one that made that lake cursed, right? It sounds kind of devilish." (Ai)

Ai frowned, as her initial impression of [Curse Magic] was quite negative. Tatsuro had a similar opinion initially, but during their idle time in their carriage, he had read books about Curse Magic and found them to be quite handy, which changed his view on it.

"It seems like you're thinking of [Curse Magic] as cursing magic,' but the word curse' doesn't mean to curse' in the first place" (Tatsuro)

"You mean like a charm or spell?" (Ai)

"Yeah, to put it in simpler terms, think of it as a buff and debuff specialist in a game" (Tatsuro)

"So, it's about temporarily raising or lowering stats and such?" (Ai)

"That's part of it, but roughly speaking, you could consider it that way. It's not just about negative effects; it can also provide positive effects" (Tatsuro)

"Interesting, like support magic. If used skillfully, it could be quite useful, so why not!" Ai's perception had changed, and as Tatsuro had planned, he immediately increased the skill levels.

|You have acquired the title Master of Darkness|

The notification read.

"Alright, that's perfect" (Tatsuro)

"Yeah, now let's take a look at your stats first" (Ai)

They both activated their respective systems.

Name: Tatsuro Hasami

Class: Light Magician -

Level: 49 -

Ki: 86

Mana: 1,114

Dragon Power: 100

Strength: 132

Durability: 132

Agility: 127

Magic: 914

Magic Resistance: 902

Magic Control: 922

|Acquired Skills|

[Level Eater], [Light Magic Lv. 10], [Dark Magic Lv. 10]

[Fire Magic Lv. 10], [Water Magic Lv. 10], [Life Magic Lv. 2]

[Earth Magic Lv. 7], [Dispel Magic Lv. 8], [Wind Magic Lv. 8]

[Curse Magic Lv. 1], [Mana Purification Lv.3], [[Mana Regeneration Lv.3]

[Mana Perception Lv.3], [Focus Lv.3], [Universal Language Comprehension].

|System skills|

[Map], [Item box +4]

Skill Points: 1

|Titles|

[Master of Light], [Master of Darkness], [Master of Fire]

[Master of Water], [Avatar of Destruction], [Perfect Harmony +1]

[Dragon Slayer], [Dragon Eater]

"Having four titles in the Master' series, my stats are really getting crazy" (Tatsuro)

"Yeah, most people would be satisfied with just one, but at this rate, you're going to collect all 12, aren't you?" (Ai)

"I've realized once again that [Level Eater] is a borderline cheating skill. Anyway, it's Ai's turn next." (Tatsuro)

"Alright!" (Ai)

Name: Ai Yashiki

Class: Martial Artist

Level: 33

Ki: 4,503

Mana: 35

Dragon Power: 100

Strength: 896

Durability: 868

Agility: 656

Magic: 33

Magic Resistance: 33

Magic Control: 33

|Acquired Skills|

[Valkyrie], [Unarmed Combat Lv.7], [Staff Art Lv.1]

[Throwing Lv.8], [Spear Arts Lv.7], [Sword Arts Lv.9]

[Shield Arts Lv.6], [Whip Arts Lv.9], [Ki Regeneration Lv.7]

[Body Strengthening Lv.9], [Focus Lv.1], [Air Walk Lv.2]

[Universal Language Comprehension].

|System skills|

[Item box +2]

Skill Points: 28

|Titles|

[Destroyer], [Perfect Harmony +1], [Dragon Slayer]

[Dragon Eater]

"It's inevitable with the level difference, but it looks like Tatsuro has surpassed me in his expertise" (Ai)

"Well, I might surpass you again in a few more levels. Your Ki is over four times my mana. Oh, your sword and whip Arts levels went up" (Tatsuro)

"Sword Arts leveled up a little while ago reaching level 8, so I am at level 9 now" (Ai)

After enjoying watching each other's growth, it was time to head back home. It was currently around midday, and if they hurried, they could return to town before it got dark. They quickly checked for any forgotten items and cleaned up the marshland as much as they could. Tatsuro then hitched the carriage to Jeanne.

"Alright, let's go" (Tatsuro)

"Pyuii!" (Cardina)

But before they could give the departure signal, Cardina's Dispel magic detected a concerning presence and alerted them with a cry.

"This is" (Tatsuro)

"What's going on?" (Ai)

"We seem to be surrounded. It feels like this," he mentally conveyed to Ai, picturing a red dot drawn on a map at the location where they detected people. This was done to keep Cardina's magical sensing within a range where the encircling group wouldn't be noticed too soon.

They had been closing in a circular formation, like they were gradually closing in for a catch, avoiding Cardina's magical sensing. It appeared to be impossible unless the encircling group had someone with superior Dispel Magic skills, or they knew in advance where exactly they were.

"It's unlikely that someone with better Dispel Magic skills than us would slip past Cardina's vigilance, which has been on high alert for that magic. So, either they knew beforehand that we'd be at the Depris nest in this swamp today, or how could this happen?" Tatsuro speculated.

"Tatsuro, I know you're deep in thought, but what should we do now? Should we catch them?" (Ai)

" Let's catch them. Their actions are suspicious, and we need to find out how they figured out our whereabouts" (Tatsuro)

His decision was based on several reasons. First, he felt confident that they could handle bandits unless the bandits had an extraordinary advantage. They were strong themselves, and Cardina and Jeanne were powerful enough that they could easily defeat low-level bandits without even using magic. Moreover, if necessary, they could always escape by flying. With all these conditions met, they were much safer compared to when they faced the Magic Dragon.

That's why Tatsuro believed that getting detailed information about this unclear situation would be beneficial for their future activities and reduce potential threats.

"Going to fight people again" (Ai)

"We may have become accustomed to fighting monsters, but it seems we can't avoid this" (Tatsuro)

"That is right" (Ai)

This time, they still had the advantage of daylight, so they couldn't hide during the night. As they considered their options, they noticed that the enemy's pace had quickened. It appeared that the enemy had realized they were noticed and was now pressing on.

However, there was still some distance between them, so they took this opportunity to analyze the individuals with strong reactions to gather information.

"That one" Tatsuro pointed out. "I remember him. He's the guy in the full-body armor who resisted until the end during our night attack."

"Really? Wasn't he supposed to be interrogated by Lyadas now?" (Ai)

"He might have escaped on his own, or perhaps someone within Lyadas is helping him. If our information leaked from there, it would all make sense" (Tatsuro)

Even Lyadas, whom they had considered trustworthy, might be involved. With a growing sense of unease about where they could find safety, they prepared to confront the oncoming bandits.