Winter and Mia had also spent most of the night sitting under the eaves, watching Matthews. Mia turned to Winter and asked, "Big brother's going to be all right, isn't he?"
Winter patted Mia's hand and reassured her. "He'll be fine. He's a man, after all. You have to believe he can handle it!"
The next morning, once it was light, Matthews got up and went under the eaves. He nudged awake the two who had fallen asleep there.
"Ah, big brother, you're awake!"
"You're the ones who should be awake. Go back and get some sleep."
"Oh!"
After that, Matthews returned to his room to sleep.
Winter left that afternoon. Mia brought Matthews something to eat, and while he washed up and ate, he told her, "I'm going to the Magic Beast Mountain Range to train. You should focus on your studies at the academy!"
"But, big brother, didn't you just get back from training in the Magic Beast Mountain Range last year?"
"If I want to break through to the eighth or ninth level, I have to go to the Magic Beast Mountain Range. Pressure is the key to growth."
"All right!"
Matthews took out the wind magic books he had obtained earlier from his Space Ring and handed them to Mia. "These are high-level wind magic spells I found. Don't slack off on your training while I'm away!"
Mia put away the books and nodded. Matthews handed her the gold card again and continued, "Even though you're with Winter now, a girl shouldn't spend too much of a man's money. I don't have many gold coins, but I have enough for you."
"If you run short, you can take a few of my paintings to auction!"
"Big brother, the way you're talking, you'd think you were going away for a long time!"
Matthews nodded and added, "I don't know how long I'll be training in the Magic Beast Mountain Range this time."
"Big brother—"
Matthews rubbed the tip of her nose again and smiled at her. "You're a grown woman now. Don't go crying at the drop of a hat!"
"Hmph! Who's crying?"
The next day, Mia saw Matthews and Asolun out of the city. They then headed for the Magic Beast Mountain Range. On the way, they passed many young men and women eagerly making their way there to train. Matthews ignored them and walked past at a distance.
Now that Matthews was a seventh-level warrior, he wasn't targeted by any of those small-time assassins. He soon reached the middle section of the Magic Beast Mountain Range, an area usually inhabited by intermediate-level magical beasts, so he began to proceed with caution.
Two months later, Matthews and Asolun headed toward a valley. They planned to spend the night on a cliff overlooking it.
"Hmm..."
"What is it, boss?"
Matthews had just sensed the ripples of a battle. "There's a fight not far away. Let's change direction and leave."
"Boss, we can both fly. Let's go take a look!"
Matthews thought about it and realized Asolun had a point. They were in the middle section of the Magic Beast Mountain Range, where there weren't any particularly powerful magical beasts, and there weren't any particularly powerful people training here either. It should be fine to take a look!
When Matthews reached a high ledge, he took out his homemade viewing device and looked toward the battle. He spotted a necromancer fighting a group of scavenger beasts. They were much like the hyenas from his previous world—filthy and unpleasant.
The beasts were numerous, but the female necromancer was surrounded by two archers and a black-armored death knight.
She summoned one low-level skeleton after another, sending them fearlessly charging at the beasts. The low-level skeletons were no match for the fourth-level magical beasts, but there were so many of them. In Matthews's eyes, the two undead archers were fifth-level beings.
The black-armored knight guarded the female necromancer. Even the beast king couldn't break through its protection to hurt her and stop her from summoning more undead.
"Boss, we're leaving already?"
Hearing Asolun, Matthews replied blandly, "Yeah. There's nothing else to see. That necromancer has won."
Matthews couldn't help admiring how useful necromancy was. No wonder the original story said that a great necromancer could be an army all by himself. Even this fifth-level female mage could summon so many undead. As long as she had magic power left, her army would never run out.
"True. If I stepped in, I could take care of these beasts in no time too!"
Hearing Asolun boast, Matthews retorted, "You're a sixth-level magical beast. If you couldn't beat this group of beasts when their king is only fifth-level, that would be embarrassing!"
"Hehe, boss. Leave the next fight to me!"
Matthews readily agreed. Asolun would hunt some sixth-level magical beasts to provide food for them. They were about to enter the territory of high-level magical beasts, so they needed to prepare in advance by making food and smoking the meat.
Once they were in the territory of high-level magical beasts, lighting a fire to roast meat would be suicide. For now, Matthews could still keep them safe with his seventh-level warrior strength, but he couldn't guarantee he could handle an eighth-level magical beast.
Half a day later, the two of them reached the territory of the sixth-level Great Strength Bull Demon. They had come to prepare meat for the journey ahead. Its meat was very popular in the Imperial Capital. The meat on its legs was firm and chewy, perfect for grilling, while the meat on its back and belly was tender and smooth, ideal for steaks.
"Ready? I'm going to stir them up!"
When his boss asked, Asolun immediately said he was ready.
Matthews summoned the water magic power he had refined and raised his right hand. Water elements began to gather around him, and a spear of ice appeared above his head.
Matthews assumed the javelin-throwing stance he had learned at school. He took a running step and hurled the spear, wreathed in icy power, straight at the herd. When the icy force plunged into the herd, it exploded. Matthews didn't have much magic power inside him, so the spear of ice wasn't very powerful.
But the spreading cold immediately startled the herd, which had been resting. They panicked and began stampeding toward a place they knew well.
"The rest is up to you!"
At Matthews's words, Asolun shot after them.
He wasn't stupid. As he flew, he released mist, driving the herd into a valley with only one entrance.
Matthews followed leisurely. From time to time, Asolun cast ice magic beneath the herd's feet, tripping them up, then finished off the Great Strength Bull Demons with a Water Blade Technique.
After collecting seven or eight Great Strength Bull Demons in his Space Ring, Matthews told Asolun to stop.
"Boss, how was that? I did pretty well, right?"
Before you continue