Now alone inside his own tent, Raze didn't go to sleep immediately because he wanted to check his progress one last time before resting.
So he muttered softly,
"Status."
A status window appeared before his eyes, displaying the fruits of his hard work.
[Name: Raze Ruincard]
[Core: Gray (One ring)]
[Physique: Zenith]
[Affinity: —]
[Skills: Swordsmanship (A), Perception (D), Basic Martial Arts (B), Basic Footwork (B), Mana Sense (D)]
[Spells: Mana shield (Mid Tier-1), Mana Burst (Low Tier-1), Mana Chain (Advanced Tier - 1)]
***
As Raze scanned his status window, he felt satisfied with the hard work of the past few days. Although no new physical skills had been added to the list, his spells were recorded clearly.
Though the spells he had learned were basics of basics without much destructive powers the elemental spells provided.
He had decided to find a way to awaken an affinity as Luna had told him a few but that was a goal for after enrolling in the academy.
For now, he had only one objective and that was to somehow unlock his Aura.
His Zenith Physique made his body more adaptable to change and from what Luna had said, although people who walked both paths were rare, they weren't nonexistent in this world.
Which meant… he should be able to reach that level too and yet, one question kept echoing in his mind.
How did I never reach such a level in my previous world?
More importantly, he had never even heard of the Aura path there. He had always believed that a person could only ascend through ranks using a mana core…
There were two paths in his previous world as well but both paths used mana as energy and there was no concept of Aura which was fueled by the will of a person. Instead even warriors used mana to reinforce their bodies to make themselves stronger.
Was this power system exclusive to this world?
Or…
Did someone erase every trace of it in his world and made sure no such person could appear?
But then… Why would anyone go that far?
He didn't know the answer but strangely, instead of fear, his heart was beating faster. His entire body brimmed with excitement at the thought of reaching something that no one in his world had ever touched.
And more importantly, since he couldn't advance beyond the Peak of the Mortal Rank without an affinity, he would have to rely on aura to do so, as progression through aura didn't require having any affinity.
With those big dreams in his mind, he decided to rest for the night because by this time tomorrow, he would be in the Imperial City but before he could fall asleep, a sharp sound echoed through the air.
Then… a trumpet followed.
What is happening?
Raze's body moved before his mind could react. The sword beside him was already in his hand as he exited the tent at once, seeing the rest of the mercenary group rushing into motion as well.
"What is happening, Will?" He asked a lean, brown-haired man who looked to be in his mid-twenties.
"Maya has seen someone in the forest. In any case, stay beside Ellara and Lyla in the carriage." Will replied immediately.
Maya was the archer of the group and the one responsible for night watch. Raze had seen how keen her eyes and senses were, so if she said she had seen someone, then it was without a doubt real.
Tsk…
Raze moved without hesitation, his steps quick and precise as he headed toward the carriage, where Ellara and Lyla were already seated, their expressions tense and nervous.
"What is happening, Raze?" Ellara asked, her voice trembling with nervousness.
"I don't know," Raze replied calmly, though his mind was already racing.
I should have known something like this was bound to happen when I saw a noble girl being escorted by mercenaries instead of her family's knights…
But even as the thought crossed his mind, he dismissed it because there could have been countless other reasons for that as well.
Still, he didn't bother playing the blame game because this wasn't the time for it.
He peeked through the window of the carriage and saw the seven mercenary members had already surrounded it from every direction, their bodies tense as they scanned the darkness for any sign of an enemy.
Luna stood near the carriage alongside Lena, another mage of the same rank as her who mainly specialized in support magic, while Kyle, a healer from the Church of Okrah, stayed close to them.
Meanwhile, John took position at the front with another woman, Gretta. She was a warrior of Master rank, the same as John. Wearing a tank top and trousers, her toned abs were visible with a long scar running straight down them, giving her a fierce and battle-hardened look.
On the other side stood Will, his daggers already in hand, while Maya, the archer with an eyepatch covering one eye, remained beside him with her bow drawn and ready. Both of them were First-Class warriors, equivalent to the Orange Core rank of mages and one level higher than the Gray Core.
While John and Gretta, who were at Master rank, were equivalent to Green Core mages like Luna, Kyle, and Lena which was a rank higher than Orange core.
Raze understood one thing, if they were defeated then his chances of survival would decrease by a lot and in this carriage they would be a sitting duck.
Especially since, Ellara was barely at five rings gray core and Lyla was a warrior barely at peak of Apprentice rank, the starting level of warrior's path, meaning both of them would be useless in real battle.
Still, he waited patiently, hoping the enemies would be weaker and the mercenary group could somehow take care of them.
Right on cue, a group of eight men walked out of the jungle, no longer bothering to hide their presence.
Their strength felt almost equal to that of the mercenary group as if someone cheap and calculating had chosen them with just enough power to get the job done… and not spend more than necessary.
That meant the attack wasn't random but it was planned.
"I am sorry, Raze…" Just then, a sad voice echoed within the carriage. It was Ellara who had just spoken. "You are caught in my mess."
But before Raze could respond, the carriage started trembling as the battle had already begun.