Kade took the stick off of the fire and sat it to the side to allow the squirrel to cool down. He leaned back, resting against the dirt couch he had made. He tugged on his beard as his brows knit.

He hadn't just trained his Altaris over the last three months. He had learned many things both from Wompus, and Wompus's collection of books. Now, he had a far better understanding of things.

First was Altaris and the level system. Altaris was the energy that most living, sapient humanoid beings used and cultivated. All classes used Altaris, from warrior to mage. The only difference was in which way Altaris was utilized.

Warriors primarily infused it into their bodies to strengthen themselves and only used a small amount to bolster their attacks. Mages were the exact opposite, using only tiny amounts, if any, to enhance their physical capabilities, and the vast majority to attack.

He had already deduced this earlier. What surprised him was that he was right on another point. A cultivator could split their focus and become somewhat of a hybrid, and classes like ranger were an example of a hybrid cultivation

This was where the cultivation method and level system came into play. The level system was nearly pointless. The only thing it did was allow newly integrated cultivators to have a vague understanding of their strength by applying a numeric value to it.

If you chose the mage class, your level would be tied to your Altar. If you chose warrior, it would estimate your physical strength and adjust your level accordingly.

Thus, choosing to become a mage, but cultivating as a warrior would result in a far lower level being displayed than the cultivator should have.

The god factions didn't rely on the level system. Instead, they quantified their strength based on milestones. There were six main stages that he knew of. 1st stage, 2nd stage, 3rd stage, 4th stage, 5th stage, and Ascended.

Going from one stage to the next was called a breakthrough, and was usually accompanied by substantial changes depending on the path you walked. Warriors would have their bodies grow much stronger to an unbelievable degree, and their senses could improve beyond imagination. Mages would generate more Altaris, and their Altar could even be cultivated to the point that it condensed the Altaris, even to the point of turning into liquid.

Another interesting discovery, which was skipped during his initiation as a champion, was the existence of affinities. These could be gained in the second stage, Aurora.

Normally, cultivators had the ability to use all of the elements. Doing so required understanding and enlightenment. The greater one's understanding, the more aspects of the element they could use. Basic elements like fire, water, wind, and earth were easy to understand on a basic level and make use of. Other, more complex elements were much more difficult to grasp.

Affinities would give the cultivator an innate advantage when comprehending and utilizing the elemental affinity. Leading to an increased casting speed, ease of creation, and even increased power. Of course, this didn't come without disadvantages. Gaining one affinity would subsequently affect the opposite element by an equal degree.

Kade was only in the beginning levels of the first stage, so all of that was a bit far off. For now, what mattered was how effective his spells were and having enough Altaris to cast them.

He took a bite of the squirrel as he calculated.

He hadn't tested his limits, but at level 2 he estimated that he could cast ten to twenty inferior fireballs before exhausting all of his Altaris. Now that he was level 10, he estimated that he could cast closer to forty or fifty inferior fireballs consecutively.

Inferior spells were far less taxing than even the most basic full-fledge spells. Resulting in only being able to cast around ten basic spells.

Unfortunately, he didn't have an exact calculation for his Altaris value yet and had to gauge things this way. Eventually, he would be able to feel how many units of Altaris he had, but until then, this would have to suffice.

"Tomorrow, I'll expend all of my Altaris using basic spells. Then, I'll see how fast I regenerate my Altaris." He said to Obruo between bites.

He had a lot of questions that couldn't be answered from reading books or asking a teacher. Everyone was different, even in cultivation, and some things had to be experienced to be understood.

So, he finished his dinner before retrieving his notebook and making plans for the next few days. After, he took out a familiar piece of paper. It was information from his 'Enlightenment'.

He didn't find it to be grand or amazing in any way. Tetron hadn't created a spell trace or even used a spell. He had attacked with pure Altaris. Hence, what Kade grasped was how Tetron called upon his Altaris, and how it flowed into his palm. He felt the intent and power within the Altaris that could decimate him in an instant.

This benefitted his understanding of Altaris and gave him a peek into how another person, more accurately an ascended cultivator, mobilized and used his energy.

There was something else in his memory too. Something Incorporeal. He felt this hint of knowledge to be invaluable, but he didn't have enough understanding to make sense of it. So, he left it be for the moment and focused on the bit of enlightenment he could make use of right now.

Cross-referencing his mobilization method with Tetron's, he could see how they differed. Kade sought to have his Altaris move subconsciously according to his will, while Tetron commanded his Altaris like a general overseeing a battle.

Kade had no intentions of copying Tetron's method, rather, he wanted to break it down and incorporate the useful bits into his method.

After a few hours of work, he felt his eyelids grow heavy and decided to continue tomorrow night.

...

Kade rubbed his eyes as he sat up. He frowned while stretching his back, sleeping on the ground was just another uncomfortable aspect he would have to grow used to again.

Standing up, he checked the immediate area for signs of disturbance but found nothing out of the ordinary. He quickly disassembled his alarm system and packed all of his things up.

"C'mon buddy, time to get moving." He said while tapping Obruo with his foot, causing the pup to stand up and yawn.

'I could use some breakfast this morning. Maybe a cup of coffee' He complained in his head while walking through the woods. Rolling his shoulders in an attempt to limber up, he wondered if this was a consequence of three months of leisure.

He shook his head to get rid of the thoughts, chalking it up to needing to reacclimate to a strenuous and unaccommodating lifestyle. In essence, it would get easier in time.

He continued walking for a few hours, taking note of the resurgence of wildlife and the noises that accompanied them. Birds chirped and rodents scurried to and fro. Everything seemed so alive in comparison to the eerie forest behind him that was even devoid of winds rustling the leaves.

Regardless of the relaxing atmosphere, he heightened his senses even more. Though the eerie forest was creepy, he knew that as he moved forward the danger would climb. After all, not all living things were friendly.

His eyes snapped to any source of movement or sound, usually just a squirrel or bird playing in the treetops. Just moving around in the wilderness was becoming another form of training. He was having to relearn how to adjust his senses or he would be reacting to every insignificant sound.

Before, this was a piece of cake. His years of service in the marines and as a delinquent youth made sure of that. Now, he just had to find his roots. A few months as a scholar wasn't enough to destroy the foundation he had laid over many years.

Eventually, he broke free from the woods into a large prairie. The tall grass was a mix between deep gold and verdant green colors. Flowers dotted the land like fingerpaint splashed onto a canvas. Small outcrops of trees broke the distant horizon.

It was... Beautiful. Earth was becoming more and more industrialized by the day and the simple beauty of nature was being destroyed. Yet, here the land was so vast and seemingly untouched. This was a charm that he wouldn't let himself forget.

His foot parted the grass as he ventured in. This land was beautiful and he would appreciate it, but that's as far as his emotions went. While making his way through the prairie, he noticed a long line where the grass was slowly parting ahead of him.

He halted his steps while narrowing his eyes. Whatever it was, it was headed straight towards him.

With a sigh, he raised his hand and pointed two fingers. An inferior fireball formed and fired toward the parting grass. Moments later, the grass caught fire. Casting another inferior spell, Gust, the fire was stoked and spread.

Kade watched as a large area of grass was torched, revealing the creature that had been making its way through. A snake that was as thick as a wooden bucket and at least twenty meters long.

"Tissss" Obruo's turbo-like growl sounded off beside him.

Kade patted him twice while keeping his eyes locked on the snake "Stay calm bud, I don't think this is one you should charge in against."

He was worried for his four-legged companion. Whether the snake was venomous or a constrictor, he had no doubts that it would pose a huge threat to both of them.

Its appearance caused him plenty of worries. Iridescent scales that the sun illuminated, two horn-like protrusions on its head, and large milky white eyes. Coupled with its intimidating size made for quite the sight.

'This isn't ideal.' Kade estimated the distance between them to be roughly forty meters, but he didn't have much of a choice. The snake had him in its sight and he was doubtful it would allow him to leave unobstructed.

Raising his fingers again, he formed a spell trace that created a translucent ball. He aimed and released.

Sensing danger, the snake attempted to dodge. While fast, it was simply too big and couldn't get its entire body out of the way. The translucent ball struck it and turned into a thick translucent chain that wrapped around its body tightly. Four smaller chains formed from the first and shot out in different directions.

Kade didn't waste time as he formed a second spell trace and his strongest offensive spell, Yisik's Arrow. The second it formed, he fired it toward the snake, targetting close to the chains where the snake couldn't twist to dodge.

The arrow flew true, striking the body and boring a seven-centimeter hole through the snake. The beast writhed, releasing a bone-chilling hiss as its scales flared. It coiled a portion of its body and moments later its scales fired out like shrapnel from a grenade.

'Damn!' Kade thought as he tucked his body and covered his head. He didn't have time to cast a defensive spell and hadn't prepared one beforehand, and now he paid for it with two wounds.

He ignored the pain coming from his shoulder and hip as he stood up and began casting. A blue sphere formed before catching fire, emitting dense white flames.

Kade's brows knit in anger, his nostrils flaring as he aimed. This was the first spell he modified, and it was recently upgraded to include the blue sphere. The sphere was a hollow ball of Altaris filled with a viscous flammable concoction that Wompus helped him create. When the fireball struck, the sphere would break, sending the liquid splashing over the target. He had even given this spell a name.

Procyon.

Locking on to his target, he fired toward the hole he had already created. With the Spirit Chains still in effect, the snake couldn't dodge, so his spell hit right on target. Fire engulfed the outside, while the liquid splashed within and caught fire.

Kade knew his attacks were powerful and likely lethal in the long term, they weren't in a vital location, so the fight wasn't over yet. While the fire scorched the snake, he prepared his next spell.

Another translucent ball formed as he ran forward. He cast Spirit Chains again on a different area, fearful that the previous chains might not hold up much longer. Next, he cast armament. A blue cylinder formed in his palm and quickly took the shape of a spear.

Armament was a unique spell that allowed the caster to use Altaris to create a temporary weapon. The best thing about this spell was that it didn't require upkeep. The length it lasted depended on how much Altaris to used in the beginning, but the caster could also increase the duration by supplying more Altaris before the spell ended.

This meant that he could conjure a weapon and continue casting range spells.

In the time it took to conjure the spear, he had closed the distance to the point that he felt uncomfortable. He was within the snake's striking distance.

As expected, though the snake was in pain, it had noticed him draw close and didn't miss the opportunity. Its upper body that had been coiled, struck out. It opened its mouth, revealing hundreds of hook-shaped teeth.

Kade held his breath while trying to maintain his composure. With a flick of his fingers, he cast the freeze spell he had been preparing. The ice landed perfectly to momentarily halt the snake's strike. It would only last for a breath, but that was enough.

"HAAH" With a battle shout, Kade swung the spear down from overhead and into the head of the snake. The spearhead pierced the scales and burst through the top of its mouth. Continuing, it entered the soft flesh of its bottom jaw and through.

Kade felt incredibly powerful as he forced the spear through the snake and into the ground, pinning its head. Even so, he didn't let his success get to his head.

He quickly backstepped while casting another spell. This time, it was another arrow that he aimed at the snake's head. He cast the arrow, causing it to bore a hole right between the beast's eyes. While the brain was usually a weakness for most flesh and blood creatures, he didn't want to chance it surviving and decided to fill the new hole with white fire.

He slowly retreated twenty meters without taking his eyes off of the snake. He watched its body writhe oddly with the chains and spear locking it down. He waited patiently for all movement to stop before releasing a relieved sigh.

Exercising a bit more caution, he hit the snake with inferior gust and observed for any reaction. Only after was he confident that the snake was dead and approached to take his spoils.

'The skin will probably go for a decent amount.' Kade thought. He wasn't sure which parts of beasts were valuable, but if it looked pretty or was useful then chances were it would sell for a good amount.

The snake had a bit of damage and had expended a good portion of the scales on the upper part of its body. Thankfully, nearly half of its huge body was perfectly intact.

'Huh? That's odd...' Kade thought as he focused on the area surrounding the first wound. He had landed a Procyon on the wound, and while the fire didn't produce enough heat to incinerate bone, it should have caused a lot of damage to the skin and scales. Yet, the skin around the wound looked pristine if you didn't count the blood coating it.

He tapped the scales quickly, his brows shooting up at the realization that they weren't even warm. He made a mental note to portion part of the skin and scales for experimentation before processing the beast.

Over an hour passed before he had everything he wanted. He put away the beast's core before rolling up the skin and packing it into his bag. He even took a chunk of meat and wrapped it in some plastic wrap he found at the shop so that it wouldn't create a mess in his bag.

"Let's get out of here." Kade said as he stood up while glancing at Obruo.

Staying any longer would run the risk of encountering other beasts looking for an easy meal. Sure, Obruo had already snacked on what was edible, but the smell would still suffuse far into the surroundings albeit less intense.

The two continued through the prairie until Kade was confident they had put enough distance and decided to take a short rest. He had cast six basic spells, two Procyons', and one inferior freeze, expending more than 60% of his total Altaris. While Altaris would regenerate passively, it was pitifully slow compared to when he was meditating.

Thirty minutes later, he stood up and continued. It was still early in the day but he couldn't slack off. There was a lot he needed to get done like traveling, hunting, cultivating, studying, and exercising. Relaxing wasn't a luxury he had time for.

The light in the sky peaked, illuminating the beautiful landscape and casting enormous shadows before slowly fading. It wasn't until the sky had turned pinkish-red signaling dusk that he decided to look for a place to camp.

Scanning the tree line ahead, he narrowed his eyes upon spotting a hint of light within. 'A fire?' He wondered as his pace slowed.

His brows furrowed pensively as he debated if he should continue his path or take a detour to avoid what was ahead. Though there was a good chance that it was a campfire, he wasn't sure what effect his appearance would cause. Or even if the people there were hostile.

After a few minutes, he realized that he was being overly cynical and decided to check it out. Worst case scenario, he could flee.

Soon, he saw the flame and quite a few silhouettes around it.