Lone had practised a variety of skills on the trip back from Urd Grun. He'd even sparred with a good number of the rescued dwarves.

All of them only used weapons he already had mastery in and not a single one was a mage or anything even remotely unique. Still, they employed different battle tactics and some were even stronger than Lone rank-wise.

Hell, three of them could apply stats. Strength, Vitality, and Luck respectively. The Luck one was incredibly hard to hit and somehow always found a way to slip past Lone's defences when she was applying her Luck.

Lone did wonder how much the over 200 dwarves would have been willing to practise with him were it not for Hamish's presence.

Despite his mastery over the Acting and Persuasion skills, his attempts to calm and convince the dwarves that they were safe looked foolish in the wake of Hamish announcing his name and power.

Who would they trust? A non-dwarf claiming to have saved them, or a well-known and respected member of the beloved Black Iron Company? It wasn't even close.

'Having a semi-famous dwarf with us certainly helped make that a less awkward interaction... Oh well, I'm getting off track. Progress, progress...' he chanted mentally with joy as he went over his notification log.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Hand Axe Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 2. Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Hand Axe Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 3. Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Hand Axe Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 4. Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Hand Axe Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 5. Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Hand Axe Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 6.

One of the liberated dwarves was actually an adventurer whose main weapon was an enchanted hand axe. He was happy to train Lone in the way to offensively wield such a weapon after seeing Lone's enthusiasm for the subject. He was able to apply his Strength like Hamish or Grimsley could.

Lone had possessed Hand Axe Mastery for months now, having received it during the tourney back in Ranton. It never saw any use though, sadly. He aimed to change that.

He was trying to level up all of his unused skills and, while his perfect weapon was, of course, a swordspear, he saw the sense in learning how to use other tools of death too.

What if he was disarmed midfight and forced to use a weapon of a fallen foe? It wouldn't do him any good if he couldn't wield it properly. The same went for if he was required to fight in a space cramped enough to make swinging his swordspear around a burden rather than a benefit.

On the topic of the axes, Lone found it fascinating that the mini artificial suns down here in the dwarven Kriegs could support not only plant life, but also trees of all shapes and sizes.

It was a rare profession since most dwarves built with stone or metal exclusively, but there was still demand for good oak, birch, mahogany and many other types of wood.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Light-footed] has levelled up! It is now Intermediate Level 9. Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Light-footed] has levelled up! It is now Intermediate Level 10. Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Light-footed] has levelled up! It is now Advanced Level 1. Passive Skill: Light-footed

A skill that allows the host to passively walk while producing 30% [+15%] less sound.

[New!] Passively reduces the sound produced by any equipment or clothing worn by the host by 20%.

Cost: N/A Mastery: Advanced Level 1

The skill refused to move past advanced-level-1 even though there were over 200 people for it to work against. Still, Lone wasn't complaining.

The new effect would only help to make him even sneakier without him even trying. 'I wonder if I would make a decent rogue now? Maybe an assassin? Probably not since Hamish doesn't struggle to see nor hear me at all. He claims a professional assassin can easily kill someone up to three ranks above them without so much as disturbing the air they move through. Scary shit.'

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Cooking Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Intermediate Level 6. Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Cooking Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Intermediate Level 7. Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Cooking Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Intermediate Level 8. Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Cooking Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Intermediate Level 9. Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Cooking Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Intermediate Level 10.

Lone now had far more information in regards to how Cooking Mastery worked as a whole. It wasn't entirely dependant on cooking new and exotic recipes to level as he had initially suspected. No, it would also grow substantially if the host cooked endlessly.

'I never want to be the chef for over 200 people ever again. Hell, Soph went up to Beginner Level 4 in the skill and even Breena earned it after the second week of travel,' Lone thought as he sighed wistfully.

'I need to go on another spending spree for fresh ingredients. I had enough to keep us going for years but a few weeks of travel with a veritable army of dwarves has cleaned out my Dimensional Storage.' He shook his head as he continued.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Teaching Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 9. Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Teaching Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 10. Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Teaching Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Intermediate Level 1. Passive Skill: Teaching Mastery

A skill that makes teaching concepts 15% [+10%] easier to the unlearned. It also boosts the host’s ability to impart their own insights of skills to others by 15% [+10%].

Cost: N/A Mastery: Intermediate Level 1 Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Teaching Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Intermediate Level 2. Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Teaching Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Intermediate Level 3.

Thanks to Hamish's presence, Lone had a group of over 200 people that were willing to listen to his teachings. An enthusiastic group of over 200 people at that when they learned he had Teaching Mastery.

It usually cost a small fortune to have a holder of Teaching Mastery impart their knowledge to others. To experience the service free-of-charge was an opportunity damn near every dwarf in the group took.

Lone was pretty pleased about that. He could level such an important skill when it came to helping Breena, and some of the dwarves had supposedly gained levels in the skills he explained. So it was a win-win all around.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Cartography Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 8. Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Cartography Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 9. Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Cartography Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 10.

He didn't gain a rank up from charting the tunnels and roads they travelled down but Lone felt a couple of levels were better than none at all.

Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Throwing Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 7. Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Throwing Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 8. Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Throwing Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 9. Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Throwing Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 10. Congratulations! The host's passive skill [Throwing Mastery] has levelled up! It is now Intermediate Level 1. Passive skill: Throwing Mastery

A skill that allows the host to throw items with more accuracy and speed.

All items thrown by the host will be thrown 15% [+10%] more accurately and with 15% [+10%] more speed.

Cost: N/A Mastery: Intermediate Level 1

The skill refused to level up after hitting intermediate rank. Lone suspected that was because he was just throwing rocks at small targets he'd set up on the walls of the Farwinds and nothing more.

To progress in it further, he theorised he'd need to use it in combat or at least in a more serious or complex situation.

Congratulations! The host's active skill [Meditation] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 6. Congratulations! The host's active skill [Meditation] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 7. Congratulations! The host's active skill [Meditation] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 8.

Nothing new there, really. It was a difficult skill to earn, even more so to level. Lone had been using it every day to help Breena gain control over her Primal skill.

Yet, despite activating Meditation so often, he'd only gained three levels in just about as many weeks.

While not earning Meditation herself, Breena was still progressing excellently. She only had an episode once every few days now and she could trigger her Shadow Merging on her own provided she was actively trying to meditate and focus.

Lone's last skill to have benefited from the long trek back to the krieg was his only world skill.

Congratulations! The host's world skill [Full Body Diagnostics] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 5. Congratulations! The host's world skill [Full Body Diagnostics] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 6. Congratulations! The host's world skill [Full Body Diagnostics] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 7. Congratulations! The host's world skill [Full Body Diagnostics] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 8. Congratulations! The host's world skill [Full Body Diagnostics] has levelled up! It is now Beginner Level 9.

Lone was only able to use the skill once a day but with so many dwarves around, he had plenty of people to test it on.

The most interesting of which were the Mineral Dwarves. Unlike Stone Dwarves whose organs were laced in a stone-like substance that helped reinforce their entire body, these short individuals had minerals flowing through their blood.

It made them faster movers, quicker thinkers, and it accelerated their natural healing abilities. And that was all on top of still having access to Stone's Vision or Miner's Glory.

'Dwarves are a bullshit species. Who needs immortality at I-rank and sharp tails when being a dwarf gives so many passive benefits?' Lone grumbled in his mind.

Before long, the familiar and welcome sight of Krieg Moor's artificial fields welcomed his and his group's eyes.

"What're your plans now, Hamish?" Lone asked.

The dwarf had fulfilled his end of the contract enforced upon him, even if he had planned to subvert it at one point.

Still, as much as Lone could now appreciate the man, he had no interest in having him join their little ragtag team of misfits.

Soph and Sophie were hard enough to deal with as it was. Adding a lethargic baby fox and a traumatised teen to the mix more than spiced things up enough for Lone's liking.

In light of that, he wanted to support Hamish in whatever he wished to do from here on out now that their little adventure had ended.

The dwarf scratched his mighty beard in thought. "Return ma brother's tae their families, ah think. They deserve tae be with their lov'd ones. The ones wae nae place tae call 'ome? Ah'll bury em maself. Think ah'll settle doon an' become ah trainer at the guild after 'at. This pish wae gods an' 'eroes? It's nae fae me. Withoot the Black Iron Company... Aye, ah think ma talents're best used preparin' the youths ah today."

Lone raised an eyebrow. "Commendable."

"What aboot ye three? Ye gonna up'an leave tae bring Breena back tae 'er clan?" Hamish asked.

Breena flinched a bit at the mention of her home but she stayed silent.

Lone nodded. "More or less. I have a little bit of unfinished business here in the krieg though before t-"

"Are ye Lone immortus?" an armoured dwarf asked as he approached Lone with fifteen other similarly equipped soldiers behind him.

Hamish frowned. "The city guard? What would they wan' wae ye?"

"No clue," Lone whispered back before replying to the guards, "Yes. Can I help you somehow?"

"Glad ye didnae lie. Not like there's many nine-tailed Golden Foxkin running aroond. Aye, ye can 'elp me," the guard answered as he reached down to his waist before grabbing a set of shackles. "Ye could put these on waeoot resistin'."

Lone frowned deeply, as did Hamish. Meanwhile, Breena looked scared and Soph wore an expression of worry on her face.

"Am I being arrested? What for?" Lone inquired.

"Aye, 'at ye are. Ye'r under arrest fae illegally learnin' steamforgin'," the guard announced.

Lone's frown only worsened. "That's a bold claim. I've only ever learned blacksmithing from Wilbur. He was very clear with me regarding the legality of non-dwarves learning the trade of steamforging. Do you really think a future epitome would be so foolish as to teach it to me, a nobody foxkin?"

The guard grunted before he tossed an orb at Lone.

Catching it, Lone looked at it strangely. "What's this?"

It was then that it started glowing with a slight bronze hue. The guard spat on the floor in disgust. "'At right 'ere is ah device 'at only activates if 'eld by someone wae the Steamforgin' skill. Now, ye gonna put these cuffs on afore or after me an' mah unit 'subdue' ye?"

Lone looked down at the glowing orb then back up to the guards. Down at the orb, up at the guards. Orb. Guards.

He then suddenly stored the device in his Dimensional Storage and smiled warmly. "If I'm under arrest anyway, then fuck it. I'm keeping this."