Ceaseless Horizons [A LitRPG Progression Fantasy]

What do I realistically need right now?

The question was one he should've asked himself a while ago. His class got in the way, always making him pull out on top by the barest of margins. It was a horrible habit he was relying on too often, and the hound did a phenomenal job of reminding him that.

Now, he was ready to dive into more controlled explosive measures. Arcane Maelstrom was designed to be big and flashy, so things like his current cannons were out. Small attacks like arrows and lances had their place, except they were falling short.

That didn't mean they were any less lethal. Instead, their effectiveness was diminished by his straightforward and predictable attacks. To combat that, he needed to add more elements of surprise and versatility to his arsenal, and he had just the perfect ideas for that.

Mentally noting them for later, he refrained from testing anything in a moderately crowded location. Ideas were analyzed and discarded, and several hours passed in a blink as Orianna and Alec finally entered the park.

Somewhat predictably, the entire place quieted down. The duo, accustomed to the treatment, merely waved and smiled as they walked towards him.

"Wow," Lev grinned when they were within his sound ward. "You two must be pretty famous or something."

"They can't resist it," Alec nodded seriously. "Just look at us, aren't we the perfect models?"

Even Orianna joined in, flipping her hair back with a haughty smirk. Lev wasn't ashamed to say that he might have stared with his jaw hanging as she sat down.

"How're you doing, Lev?" she asked, the previous attitude gone like the wind.

"Fine?" he shrugged. An invisibility ward covered them. "I would honestly be way better if you sat by me. You too," he finished while looking at Alec.

It warmed his heart to see them agree without an ounce of hesitation. Orianna sat to his left, leaning on the tree and his shoulder, whereas Alec sat to his right.

"Yes or no," his mentor asked out of the blue.

"What?" Lev questioned, confused.

"You know what I ask," Alec replied with a slight smile, unable to hide his sadness.

Ah.

"Not really?" Lev answered, the words sounding more like a question. "Every single class skill leveled, and my general skills also saw a lot of improvements. Made out like a poorer bandit this time."

"Not even close," Orianna spoke up, absently staring at the grass. "Every single skill level holds a lot of value at your stage. Attributes keep increasing through some means all the time. Skills, however, only improve through the worst experiences."

"Mhm," Lev nodded slightly and changed the topic when he felt her mood worsen. "What were you two doing earlier, and when did you arrive?"

"The hound had just left when we landed," Alec answered. "All of the Exalted were gathered in minutes, but those minutes were already too long. I'm sorry."

Lev was not having it, even if Orianna was about to voice the same. It hurt to cut her off, though he would be damned if he didn't clear up that they weren't to blame.

"Oh please, not you too," he began, not letting any actual emotion creep into his voice. "Sherron was crying like a baby earlier, too. How is this any of your guys' fault? I'm still alive and stronger as a result, and was also able to learn some new things from the whole experience. You should ask Hakim about them."

"What do you mean?" Orianna sat straighter, looking at him with a frown. "It's our job to ensure that you don't have to repeatedly fight above your level. Hakim is also stationed there to shield all combatants from dread monsters. Sherron's presence should've supported that, and yet, the hound could just walk freely through all our wards and detection systems…"

Lev listened, feeling warm and exasperated as she launched into a long rant about how his safety fell on their shoulders first and foremost. Plenty of details were revealed, such as just how extensive their watch over Dreadwood was. Diviners, scouts, and strategists were always paying close attention to the hundreds of kilometers near the city, not just tracking but literally trying to predict any monster movements.

How they could infer that from the density and behavior of mindless creatures, Lev had no idea. He could only mentally salute their hard work and talents.

"What happened, Lev?" Alec cut Orianna off, making both of them look at him expectantly.

Once again, he explained the whole day and the short conversation. It confirmed their fears, yet it also felt liberating in a way. Now that the worst outcome was already a reality, they could plan freely around it without hoping it wouldn't get worse.

"Ask Drakys for runes," Alec suggested, and spoke over Lev's protest. "I know what it feels like, but you really need something more."

"He wouldn't say no either. If anything, I wouldn't be surprised if he's hoping for you to ask for help," Orianna added sternly.

"Ugh, fine. Instead of runes, I heard he has a shadow mana converter. Do you think it's likely he will let me borrow it?"

They both shared a glance before Alec answered. "Drakys doesn't use shadow mana."

"Oh," Lev sank into thought. "So he has no reason to keep it?"

"Correct."

"Well, that makes things easier for me. I also have a rune that only works with shadow mana…" he trailed off, already lost in thought.

The duo didn't interrupt him, content with simply watching him be lively and motivated. They knew just how hard such experiences could break one.

****

Day turned to night as they simply chatted away. Lev ate a full meal for the first time in a while, and sharing it with Alec and Orianna only made it much tastier.

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"So," he asked after drinking a glass of water. "I've heard about Isabella's team. What kind of support mages does she have?"

"Two support mages and a fire enhancer. The latter is a defensive fighter, and she doesn't shy away from getting violent. As for the mages, one of them is an aura mage and the other is a fire mage, one that specializes in producing the element for others to control."

"Wait, that's… even more mana than me," Lev considered with a smile. "Damn, that's gonna be fun to see."

"She's very capable," Alec added. "Mel will also be there, and talks about letting Sherron do rounds every now and then are also going on currently. She won't be allowed to stay away for too long because of how unpredictable Dreadwoods can be, but that's already an improvement over remaining stationary."

Lev took that in with a nod. "What about Varun and his team. Are they already in the Pit?"

"No, they leave tomorrow," Orianna answered. "They were here a few days ago, in case the support was needed."

"Which brings me to another question I haven't asked," Lev voiced hesitantly. Orianna looked at him encouragingly, so he continued. "Just how many people are there in the third gap?"

"Other than Mel and me, only about seven," she answered without a pause. "Varun and his two teammates are above level 480, the closest to Exalted after me. A solo warrior and mage are the other two, though they rarely like to leave the Grand Forest."

"Huh. Why the forest?"

"Because of just how unexplored and unpredictable it is," Alec answered. "They stay there for the thrill and mystery, and at this point, most of our knowledge about the region comes from them."

"Right, so they just like to fight and explore," Lev nodded, understanding their motives completely. "Well, that's about as many people close to Exalted as I was expecting."

"Do you think that's a lot?" his mentor asked.

"No? Not even close," Lev answered without having to think for long.

"I see," Alec replied without elaborating further.

****

A few minutes later, Lev unlocked the door to his room. All three of his teammates seemed to be waiting for him, and the moment they heard the door open, their own doors swung wide as well.

"Come on in," he invited them to his room with a chuckle.

"Did you meet them?" Amelia started once they were inside. "Orianna and Alec, I mean."

"I did. You guys haven't?"

"Not in the past week," Kayla answered, a touch of her healing confirming that Lev hadn't mysteriously returned more injured. "They seem pretty busy."

"Hmm, well, I forgot to ask what they were doing. How are you guys doing, though? Any complications while I was unconscious?"

Putting it so bluntly was perhaps not the wisest move, as evidenced by the flat stares. Still, he just looked at them and waited.

"If you can call Hakim suddenly taking over our training a complication, then yes, shit got very complicated," Amelia mused with a smile. "That was fun."

"No it wasn't," Kayla immediately piped up. "We weren't even allowed to sleep more than five hours. Like, what the fuck?"

"It wasn't that bad," Jack answered, shrugging off the healer's glare. "We all had your buffs and the Constitution to survive the lack of sleep easily. The training, however, was much worse. It honestly felt like a continuous beatdown until the guildmaster just threw us in dungeons."

"What titles did you guys manage to get?" Lev asked, leaning forward in anticipation.

"Only four," Amelia replied, shrugging when Lev gave her a look. "Daunting steps, Slayer, Siegebreaker, and Dungeon Delver. +20 to every attribute and 10 extra from the dungeon title."

"Not bad at all," Lev nodded, happy with what they had managed. He turned to Kayla. "And how can you possibly heal the soul?"

"I, erm…" she trailed off, looking at Jack for comfort. "I'm pretty sure I chose this option because of how often you said you damaged your soul. Even right now…"

"Alright… but why are you so stressed out right now?" he asked instead. "Is it not as good as expected?"

"What? Oh no, it definitely is. I just thought you would want a stronger buffing class, because, you know…"

Lev sighed. Just what was this girl thinking? "Listen, ignoring your worries for now, do you honestly think I would want a stronger aura mage over someone who can already heal the soul? How the hell is that even possible?"

Kayla frowned, her source of uncertainty finally showing. "It's a combination of one active and two passive skills. I first have to use the buff active skill as a base, and two healing passives make it possible to send the mana through the buff skill to heal the soul, albeit just barely and without any direction. My other skills are weaker as a result, both during such healing and from the evolution in general."

"A tradeoff," Lev wondered out loud. "I don't see why it would be an issue. Already, you will save me a lot of time and pain by having such an ability at hand. Also, Kayla, your class and life are your own to lead. Never forget."

She breathed out, shoulders slumping. "I know, just…"

He waved her off. "It's not like you can predict or control an evolution. What questions did you ask?"

"Oh! Mine were about how to help you three better and how to further improve my skills during this rank. The best answer to the first was simply training my skills as hard as I can, and for the latter, The System suggested healing all manner of patients, be it for injuries or mental conditions."

"Huh, so your class will be able to heal the body, the mind, and the soul. Using Sherron's words, what a freakish class."

"Rude," she grinned, the weight firmly sliding off her shoulders. "I don't think the me choosing this class had any idea just how far it could go. Even right now, I would only choose it for you and Amelia, because this idiot is surely going to follow in your footsteps."

The swordswoman in question sent a tiny puff of fire her way. Lev was about to intervene when a barrier from Kayla quickly formed and blocked it entirely.

"It's a pretty great class," Lev said sincerely, just in case she still had some doubts. "I'm glad you chose that over more raw power."

He then looked at Jack, who just shrugged. "It's a pretty strong class, but just as straightforward. I can throw weapons reliably, and with a class rune, recall them. Otherwise, there is little to no change. The same bonuses to standing my ground, using a blunt weapon and shield combo, and a strong body enhancement active."

Lev nodded along, mentally noting everything that seemed different than before. He then turned to Amelia.

"Mine's literally the same," Amelia said, looking at her status. "The bonuses are ridiculous now, and so is the fire resistance skill. It's honestly a bit scary when comparing my class to the average Adept warrior classes."

"That good?" Lev asked with a raised brow.

She nodded. "Even Hakim thinks it's way more potent than it should've been."

"Any clue why?"

"Nope," she replied, unbothered. "It's stronger, and that's all that matters. Not like thinking about it would reveal any actual answers. I've been an oddball since birth."

Lev gave her an impassive look. "That's good to hear. We can test out the changes tomorrow after I get a good night's sleep. Before that, can you use your healing on me again?"

"The deeper one?" she asked and readied her skills.

"Yes."

The healing mana was no longer the same flavor. It was more potent, as was befitting an evolution, and also searched for injuries by itself better instead of relying solely on the healer's input.

Things became way more interesting when a buff enveloped Lev. The best he could describe it was "empty." Like a vessel for something greater, it simply touched the edges of his soul, allowing the improved healing mana to reach it.

Even then, barely any of the mana actually reached Lev's soul. Several reasons could easily be deduced from that small use, the most glaring being her lack of experience. The second most obvious reason was the low amount of mana being used, not sufficient to push more of it through the barrier.

"What have you noticed so far?" Lev asked, keeping a close eye on the process.

"We weren't able to tell much at all, actually," she replied, to his surprise. "For undamaged souls, this healing does almost nothing. What do you feel?"

"A few things," he voiced after another few seconds of silent observation. "The first is that your control doesn't reach this deep, so the mana loses all direction. Only a little bit of it reaches my soul, and at that point, the process is completely automatic.

"The only things I can imagine will help here is simply doing what The System suggested, and also using more mana to heal. Right now, the "flow" is too weak for much of it to reach my soul. If you use a larger amount, the push will likely be stronger. Other than that, I feel an empty buff. Have you tried using any of your other skills with it?"

"It's called Null buff, and yes. That is either impossible right now or it is just meant solely for healing purposes. Nothing else I've tried has shown any promise so far."