"Hmm? What's wrong?"
Alanton sucked a cold breath. 'I have seen him fighting, but not at this level. Did he hold back at that time? I believed he only used one Spirit Ability when he killed the demons that attacked us whether they were Low Level Demon or Mid Level Demon. Is he trying to show that he doesn't need to use more Spirit Ability to calm me down?'
'How many Spirit Abilities he used earlier? I think there are four Spirit Abilities he used in rapid succession. How many months since he first started training his spirit? To think he was already at this level.' Elsa sucked a cold breath. She never expected someone to have many Spirit Abilities after training for a few months. She thought Noel needed a year or so and even then, he would be considered a talented guy.
Unlike the two, Ilzen was more focused on the sword itself. 'What a magnificent battle. His swordsmanship is already good enough, but his physical ability is quite low. He doesn't seem to be strengthening his muscle with Spiritual Energy, so that must be the reason. But other than that, his martial prowess is already at the level of full-fledged knight.'
Noel didn't know their confusion, so he asked, "What's wrong? Seriously."
"Ahem." Ilzen coughed to recover from his shock and explained, "We're just surprised from your performance. If it's possible, may I know how many Spirit Abilities do you have, Young Master?"
"Hmm…" Noel looked up, counting inwardly. 'Ardagan gives me four Sword Abilities and three Fire Abilities. Heisk has three Ice Abilities. Should I also include Runes and Spirit Techniques?'
Noel shook his head. "Well, I don't like to answer that question."
"I understand. I'll respect your privacy." Ilzen nodded. It seemed he had to report to his grandfather about Noel having many Spirit Abilities. He would surely be shocked by the news.
"Anyway, let's go. We don't have too much time to spare. If possible, I want to finish the mission and report it within two days. Do you think it's possible?" Noel asked.
"Yes, certainly. We'll finish the mission today, set a camp, and return tomorrow."
"Sounds good." Noel nodded in agreement. They immediately picked up their pace, climbing the hill.
There were many demons coming toward them, but Noel didn't ignore a single of them. He told them that they could absorb the Demon Crystals from the Demons they killed, since he was doing the same thing. But Ilzen didn't plan to become stronger, so he gave his shares to Noel.
It took them a whole five hours to finally reach the peak. At the top, Noel found the river that separated the two countries due to the huge gap between trees.
It seemed the Advanced Level Demons stayed near there, so they just had to cross the forest and followed the river until they found the demons.
As expected, the closer they were to the river, the more demons roaming the area. It seemed the Advanced Level Demon were ruling them for their own purpose.
"By the way, how many Advanced Level Demons are we going to face? And what are they?"
"There are four Advanced Level Demons. A bull standing on two feet, a fox, and two chickens." Ilzen answered without hesitation.
"I see. If that's the case, I'll take on the bull demon. I want Ilzen to handle the chickens and Alanton to kill the fox. Do you think it's possible?"
"Shouldn't be a problem." Ilzen agreed without hesitation, not questioning the reason why Elsa wasn't included.
Of course, Elsa didn't have much experience on a battlefield, so she asked, "How about me, Young Master?"
"Elsa will stop all the demons that will help the Advanced Level Demons."
"I apologize but I don't think I'm qualified to stop the demons that will come from all directions."
"What if we use the river to close one direction? Even if there are demons coming from the water, it won't be as many. All three of us should be able to handle them."
"There's no problem." Ilzen nodded with a smile, satisfied with Noel's judgment. It seemed that he was a wise young man.
"Yes, I can manage for a few minutes." Elsa confirmed while clenching her fists, getting excited.
"In that case, let's not waste our time." Alanton smiled.
"Yeah, let's go." Noel led the group toward the river, killing as many demons as possible to thin their numbers. Of course, they had to make sure they didn't waste too much Spiritual Energy to avoid getting exhausted in the middle of the battle.
As soon as they reached the rivers, some demons came out of the water to attack them, but they easily destroyed them. Ilzen was far too strong as he took care a third of the demons without breaking a sweat. He could actually deal with all of them, but he simply gave the opportunity for Noel and the others to experience their own battles.
After crossing the river for a while, they suddenly heard a loud ruckus.
*Boom!*
*Boom!*
*Roar!*
"This is…" Ilzen noticed this roar. "Young Master, it seems that our target is near. This roar comes from that bull. Be careful, he's a powerful demon holding a huge tree as his weapon."
"I understand." Noel immediately followed the roar's direction and found demons sitting next to each other as if they were able to communicate.
To understand them better, Noel came closer since he only felt their presence earlier. And as he expected, the four demons were the ones they had been searching for.
Noel gave a thumbs up, confirming their existences. Ilzen also confirmed it with his trained senses.
But as expected, they couldn't underestimate the demons' instinct and hearing. They noticed Noel's group before they could ambush them.
"They're coming!" Since there was no point in hiding anymore, Noel shouted, alarming the team.
Alanton took out a few coins while Elsa grabbed all the Demon Crystals she could fit in one hand.
"There is a chance that they'll be working together, so be careful." Ilzen stated while unsheathing his sword, stepping forward to stop them first.
"Got it." Noel also pulled out his sword and wrapped his body with Spiritual Energy. This would be the second time he fought against an Advanced Level Demon.
