211 Breakthrough (1)
They ate and chatted about many things, but those adventurers tried their best to hide about what they were doing.
But even though they were trying to do that, Arthur told that he stayed with them for a while, saying that one of them looked like his grandson who he did not seen in years.
Everyone thought Arthur was just a crazy old man, but Signy knew it was not the case. Someone on a level she could not even see it will be incredible. There was no way a strong mage would be mentally ill, as the field of magic had the answers to many problems.
There was no way they could send Arthur away, and seeing how he did not mind the things they were doing, only walking with them to have some company, they let it be.
What could Arthur possibly do? He was not trying to harm them, and even protected them when things got too dangerous.
“Is it a good idea to bring him along with us?”
“We have no choice, and he is still helping us. Perhaps he will come in handy when we got there.”
“True. That place is dangerous, and with that strong old man around, we have a better chance of surviving.”
Arthur had left their group for a quick pee in the bush, but he still heard everything they said.
He had to win the trust of those adventurers, and Arthur was genuinely wanting to help them.
“They are good people that are heading to a dangerous location. What a pity. I hope nothing bad will happen to them.”
“All right, everyone, let’s sleep.”
Four tents, one for each one of them. There was none for Arthur, but he did not mind at all.
“Arthur, where will you sleep?” Signy said.
She was the only person who feared him after he saw through her powers as if it was nothing.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Arthur was a powerful mage, so building a simple house from scratch was not a big deal. With a wave of his hands, the ground beneath his feet moved, getting the shape of a square. Then, he entered inside of it, and close it shut.
“Now let me put this, and that, and maybe this.”
After the countless travels Arthur had to do, a lot of useful furniture was inside his magical pouches. So, even though he was in a house made from the ground, there was still a decent bed for him, and with the help of his magic, illuminating the place was no problem, either.
Not the most luxurious of places, but it was good considering he spent seconds building it. It was enough to keep the mosquitoes away during the night.
The others from the group who did not know Arthur was also a mage were shocked.
“He is a mage! Signy, what realm is he? Are you stronger?” Helga said.
Signy looked down and said, “I cannot tell his power, but I can safely say he is unfathomable.”
That sentence made everyone there shocked. How could that old man be so strong? Not even Signy, who was a fifth circle mage, could tell what his power was.
Helga was even more shocked than those two. They were fourth circle mages, but they had similar power to them because of their body training. She knew how hard was to go from the fourth circle to the fifth.
“How would they react once they discover I was in the ninth circle? Well, I am almost at the tenth, and I am sure I will reach it within two days.” Arthur thought.
There was not a single day he did not practice his meditation technique, and that made him advance quickly through the mage ranks. He was almost at the tenth circle, which was the highest one could get before finally achieving the status of an official mage.
Arthur did not need to sleep, so he spent the entire night meditating, waiting for the group of adventurers to leave.
~~~~
The next morning started with them trying to make almost no sound and leave Arthur behind, not because they did not like him, but because of the secret location they were heading to.
Arthur saw their every move, and let them unpack everything without giving a sign of life, which gave them a feeling of hope. But the moment they walked away, Arthur waved his hand and the temporary house disappeared.
“Youngsters, don’t leave this old man behind! How will I survive alone in the middle of this forest?”
The group rolled their eyes after hearing that, and then turned around to look at Arthur, having a smile on their faces.
“We have just finished packing up. Come, let’s go.”
There was no way they would tell ‘hey, we were leaving without you old man,’ but they also knew Arthur knew that was what they were doing.
With a loud laugh, Arthur heeled them behind, watching their every move.
The journey continued for two days. They were all around a campfire, eating, just like they did every night, but then Arthur got up and said, “I have to leave for now, but don’t worry, I will find you.”
They all stared at him, and when they blinked, he was not there anymore. Arthur used his teleport to leave the campfire.
It happened out of a sudden, and no one understood the reason behind it, but Arthur knew what it was; level up!
He had meditated every day, and finally broke through the tenth circle, the apex before the official mage rank. The reason for him to leaving so soon was because of what George said to him.
A mage that reaches the tenth circle would cause a commotion to the surrounding area during the breakthrough, and as Arthur was both a dragon and a Monlog Giant, then the commotion would be fiercer than normal mages.
For that reason, he had to leave that group of adventurers and break through somewhere far from them.
He was not dumb. Before he left, Arthur waved his hand and placed a secret mark on Signy, who heard a voice inside her mind.
“I will be absent for some time, but with this mark, I will know your location. Don’t share this with them, or you will die.”
“The reason for me meeting you was not a coincidence. I want something in the land of the giants, and I heard you can help me get there.”
“If you agree to help me, I will protect you at the best of my capabilities, and help you break through to the sixth circle, or perhaps to the seventh circle, if I am in a good mood.”
“See ya!”
That was the message Signy heard. Arthur tried to threaten her, but what if she did not buy it? Then he would have to kill those people who did not deserve it, and he could not find the land of the giants.
For that reason, Arthur offered her something she would do anything to achieve. Signy had seen the prowess Arthur had since the first time he uncovered her level of power with just a glance, and now after disappearing without leaving a trace, plus putting a mark on her, all within a second.
“Could he be… an eighth circle mage?” Signy thought.
That was a wild guess she had, but if she knew the truth, then her mind would blow.
Arthur kept using his teleport like a madman, trying to find the most desert place he could. No matter where he went, there were people nearby. It had to be a place where no one would pass, no matter what happened.
He was not sure how long it would take for him to breakthrough, but a few days was expected, so it had to be a suitable spot.
Time was ticking, and after every second that passed, Arthur felt he was closer to the breakthrough, which meant he would have to stop where ever he was.
Then he saw it. It was a type of lake, and inside of it was a cave where a beast lived.
Arthur could not care less about it, and simply rushed inside of it.
The cave was formed in a way that the insides had no water at all. When Arthur entered it, flying like a madman, the beast that lived inside quickly realized someone was invading its space.
A loud howl, and an immense sea lion appeared, staring at Arthur. It did not attack immediately, as it felt a mysterious power coming from Arthur.
“Can you understand me?”
Arthur used his magical power to speak with the beast mentally, using the common language most intelligent beasts knew. It worked.
“I can. Why are you invading my area?”
“This is an urgency. I will only use a part of your cave for a few days, and after that, I will leave this for good.”
“Fine.”
The sea lion agreed to it instantly, so Arthur flew to the deeper parts of that cave and entered seclusion.