The silvery light of the Moon washed over the forest, the hour well beyond midnight.
Ruel was heading back to Grayland when he realized over six hours had passed since he left.
Initially, he thought he had spent less than three, but apparently, within that Void, time moves extremely slow.
To avoid suspicion, he had ditched the armor he got from his house in Enma, and wore the cloak Muriel previously bought.
With the cloak's passive skill of concealment, enhanced by the night sky, Ruel was able to pass the nearby monsters without engaging.
He only engaged with weaker monsters a few times when it was the optimal choice.
To add to his defense, he had bought a sword of rare rank—the third lowest rank—from the Enma shop.
The sword was plain looking, having a silver blade and black hilt, so it didn't stand out.
It had a few effects that Ruel didn't really pay attention to right now.
Seeing how monsters were closer to the town, he was worried about how they were handling it, especially in the dead of the night.
Soon, he got closer to the forest's edge where he heard clangs and grunts, saw a few flashes of light, and perceived the smell of blood.
With his five senses now heightened, he quickly got a hold of the situation.
"I smell blood. Most belong to monsters, but there are some humans too.
"They should be attacking from the wall, so I should be behind the monsters."
Having all that information in mind, he told Muriel to stay hidden in her incorporeal form, while he handled it.
Breaking through the trees, he spotted the enemy: cow-sized rabbits, eyes glowing purple, fur dark and slick with blood, bounding across the moonlit field
Using body enhancements, he moved around and started attacking them from behind.
As a scout, he was quite nimble and so he used a hit-and-run tactic to cause discord amongst the rabbits.
Then he approached the town walls, where several figures retreated too, seeing a new figure appear.
Opening the cover of his cloak to reveal his identity, he yelled:
"Shoot!"
Immediately, he darted back into the grassfields and used the skill, Gravity Control, to pressure all the rabbits in the surroundings.
He didn't put too much power to pressure them compared to the two-headed snake, but the range he covered this time was more.
One by one, the creatures halted, their muscles twitching under an unseen force.
The grass around them bent under the sudden weight, and the only sound was the low thrum of strained bodies refusing to fall.
"They're not moving? Shoot!" the captain, who stood not too far from Ruel, instructed those standing on the wall.
Grayland had more archers than any other and with their target moving less now, they soon brought down the monsters.
Ruel, almost low on mana, forced himself not to fall as he looked to one of the men that was staying near the foot of the walls.
It was a man with black hair, a V-shaped hairline, an anchor beard, and sharp brown eyes.
The man was currently glaring at Ruel, making Ruel say:
"Captain, what a fine night, it is?"
Clicking his tongue, the captain replied, "Follow me!"
'Here comes the hard part,' Ruel muttered as he looked around, confirming there were no monsters.
After, he went to the small gate positioned nearby, the Captain walking a few meters forward.
There, he met people he knew and said, "Be careful with the carcass, guys!"
The guys in question were young men between the ages 20-25, and they all had a tired look as if they had been busy for a while now.
"Where were you?"
"Everyone was worried!"
"You have a lot of explaining to do, man."
Ruel merely gave a dry chuckle, ignoring their questions, while he felt the stare of the captain.
He made his way to the guard station, specifically, the Captain's office.
Most of the warriors were busy gathering carcasses, handling the injured, preparing traps, or keeping watch, so this place was mostly empty.
The Captain's office was small, made of wood. There was a desk positioned close to the center, at its back was a leather chair, and at its front were two wooden chairs.
It wasn't Ruel's first time here, but today the atmosphere felt far more tense as the three individuals present were all glaring at him.
Aside from the Captain, there was the Community leader, Alan, a man in his early 40s.
He was tall and lean, with silver streaked hair and he had a calm, commanding gaze.
The third person present was the Town's Blacksmith, Eden.
In his late 30s, he was muscular and soot marked, with tied-back hair and steady warm eyes.
"Hum, am I interrupting something?" Ruel asked with a nervous laugh.
"Kid, where were you?" Eden asked calmly.
"You can't imagine how worried your mother was!" Alan added.
"Eh… I dropped a note saying I'll be back…" Ruel tried to defend himself, but they all shot an even more intense glare at him, making him apologize.
"You shouldn't act like that anymore, you're a man now." Eden said.
"Yes, boss." Ruel immediately shifted the topic. "Boss, why are you here? I've rarely seen you leave the smith."
"The situation needed all hands on deck," Eden replied with a tired smile.
"Didn't you sense that thick wave of mana from the forest?" Alan said.
"Well–" Ruel was about to state an explanation he had formed until the Captain eventually spoke.
"Ruel, why did you leave for the forest?" he asked, and added after a pause, "And what happened to you? You… are stronger."
"Stronger?" Alan, who was the weakest, tried to note a difference. He hadn't been in battle so he knew less.
Eden, on the other hand, took control of commanding while Captain Alaric took the frontlines, so he also knew less.
However, he did notice a change.
"Indeed. You are stronger." The muscular man stood from his seat and walked closer to Ruel, gripping his upper arm. "Even your body is more defined."
"Ah, about that…" Ruel tried explaining.
Alaric cut in once again. "Were you responsible for the mana surge?"
"Responsible?" Alan was trying hard to understand.
While Eden glanced up at Ruel and awaited an answer.
"I was," Ruel admitted.
"What is going on?" Alan blurted out.
"Let me explain…" Ruel said. "Last night, I felt a surge of energy building inside me—like I was about to burst…"
To summarize what he told them, Ruel said he felt like he should go into the forest to release that energy, but it ended up refining him and his talent.
"...It seems like my worries were valid, as the chain reactions that would have occurred would have been less beneficial."
"That's true. The weaker monsters headed to the town, not because we're lucky, but because the stronger ones chased them as they searched for the energy source," Alaric said in understanding.
"So your talent grew stronger? I've heard of it, but I never thought it was possible!" Eden chuckled and patted Ruel's back. "As expected of you to break your limits!"
Alaric smiled and gave his own comment. "Nice one, young man."
Ruel chuckled as he said, "There are many more things worth celebrating right now."
Alan, ever skilled in understanding hidden messages, took note of a statement Ruel said and his actions.
Why is Ruel's joy not high for someone who was so anticipative? He wondered.
"What are the chain reactions you speak of? How will they be less beneficial?"
At this point, Ruel smiled.
"Now, for the good part—you'll never believe what I saw."