Chapter 74: Encountering the red-hair, again. Another explosion occurred, this one powerful enough that Moon felt the shockwave ripple through the air even from this distance. So there’s a fire mage involved, Moon thought, analyzing the explosion’s characteristics. Probably a group of awakeners based on the variety of sounds. He gently tapped Mirage’s side, signaling the horse to slow and eventually stop. They were about two hundred meters away from the action now. Moon couldn’t quite see any of the combatants involved in the fight just yet. Trees and terrain obscured direct line of sight. But he could smell the burnt wood and vegetation carried on the wind. He could see the fires the explosions had caused, flames climbing up the trees and spreading through dry undergrowth. Smoke rose in thick columns, visible above the canopy. This battle was no joke. The scale of destruction suggested either a very powerful beast or multiple high-level awakeners engaged simultaneously. Moon dismounted carefully, leaving Mirage behind some cover. "Stay here. Don’t make noise." Moon wasn’t worried about Mirage being hunted whilst he checked out the front line. Such high scale fights would only attract the strongest of monsters, who wouldn’t waste their time on Mirage. As for the weaker monsters? They would flee from the area, not wanting to be collateral damage to whoever was fighting. Moon moved forward on foot, using trees and rocks as concealment, his steps silent and his presence suppressed. Silver Skin activated automatically as a precaution, if he walked into a dangerous situation, he wanted every advantage available. The sounds grew clearer as he approached. The unmistakable screech of a large beast in fury, metal striking against tough scales. Moon reached a vantage point behind a cluster of boulders and finally got a clear view of the battlefield. His eyes widened slightly at what he saw. Before him stood a group of awakeners fighting a large Dugbog. [Dugbog] [Level: 23] 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺 [Details: Resembles dead wood when stationary, making it a formidable ambush predator. Possesses finned paws for movement and sharp teeth capable of crushing bone. Glides through marshland and forest floors with surprising speed. Feeds on most animals and occasionally attacks humans who venture into its habitat. Not naturally hostile to humans like most beasts, but becomes extremely aggressive when threatened or cornered. Rare specimens can manipulate wood and vegetation, bending it to their will for both offense and defense.] The Dugbog before Moon was clearly one of those rare specimens. Roots erupted from the ground at its command, tree branches lashed out like whips, and wooden spikes shot toward the awakeners from multiple angles simultaneously. Its control over the surrounding vegetation was strong and relentless, creating a battlefield where the forest itself had become an enemy of the awakeners fighting it. But what made Moon’s eyes widen wasn’t the beast itself, it was the group of awakeners fighting it. He never expected to meet these people again, at least in the First Sanctuary. This world was vast after all, and after being away for three months in the hidden realm, they could have been anywhere by now. His thoughts drifted back to the time he’d joined Derek’s group and gone hunting with Selene and the others in those early days. They’d stumbled across this very group of awakeners during their first hunting expedition together. The way Derek and the others had spoken about them in a reverent, almost fearful tone, as if they were like stars that they could only look up to, but never touch. They were people born into power and groomed for greatness from birth. Kael Glassey, Moon thought, his eyes fixing on the most prominent figure in the group. A prodigy amongst the new cycle of awakeners. Reached level ten within days according to rumors. Has a powerful fire-related class. The son of one of the Second Sanctuary’s most influential business families or better put, factions. Kael stood out immediately amongst the group without even trying. His long red hair, vivid as fresh blood, fell to his shoulders in perfect waves. He wore flowing robes that matched his hair perfectly, the fabric clearly enchanted based on the visible factors such as the resistance to the debris and ash filling the air around the battlefield. Of course, Moon wasn’t foolish enough to believe that this was the only ability of the robe. Just like his, it must have a few. That’s at least an A-rank robe. Moon thought to himself, his eyes narrowing. Wearing a B-plus rank robe himself, Moon had developed some knowledge about magical equipment, at least those in the First Order ranking. He could instantly tell that Kael’s robe was far superior to his own. The robe easily crossed the one million dollar mark, that was something that Moon was almost certain of. The aloof expression Moon remembered from their brief encounter remained on Kael’s face, unchanged despite the significant obstacle they currently faced. He fought with immense focus, his fire magic was devastatingly powerful and his movements were accurate and efficient. It was as if nothing else mattered but the hunt itself. He wasn’t trying to impress any of the awakeners present like some would, he just wanted to kill the beast before him. A massive fireball erupted from Kael’s hands, and Moon instantly recognized something different about it. He has a powerful variant of the fire mage class. The fireball struck the Dugbog’s wooden constructs and incinerated them, turning manipulated roots and branches into ash before they could complete their attacks. The sheer thermal output was immense, clearing space for Kael’s teammates to get closer to the Dugbog. SCREECH! BOOM! The explosions left behind his attacks were noticeably stronger than Moon’s own fireballs. The crater they created were deeper, the residual flames hotter and longer-lasting. This was one of the inherent advantages that single-element specialists had over multi-element users. Their classes were designed for depth rather than breadth, sacrificing versatility for more power in their inherent element. The class Moon had copied from Selene—Elemental Mage—was incredibly powerful, but not because of pure destructive output but because of its versatility. Being able to use fire, earth, water, and wind meant having tools for virtually any situation. Multi-Element magers were able to exploit elemental weaknesses in beasts. Creating combination attacks that single-element users couldn’t replicate with their elements. Of course, Moon’s ability to evolve his [Four Element Affinity] to [Epic-rank Five Element Affinity], combined with upgrading [Elemental Attack] to Uncommon rank, had significantly boosted the class’s offensive capabilities beyond what Selene herself could achieve. His attacks hit harder than typical multi-element mages because his skill ranks were simply superior. But Kael’s class was different. It was a unique, specialized fire class that provided maximize thermal damage and explosive force. Every point of mana he invested into fire magic returned greater output than a generalist could ever achieve. That alone didn’t fully explain the power difference Moon was observing, though. His level is high too. Moon could also tell that Kael was approaching level twenty-five. The amount of mana he was spending suggested his mana pool was substantially larger. His movement speed, reaction time, the way he dealt with the battlefield’s tempo, everything about him indicated he was at least level twenty-three, perhaps even twenty-four.