Chapter 116: This Is Becoming Addictive

Without hesitation, she threw her arms around him in a cheerful hug, a bright smile lighting up her face. After a moment, she pulled away and turned toward the Blood Ant. The massive creature lowered its body to the ground, allowing her to climb onto its back with ease.

Before the monster started moving, he asked Mariana, ’’What do you want to happen with your father?’’

Her amber eyes landed on him just as she answered with a big smile, ’’The fortress will lock them up if you ask. You’re the empire’s strongest hero, after all.’’

Leo watched Mariana and the Blood Ants vanish into the jungle, causing Viora to ask in a worried voice, ’’Will she be okay?’’

’’Yes, I can summon her if anything happens,’’ he replied before opening a portal to the real world.

The two of them stepped through, only to have the cold air brush up against his skin, making him shiver. Leo took out a cloak and wrapped it around himself as Viora spoke in an excited voice, ’’I’m going to sort out Richard’s goods and claim them for us. Is that okay with you?’’

’’Yes, the Silent Watchers will guard your carriages,’’ he revealed. ’’I’m going to rest until the storm stops.’’

Viora nodded in agreement before kissing him on the cheek and rushed off, causing him to smirk as a notification popped up.

[Viora Duskvale - 14>16%]

Leo settled down by the fire, casting Fireball into it with a focused motion, watching as the flames quickly roared to life, casting a warm glow into the surrounding darkness. He sat in silence, lost in thought as the hours passed.

Soon, a message from Mariana echoed in his mind through the connection to his Domain. ’’I’m resting in the treehouse, writing notes,’’ she said in a calm voice.

He pulled out a bottle of Frostpeak Ale, its coolness a welcome contrast to the warmth of the fire. Leo took long, steady gulps, the sharp taste refreshing as he stared up at the stars twinkling in the night sky.

The vastness above him seemed to stretch on forever, offering a brief escape from the world below. As exhaustion gradually settled in, he finished the ale and crawled into the tent. He pulled the blankets up, wrapping himself in their warmth.

Leo woke up the next morning to bird chirps and a monster screech from high above. Opening his eyes, he noticed the storm had stopped, causing chaos across the landscape, and was now peaceful.

Without waiting, he stepped out of the tent before sending it back to his Item Box, which surprised the surrounding guards. Leo quickly noticed Richard and some of his henchmen were tied up.

Some Silent Watchers guarded him as someone had gagged him like a hog. He started laughing when he saw this. Soon enough, Viora approached with a big smile as she revealed, ’’The caravan’s ready to move out. Just give the order and we’ll move toward the fortress.’’

Following that, he ordered them to move, and ten minutes later; they were back on the road, traveling north. Whenever any monsters appeared, Leo would use his magic to kill them without effort.

Thanks to this, he continued leveling up, unlike anyone on Thaloria. His power shocked even the Dark Goddess. A few hours later, he spotted a village in the distance as they were traveling on the main road to the Deathcore Castle.

Leo took off while heading for the settlement and saw a swarm of Goblins trying to break into the village. Without waiting, he started casting Thunderbolts and Fireballs into the monsters, causing explosions to ring out.

The shockwave sent them flying, their bodies crashing through the air like rag dolls. But as he landed in the center of the chaos, he wasted no time and unleashed California Smash, his fist exploding outward with devastating force.

His attacks tore through the Goblins, turning their bodies into chunks of meat and bone. Blood splattered across the ground as Leo stood firm, his expression unwavering as he surveyed the carnage he’d just wrought.

’I can feel myself leveling up. Fighting these things was worth it,’ he thought as his fist turned a monster’s face into blood mist.

Leo didn’t pause for a second as his excitement soared while his strikes tore through the remaining Goblins. Each blow landed with a thunderous boom, shaking the very walls of the village as the air crackled with the force of his attacks.

The ground beneath him trembled, and the creatures were obliterated one after another, their bodies littering the area. After half an hour, the goblins were all dead, their threat completely neutralized.

While standing there, he started thinking as he stared at the monster corpses, ’Now I can head for the pass and wait for the others.’

Leo stood amidst the carnage, his breathing steady, though his surroundings were now eerily silent except for the villagers cheering. Once he was done, he took off and flew toward the caravan.

The days passed by with him helping random villages and towns along the way. By the time they were within sight of the border, Mariana appeared from the Monster Domain with a stack of papers.

When Leo spotted the green-haired girl who was beaming with happiness as she spoke, ’’The Blood Ants were fascinating. There are so many of them and they keep growing stronger.’’

’’That’s good. Do you still want to stay there?’’ he asked, causing Mariana to nod with a big smile.

’’Yes!’’ she exclaimed.

This made Leo and Viora laugh, but Yvanna appeared and informed him, ’’We are a day’s journey from the frontier fortress. From there is the Death Marshes. Many monsters roam that creepy place and attack the travelers.’’

’’Really? That sounds fun,’’ he answered while stretching his arms. ’’Let’s get the caravan to the fortress, let them sell their wares while I go out hunting.’’

Following that, Leo took off and flew toward the fortress as the caravan traveled behind him as the Silent Watchers projected it. He used mana to speed up, causing a sonic boom that shook everything around him.

When he soared past the fortress, the Duskwood soldiers were shocked but they had heard the rumors and got excited as the monster attacks had worsened. Not long after that, Leo was hovering over the marsh.

Thanks to his senses, he could tell the water was full of all kinds of monsters. That’s when Leo spotted an enormous dust cloud heading down the path through the creepy landscape, only to see a swarm of creatures rushing toward the fortress.

With an excited expression, he raised his hand, summoning a crackling Thunderbolt that arced through the air and slammed into the front of the swarm. Lightning surged through the creatures, their bodies convulsing, leaving a trail of charred remains.

Before the smoke had even settled, Leo conjured a Fireball, launching it into the heart of the swarm. The explosion was deafening, flames engulfing the creatures in an inferno that turned them to ash.

He didn’t stop and continued to unleash Thunderbolt after Thunderbolt and Fireball after Fireball, each blast clearing a path through the tide of monsters, leaving nothing but smoldering corpses in his wake.

Leo noticed some were still alive and quickly swooped down while landing several blows on the baffled creatures. His California Smashes caused utter devastation by wiping out hundreds of monsters thanks to its power.

’This is becoming addictive,’ he thought, his blue eyes gleaming with excitement. ’But at least this journey will pay off in the end.’

The ground started shaking and the soldiers back at the fortress felt it. Leo was enjoying himself as he felt himself leveling up with each monster’s death. Following that, he continued attacking as booms sent dozens of them flying all over the place.

Leo fought for a couple of hours until he destroyed the horde. He was breathing heavily before he started walking toward the fortress, which took him a while thanks to using too much mana that strained his body.

By the time he reached the gates, he told them his going to escort the caravan before returning. When Viora saw him, a big smile appeared as she spoke in a cheerful voice, ’’I guess you had fun?’’

’’Yes, there was a horde of monsters heading straight for the fortress,’ Leo answered while sitting on the carriage beside her. ’’They would have cut us off and caused a problem for the caravan.’’

With the guards exhausted and in need of rest, they set up camp for the night. Leo, ever vigilant, ensured their safety by casting a Mana Barrier that enveloped the entire camp, a shimmering protective shield that would keep any monsters at bay.

As the barrier pulsed with energy, he settled down, knowing the camp was secure for the time being. After that was done, Leo set up his tent after telling the Silent Watchers to rest for the night.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read