Every so often, he would stand up from the mat and execute different spear moves in the training room, going back to the mat before repeating this process.

He was beginning to build up his understanding of the possibilities his weapon could provide him.

This process continued for almost a week.

During this time, a single thought crossed Liam’s mind countless times.

‘Oh? I hadn’t thought of this.’

It meant that the unconscious shackles that he had built were being loosened. By learning Eynart’s techniques as his first proper spearmanship Skills, he had unconsciously limited his thinking to try to elaborate on them or develop them, as if they were the only possible applications of the spear at a high level. This past week had shown him otherwise. Despite the spear being a simple weapon, spearmanship wasn’t limited to his master’s understanding of it. In the end, the Active Skills that Eynart had taught him were representative of the understanding the Golem had. Liam understood this now that his horizons had been broadened.

‘We’re still on the same level. If I want to truly surpass Eynart, I’ll need to diverge from his teachings at some point.’

Liam was sitting on the mat as he thought of this. Meditating with his eyes closed, he noticed his hesitation. He wasn’t willing to part with his master’s teachings. In the end, Eynart’s death still weighed on him. It had happened too recently. Sticking to the Golem’s techniques and using his spear were Liam’s way of honoring the memory of the teacher he had killed with his own hands.

‘…I’m sorry, old man. I promise I won’t forget you.’

Nevertheless, he understood what he needed to do. To save humanity and his loved ones, he couldn’t remain tied to the past. All he could do was suppress these memories. He would handle all of it if he had the time. For now, he didn’t have room to grieve or consider the implications of leaving Eynart’s teachings behind. He needed to get as strong as possible, as quickly as possible. Nothing else mattered.

Steeling his heart and mind, Liam opened his eyes. Pure determination burned within them, but the desperation in their depths was obvious.

It was time to put the inspiration he’d gathered from browsing the Library’s techniques to the test.

Liam left the training room, heading to his Elite Squad’s ship. Just like before, he felt all sorts of gazes upon him. This time they were different. After he destroyed the forcefield, they displayed only incredulity, shock, and surprise. Now, fear and wariness were the predominant emotions. They were scared of him, who could kill his way in and out of Cinzolia practically alone. As he expected, the stories had already spread.

One could hear a pin drop wherever he passed. The Drakkhan willingly gave him space and tried to stay out of his way, while the humans would stop and bow. This was all done silently, as if they were afraid of annoying him. Liam was uncomfortable but decided to leave it alone. Trying to change things would be pointless. This was one of the consequences of his actions.

Because the crowd parted before him, Liam soon reached the ship without any issues. The hull opened as he made his way to the meeting room, having identified that the squad had gathered in there. They had likely been notified of his movements beforehand.

Pushing the doors open, Liam entered the room. All conversation died as the gazes of the other members turned to him. One looked particularly stern, while Twelve maintained his grin. As the youth stepped inside, One spoke to him, hesitation clear in his voice.

“…Are you planning on explaining anything?”

Liam shook his head.

“No. I’m sorry, One.”

The lizardman sighed before waving his hand. The squad members glanced at one another with badly-hidden disappointment. Liam smiled as he noticed that he did not feel the same wariness and fear from them as he felt from the Drakkhan on the way. It seemed that the battles they had fought together hadn’t been pointless. Twelve opened his mouth, his deep voice echoing.

“Congratulations. You have done a great job, truly. I stand in awe.”

The lizardman slightly bowed. Liam’s eyes widened before he raised his hands, as if to stop the soldier.

“Wait, please don’t act like that!”

The veteran soldier chuckled as he watched Liam’s flustered self, raising his body. One watched this happen with a pensive expression. As if he wasn’t able to hold it in anymore, he voiced his thoughts.

“So? Why have you come to us?”

Liam looked at his squad’s Captain. Right. It was time for him to tell him what he would do from now on.

“I’ve come to announce that I’ll be leaving for Cinzolia once more.”

“…”

It seemed like none of the members of his squad were surprised, but One still sighed.

“…Are you sure?”

“Yes. This time I’ll be going alone, and the time after that as well.”

The Captain’s head snapped in Liam’s direction as the Drakkhan narrowed his eyes.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said.”

“Don’t be foolish. Even if they can’t kill you, I’m sure they’ve already devised a way to handle you. You’ll end up contained or captured.”

“I’m willing to take that risk.”

One stared at him with a somber expression.

“…Why are you going so far? Is it related to what you said before about running out of time?”

“Yes, it is. I have my reasons.”

With those words, Liam turned to Twelve before One could voice more of his protests.

“Twelve, can you teach me your stealth technique before I go?”

The old Drakkhan eyed him with complex eyes before smiling.

“Sure.”

One’s gaze hopped from Liam to Twelve and then back to Liam. The Captain closed his eyes and rubbed the sides of his head, just like a human would rub their temples. Liam found the sight slightly odd, which made him grin. One was the next to speak.

“Fine. I won’t be able to stop either of you, so feel free to do whatever you want. But,” the Drakkhan straight at Liam’s eyes, “If you feel like everything over there is going south, escape as soon as possible.”

Liam’s grin became a smile as he realized the Drakkhan was speaking out of genuine worry. They hadn’t become friends or the like, but the disdain One initially held for him was nowhere to be found.

“I will.”

Nodding at the other members, Liam then left to his training room with Twelve in tow. Upon arrival, they immediately got to it as Liam sat down on the mat, facing the standing Drakkhan instead of the empty pond. With a teacher’s aura, Twelve started explaining.

“My stealth technique isn’t a technique, per se. It’s something you would have eventually learned to do yourself, but I’m glad I can help you and speed up the process. Everyone after a certain level knows how to do this.”

Liam nodded. He had found another gap in his knowledge. Even though he was massively more powerful than Twelve after increasing his stats, the Drakkhan knew something he didn’t and had even stated that beings on his level all knew how to hide their Aura. This reinforced Liam’s decision to also focus on his Skills and techniques, instead of only mindlessly increasing his stats.

“Before we begin, let me tell you that you really need to pick this up before going to Cinzolia Fortress again,” the Drakkhan eyed Liam from head to toe, “Because right now, you’re shining like a beacon.”

Liam’s brow furrowed in confusion. He replied.

“What do you mean?”

“Think of it like this. It’s as if people with higher Aura emit more energy than individuals with less Aura. To trained eyes, the higher one’s Aura, the more noticeable they are. It’s as if they were a light shining in the dark.”

Understanding dawned upon Liam as Twelve continued.

“I’m sure you’ve felt something similar. Instinctively or not, you must have been able to identify the strongest Aura user in a group before.”

Liam’s thoughts turned to how he had known that the bear beastman back in Cinzolia was the strongest of the Elite Captains surrounding him. He hadn’t stopped to consider how he knew. He simply did. Unconsciously, he nodded. Taking this as a sign to go on, Twelve proceeded.

“As for you, the energy you’re emitting right now is so obvious that you won’t be able to get within thousands of kilometers of Cinzolia without being noticed. Frankly, it’s quite surprising that you’ve managed to reach your level of power without being killed along the way. Have you never tried to hide your presence from a stronger enemy or something?”

Liam smiled awkwardly, feeling ashamed. The Drakkhan’s words made sense. In the Tutorial, Liam had truly never bothered to hide his presence from an enemy. He either fought them directly or, in the case of the Corrupted tree behemoth, ran away. Back on Earth, he had also tried escaping instead of hiding from the authorities that captured him and brought him to their laboratory. Blessed with a strong body and a powerful Personal Attribute, the only time he’d hid from something in his life was during his childhood, whenever his parents fought.

Taking Liam’s awkward smile as confirmation, Twelve shook his head.

“You might have been either too weak to be noticed or too strong to be afraid of it throughout your life, but now, things are different. Sure, you might be able to shrug off anything Cinzolia throws at you even if you’re noticed by them, but that’s not what this is about. Anyone stronger than Elite Captain-class will be able to pinpoint your location from so far away that you won’t ever be able to go unnoticed. As you grow even more powerful, this will reach a point where weaker creatures won’t be able to bear being around you.”

“I see.”

Liam nodded with a pensive expression. It made sense. None of his enemies would underestimate him since they would all be able to tell how powerful he was, while creatures weaker than him would be able to sense him and try to hide or escape before he reached them. Besides, learning to hide his power level wouldn’t hinder him in any way. There were only benefits. He raised his gaze, looking at the tall lizardman’s eyes.

“So, how do I do it?”