The morning after the snowstorm passed, the advance began. Each team packed their gear, and a handful of prisoners were pressed into service as porters. It was the first step in the process of reducing the number of monsters down.1

“Opening the gates!”0

Grrrrrrrrk—0

With a cry, the deep, grinding groan of interlocking gears reverberated through the air as Rekordak’s immense gates slowly parted. Beyond them, Yulie, Epherene, Drent, and Allen—each of the named characters—began their advance forward.2

Not everyone was needed for the mission; someone had to remain behind to guard the main camp. Therefore, from halfway up the mountainside that wound around Rekordak’s right flank, I watched them depart.0

Also, the Northern Region brimmed with mana, its concentration and density heightened by the endless expanse of trees that cloaked the land. It was, without a doubt, the ideal place to refine and master magical abilities.0

I created a chair from the rugged mountainside and settled into it, releasing a slow, measured breath.0

It was a training known as the mastery of the heart’s essence, and its purpose, for the time being, was to complete Memorize.0

◆ Memorize Status: 0

  : Intermediate Telekinesis (36%)0

┏Intermediate Fire Control...0