Scias's mana had replenished overnight, but his ambition remained unsatisfied.
"One more level," he muttered, checking his status.
'Why is there no indication to see how far from the next level I am,' Scias thought bitterly.
"I want to see what this class awakening is all about," he said.
Vel perched on a nearby branch, preening his rainbow feathers.
Through their connection, he projected curiosity mingled with caution—images of the Flame Salamander that claimed their Nightwind kill.
"I know," Scias agreed, "we can't risk another situation like that. Fighting one monster only to have another swoop in afterward is unexceptable."
Vel's mental response carried impressions of smaller creatures—Water Hares and Grass Crawlers. He dismissed them as weaklings that they shouldn't bother with.
Then he sent an image of larger beasts they'd observed—the serpent that had nearly killed Scias, the Flame Salamander. Here he changed his impression to caution and hints of fear.
"You're right. Either too weak or too strong," Scias replied firmly. "We need something just right—challenging enough to give substantial experience, but not so powerful that it might kill us."
They continued traveling southward, Vel soaring high above the threes while Scias navigated through the ground, both scouting for suitable prey.
Every few minutes, Vel would relay what he saw—herds of herbivores too weak to bother with, a pair of Nightwinds they wisely avoided, clusters of boar-like monsters digging through forest soil.
By midday, frustration gnawed at Scias.
"Nothing," he grumbled, settling beneath a broad oak to rest.
Vel descended, landing on a low branch. His mental imagery showed a pattern they hadn't noticed before—stronger monsters dominated certain territories while weaker ones claimed others. The distribution wasn't random but followed some natural hierarchy.
They pressed on, more strategic now, moving along the edges where monster territories seemed to overlap.
Yet hours passed without suitable targets. When they encountered a pair of smaller Flame Salamanders than the one they'd seen before, they wisely avoided them.
Even if they were smaller and weaker, they were still too strong for them.
As the crimson sun began to descend toward the horizon, Scias set up a small camp in a defensible position against a big rock while Vel was still in the air, observing, searching.
Scias resigned himself to another day without progress when, suddenly, he received information from Vel—four rat-like creatures appeared seemingly out of nowhere in a clearing almost half a league away.
Each monster was the size of a wolf, with sleek gray fur and unusually long tails that ended in razor-sharp points.
'Where did they come from?' Scias wondered, receiving Vel's bewilderment in return—one moment the clearing was empty, the next these creatures were there.
Most importantly, Vel conveyed his assessment: these rats were slightly weaker than themselves. Not significantly, but enough to give them an advantage.
"Perfect," Scias whispered. "But there are four of them. And we don't know anything about them."
"They are likely on a hunt. Let's wait and see how they fight," Scias conveyed his thoughts to Vel.
Vel projected agreement along with his intention to stalk and observe.
"Exactly what I was thinking," Scias replied.
Vel continued following them from the sky while Scias remained at camp, their mental link allowing him to witness everything his familiar observed.
The rats moved with eerie coordination, taking turns scanning their surroundings.
'On a hunt,' Scias thought.
His assessment proved correct when the rats suddenly froze, then shifted into an attack formation.
Through Vel's eyes, Scias watched them surround a massive tusked creature—a boar-like monster with amber-colored protrusions and stocky build.
The boar sensed danger, stomping its hooves and charging the nearest rat. But the rats' coordination was flawless.
As the boar committed to its charge, two rats flanked it, their tails whipping forward to slice at its hamstrings.
When the injured boar pivoted to face this new threat, the other two attacked from behind, one leaping onto its back while the other darted beneath to tear at its belly.
The battle was brief and brutal. The boar collapsed, blood pooling beneath its massive form.
It tried to rise once more before failing, its legs giving out as life faded from its eyes.
'Only physical attacks, no magic. But still, they're formidable,' Scias thought, impressed despite the lack of magic.
'If they can take down something like that... Perhaps they didn't use magic because they didn't need to? And not because they can't?' Scias pondered. 'Better to keep watching.' he decided.
What happened next was even more intriguing. The rats didn't feast immediately.
Instead, they worked together to drag their kill, considerably larger than any of them, across the forest.
They moved with purpose, clearly heading toward a specific destination.
Vel followed at a safe distance, a high vantage point keeping him hidden from the rats' keen senses.
After nearly half a league, close to the spot where they first noticed them, the rats approached what appeared to be an ordinary hillside overgrown with vines and shrubs.
One rat separated from the group, approaching the hillside and scratching at the vines, moving them aside.
To Vel and Scias's astonishment, a dark tunnel entrance emerged.
The rats dragged their kill inside, and the vines slowly covered the entrance behind them.
"What a good hideout!" Scias exclaimed.
'No wonder they seemingly appeared from thin air,' he continued thinking.
Vel circled the area carefully, examining the hidden entrance from various angles.
Through their connection, Scias received detailed imagery—a tunnel entrance roughly five feet high, sloping downward into darkness.
The surrounding area showed signs of regular use—subtle paths through the undergrowth, small scrapes on nearby trees.
Most importantly, Vel detected the faint smell of numerous rats, suggesting a significant nest underground.
He landed on a distant tree overlooking the hidden entrance, maintaining vigilant watch while transmitting everything to Scias.
The nest's camouflage was great. Only by knowing exactly where to look could one spot the entrance hidden by vines and bushes, blending with the surroundings perfectly.
A plan began to form in Scias's mind. Four rats, potentially much more hidden in the nest, individually weaker than himself, multiple mana cores for Vel, and likely enough experience to reach level ten.
All they needed was the right strategy to overcome the rats' superior numbers and coordination.
In the gathering darkness, Vel remained motionless on his branch, rainbow feathers dimmed to shadow hues, watching as more rats returned to the nest—two pairs dragging smaller prey, three individuals returning empty-handed.
The nest was active and well-defended.
"The rats appear to be nocturnal creatures," Scias said. "I think it will be best to attack them during the day. Let's rest and tomorrow we'll think of a strategy."
Vel chirped in agreement.
* * *
Dawn's first light found Scias and Vel already circling the hillside at a safe distance. Vel soared overhead, his keen eyes searching for any movement while Scias carefully examined the surrounding terrain.
"We need to know if there are other entrances," Scias communicated through their bond.
"I don't want to attack from one side only to find they can escape from another."
Throughout the morning, they mapped the area.
Vel discovered two additional entrances—one hidden beneath a fallen log, another disguised within a thorny thicket.
Scias marked each location mentally, noting their positions relative to the first entrance they found.
As midday approached, the nest remained quiet. Occasionally a rat emerged, sniffed the air, then retreated back inside.
Vel counted them—never more than one outside at a time, suggesting the bulk of the colony slept during daylight hours.
Nightfall brought increased activity.
Scias watched from concealment as hunting parties departed and returned. He counted seventeen rats total, organized in groups of two to four.
By morning, their plan took shape.
Scias would seal two exits with earth magic. He would create pits with spikes all around the open entrance. Once done, they would smoke the rats out, forcing them to emerge in a panicked state where they could pick them off one by one.
At midday the next day, they waited for rats to come outside from each entrance and check the surroundings.
The creatures emerged one by one, their whiskers twitching as they scanned the clearing before retreating back into the darkness.
Scias exchanged a mental nod with Vel. He covered himself in dirt to mask his scent.
"Now," he signaled, and they went to work.
Scias approached the secondary entrances first, kneeling beside the hidden tunnel beneath the fallen log. He pressed his palms to the ground, channeling mana through his hands. The earth responded, collapsing and filling the passage completely.
He repeated the process with the thorn-concealed entrance, sealing it with a big amount of compressed soil.
Next came the pits.
Scias concentrated on a patch of ground near the main entrance, attempting to create a deep hollow, but found himself struggling.
Scias felt tremendous resistance while trying to convert the earth into mana.
'Hmm,' he hummed.
'It still doesn't work,' Scias thought back to his training where he tried something similar.
'I guess I'm too weak?'
Scias stopped his meaningless struggles and started removing soil to create the pits.
The ground began to move as Scias willed. Soon first pit was created.
The dug soil was turned into condensed earth spikes that Scias placed to the bottom of the pit.
He covered his deadly creation with a thin crust of soil—just enough to look solid while being unable to support any weight.
Working diligently, he created several traps all around the main entrance.
Each pit was carefully positioned to catch the rats as they fled their smoked nest.
Afterward, Scias stepped back to survey his handiwork, the traps invisible to the untrained eye.
Scias's mana reserves were running low as he finished the last trap.
The sun had begun its descent, painting the forest in amber hues.
"I would like to recover some mana, but we can't wait," he communicated to Vel. "Night's almost here. They'll all be awake soon."
Vel swooped down, landing on a nearby branch. His feathers ruffled with anticipation. "Ready when you are," he transmited.
With practiced movement, Scias silently approached the main entrance. Thick vines and bushes partially obscuring the opening.
Drawing his knife, he carefully cut through the vegetation, peeling it away to reveal the dark tunnel.
Taking a deep breath, Scias gathered his mana. Fire bloomed in his palms—not a spell he used often, but effective.
He cast the flames into the entrance, where they set the cut vines and bushes on fire, spreading rapidly.
"Now, Vel!"
Vel took flight, positioning himself above the burning entrance. His wings beat powerfully as he channeled wind magic, creating a concentrated wind blasts that pushed smoke deep into the tunnels.
The fire grew hotter and brighter, fed by Vel's wind.
The first squeals came moments later—high-pitched and frantic.
Scias remained motionless, listening as the sounds multiplied. The rats were waking up, panicking.
Through their connection, Scias felt Vel's concentration. His familiar maintained the wind current, forcing more smoke down into the nest's depths.
A commotion erupted from inside.
Unable to use the blocked entrances, they were rushing through the last entrance where the smoke was comming from.
The sounds of bodies scraping against each other, the scratch of claws on dirt.
Scias could picture them, the rats at the back pushing forward, driving those nearest the entrance closer to the flames.
One rat appeared at the edge of the fire, its fur singed, eyes wild with terror. It hesitated, squealing as bodies pressed against it from behind. Then, with a final desperate push from its fellows, it tumbled into the flames.
Its shriek cut through the evening air as fire consumed its fur. Burning and blind with pain, it bolted forward, past the flames and straight toward one of the traps.
The ground gave way. The rat fell in, its scream cut short as spikes pierced its body.
Like a broken dam, rats poured from the burning entrance. They scattered in all directions, some falling immediately into the hidden pits, others making it further before Scias raised walls of earth to block and guide them.
"Left side!" Scias shouted through their mental link.
Vel responded instantly, sending wind blades slicing three rats attempting to escape the traps, making them change direction to the traps.
Suddenly, blue text appeared in Scias's vision:
[System Notice:
Level 9 → Level 10
Congratulations!
You can now awaken a class.]
A smile flickered across Scias's face, quickly replaced by concentration. There was no time to celebrate.
Scias felt his mana reserves dwindling.
He focused only on defense, raising earth barriers to guide the panicked creatures toward the traps.
Two rats charged directly at him. With a quick gesture, he raised a small ridge of earth, sending them tumbling into a waiting pit.
The squeals grew fewer, the flow of rats diminishing. Vel continued his assault, precise wind blades cutting and slicing. If the wind blades didn't kill, they forced the rats into their traps.
Three more rats had emerged, larger than the others.
Vel dove, wings folded back, becoming a living projectile. His beak pierced a rat's skull while his wind magic lacerated another. Scias trapped the third between two hastily raised earth walls, crushing it.
Another message appeared:
[System notice:
Level 10 → Level 11]
Smile reappeared on Scias's face.
The flow of rats stopped.
Silence descended, broken only by the slowly smothering fire.
Scias and Vel waited, prepared for stragglers.
None came.
"Let's check inside," Scias suggested, catching his breath. "Stay alert."
They approached the entrance cautiously, the flames almost extinguished by escaping rats. Scias created a floating orb of light as they descended into the tunnel.
Vel continuously used his wind magic to remove the smoke from the tunnel.
The nest smelled of smoke, blood, and musk of the rats.
Tunnels branched in several directions, but no movement could be heard.
In the main chamber, they found nothing but half-eaten carcasses, piles of bones from various monsters, and scraps of hide.
As Scias examined the grisly collection, Vel's feathers vibrated with satisfaction.
"Let's go outside to collect all the mana cores for you," Scias said, turning around and leaving the nest.
"My mana cores! All are mine," Vel projected with gleam in his eyes and anticipation of getting stronger.
Then, he darted outside.
Scias only smiled at his familiar's antics.
After consuming all the mana cores, Vel's level advanced to eleven, same as Scias.