Darius spent a portion of his remaining CP to create one Spark Potion that gave the user the ability to control pole weapons with their will, and the rest was used to create a mix of Purification Potions and Common mana potions.

By the time midnight struck, they had crossed 70% of their journey. After spending 5 hours on the road, they now had less than 80 kilometers to go to reach their destination.

Darius had maintained the buff on the horses which cost him 1 MP a second per horse, but it allowed the animals to fly like the wind. Coupled with his invigorating stamina potions, they were still going somewhat strong.

Of course, he had nothing to alleviate the horses of their mental fatigue and the wear of their muscles was slowly killing the horses. As such, he had kept an eye on their HP and had used his Heal spell whenever necessary.

Surprisingly, the level 1 horses with 20 HP and 0 mana at the start of their journey had since reached level 3 and now had 35 HP and even 2 mana.

This phenomenon confused him greatly. Was it that they had been strengthened by the hardship and the continued reparation of their cells? Or could it be that his Heal spell naturally invigorated weak beasts?

The latter appeared to be a bit too far-fetched, so Darius was more inclined to believe that it was a matter of surviving hardship.

From a certain perspective, what Darius was doing to them was what protagonists often did during their training montages to suddenly reach the level of the main villain in mere weeks.

Darius marveled at the power of organic growth. If true, it meant that he could gather some slaves and train them up this way, increasing their power without the need to brand them. As long as he could ensure their loyalty, he could build up a powerful force of his own.

Darius' eye flickered. He already had the intention of taking in mage apprentices and training them with his superior resources to become monsters of his tutelage after becoming a Journeyman, but this revelation would expand his options greatly.

By the time it hit 3 am, Darius and Gunner silently disembarked from the carriage as they had finally reached Baratuo. He tossed the worried driver 2 silver instead of one for his perseverance and used Heal towards the panting horses that were almost foaming at the mouth.

The horses looked noticeably different from before. Their large bellies had sunken in, displaying rigid muscles. On Earth, many people would joke that these horses looked to be a perfect fit for an anime protagonist that claimed to be 17 years old and still in high school.

They had reached a whopping level 5 and their stats had also climbed greatly, mainly their Endurance and Agility stats. They had almost doubled compared to before, which would yield an interesting benefit to this carriage driver in the future.

As for Darius and Gunner, they entered the outpost.

Baratuo was a heavily guarded military outpost owned by the Andrato Kingdom to monitor the situation within the Plains of Death and prevent an Undead Surge.

The duo had to undergo a security check and prove their identities before being allowed entrance. Darius noticed that the camp was quite busy at this late hour as he was led to the tent of the overseer.

Inside there were four men seated around a table, idly sipping tea as they chatted about various topics. Once Darius and Gunner were announced, the fellows within the tent paused their chat to assess these newcomers.

Darius also did the same while introducing himself personally.

"Good morning, esteemed gentlemen. My name is Darius Stone and it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance.

"

Three of the men reacted positively when they heard his name, yet one reacted negatively and didn't hide his deep frown. The other three rose from their seats and came to greet Darius while introducing themselves.

The first was a stocky middle-aged man who wore a clean suit and a tophat.

"Greetings, Master Darius. My name is Eto Birhind. The pleasure is all mine!

"

Seeing as he was being given a lot of respect despite his age from Eto, Darius also grasped his hand strongly and returned his greeting respectfully and enthusiastically, giving Eto a better impression of him, as well as the other two.

Next, it was an older man who was lanky and possessed a sharp hooked-nose. He wore purple noble robes that marked him as Adept mage with the logo on his attire bearing testimony to his school.

"Greetings, Young Master Darius. I am Ferdinand Linguini. As a fellow Adept, I hope to exchange with you often!

"

Darius also gave a respectful greeting back to Ferdinand and promised him to share some magical knowledge once his matters were completed.

The final person was a razor-sharp young man who had very handsome features and a light of arrogance in his eyes. He forcefully shook Darius' hand and smiled amiably.

"Greetings, Brother Darius. My name is John Conn. I'm the heir of the Conn Family in the capital and one of your allies!

"

Darius also shook John's hand and whispered something in John's ear that made his eyes light up. The duo snickered as if they had their own inside joke before breaking their hold.

As for the final person, the only one to not stand up, it was actually the Overseer himself. Darius was not surprised by this as Minor Duke Spencely had warned him about the Overseer of Baratuo currently being a man from the Superiority Faction.

It was one thing to tolerate John Conn because he was a mere scion sent to liaison somethings and there were heavy political forces at play. However, Baron Darius Stone was a boon to the Equality Faction and therefore a threat to his Superiority Faction.

While he didn't dare openly antagonize Darius as he was an Adept, he certainly did need to act too chummy. As such, when Darius' eyes landed on him, he continued to remain seated and introduced himself from his seat.

"You may call me Overseer Garm. I'm the final law of Baratuo and nothing moves through this outpost without my blessing!

"