—

Compared to when Kieran first traveled through this terrain, traversing the Barren Mountain Range’s forested area wasn’t difficult at all. Even with the combat taking up 10 to 15 minutes at a time, their progress was still unthinkable.

‘Combining the power of two hidden classes is no joke. At this rate, there’ll be enough time to farm monster Experience in the outskirts of the Deserts of Crumbling Sands as well.’

Whatever monsters that Kieran’s Blood Waves failed to cull were quickly handled by Ezra’s subsequent Sword Wave – Dispersion. Their skills with large areas of effect were a blessing to this party.

But, what truly set the party up for success was Alice’s large flame spells. The floor was left scorched in flames whenever Alice amassed enough Mana to unleash a Firestorm Burst.

The party’s average rose rapidly as a result of these rapid fights. The lowest level present was Lv.34, which belonged to Ezra due to her doubled Experience requirement. However, none of them let their increased level go to their head.

If Ezra and the others were to learn of Kieran’s frightening attributes, there was a high chance they’d cower in inferiority.

Nevertheless, Altair, Nemean, and Bastion continued to funnel all their attribute points into Control, relishing in the slight liberation they felt. This was especially true after breaking 200 Control.

Every additional 100 points felt inconceivably better than the prior threshold as if the link between their mind and this body was experienced a slight refinement.

“You guys should raise your Control as much as possible; it feels amazing!” Bastion exclaimed while shadowboxing to get a feel for his lighter movements. Although his plate armor still reduced his speed, the action felt more natural.

Ezra raised her eyebrow. “Control? I considered doing so, but the attribute’s explanation has always been vague. I only add minimal amounts.”

Kieran froze after hearing what Ezra said. “You’ve been neglecting Control? How high is your Control?”

“155,” Ezra answered.

“That’s not terrible. However, mine is more than double yours.”

“Well, I’ve only added points to it five times. The rest came from my initial value and the large amount I gained after promoting my class. I’ve never had any issues piloting my character.”

Kieran furrowed his brows and shook his head. “It’s not about having issues. Control decreases the imbalances we experience. The higher your Control, the easier to execute finer motor skills. It’s accomplishable without high Control, BUT your Stamina consumption will increase accordingly.”

At least he could share this information before Ezra made a mistake.

Perhaps one of the reasons she failed to close that gap in his memories was precisely due to this issue. Control’s importance would only continue to rise as more metamorphosis occurred.

“I see. But, I couldn’t neglect increasing my damage because it was the most important factor inside Beginner Zones.”

There was truth in her words. Without enough damage, clearing early content was extremely difficult.

However, that all changed now that players had access to better skills.

“That was then, and this is now. There is still plenty of time to change how you allocate your points. I suggest following the ratio of attributes given upon class promotion,” Kieran said.

Ezra absorbed the knowledge and recounted the ratio. ‘So it’s best to follow the ratio given and not experiment with different stat allocations? I’ll attempt for a while and see if there are any benefits.’

Still, Ezra couldn’t help but gaze at Kieran differently. “So, do you manage your team’s stat allocation?”

“Pretty much. At least for now. They’ll be free to do as they please in the future once we reach our desired state. Until then, our objective is optimal growth,” Kieran shrugged.

Ezra was astonished by this reaction because most Guild Masters managed their subordinates’ gearing, not their attributes. Attributes usually made little difference once powerful gear became the meta in most games, but such things didn’t exist in Zenith Online currently.

Therefore, Kieran had to do this to draw out maximum efficiency from everyone.

Kieran answered a few more questions about stat allocation before continuing their journey. Nemean and Bastion better grasped Ezra and Lux’s battle rhythm with each subsequent battle.

By the time they reached the Desert of Crumbling Sands, there were little pauses in their combined attack. It was a stark contrast to when Nemean and Bastion dodged Lux’s lightning-fast arrows in the beginning.

“Ugh, this heat. I’ll never get used to it!” Bastion groaned while fanning his face.

The Desert of Crumbling Sand’s climate was by far the worst environment any of these players had been subjected to thus far.

The Chasm of Apogeton was a gloomy place that reeked of death, so it was difficult to compare such a setting to a desert’s heat. Moreover, Agrianos’ power protected Kieran so that he couldn’t experience the environment regardless.

“Keep your eyes peeled. We’re arriving at a dangerous area. Watch all angles at all times,” Kieran warned.

The others obeyed Kieran’s call and surveilled their surroundings while the caravan quickly traveled through the desert.

Approximately two hours later, subtle rumbling occurred beneath the caravan’s wheels, raising the party’s alarm. This phenomenon was an indication that there was Sand Worm activity below.

“Brace yourself!” Kieran called out before quickly swerving the caravan to the left.

Bang! Whoosh!

Sand erupted skyward as a Sand Larva burst through the desert floor and rose approximately 3 meters in the air before falling back down, narrowly missing the caravan.

Kieran continued in this direction until he came across a crystallized sand deposit. It was unknown how this area formed, but the sand clumped together and formed large structures reminiscent of rocks.

“The caravan should be fine here. However, we should be in the heart of the Sand Worms’ network. This means the Mother Worm can surface at any time. We need to kill any that appear as quickly as possible.”

Kieran prepared for battle when he stepped off the caravan because he could see impressions in the sand, symbolizing the movement of Sand Worms or Larvae. Considering the thickness of the impression, Kieran estimated it was Sand Larva.

“Alice, prepare your spell.”

After giving this command, Kieran abruptly rushed forward while dragging Crimson Ashrune through the sand. His action may have seemed innocuous on the surface, but it was the quickest way to determine if any immobile sand beast hid under the sand’s surface.

After running for approximately 500 meters, Crimson Ashrune impacted something solid.

Kieran wasted no time in planting his hand on the ground.

“Wrath Eruption!”

Boom!

An eruption four times larger than the Sand Larva’s emergence occurred, spraying large amounts of sand into the air along with a large Sand Larva.

「 Lv.40 Sand Larva (Rare Elite)

Insect Type, Sand Type

Health: 378,420

/462,000 (82%) 」

〈Battle Alert: Your special ability «Retaliatory Sense» has activated.〉

〈Battle Alert: 27 enemies have been found with «Retaliatory Sense»’s sensing range.〉

〈Battle Aler: Your Perception has increased by 196%〉

‘196%? That doesn’t seem like a solid number if it’s 27 enemies. This perception change must be based on the monster’s level, ranking, or something that distinguishes an opponent’s difficulty.’

“Kill it!”

Everyone pounced on the lone Sand Larva like prey.

The Sand Larva’s only real form of defense was the Sand Bullets it fired in rapid succession. But aside from their high velocity, such a monster with near zero mobility wasn’t an issue for the party.

With everyone focusing their attacks on the lone Sand Larva, its health bar emptied, especially when hit by Alice’s flame spells. Countless Fireballs blasted the Sand Larva as it was a spell with an incredibly low cooldown.

〈System: You have gained 32,690 Experience.〉

The Sand Larva fell quickly, but two more rose in its place.

For these, Kieran stabbed Crimson Ashrune into the ground and created a dense pool of blood from which chains emerged.

The twelve chains split into two sets of six and immobilized the Sand Larva for 6 seconds. The chain reinforced by Crimson Ashrune’s effects remained stable despite the Sand Larva thrashing about.

“Six-second damage window, annihilate them,” Kieran said. At the same time, he charged up a Sanguinem Tempest and launched it at the center of the blood pool.

Even without controlling the tempests’ trajectory, they struck the beasts and tore gaping holes through their bodies.

Damage surpassing 190,000 appeared above the monster, taking the party by shock.

“Seething Ichor!”

Kieran toggled this skill as soon as he hit the 20% Health threshold. He didn’t need accidental heals breaking his momentum since Camila and Sera possessed party-wide heals.

After killing these two Sand Larvae, Kieran and a few others amassed enough Experience for a level up.

〈System: Congratulations, you have leveled up! Lv.34→Lv.35〉

〈System: You have gained access to a «True Berserker»’s Lv.35 skills.〉

┌───────────────────

«True Berserker Skils» –

«Lv.35»

Seethe Burst – B – «Active» Cost: 12 SP

└───────────────────

Contrary to Kieran’s expectation, only one skill on his skill tree lit up after reaching Lv.35. However, Kieran felt consoled by Seethe Burst being another B Rank Active. It should be another source of formidable damage.