Ryan's eyes narrowed as he gazed upon the towering pilr of light in the distance. A clear marker from the System, signaling the location of the bandit's camp.

  What was it that the System wanted? Why let himself be captured? Was the enemy too powerful to be defeated? Or it was just the easiest way to leave the forest safe and sound to go to the academy? The redhead had very little information to try to discover the System's reasons, and nothing changed the fact that he had to become stronger if he wanted to get answers.

  "Hunt until I level up," Ryan said with a gaze full of conviction, now directed at the patrol that protected him. "Sergeant, it's no longer necessary to protect me, I just need you to get stronger as quickly as possible."

  While training, Ryan had finally found a clue about one of the most dangerous weaknesses of having such a young body. That's why he was giving orders despite not needing to express his intentions to the soldiers who were part of him.

  Even for a warrior like him, people needed to socialize often just to maintain a sane mind. The disgust for those soldiers was still buried deep in his consciousness, but if he needed to form a small emotional bond with them to avoid going crazy, he would do it.

  Thus, hours passed in which Ryan talked to himself while training, his thoughts following the rhythmic movement of push-ups synchronized with his breathing, each exhale expelling a turbulent aura while each inhale absorbed fresh energy from his surroundings. His skin tingled as more and more pores opened to the world's energy.

  His soldiers returned periodically with new prey: more Sonic Royal Owls, a pair of Storm Sparrows whose crystallized hearts pulsed with electrical energy, and even a rare Blood Cardinal whose crimson feathers still gleamed with residual life force.

  +15 exp, +15 exp, +20 exp, +20 exp, +25 exp

  ?Level Up! Current Level: 3

  Experience: 66/400

  +1 Evolution points

  Max. Range operation: +25 meters.

  Secondary Mission complete: +2 Inventory slots?

  This would be the st time in a while that he expanded his units. 8 new soldiers and 2 Humvees appeared at his feet as Ryan began to walk towards the pilr of light only visible to him.

  "Scout the camp. Numbers, weapons, defenses. Everything." Ryan really wanted to see if these bandits were capable of "capturing" him.

  The tiny soldiers saluted him and departed in their vehicles, going ahead of their now sprinting summoner. It didn't take much time to reach a safe distance of the bandit camp, his summons doing all the hard work.

  Thus, hours ter, they returned with detailed intelligence—twenty-five bandits, mostly armed with crude weapons: clubs, daggers, and a few rusty swords. Only six possessed bows and only one had a good-looking cymore—probably the leader. The camp sprawled around what looked like an abandoned lumber mill, with lookouts posted in four corners.

  "Three captives sighted. Two women, one child," the sergeant reported telepathically.

  For a moment, Ryan was surprised to hear the sergeant's voice in his head. Usually, they send him information in the form of images, so the clear masculine voice of his summon really took him by surprise.

  Was his power adapting to his needs? At one moment, he had decided that he needed to socialize a bit with his summons to maintain a certain state of mental health, and now this was happening... It seemed that he still had much to learn.

  On the other hand, his heart was tightening with worry as he listened about the captives, especially when the received images showed the brutality with which those women were being treated.

  "Should I kill them along with the bandits?" Said Ryan, closing his eyes to concentrate on his body. His heart seemed to hurt as if betrayed by his mind for thinking of something as monstrous as killing innocents.

  "I come first, and then the others... There's not even a need to save them if they discover the strange power I have." Each word was accompanied by a violent aura that changed his surroundings, the grass turning bck, dying as Ryan became more assertive.

  It was at this exact moment that the pain in his heart led Ryan to a memory that belonged to the young noble, now in front of him in his mother's p.

  "I hope you can become someone respectable when you grow up, never forget that a good person must protect those who can't defend themselves." The faceless woman said sweetly, only her long, fming hair caressed by the wind. "And you're the most beautiful, sweetest, and kindest child in the world, so never forget your mother..."

  A warm caress, the drops of water that fell on his cheek despite the clear sky, a promise...

  "A precious memory to possess, Ryan... So let it rest with the rest of your soul."

  With those words, that sweet memory began to be cut into tiny pieces until it finally disappeared from his mind. It wasn't because Ryan was evil or selfish that he destroyed something he considered precious, but his emotional state was influenced by the few experiences of the original, and it was something he couldn't allow. No one knew better than him that in a critical moment, doubt would cost him not only his life but also the lives of those around him.

  Remembering the prisoners of those bandits once more, Ryan finally stopped feeling anything. He was going to save them if possible, but it wasn't his priority.

  "Sergeant, we have 8 or 9 days to level up as much as possible." With the same perseverance as always, Ryan ventured even deeper into the forest, ready to crush any obstacle.

  Nakusyer