Back To The Woods.

'All my gear is different, and I'm a little taller now too. I wonder if any of the guys will recognize me... I wonder if any of them are still alive…'

I stepped up to the way gate only to be halted by a guard. "Sorry sir. Even for someone with your level of equipment, we need to check your Card before allowing you to pass. The restrictions have increased again because of the infestation turning into a swarm. Only a veteran D rankers or higher can pass."

'I guess I couldn't have taken Mochi even if I wanted to… Good thing they waved the new rank status when they promoted me.' I showed him my card and although he was a little confused by it… He stepped aside without asking, letting me go on my way. 'Swarm huh… It's likely venom won't be the issue anymore so much as people just getting skewered and sliced… Here's to hoping I handle seeing a dissected human better than last time…'

I stepped into the teleporter for what was my first time being in one alone that I could remember, that small joy quickly passed through as my ears started to ring and before I knew it I found myself on my knees gasping for air.

'Why… Is it… So much worse…' My shaky arms gave out, leaving my flat on my face. I could feel blood slowly dripping from my ears till I removed my helmet and not long after my mana finally started to stabilize. 'I guess the downside to being alone… Is that no one notices when the teleporter almost kills you…'

I groaned, forcing myself back to my hands and knees for a moment, taking time to breathe before standing up and getting a hold of myself. 'I'll just get to the inn… And get my room…'

When I arrived, sure enough, the innkeeper had kept his promise, the sign now reading. "Blood Red Bulls Head."

Which, I mean… It was a lot better than anything I had been called recently… When I walked in, despite the grim situation the tavern was even more lively than ever, the only real difference was that the average rank and equipment I was seeing had all gone up by at least one full category. There was a lot more steel, no one with iron, and everyone, even the mages, were wearing some form of armor. "I guess things are dangerous as they say…" I said softly as I walked up to the innkeeper.

He quickly looked my way, and seeing the horns on my helmet smirked, grabbing a jug of Airag just like he said he would. "You certainly look like you've been doing well." He smiled, handing me a room key with the jug and refusing to take any money.

'I guess it's easier to recognize me than I thought…' "It's actually been mostly downhill, I just keep getting lucky…"

He laughed. "Well, that's a skill on its own. Has the guild made any of your titles official yet? You have so many thanks to the bards that it's kind of hard to keep track now. Although that's mostly because they just call you whatever rhymes with the last thing they said."

I sighed. "Thankfully no… From the ones I've heard they don't have any good options yet… Honestly, the bards aren't doing me any favors…"

He laughed. "Well, your first title is always like that. Just keep your head up."

"Yeah yeah… Hey, you know that dwarf with plate armor, goes around with a troll and a weak-blooded wolf man. Are they still alive?"

He took my empty glass and cleaned it right away with water magic, starting to dry it with a cloth. "Yeah, I see them around sometimes. They've made quite a bit of money off the swarm, and their skills have improved too. After getting stronger they started going on longer hunts that lasted several days. Last week they brought back the head of a knight class spider, although they did admit it was already missing a leg and alone when they found it."

'Still, not bad… It's good they didn't get cocky and take on something worse.' "Maybe I'll run into them then." I threw the jug into storage and headed up to my room, taking off my armor and inspecting it, along with myself to make sure I was really ok, still feeling numb in some areas from the teleporter.

'I think I get it… The basic principle of mana confusion is that it gets scattered when you teleport and has to find its way back to you. The problem is that my armor has way more magic in it than my body can hold at once… Hints why it was so hard to enchant… Normally this wouldn't be a problem… But I'm the one that enchanted it… So the mana signature is the same and my mana ended up finding my armor at first, instead of me…' I sighed, rubbing my head as the last of the effects wore off, and after cleaning up my face I put my gear back on. 'I guess I'll have to keep that in mind for the future…'

After putting it all back on I took a look at the quests I grabbed to make sure I didn't lose track of them, even though they were really just a bonus and ultimately not why I was there.

[Spider Soldier venom glands. X 12]

[Spider caster gemstone eyes. X 2]

[Spider knight carapace. X 1]

'Taking on a knight by myself would still be reckless even with this gear. But… If I find one that's alone it shouldn't be a huge deal. More of their threat level comes from the fact they are usually surrounded by soldiers. Getting the gemstone eyes will be trickier… Only casters with above-average magic have one of those. Sure they are still supposed to be weak at magic relatively… But I've still never fought a monster that could cast spells before…'

I put the quests away for the time being and put my helmet back on. 'I'm really just here to make some money and test out my gear anyway, so if I can't finish them now that's fine… I didn't bring anything to supplement my mana regeneration either like last time, so I'll be careful for this first trip.'

By the time I had prepared myself and headed out, it seemed word had spread pretty quickly who I was and that I was back. Apparently, specifics were still vague, but the overall picture of me killing a minotaur and taking down a corrupt official was certainly there. Even the story of me killing a terror bird started to circulate as well, which wasn't all that impressive in comparison… Except for the fact that I used a sword.

"I heard he could fly, and uses some special technique to do it with low-tier magic."

'The rumors are getting more absurd…' Despite it all, I had to admit it was comforting to see that the camp hadn't changed. Looking at the death tally marked next to the gate, there weren't many marks added either, if any. Granted I never actually counted them. 'The threat level increased… But as a result, lower ranks stayed away, and the casualties dropped… Well, I guess that makes sense in a way… Still, it's more dangerous, so I'll have to keep my guard up.'

After stretching my legs quickly I squatted down and with the help of enhancement, an earth pillar under my feet, and a wind spell, I leaped straight into the trees. After I landed I closed my fingers a few times in the air, looking at my hands. 'My magic is a lot more seamless and much stronger with all the work I put in smithing and enchanting. My body took some time to get used to, but… This feels good. My body has fully adapted to meatal magic as well, so my circuits are stronger, and I have a larger capacity.'

The forest was different, darker, quieter in parts, and certainly filled with more webbing. The terrain was the same though. It wasn't like the spiders cut down the trees or anything. Because of that I still had a pretty solid map inside my head.

Since the Spiders Lair dungeon entrance was no doubt the most dangerous place to be, I skirted around it in a large circle at first, staying on the outside rim of the spider's territory. 'Still mostly just scouts around here… Spitters…' With how much faster I was and the new weapons I easily leaped from one tree to another approaching one from behind and slicing its head off with my hunting danger before it could even react, then I threw a knife higher up and pinged one right through the head, making it fall from the tree. Jumping, I grabbed onto the web it was weaving and rode it down as it slowly stretched and tore, landing on the ground and quickly cutting the last one in half with my sword, straight down the middle.

'I think it's safe to say these guys aren't much of a threat to me anymore…' I ripped my throwing knife out and wiped off the blood. 'I don't regret practicing… But being able to redirect my aim with meatal magic after throwing the knife makes it feel a little redundant now… Still, the less I have to the more manna I save I guess… Let's see what else I can do.'