The Dreamer's POV

[00 Months: 17 Days: 10 Hours]

The thing is... I always sort of knew Seraphina and her family were dead.

I mean, the entire city was in flames, so it was quite obvious they wouldn't survive, right?

The moment I learned of the existence of the two Rankers—Hakeem and Sasha—their fate became further sealed in stone.

The Alliance was merciless. Whatever their plans were, so long as it involved plundering and destroying, they would do a thorough job.

These were the same people that didn't consider the natives of this world to be actual humans.

They sickened to my stomach, which was why I could already tell that the ones I cared about most were most likely dead.

However, somewhere within my heart, I had this irrational hope... that maybe... just maybe they had managed to escape.

Perhaps they used some sort of secret escape tunnel, or maybe the Lyma Family had made it to their secret bunker and would be safe from all this madness.

This was the irrational fear that made me all the more desperate to protect the Lyma Capital from any further chaos.

I didn't want any further destruction... because somehow, somewhere, I wanted to hold on to the possibility that maybe—just MAYBE—they were still alive somehow.

However...

"So you killed them, huh? All of them?"

... This man, Levi, had denied me of that little hope I guarded closely.

Like a little candlelight blown by a soft wind, the tiny embers of that unlikely possibility faded away.

And once again, I was left in the darkness.

"Haaa..."

This was perfect, though.

"It seems there's no point in trying to escape you or considering any other alternative." My grin broadened.

There wasn't a point to any of this anymore.

"I'll stop running now."

I let go of my dagger, loosening my fist as I recalled my Grand Rock, causing it to hover beside me like a satellite.

My mind let go of the looming threats in the city, and the constant rumbling of the earth.

My gaze was fixed only on the man before me, and my thoughts only dwelled on how I wanted to make him suffer.

"Oh? So you won't run anymore? That's perfect! I can tell you're strong. If I can absorb you, I should be able to get much stronger! Hahaha!"

'Oh? So he can absorb me, huh? I should avoid physical contact then...' My thoughts analyzed as I stared at him.

My Energy Level had been restored for the most part, though considering I was now a good distance from the Lyma Capital, I had lost access to <Carnage>.

All things considered, however, I didn't think I needed it to win.

'First of all...' My thoughts instantly got transmitted to the two Carnage Beasts that were on standby

'... Let's see what you can do.'

~WHOOOOOOSSSHHHH!!!~

"RAAARGGGHHHHH!!" The two Carnage Beasts roared as they closed the distance between them and their prey in no time.

"Ah, so these two were yours. I was wondering..." I watched Levi smile while I maintained my position.

"Don't underestimate me, dumbass!"

Before the Carnage Beasts could reach him, the ground around him suddenly began to morph, and metal-like spears protruded from it, instantly impaling them.

Deftly swinging his blade, the Carnage Beasts had their heads rolling on the ground, and not long after... they faded to dust.

"Are these your strongest summons? How unsightly... how weak."

'So he's that strong, huh...' I thought to myself as I watched him patiently.

"I see what's happening now. You used those two creatures to kill Sasha, right? You probably ambushed Hakeem too, or closed the distance and finished him off before he could react. That's how you killed those two, am I wrong?"

He wasn't particularly wrong on both counts. I found it impressive he narrowed the conclusions so quickly.

"This is the hill Sasha chose to stay on while controlling her Familiars. Using all of them takes a heavy toll on her, you see? So she is immobilized for the most part. You must have used that to your advantage..."

As expected of a teammate, he knew the weakness of hid partner well.

"As for Hakeem, his Exclusive Skill is indeed very powerful, but he isn't that great a fighter. If you get close enough to him, you should be able to take him out."

Correct again. This guy knew the weaknesses of his colleagues and how to kill them as swiftly as possible.

Something told me they didn't just tell him about all of this.

'Maybe he really...'

"Now it all makes sense. Why you're so weak, despite killing them both. Just so you know, Hakeem is weaker than I am, and Sasha's only strong suit is that Familiar ability she has. While isolated, she's weak as hell."

That aligned well with my observation as well. In that case, it seemed I was right all along. This guy...

"Among us three Rankers here, I'm the strongest when it comes to actual combat. So it doesn't matter if you've gained a couple of Levels after defeating them. If you used those cheap ass methods, you won't be able to defeat me anyway."

As expected, letting this guy run his mouth was the best strategy I could have employed.

'Thanks to him I now know that he's the final Ranker here. Also, his confidence from earlier, and even now, are justified.'

That was why he was placed in charge of the most important mission of all—eliminating the Lyma Family—where the defense would be tightest.

In any case, I had gotten enough information from him already.

"Levi... I'll just tell you this now, since you've been so courteous as to tell me so much already."

I took a step forward, my eyes wide open and my face as deadpan as it could get.

I couldn't feel anything at this point. It was all just a blur—a very damp blur.

"Oh? What is it?"

"I'm Level 47 now."

"W-what?!" Levi's eyes bulged as soon as I revealed my Level to him.

He was most likely surprised, though I couldn't blame him.

"When compared to the grand scheme of things, it's not that high. But... at the very least it's higher than yours."

That's right. I knew the reason why he was shocked by my Level, just like I knew he was currently Level 35.

That was because of one simple fact.

"I can see it, you know? Your Status Window."

Levi Davis... sure enough, he was a Ranker.

I could see his Role, his Titles, his Skills, and pretty much his major abilities.

'All thanks to <Absolute Appraisal>'

Yeah, at this point, I really didn't care about conserving energy or being careful, and after choosing to see all this man was worth, I realized that I made the right call in doing so.

"Levi... you're really weak, you know?" I took another step forward as my eyes shone bright, revealing the dark crevices of his arrogant self.

This was the man who killed Seraphina. Who robbed the Lyma Family of the happiness they deserved.

Who ruined my plans.

"Prepare yourself, Leech. I'll make you wish you could die just once."

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[A/N]

Looks like Mikey is finally going to show us how serious he can get.

Well, the target is weaker than him, but this is still very gratifying.

Thanks for reading.

Cheers!