The rest of the week passed in a comfortable rhythm. Cassis and Arianna continued their online lessons as usual, but also often helped out neighbours and friends who had kept up their training by themselves but sometimes had questions. Especially Matteo and Felicia were serious about training. After they had told the teen and the young girl what they were planning for the weekend they'd come to his and Arianna's house, demanding they train them again. Well, Matteo had demanded, Felicia was just standing there silently. But her eyes had held firm determination.

Matteo, ever the energetic one, had chosen to become a Warrior. Felicia, on the other hand, had made the more contemplative choice of becoming a Mage. She'd consulted with both Cassis and Arianna in writing before making her decision, gathering every scrap of information she could find about class skills and spells, and long-term growth. Her seriousness was beyond her years, and it had impressed Cassis more than he expected.

The siblings had made great improvements, could now use the skills and spells of their classes quite well. They had even ranked up to beginner in most of their features, skills and spells. Most importantly, they had discovered their mana affinities with Arianna's help. Matteo's affinity was wind and Felicia's water.

Arianna's and Cassis' professions grew immensely during this week. They'd made plenty of teaching videos and guides, but nothing gave them as much progress—or joy—as working directly with their small students. Something about teaching Matteo and Felicia seemed to resonate more deeply with the system. Maybe there was a bonus for teaching dependents. Whatever it was, the experience gains were significant. By Friday, he and Arianna had both reached level 20 in their respective professions, gotten a level in their classes and finally unlocked their next profession abilities.

Cassis had to admit he was looking forward to trying out his Weapon Mastery — The Instructor is not bound to the weapon common for their class and may learn and teach all skills pertaining to all weapons.

The name alone stirred something in him. The thought of being able to experiment with weapon types—maces, polearms, bows, even daggers— and gaining new skills was thrilling. The flexibility it promised felt like a key to new kinds of combat, new strategies, new ways to pass on strength to others.

Unfortunately, there wasn't any time to explore it yet. The hour was already late, and preparations for their weekend excursion to Belaney National Park still needed attention.

Arianna, too, had unlocked her Mana Guiding — The Mentor can freely change their mana into its non-elemental form and, with it, guide students by infusing them with the Mentor's non-elemental mana.

It was a powerful skill—at least on paper. Though, as Arianna had noted with mild amusement, she had already been able to do something similar instinctively. The official unlock was more of a system acknowledgement of her ability than a revelation. Still, it was a step forward, and one that opened the door for more refined applications. She'd need to see if there was a difference now.

For now, though, they would have to put those new abilities on hold.

Cassis glanced at the gear spread out on the floor—tents, clothes, food, water, —and mentally ticked through his checklist, then asked Arianna to store everything in her inventory. Not only was his own still packed full of alchemical ingredients, but she had more space than him due to her higher mana saturation.

His thoughts drifted to their candidate for the alchemist profession. The shy woman who had called him earlier that week. A scientist—a chemist, specifically. Camden had told him about her before, but then never mentioned her again. Cassis had almost asked him a few times about their prospective alchemist, but Arianna had reminded him that most people would need time to find their places in this new world. Then he had gotten the call. She told him that Camden had recommended Cassis and Arianna to her, saying they might have use for someone with her skills. She'd seemed hesitant, her voice soft and uncertain even over the phone. Clearly not a fighter. A thinker.

And thinkers were valuable, too.

The only problem was her level. When she quietly admitted she was only level 1, Cassis had to work to suppress a groan. Not even level 5 yet. That meant the system wouldn't allow her to join a party—every awakener had to reach level 5 through their own efforts first. No shortcuts, no boosts from others, unless they were a dependent and someone wore the experience-sharing bracelet. It was a frustrating rule, especially in cases like this, but the system rarely explained itself.

At least she was awakened. That much made things easier. Technically, he could bring her into a gate—but realistically, she'd never survive. It wasn't just about stats. Level 1s couldn't even perceive danger properly yet. One wrong step and she'd be dead.

No, if they wanted her to reach level 10 and unlock what he hoped would be the Alchemist profession, they'd have to do it the hard way. He and Arianna would need to take her somewhere wild where she could fight and gather experience since the monsters would be more level appropriate for her. A risk, sure, but a calculated one. And they wouldn't let her face it alone. Arianna's healing would significantly increase her chances of survival.

They'd agreed to meet next week. Until then, there was no point planning too far ahead. They needed to see what she could and would actually do, first.

If they ended up making another expedition into the wilds, it might be a good opportunity to bring others along as well. People like Ben and his family, maybe Janice and her brothers—no matter what was going on with her—and maybe a few of their neighbours. They needed to start bringing more people into the fold anyway. Their growing group needed support, infrastructure, and the security of numbers.

Besides, maybe Helen would finally introduce her mysterious "friend" who now owned more than half the neighbourhood. No one had seen him directly and Helen didn't speak of him much, but Cassis couldn't help but be wary. In a world like this, anonymity and generosity rarely came without a price.

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Still, one thing at a time.

Tomorrow was the trip to Belaney. After that, they could start laying plans for the chemist and the next round of levelling missions. He just hoped this woman—whatever her name was—had enough courage in her to survive.

The next morning, they all piled into their cars. Cassis and Arianna took theirs, giving Liam, Camden, and Helen a ride, while his parents drove their own car with Matteo and Felicia in tow. The drive took around four hours and was mercifully uneventful, with no traffic jams. These days, few people strayed far from home. The roads were quiet, scattered only with signs of encroaching wilderness.

They passed a few monsters along the roadside, lone creatures that kept their distance. Smart. Any group with five people carrying the Monsterbane I title was too risky to engage alone. Cassis knew that would not hold true in Belaney. There, the monsters would roam in packs. Fear wouldn't stop them anymore.

Finally, the cars rolled into the small village that had sprung up outside the national park entrance. Cassis remembered this place, vaguely. It had been deserted the last time he came here. The forest had pushed out too many monsters, and the people had been too weak back then. Apparently, things had changed or this small village would be abandoned in the future. He didn't know yet.

They were greeted not by hospitality, but by wary stares and a wall of armed villagers. Swords, maces, spears, and a handful of bows and daggers were levelled cautiously in their direction. Their leader, a stocky woman with the kind of solid strength born from a lifetime of farmwork, stepped forward.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, eyes scanning them with suspicion.

Cassis understood her hesitation. No one sane walked toward danger.

Arianna stepped forward. "We want to go into the forest," she said, calm and clear.

A few of the villagers laughed, dry, almost mocking. One man muttered, "Why would anyone want to go in there? There are monsters."

Cassis kept his tone neutral. "That's why we're going in. We're here to train."

The woman squinted at him like she was trying to decide whether he was stupid or suicidal. A man behind her leaned in and whispered something in her ear. Her demeanour changed instantly.

"Cassis and Arianna?" she asked, more carefully this time. They nodded.

She took another, longer look at the group. Arianna had equipped the adults with basic, newly purchased defensive sets. Of course, everyone still thought Sapphire had provided the sets. It wasn't flashy, but they were whole—unlike the patched and frayed sets from their previous fights. They not only needed an alchemist but also a tailor in their community; Cassis just didn't know who would be able to do that.

He could almost feel the woman weighing their readiness with a practised eye. "Then you should be strong enough not to die in there," she finally said. "If you make it back in one piece, find one of us at the old tourist information center. We can talk then."

With that, she and her group lowered their weapons and turned away, already focused on whatever other problems their little village was juggling.

Cassis wasn't surprised. Living on the edge of Belaney meant they were likely under constant threat, unlike the people living in cities and suburbs. Mutated animals and plants were mostly thriving in the wild places and would wander further out from there. He knew the stress of fending off monster incursions week after week. Suspicion was just another form of self-defense.

Now that they were here, Cassis opened the party interface and invited everyone in. The children were able to be added and they accepted, and a moment later, he could feel it; that subtle connection, the awareness of their health, their presence, the comforting thrum of a party link.

Time to find out if dependents like Matteo and Felicia could gain experience in a party, even if they couldn't engage with the monsters. If the system didn't block them from growing further, maybe they could begin the journey toward their first class evolution. His parents would also grow, maybe reach level ten and evolve their classes.

Before they entered the forest, Cassis took a moment to take stock of his party.

From what Liam and Camden had told him, Justice for Children already had more children at the ready to receive their gathered experience. Cassis hoped Liam would level soon and that Camden would really get the nurturerer profession as they believed would happen.

Camden stood a little straighter than usual, a new kind of confidence radiating from him. He had evolved his class to Defender. When he drew out a massive shield and a heavy bastard sword from his inventory, Cassis raised an eyebrow.

"Where'd you get that?" he asked, eyeing the impressive gear.

Camden just grinned. "Private collection."

Cassis blinked. That was all the explanation he got, apparently. He didn't press further, everyone had their secrets.

Liam, too, had upgraded. He now carried a new longsword, sleek and well-balanced, probably from the same place Camden got his. He hadn't bothered with a shield; Cassis had noticed he preferred using both hands on his weapon. His movements were growing more confident with every day of training.

"I'm still only level seven," Liam said, adjusting the grip on his sword. "But with all the children getting to wear the other part of the bracelet, soon I'll hit level ten."

Cassis nodded and clapped his shoulder. "You'll get there." Liam stood straighter, still. Cassis knew his little brother needed his support and respect, and he had it. Liam had fought for his ideals and been rewarded. Now he just needed to get stronger, then Cassis could stop worrying about him. Well, he could worry less about him then.

Helen stood a bit apart from the others, arms crossed loosely as she shifted her weight from foot to foot. Her eyes flicked around constantly, always watching, always assessing. When Cassis looked her way, she gave a slight smirk.

"Still haven't evolved?" he asked.

"Not yet," she replied. "I'm holding out. I've got Thief and something weird that sounds more annoying than useful. But… I think I'm close to unlocking Assassin. Just need to get a bit better at sneaking. The system's watching."

It was always the same with Helen. She wanted all or nothing, that much was true even before. And she was good enough to use her basic class to bring down even a high-level E-rank monster, as their dungeon raid had shown. Cassis was glad she was on their side. His aunt was strong and would only grow stronger.

His parents were outfitted with the same weapons Arianna had given them during the first wave—his mother still used her reliable sword, while his father gripped his staff with his one arm. They weren't spectacular, but they'd proven sturdy and effective, and would be more than enough for the monsters in these woods. After this adventure, they would be level 10 and would have more options, especially his father with his missing arm.

Arianna was as ready as anyone could be. She had her mace, her water shield could be called easily enough. But both she and Cassis had Body Reinforcement running. Their time in the dungeon had shown that they didn't know everything. They needed to be prepared for the worst. Only this way would they be able to protect their team.

Satisfied, Cassis looked over the group one final time. "Alright," he said. "Let's move."

Together, they stepped past the tree line.

The forest greeted them with shadows and silence. Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy in fractured beams, and the air was heavy with moisture and the smell of moss and wet bark. Somewhere in the distance, something called out, an animal or a monster, it was hard to tell anymore.

Cassis had lived here for years in the other timeline. He had been all alone, only monsters around him. It was the most violent but also most peaceful time he had had during the apocalypse. But he'd only come here after the second wave. The monsters had been a lot stronger. Now he was curious what awaited him. Cassis inhaled deeply. Let's see what you've got for me this time, Belaney. And with that, they disappeared into the forest.

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