Chapter 19 - Aura: E Class!

Lucas was smiling wide. He was sweating and panting hard like he had run a marathon. But the reason for the smile was the complete opposite. "Congratulations on mastering Stage One", came Leon's voice. Lucas heard it, but he didn't respond. The notification in front of him was what made him smile

[Aura has been promoted!]

[You are now an E Class!]

[Aura: E Class]

[Capabilities: SSS Class]

This was what made Lucas smile wide. He didn't expect to reach Stage Two so soon. "Continue to do what you did. You need to make it like a switch, on and off", said Leon. Lucas spent the next two hours, trying to make it like a switch. After two hours, his hard work began to bear fruition. Another hour passed, and he had mastered Stage One.

Lucas stood up from the ground and his nose was burning. "I stink!", he thought. "That's because the impurities in your blood have been cleansed. That is what Aura does", said Leon. He looked at the pool of sweat. "What the hell is this?", he thought.

His pool of sweat wasn't in a clear transparent way. It was instead in dark black. It gave off a very bad stench, and Lucas began to nauseate. "I better go bathe", he thought and ran back towards his room. He filled the tub with soap and added in a lot of fragrance. After an hour of soaking in it, he felt relieved.

"Finally the stench has worn off. And I feel that the amount of Aura in my body has also increased", he thought as he moved his hands around. "The response has increased, and I can feel that I can respond as fast as I need to. Although the muscles aren't cooperating with me, that won't be for long", he thought.

After his bath, he fell asleep and woke up the next morning. He was eager to meet up with two people. Just as he hopped out of his room, the two people he wanted to meet were standing in front of his door. "Good Morning, sleepyhead", came a woman's voice. Lucas was stunned.

"What time is it?", he asked. "It's four in the evening. We thought you didn't want to go on that hunt we talked about before", she said smiling. Lucas was stunned. "I was out for fourteen hours?!", he thought. "That's normal. You have just broken through", came a deep voice from behind Kate.

"WHAT?!", said both of them. Sam and Kate were stunned. "You broke through? You've reached External Manipulation?", they asked. "No, not in Mana. He broke through to Stage Two, in Aura", he said as he appeared before them. He was wearing a black tuxedo and his hair was combed slick.

"Where's Mom?", he asked. Ben nodded his head and he saw Martha. All three of them dropped their jaws in awe. Martha was wearing a deep blue long dress. Her shoulders were exposed and her arms were covered in silk gloves. Her hair was in a French braid, and she applied light makeup to her face. "Beautiful", they said in unison.

"Now boys, you shouldn't gawk at a woman like that", she said blushing. Lucas and Sam hung their heads low, and she gave a lady-like laugh. "Now that's not like you, Mom. You usually laugh out loud like Dad. What's with all these clothes and, mannerisms?", asked Lucas.

Martha looked at Ben and smiled. "We are going to meet the Emperor. He has summoned us, and we will be leaving today. Now, while we are gone, I do not want you, little kids, to make trouble. Is that clear?", she said with a smile.

"Who are you calling a little kid? I am the heir to the throne!", said Sam loudly.

"I'm a grown woman. Not a little kid", pouted Kate.

Lucas didn't say anything. He just smiled at them and walked towards them. "Who are you taking along?", he asked. Ben looked at him in the eye. "Of course I'm taking along my trusted Leon", he said laughing.

Lucas sighed out loud. "If it's with Master, then I can rest assured. Stay safe and have a nice journey", he said. "And Sam, if you are the heir, you must act like one. What do you want the people to call you, 'Goofball King'?", he retorted. Sam glared at him and they both began to bicker, leaving Kate to deal with their parents.

"I'll take care of them. May you have a safe journey", she said, doing a small curt. Martha clicked her tongue and spread her arms. Kate embraced her and Ben embraced both Sam and Lucas. "Have fun, kids", he said out loud. "And make sure to hunt some good beasts, Lucas", he whispered in his ear as he left.

Lucas smiled. "Nothing gets past Dad, huh? And I also need to level up? Is killing beasts the only way?", he thought. He then bid his goodbyes and went to do his daily tasks. After three hours, he looked at his stats.

[Status]

[Name: Lucas Heart]

[HP: 100/100]

[MP: 100/100]

[Level: 6]

[Job: None]

[Title: Defying The Odds, Master Of Stealth]

[EXP: 400/2500]

[System Level: 1/10]

[Strength: 43]

[Stamina: 33]

[Agility: 43+19]

[Perception: 36]

[Magic: 33]

[Stat points to be used: 0]

The day went by smoothly, and they didn't go for the hunt as Lucas had woken up late. "Let's hunt for the whole of tomorrow", he said. Both Kate and Sam nodded. "Just in case, let the army know where we are going. The castle is going to be unprotected while we are gone", said Sam. Lucas and Kate nodded their heads.

The next morning, all of them had their breakfasts and left the castle. They went towards the back of the castle, and they began to look around. "Beyond this plains, is the Forest of the Beasts. That place always has a lot of Basic and Intermediate Beasts, which is easy for you to train", said Kate.

"No King or Emperor Level Beasts?", asked Lucas in a sad tone. He then felt a hand slam the back of his head. "You were struggling against an Advanced Level Beast, and after Awakening, you think you're some hotshot? Well, think again my Little brother", he said.

Lucas nodded his head. "Then, I will battle all the Basic and Intermediate Level Beasts that we meet. Unless it is a horde, I do not want you guys to engage, is that clear?", asked Lucas. Kate and Sam looked at each other. "Sounds good to us", they said in unison. Lucas nodded his head and they began to move towards the forest.

It was a dense forest with tall trees. Each tree was almost at the height of 100 feet. There was a small river, separating the forest and the plains from each other. Lucas looked at them. He was both nervous and excited at the same time. His heart was thumping against his chest, and he could hear it. Kate and Sam placed their hands on his shoulder, helping him calm down.

Lucas took a deep breath and took a few steps backward. He took a deep breath, readied himself, and began to run towards the river. It was ten feet wide. After he gained the right momentum, he called out to his skill, [Aura Jump].

[Aura Jump - Lvl 1 Activated]

As soon as he saw that notification, he smiled wide. He felt a surge of strength in his legs, and he used it to push himself faster. After he reached the edge, he jumped across the river. "The pain has reduced significantly. If I keep using it and increase the Mastery, maybe the pain will be less", he thought.

The next moment, he saw Sam freeze the water and walk right above it. And Kate just created a pair of wings from fire. "Can't you do that?', asked Lucas. "No. Ice is hard and it isn't as flexible as you think. But I think you will be able to achieve that. Your ice is quite different from mine", he said with a smile.

"We need to remember why we are here. We are here to train Lucas so that he will not be taken advantage of when he leaves. We need him to be prepared. And yes, I know you sneak out and hunt beasts sometimes just for the thrill", said Kate. "You're being a mom", grumbled Sam. Kate just nodded her head, and mouthed 'Whatever!'.

They looked around and they saw a board in front of the forest. "Who the hell kept a board here? This isn't someplace for tourism!", said Sam. Lucas looked at the board and it read, "Welcome, to Novice's Graveyard".

Lucas was taken aback when he read that. "Why is it called that?", he asked Kate. "Well, every guild sends their people here to hunt, until they either rank up, or they gain enough points to enter the other hunting places. There are places only some people have access to because it's really dangerous to inside them while being low in strength themselves", she explained.. "Anyway, enough loitering around, let's go", she smiled.