The Supreme Level Up System

Aion was forced to ignore those places as well and hoped that he would soon find some city or town in which he could find the information that he needed. Unfortunately, the chances of that were low due to the danger of wars in the past…

After crossing the land from above, Aion noticed that despite the lands being proper for cultivation, few people were working around, and those who had didn't have many tools to work with. That sector in that country sure was underdeveloped…

Fortunately, Aion found a town the same size as his pretty soon. He also found some caravans coming and going through the gates of the place. He had a dark cloak, so he could hide his appearance, but he still might be stopped by the two guards of the gates.

"It is midafternoon… I should wait until night and enter the town using magic," Aion thought while looking around for a grove to hide.

If something happens, it will be easier to escape unnoticed at night. While Aion was in a hurry, he knew that he had to sleep a little as well, so he used that chance to do so.

"I suppose I can't use my magic. Otherwise, they will identify me," Aion thought. "Still, how can I fight without relying on that?"

Increasing the output of Inner Force would make Aion up to three times stronger. Even with his current parameters, he should be able to fight most small fries that way. However, he would consume ten times more energy, and keeping that state for a minute was his limit. So, it was very inefficient.

"I didn't try to improve Inner Force beyond increasing the output since I assumed only that would be enough with the help of the system, but that isn't the case in this situation," Aion thought.

Aion considered his options, he used the skill many times, but he never thought of how he could improve it… Copying the techniques of others also seemed like a waste of time. He probably thought that because Lexus' philosophy influenced him. In any case, Aion fell asleep wondering how he could improve the technique, but nothing came to mind.

When the chilling wind of the night began to blow, Aion woke up and then stretched his body to warm his body and sharpen his senses. After that, he headed toward the town while flying and then landed in a dark alley.

When Aion left the alley for a bit, he found a few people still walking around. Some of them were wearing cloaks against the cold of the night, but none of them were hiding their faces. Aion couldn't do that, and that might be a problem…

"This will consume some of my mana, but it is better than nothing…" Aion thought after cutting a bit of his cloak and used it to cover his eyes.

After that, Aion found a stick in the alley to use as a cane. He still would look suspicious by asking the questions that he wanted, but he wouldn't look dangerous, but an easy target. In any case, he began to walk around and used his mana to identify his surroundings. He quickly found a tavern with some people in it making a lot of noise. Aion also found a few individuals sitting in the corner and drinking alone.

When Aion headed there, some people looked at him suspiciously. He felt even more eyes when he entered the tavern. The place grew silent while everyone stared at him, and he ignored them. He approached the guy in the corner of the room and put a silver coin on the table. Aion could feel a relatively powerful magic aura coming from that guy. So, it seemed that he wouldn't have to waste too much time.

"Do you know someone who can sell some information around here?" Aion asked.

"It depends on what you want to know…" the man said and took the silver coin.

"I want information about the possible hideouts of some rats," Aion said.

"If they are on the run for a while and are famous, that will cost you a bit," the man said.

"Money won't be a problem," Aion said and then put an opened bag of gold coins on the table.

The guy tried to silently get the bag while the others around looked at it, but Aion's cane hit his fingers. He clicked his tongue in annoyance…

"Who are you looking for?" The man asked.

"The location of the possible hideouts of the survivors of the Mirelis Kingdom," Aion replied.

Aion wasn't talking loudly. In fact, his voice was supposed to be heard only by the guy in front of him. Still, he could tell that the others had heard it, even though they didn't show much of a reaction.

"Everyone knows that they are all dead," the man said.

"That is why I said I want the possible location of some hideouts," Aion said.

"... It is said that those guys came from the mountains in the East beyond the country," the man replied. "Many people said that they had temples at the top of the mountains in which they used to communicate with the goddess. However, no one confirmed that in centuries since, the mountains are filled with flying monsters, and paths are rough."

That wasn't a half-bad lead, so Aion let that guy take the gold coins, and then he left the tavern. Still, soon after, he was followed by everyone in the tavern. Aion sighed. His first impression of that country couldn't have been any worse…

"Against those that are willing to attack a supposed blind man for his money, I don't have to hold anything back," Aion thought as he headed to a dark alley.

When Aion entered the dark alley, those guys hurried up, but in the end, they had an unpleasant surprise… they suddenly were enveloped in a thick layer of ice that even covered their mouths and prevented them from shouting.

"It was a pleasure to make business with you all," Aion said.