The three demons straightened as formal introductions became necessary, their expressions carrying their resigned fate.
"I’m Ed," announced the scarred mercenary.
"Edd," added the combat mage, adjusting his robes nervously.
"And I’m Eddie," concluded the third member.
Ed, Edd, and Eddie. You’ve got to be kidding me.
Noah stared at his new bodyguards with bewildered amazement. "Are you all related?"
"Brothers," Ed confirmed as a matter of fact.
Three brothers named Ed, Edd, and Eddie, who turned to crime together. This world has a sense of humour.
"Well, at least I’ll remember your names easily," Noah said, suppressing his laughter at the absurd coincidence.
The brothers positioned themselves at respectful distances as Noah prepared to resume his original purpose. Wind training required space and concentration, neither of which worked well with hovering bodyguards.
Time to test my wind manipulation’s combat applications. Let’s see what Level 4 can accomplish.
Lola settled back onto the grass, her ruby eyes tracking Noah’s movements with interest.
Her posture suggested that she was just casually observing.
So he has wind talent now... he must have used the orb.
Wind began stirring around Noah’s hands as he used his newly acquired wind manipulation skill.
Gentle currents responded to his will with enthusiasm.
Basic wind control. Not bad, for a newbie. Lola thought, watching the wind that Noah commanded.
But as Noah progressed through increasingly harder techniques, Lola’s interest transformed into genuine shock.
The way he used his skill defied his recent awakening. Noah was demonstrating comprehension that should have required a longer training period.
That’s not beginner-level control, he’s approaching novice-level.
Noah created multiple small vortexes simultaneously, maintaining control while directing their movement through specific patterns of his choice.
The technique demanded skill and elemental sensitivity far beyond typical beginner capability.
For someone who awakened their element hours ago, this is...insane.
Her eyes widened as she realised something.
Noah’s attainment level resembled practitioners who’d spent weeks or months refining their elemental understanding through dedicated practice.
I don’t think he has a strong affinity to the wind element; he would have awakened it without an orb had that been true. His current attainments are Impossible. Unless he...
"He couldn’t have used the orb for knowledge absorption at his level, right?" she whispered, her voice carrying growing horror.
That would be the biggest waste imaginable.
Wind orbs were tier 5 artefacts precisely because they contained concentrated elemental essence that could accelerate development at any stage. But using them during initial awakening was universally considered a catastrophic resource mismanagement.
You save orbs for breakthrough moments. When advancement stalls at higher levels. Not for basic skill development.
Advanced practitioners hoarded wind orbs for decades, waiting for the perfect moment when natural progression hit insurmountable barriers. Using such treasures for foundation building was like burning money for campfire fuel.
No one in their right mind would waste Tier 5 artefacts on beginner training.
Noah continued his demonstration, progressing to techniques that incorporated movement and combat applications.
Wind-enhanced footwork that increased his speed, directed gusts that could deflect projectiles, even preliminary levitation attempts that defied gravity for brief moments.
This is months of development compressed into hours. He definitely used the orb.
After watching for several more minutes, Lola’s curiosity overcame her shock. She approached with the slow steps of someone confirming their worst suspicions.
"Noah, how exactly did you develop your wind manipulation so quickly?" she called, her voice calm despite her growing horror.
Please tell me you didn’t do what I think you did.
"Used the wind orb for training, absorbed its essence to accelerate my comprehension. Pretty efficient method." Noah replied casually.
Noah had responded in a way that made his action sound like the most obvious thing in the world.
He actually did it. He used a tier 5 elemental orb like a textbook.
Lola’s face went pale as his confirmation hit her like a truck.
"Noah, those orbs are incredibly rare. You should wait before using them—it’s such a waste to consume them at low attainments."
I can’t believe I’m explaining basic resource management to someone who treats Tier 5 orbs like study guides.
"You’re supposed to save them for breakthrough moments when natural advancement becomes impossible, using them for foundation skills is insane," she continued, her voice rising with shock.
Like explaining fire safety to someone who uses phoenix feathers as kindling.
But Noah simply shrugged with the indifference of someone whose daily income included the replacement of such orbs.
"It’s fine. I’ve got access to more when needed."
Access to more. He says that like wind orbs grow on trees.
Lola stared at him with the expression of someone watching world laws being casually violated. Her understanding of scarcity-based magical development was crumbling in real-time.
He’s treating priceless artefacts like consumable training materials. This defies everything I know about elemental cultivation.
The Ed brothers exchanged glances that suggested they were beginning to understand exactly whose service they’d been bound to. Someone who used tier 5 treasures for basic skill development operated on a completely different level of resource access.
’Our new boss is either completely insane or incredibly wealthy. Possibly both.’
After killing several beetles using his wind manipulation, Noah felt the satisfaction of successful monster hunting fade into boredom. The creatures that had once challenged his swordsmanship now fell to his blade work and elemental enhancement with ease.
These beetles are no longer enough for me.
His novice-level attributes, combined with Level 4 wind manipulation, had pushed him beyond the challenge that basic grass beetles could provide.
Each fight ended in the same way.
Their death without any hardship.
His wind-assisted strikes overwhelmed their simple defensive power.
Time to move up to more dangerous prey.
Noah’s gaze shifted toward the deeper sections of the Crimson Mountains, where more formidable creatures made their habitat.
The fireflies inhabited territories beyond the beginner-safe zones, representing a significant escalation in risk.
Fireflies are Tier 1 monsters. They are known to be in a completely different league from tier 0 monsters like the grass beatles.