System vs Rebirth

'This is…' Noel's heart thumped while taking a peek at the demon he just found. The demon was none other than the hawk itself. But unlike any other hawk, its size was at least four times bigger than what he knew.

With such a wingspan, the hawk would be extremely heavy and its momentum would be far more powerful. The fact that this hawk was an Advanced Level Demon was also a problem.

'What should I do now? I have never fought against a flying demon. I do have the Hyper Jump that allowed me to kick the air a few times, but it can't be compared to flying in the air.

'There is also another problem. The Advanced Level Demon can command low level demons, so if the Low Level Demon comes, I'm afraid I'll be in a disadvantage.'

Noel also considered one more thing. Since there were a few villages at the foot of the mountain, he had to kill them in one swoop to avoid future problems.

'Since the demons can cause havoc, I should contain them in one place. But it's going to be impossible to fight them together with the giant hawk. I should retreat first.'

Noel thought he could finish this mission in an instant, but it seemed that he should talk about it with the villagers first, considering their safety would be threatened.

Now that he had found the hawk, it didn't take too long for him to go back because he had remembered his and the village's locations.

The investigation didn't even last for a whole day because Noel had found the hawk sooner than expected.

So, when he reached the village, all of them were already sleeping.

Jasmine had given him a room to rest, but he didn't know whether he should disturb her at this time.

'It's midnight… should I just wait until dawn?' Noel muttered inwardly while pushing the door, surprisingly finding it unlocked. 'Huh?'

Noel thought she would be locking the door. Even if this village was safe and peaceful, it didn't change the fact that she should lock the door during the night.

But when Noel opened the door and entered quietly, Jasmine was there to greet him. Though, it wasn't literally.

Jasmine was sitting in the couch near the door as if waiting for him to come back. But due to the time, her eyes were already closed like she had fallen asleep.

If there was a paper or a book in her hand, Noel would believe that she was overworking herself. But there was nothing in her hand, showing that she was actually waiting for him this whole time.

However, the creaking noise from the door seemed to alarm her as her body convulsed for a moment before she let out a soft moan.

"Mhm?" She raised her head as if sensing someone's presence. Then, she rubbed her sleepy eyes to see it clearly, finding Noel standing before her. "Noel?!"

"Sorry for waking you up." Noel felt embarrassed. He thought about carrying her to her bed as thanks, but it turned out she had woken up before that.

"It seems that I accidentally fell asleep. I thought you were lost in the mountain and I prepared to set up a team to search for you… But then again, I know that Demon Banner Army's knights weren't that weak either. So, I planned to wait for you until dawn but I guess I was too sleepy."

"Ahaha, you should sleep again." Noel smiled.

"No. Since you have come back, let me bring some water for you." Jasmine gracefully rose and walked to the kitchen. She glanced at Noel's expression and asked, "What's wrong? Did you find something? The forest should be dark, right?"

"Yeah. But that's not a problem for me."

"Do you have a Moon Blessing or something? So, that's why you're not coming back during the night. Though, you shouldn't push yourself too far during the night. The chilling wind and the cold temperature harm your body."

"It's fine. I'm used to it. Anyway, you should sleep first. I'll talk about it later."

"No. Let's talk about it now. It doesn't seem the problem is that small." Jasmine shook her head while waiting for the water to boil.

Seeing her determination, Noel leaned on the wall and said, "There is an Advanced Level Demon near the top of the mountain."

"Oh my? Advanced Level Demon? This is quite troubling. If I'm not wrong, you're still an Apprentice Knight, right? We should immediately inform the Demon Banner Army to send reinforcement. I can't have you risk your life for nothing."

"Yeah. That's what I'm thinking as well. Although I can kill Advanced Level Demon and I have experienced it a few times, I don't want to bring any dangers to the villagers. If I just fight the Advanced Level Demon alone, I should have no problem. But the other demons might attack me or even worse rush to the villages. At that time, I don't want to think what will happen."

Noel decided to put down his pride because people's lives mattered. If he was egoistic and fought those demons, he would win the battle but could he still claim he had won the war if the demons destroyed the villages and killed the villagers?

That was why he decided to call the reinforcement.

Though, Jasmine's shock was clearly written in her face. "You can kill an Advanced Level Demon?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

"Wait, wait!" Jasmine waved her hand to stop Noel before facepalming. "I just want to confirm this. You are an Apprentice Knight, right?"

"Yes."

"Isn't an Apprentice Knight at the level of a Mid Level Demon? I know that an Apprentice Knight who is about to graduate is as strong as a Mid Level Demon, but this is the first time I've heard that an Apprentice Knight can kill an Advanced Level Demon."

"Is there something wrong with me being able to kill an Advanced Level Demon?" Noel tilted his head in confusion.

"…"