The Herb King

Aethelwolf entered into seclusion after dealing with the important matters in the estate. The construction of the secret fortress was already underway and he had inscribed the construction site with runes so he wasn't worried about its safety. As for the matter related to the bank, with Hyacinth working together with the Urgel Household, he could rest assured that they would do a great job. The thing that he was most worried about was actually the hiring of the new soldiers. Ramiel had only recruited five thousand soldiers which weren't even a fourth of the total amount of men they needed.

'I'll focus on strengthening myself first.' Aethelwolf thought to himself. He was now a mid stage Level 4 Esper. His level was already high in the standards of the Leone Empire, but compared to the big empires in the Regalis Continent, he was only a slightly stronger expert.

According to the books he read, the strongest beings were at Level 5. They could cut mountains in half and cause massive destruction with their immense power.

The strongest magical beast to be ever recorded in history was an Infernal Dragon. It was a massive creature that was more than a thousand meters in length. It had a terrifying image and power that made the whole continent tremble in fear. According to the ancient historians, the Infernal Dragon was a peak stage Level 5 magical beast, but no one was certain about this since everyone who encountered this creature died miserable deaths.

Aethelwolf didn't know if the said creature truly existed or if it was just a myth created by the ancient historians to glorify their era.

At this moment, Aethelwolf took out some of the enhancing pills he refined. It was time for him to break through to Level 5!

The pills in his hands were specifically made for him. No one else would be able to consume them without their Hegel exploding. Only Aethelwolf could tame the volatile energy contained inside the pills because of his skill [World Essence Manipulation]. Even those high-level Engravers who are good at controlling their world essence would still die under the fearsome energy contained in the pills.

Aethelwolf consumed three pills at once without hesitation and the moment the pills entered his mouth, he could already feel the monstrous energy circulating inside his body. It made him feel uncomfortable, but Aethelwolf quickly guided the volatile energy toward his Hegel.

The process took much longer than he had expected. He knew that he had underestimated the efficiency of the pills he refined.

With a face full of sweat, Aethelwolf calmly guided the remaining energy in his system toward his Hegel.

Late stage Level 4 Esper

Peak stage Level 4 Esper

His level increased steadily and it showed no signs of stopping. When Aethelwolf reached the peak stage of Level 4, he felt as if a barrier was blocking his advancement. He gritted his teeth and went all out. He grabbed the remaining two pills in his hand and threw them into his mouth.

The overaccumulation of energy made a part of his blood vessels to rupture. His nose bled excessively, but he maintained a calm heart as he focused his attention on guiding the energy of the pills to his Hegel.

After what seemed to be a decade, Aethelwolf finally broke the barrier.

Early stage Level 5 Esper

Soon, all his other skills were also upgraded after his advancement.

Aethelwolf wiped off the blood on his face with a cloth. He then inspected the changes in his body. His skin was now milky white and his explosive muscles turned much leaner, but he felt enormous power in them. His internal organs were also more resilient now and there was a layer of thick armor that encapsulated his heart. Aethelwolf tested the toughness of his bones and he found out that it was as hard as a Unique-Rated weapon! Even without using his world essence, he could fight against Level 4 Espers by merely using his physical body!

When Aethelwolf checked his Hegel, he noticed that it had the most visible change. It was now five times tougher and the world essence contained inside was purer.

"So this is the strength of a Level 5 Esper..." He muttered with a smile. The overbearing increase in his power made him feel satisfied. He was no longer worried about the Zion Empire. Even if they attack, he was confident that he could protect the Leone Empire all by himself!

Aethelwolf stood up and went into the balcony. He slowly hovered in midair which shocked Aenwyn who was looking at him from beneath the mansion.

"Level 5 Esper! You are a Level 5 Esper?!" She exclaimed in surprise.

Olivia was also staring intently at him. "Papa is flying! Cool!" She clapped her hands excitedly.

The soldiers and servants who noticed the commotion were stunned when they saw him hovering in midair. He looked like a banished immortal who descended to the world.

"Sir Aethelwolf is actually a Level 5 Esper!"

"Only Level 5 Espers are capable of flight!"

Aethelwolf slowly descended when he noticed the commotion he caused. He only wanted to fly to check if there were any changes to the expenditure of world essence. He learned that he no longer needed a huge amount of world essence in order to fly.

Everyone stared at his peerless figure in silence. Their easygoing boss was actually hiding his power!

Melissa and Anton also heard the commotion. They hurriedly went out of the mansion to see what was going on and they saw the scene of Aethelwolf descending from the sky.

"Is he planning to reveal his strength to the world now?" Anton muttered with a smile. He already knew that Aethelwolf was capable of flying since they had flown together a long while ago.

"That seems to be the case..." Melissa nodded her head.

They still didn't know that this man was actually their son and the little boy Leric was just his clone.