While the patch of clear ground wasn’t large, at least by the standards of a Tier 4, it was made so by the caution that they were forced to take. If Jonathan could make out the finer details of the castle and its environs from hundreds of miles away, the Harvest King, which was a Tier 6, could definitely see them coming.

  Jonathan had originally thought about tunneling through the ground, but the soft layer on top quickly turned into obdurate bedrock, which was incredibly time consuming for him to cut through with a two Tier power difference. Instead, he was forced to chance his arm at sneaking across the top layer of the realm.

  However, he did have a new tool in his arsenal. Killing the Swarm Amalgam as a Tier 4 had upgraded his Greater Giantslayer title to something far more impressive.

  You have upgraded a title!

  Greater Giantslayer: Legendary->Supreme Giantslayer: Primal

  You achieved something that few have ever achieved in the history of Telvaria. You killed a being two Tiers above your own. This is not just a feat worthy of myth, it is one worthy of redefining all myths.

  Bonuses: +5% to Strength, +5% to Resilience, +50% damage to all opponents of a higher Tier. Once per day, you may scan the surronding thousand miles. The presence of all beings two Tiers or more above your own will be revealed, and will continue to be revealed for an hour.

  The title’s stat bonuses hadn’t changed, but the damage bonus was absolutely incredible. The third of the bonuses, though, was what Jonathan was counting on. He quickly used it, and a tiny map popped up in the corner of his vision. It didn’t show any terrain features, but it did show a glowing red dot, centered in the castle. It shifted around slightly, but seemed content to remain where it was.

  He and Eliza lowered their speeds to a more reasonable level, around that of a Tier 2. What Jonathan had discovered through his journey up the levels was that higher Tier beings often ignored things that were much slower than they were. For example, he often found his eyes glossing over weak monsters, or lower level warriors. Doing otherwise would be like a cheetah watching a snail as it went on its way.

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  The stony ground crunched beneath their feet as they went. Jonathan realized that his perspective as of late had been a bit warped. He wasn’t judging distance by its absolute magnitude, but by how easy it would be for him to traverse it. A mile was like a few feet to him at this point. It really was quite hard to believe how far he had come, but it was also hard to believe how far he had to go.

  A potent aura drifted like a poisonous fog from the castle at the center of the Swarmlands, growing and growing the closer Jonathan and Eliza came to it. It was the aura of the Harvest King, and judging by the sheer power evident in it, Jonathan did not fancy his chances. His title upgrade would make fighting the thing possible, but Eliza would simply die in a few blows. If he had to fight for both of them, the battle wouldn’t got in the way that he wanted.

  They slunk past the castle like wraiths, and kept going, hoping against hope that the Harvest King wouldn’t awake. Through a few gaps in the sides of the castle, Jonathan could see a monumental tomb, easily a hundred feet long. Shafts of vivid green light transfixed it. It was from that tomb that the aura emanated. The Harvest King was asleep for now, or whatever perverse form of rest the undead enjoyed. One bony arm protruded out, twitching every now and again. That was what was causing the red dot to move on the minimap.

  “I’m damn glad we don’t have to fight that thing,” Eliza whispered.

  “Yeah.” Jonathan rubbed his head nervously. “For the aura to be like that without the monster even putting any force behind it is quite terrifying.”

  ”Will we return once we’re strong enough?” Eliza asked, casting a furtive glance at the castle, as if her simple gaze could awaken the Harvest King.

  Jonathan shrugged. “By then, we’ll have more pressing concerns. Like the Circle Lords.”

  ”We really need to get up to par. Levels, Divinity, whatever.”

  Jonathan simply inclined his head, continuing to walk. Until he got out of the immediate vicinity of the Swarm King, he wouldn’t feel safe. In its current state, it was like he were a mouse sneaking around the domain of a cat. Not an especially large cat, but one that could spell his end regardless.