Elemental Cats

When the newly conjured blade cut through more than a finger's thickness in the sword, Toz stopped pushing it and separated the two weapons.

Although the old sword was a lot weaker than the newly created blade, that wasn't a reason to totally scrap it. Instead, Toz dissipated the blade's figure and poured the mana from the silvery blade into the matte grey sword, repairing the dent in the blade and enhancing the quality of the mana in it, giving the sword a slight radiance, despite the darkness mana coating it.

The reason that the blade had been so overwhelmingly superior to the sword was the difference in the quality of mana that made them. While the sword had a greater volume of mana packed into it, the sword still couldn't compare to the blade since the blade was made of mana, which was a lot purer, denser, and more efficient in its use.

If the mana that made up the blade was transformed back into a misty state, it would be about as much as what was put in the sword but a lot better at what it did. Like using five people each capable of doing what another five people were, and then comparing them to five people only capable of doing what a single other person can do.

Although part of the drastic change and increase in power of Toz's mana was because he had managed to compress his mana as much as he had, and he only did that thanks to his outstanding control and understanding of mana.

But even if Toz and Lucy hadn't been extraordinary, the difference between divisions has always been known to be greater than the difference in levels.

After Toz finished shallowly trying out the power his breakthrough brought him, the cats pushed him down on the bed and made sure to congratulate him properly by having him pet them.

Although Lucy didn't get as much attention when he broke through, he didn't mind. Instead, he made sure to get a lot of attention from Toz when the other two weren't looking, which with his new level, was considerably easy.

The group didn't celebrate for too long. Now that Toz had reached the fourth level, he could most likely measure up against fifth level dangers and get a fifth level Explorers' Badge, which would allow them to either get materials from deeper inside Tumbling Thunder Forest or even complete the investigation request.

Although Nil and Mindle were still at the third level, with both Toz and Lucy being fourth level, especially Toz, it wouldn't be a problem for them to enter deeper into the forest. That was how much trust the cats had in Toz.

Since there was no need to delay needlessly, the group headed to the guild so Toz could get the fifth level badge.

It was just before noon, so the guild was quiet, and Toz could immediately ask Rick for a promotion examination to get a fifth level badge.

Rick led him to the same room as last time with his typical gentle smile.

The results of the fight weren't that unexpected. Toz had gotten the fourth level badge when he was a lower division. Now that he was at the fourth level, it wasn't a problem for him to pass the promotion exam with ease. The powerup crossing divisions had given him was more than enough to pressure Rick as long as he limited himself to a strength of the fifth level.

However, the spar with Rick was a great opportunity for Toz to acquaint himself with the power his breakthrough had given him. Although only his metal attribute had reached the fourth level, and he technically wasn't complete, the magic he used with metal when reinforcing his body or attacking was enough to practically overwhelm Rick.

It was obvious that Toz's breakthrough had been performed with extreme success since even Rick, with his wealth of experience, was surprised at the jump Toz had made in power.

After Toz had proved himself enough to get the fifth level Explorers' Badge, Rick gradually stopped holding back, letting Toz experience his limits.

The two sparred for some time, exchanging blows. Toz was the only one who gained from it since he got more experience wielding his sword and using magic while fighting at the same time. It was helpful for Toz's future growth since, despite having great raw power, he wasn't that efficient in using it.

Thanks to his bond with three cats and his beast type inclination that had showcased growth several times, Toz had astounding physical capabilities and great amounts of mana. In addition, he had always been pretty talented at using mana, which was evident based on how much he had managed to compress his liquid mana when breaking through to the fourth level.

But despite how great he was at controlling mana and how strong and fast he was, he didn't have enough experience with fighting to use his magic as efficiently as possible. And aside from using his fast reflexes and agility to overpower his opponent with his sword, Toz wasn't especially skilled at sword-fighting.

If Toz could get better at using magic in battles and learn a more proper way of swinging his sword that wasn't just slashing at his opponent with the sharp edge, he would experience drastic growth without needing to reach the next level.

That was one of the reasons that Toz so greatly wanted a grimoire. Although it wouldn't instantly make him great at fighting, it could give him a clue on how to use magic more efficiently and in a way more suited for fighting directly.

Toz wasn't the only one who wanted to get better at fighting. While Lucy had started pioneering a path of stealth and defeating someone by defeating their mind, and Nil was more interested in traps and preparation than direct battle, Mindle didn't feel like she was doing so great. So far, she had basically been charging and throwing fireballs while riding on Toz.

It was a pretty decent way to fight together. Mindle handles attacking with magic while Toz fights with his sword, but Mindle wouldn't be satisfied with that. She wanted more.