"Do you remember the arrows with runes? That's what I call Project Manafexio." Erik responded calmly, his hair swaying slightly in the breeze, which nearly made Elara drop her jaw. She then asked, already feeling tired of being so frequently stunned.
"Don't tell me you're the one who managed to conjure combat spells using runic-geomantic refinement."
"Yes. In the next issue of the university journal, my academic paper on the subject will be published." Erik replied as he removed his hand from the wood, having finished the pre-drying phase. At that moment, Ebonique laughed cheerfully at Elara's dumbfounded expression and commented with a proud, playful tone.
"My Erik is far too exceptional for you to ever truly understand, little human, hehe."
"I told you to stop showing off." Erik quickly retorted as he began removing the sticks that secured the frame, to which Ebonique responded in a tone full of 'righteousness'.
"I'm not showing off—just stating the truth."
"Whatever, just stop doing it. Even showing off needs style. The way you do it just makes us look bad." Erik replied in a serious tone, which made Ebonique glance at him as she also began removing the sticks.
"So, the right way is with a dramatic entrance?"
"That's one good method. Though what we did at the tournament was just a trial run—we actually need to refine our entrance more. It has to look natural. That time we forced it a bit, and it cost us a lot of coolness points." Erik answered in a serious tone, as if discussing a deeply studied and important subject. Ebonique quickly joined the game, responding with a thoughtful tone.
"I see… showing off is a science… we need to study it further."
"I'm glad you understand. In life, everything has its own complexity, even the simplest things. So, in the near future, we need to make time to polish a few details." Erik said with a satisfied smile, to which Ebonique nodded and then added with a grin, flashing her powerful white fangs.
"Don't leave me out—I want to be part of the super epic entrance too."
"I never could. You're the centerpiece of the show—without you, the entrance would lose 100 impact points." Erik replied cheerfully as he removed one of the 'walls' of the frame. Ebonique responded with a happy giggle as she took off another 'wall.'
"Hehe, good to know."
…
While the spirit and contractor duo joked with each other, Elara—completely lost in her thoughts—continued crafting the roof tiles almost mechanically, loosely mimicking Erik's technique and using hands formed from neutral mana and fire mana. This allowed her to make mana constructs with a heat similar to that of a human body, while still maintaining precision in movement.
No matter how she thought about it, Elara couldn't rationalize how someone as absurd as Erik could even exist—a so-called 'disabled' person born without magical affinities, and yet, someone so ridiculously talented in so many areas. It was as if there were nothing he couldn't do without excelling at it. At the same time, this helped her understand, at least a little, why Liliana was so antagonistic toward the starry-haired boy.
Although Liliana tried to hide it, it was obvious to both Zoe and herself that the chocolate-haired girl harbored a bit of ill will toward her 'younger brother.' Nothing too serious, but still noticeable. And now she could somewhat understand her. Having someone like him as a younger brother had to be an incredible kind of torture—one she hoped to never experience herself.
But even if she understood her friend, she didn't share the feeling. After all, he wasn't her 'younger brother' or anything like that. They were simply a man and a woman—a handsome, monstrously talented man and a delicate beauty with top-tier talent in the entire galaxy. And there's nothing that draws in a beauty like her more than a capable man—just as truly talented men have always had a great weakness for beauty.
…
While Elara was lost in her musings, Erik began filling the frame that Ebonique had assembled, as she was finishing removing the previous one. At that moment, through his mystical awareness, he sensed Zoe approaching quickly. He immediately focused on his contract with Kaiser, wanting to know if something was wrong, but upon noticing that the pampered wolf was simply in a cheerful mood, he let it be and instead finished filling the frame with soil.
…
By the time Erik and Ebonique were inspecting the four perfectly crafted walls—which already had the openings for the door and windows, and even the triangular upper structure where the tiles Elara was making would go—Zoe returned to the 'camp' riding on Hiyori, the beautiful nine-tailed fox spirit.
"I got food!"
As she arrived, Zoe immediately announced it with a smile, feeling equal parts excitement and happiness, mixed with a strange sense of fulfillment she wasn't quite familiar with. At that moment, Elara looked up and greeted her with a smile.
"Welcome back." As she greeted her, Elara noticed that Zoe—who had just jumped down from her contracted spirit—was empty-handed, which led her to ask curiously,
"Where's the food?"
"Kaiser's bringing it. That wolf is amazing."
Zoe replied with a smile. At that moment, through the trees, the massive figure of Kaiser appeared—nearly three meters tall—proudly dragging with his snout what looked like a bear with pearly gray fur, glinting with bluish and silvery reflections. The creature looked as though it had been fattened up for eating, appearing quite plump.
"Talk about good luck—you found a Graynebula." Erik commented with a smile, drawing the attention of the girls, who turned to look at him as he cheerfully explained.
"Its meat is delicious, and its fat is incredibly useful. You can make healing ointments from it without much trouble."
"Really? I just hunted it because my grandfather once caught a similar bear, and its meat was amazing." Zoe responded with a beautiful smile on her face, somewhere between nostalgic and joyful, to which Erik nodded and added.
"Seriously, it'll be really useful, but for now, let's just butcher it and cook it."
Upon hearing Erik, Zoe and Elara glanced at each other, a bit speechless—they had absolutely no idea how to do that. The closest they'd ever come to cooking was tossing a piece of meat into an "auto-skillet," which could cook it perfectly with just a bit of mana. Noticing their expressions, Erik commented with mild amusement,
"Don't worry, I've got it. You two focus on finishing the shelter."
"Leave it to us."
A bit embarrassed, Elara replied with a smile, then grabbed several finished and neatly stacked tiles, something Zoe quickly copied before following her friend toward the unexpectedly sturdy shelter. It was so well made—smooth and free of visible flaws—that it looked more like a house under construction than an improvised shelter. That inevitably led the two young women to glance at Erik with a touch of admiration.
…
"How exactly are we going to cook this bear?"
Flying above the gray bear, Ebonique asked, full of curiosity, to which Erik responded in a calm tone as he began creating prismatic barriers made of solidified Myst.
"First of all, we need to prepare containers to collect the blood, brain, fat, and other parts. This bear can be used in many ways, and it would be a shame to waste any of it. After that, it's just a matter of breaking it down and setting up a little barbecue."
"I see. So, what do I need to do?" Ebonique nodded with her massive dragon head, then asked in a voice eager to help, which made Erik chuckle softly before responding.
"For now, you can help me hold it up in the air. That'll make it easier to drain the blood, break it down, and everything else. You'll also be able to watch how I do it and learn for next time. Just make sure to lift it by the hind legs."
"That's a great idea."
Ebonique replied in a cheerful tone, then lifted the bear off the ground and rose into the air, keeping the bear's head about a meter above the ground. This made Erik nod in satisfaction before placing one of the prismatic barriers he had created underneath. At that moment, he made a cut in the bear's neck, and blood began pouring out rapidly.
…
…
…
With an expression of both surprise and caution, Frank moved through the jungle, encountering all kinds of flora—from gigantic trees with trunks dozens of meters wide and so tall it was hard to see their tops to strange plants glowing in fluorescent colors, fruits nearly the size of his own body, and others so tiny they were smaller than the tip of his finger.
The local fauna was just as strange and diverse—frogs several meters in size, insects of all kinds and colors, some even glowing ominously, what looked like horned rabbits, parrots the size of hawks, and even, in the distance, what seemed to be a bat nearly two meters long flying overhead.
Fortunately, none of the creatures seemed particularly strong, so the black wolf at his side could easily scare them off or kill them without Frank having to lift a finger—a real relief, since even though he had managed to recover a decent amount of mana, he still hadn't had a proper meal and remained weak. He also had no way to quickly replenish his mana.
Upon finding a plant he hadn't seen before, Frank stopped and moved his hand casually, causing a burst of cutting wind to shoot out, cleanly slicing through the plant. At that moment, the young man manipulated the surrounding air to lift it toward him, while simultaneously grabbing the improvised sack he had fashioned from the outer layer of his now-useless mage robe. He opened it, allowing the plant to drop inside without ever touching it directly.
The reason he was being so cautious was because he had never been in a situation like this before, and his knowledge was limited—something that naturally made him careful, especially after the warning from the direct disciple Erik, the only one who truly seemed to know what he was doing. That fact inevitably filled Frank with a sense of admiration for him—someone who, in his eyes, was practically a child, considering Frank was over a century older.
"It really is a mystery how someone so young can be so capable… I guess that's what it takes to catch the attention of the youngest Master-level in history."
As he collected another sample, Frank couldn't help but mutter to himself, a faint hint of bitterness in his voice. After all, he could remember that when he was thirty, he had been nothing more than a clueless kid—always joking around, wasting time, or showing off in front of friends or girls. A world apart from that starry-haired boy.
A bit lost in thought, Frank continued collecting samples of everything he came across, occasionally using a spell to speed up his pace whenever too much time passed without finding anything new. That was until he suddenly heard the distant sound of rushing water, which made his eyes light up—after all, his main objective was to find water.
Excited, Frank quickly cast a spell that increased his speed by using wind to propel himself, soon reaching the source of the sound: a small waterfall from a stream about 30 meters wide, where crystal-clear water flowed, so transparent he could see the bottom and various fish of different sizes and colors swimming through it.
"Now… how am I supposed to find my way back here…?"
Though excited about having completed his objective, Frank couldn't help but mutter to himself in slight confusion as he looked around—he had no idea how to navigate this jungle. His confidence in moving around came from Lirio and the powerful black wolf. But at that moment, Frank spotted a patch of reddish-green moss on a massive rock in the distance, which sparked an idea in his mind.
Quickly, Frank ran toward the enormous rock. He then picked up Lirio by the head, brought him up to his face, and asked in a serious tone.
"Lirio, does this moss have mana?"
Upon hearing his contractor's question, the adorable newborn spirit floated up and began sniffing the moss a few times, then let out a cute little squeal—which Frank's mind clearly interpreted as.
[I can smell it!]
"Perfect! Could you bring me back here if I asked you to?" Frank quickly asked with excitement, to which the tiny spirit let out another adorable squeal while raising one of his cloud-like arms.
[I can!]
"You're the best, Lirio." Happy, Frank said with a smile as he began to gently pet the cloud-with-legs that was his spirit, who started to emit soft, contented purring sounds.
After playing with Lirio for a while as a reward, Frank wandered a bit further upriver to collect a few more samples and to confirm that Lirio could indeed bring him back to the river. But just as he was feeling satisfied and planning to return, the adorable spirit let out a cheerful squeal, then sniffed the air a couple of times.
[I smell shiny crystals!]
Hearing that, Frank came to a dead stop, eyes wide in surprise. He had never expected to find mana crystals in the middle of the jungle. The discovery immediately made him think—while they wouldn't serve as currency here, mana crystals were incredibly useful, and the direct disciple Erik would surely know how to get the most out of them.
"Let's go find them."
After hesitating for a few seconds, Frank made up his mind and gave the order in a serious tone. The adorable spirit immediately began squealing excitedly, guiding him in the direction where it could smell mana crystals—which turned out to be about 25 kilometers upriver. Frank had expected as much; for Lirio to mention them so suddenly, they had likely just entered his range of perception.
When they finally arrived, Frank found himself standing before a massive waterfall at least 200 meters high—so tall that it even formed a small rainbow halfway down. It was a breathtaking and awe-inspiring sight all at once. At that moment, the young student turned to his contracted spirit and asked curiously.
"Where are the mana crystals, Lirio?"
[The shiny crystals are over there!]
Upon hearing his contractor's question, Lirio let out a chirp and pointed toward the waterfall. At the same time, a translation of the sounds appeared instantly in Frank's mind, along with an image of a faint line extending from roughly the center of the waterfall and connecting to Lirio. The vision faded shortly after, prompting Frank to turn toward the black wolf beside him. Feeling a bit unsure, he asked, not knowing if the wolf would understand.
"I need to fly over to the waterfall. Will you wait for me?"
To Frank's surprise, Tiberius let out a confident howl, then leapt into the air and landed on four dark clouds that appeared out of nowhere, allowing the majestic wolf to stand proudly in midair. The sight left Frank no choice but to comment in disbelief.
"You're honestly incredible."
In response to the compliment, Tiberius howled softly, almost as if saying it was just a minor skill, which brought a strange smile to Frank's face. But the student quickly shook his head, then began conjuring runes around himself as he crouched down. At that moment, he spoke with seriousness, just as the runes began to spin around him.
"Then follow me."
Immediately after, Frank was surrounded by a small whirlwind of air. He leapt, and the whirlwind surged in power, propelling him toward the waterfall. Meanwhile, Tiberius began running through the air behind him, aided by the black clouds forming beneath his paws.
When Frank reached the waterfall, he extended his right hand forward, causing the spinning runes around him to surge ahead. The tornado pushing him forward expanded, enveloping him and allowing him to pass through the waterfall with ease—without even getting wet. He soon landed on the other side, in what appeared to be a deep cave.
As he landed with the help of the tornado, Frank quickly turned to look behind him—only to find the impressive black wolf without a single drop of water on his fur. This puzzled him slightly, as he had no idea how the wolf had managed to pass through the powerful waterfall unscathed. But knowing he wouldn't get an answer, he quickly pushed the thought aside and turned to face the interior of the cavern.
"Lirio."
Upon hearing his name, the spirit instantly understood Frank's intentions and let out another chirp. Once again, a faint line appeared in Frank's mind, guiding him into the dark depths of the cave. This inevitably made him sigh, as he didn't have many ways to produce light. He was forced to extend his ethereal projection in order to navigate through the darkness.
As he walked through the cave, Frank couldn't help but notice that, despite being about 15 meters high, it was unusually round and smooth—something that was unlikely to be a natural formation. This immediately triggered his caution. However, seeing that the wolf at his side remained perfectly calm while walking through the absolute darkness, he allowed himself to relax a little.
After advancing nearly 3 kilometers, Frank finally spotted a faint light in the distance. He quickened his pace and soon emerged into a massive circular cavern, at least 200 meters in diameter. But what he saw there left him completely frozen in place—like a statue.
In front of him was a titanic serpent, coiled into a ball and apparently asleep—so massive that he seemed no larger than an ant by comparison. That was when he realized the light he had seen actually came from the serpent's scales, which emitted a faint yellowish glow. This subtle phenomenon allowed him to recognize the creature before him: the infamous Devouring Basilisk—a monster so feared that it was considered common sense across the galaxy to kill it the moment it appeared.
The Devouring Basilisk was a type of exotic serpent that could be found on various habitable planets. While its size and minor characteristics might vary, certain traits remained constant: it was always colossal, its scales always emitted a soft glow, and—most importantly—though it could sleep for thousands or even millions of years, once it awoke, it would consume all life in its path until nothing remained… and then go back to sleep.
Because of these traits, they were known as living calamities and were eliminated as soon as they were detected. The problem was that finding them wasn't easy—while asleep, they petrified themselves, becoming indistinguishable from a common rock. As a result, no reliable method had yet been developed to detect them in that dormant state.
The only way to detect one in time was when it was about to wake up—at that point, it would slowly begin to return to a living state, with blood and mana once again flowing through its body. So, as long as one remained alert, it was possible to eliminate it before disaster struck.
The problem now was that the Devouring Basilisk Frank was looking at didn't look anything like a rock—and even worse, it was already starting to glow, which was the last thing that happened before it woke up. But without a doubt, the worst part was that he was aware the lowest known power level for a Devouring Basilisk was Sage-level.
Gripped by panic, Frank tried to take a step back—but at that moment, he remembered he had entered with his ethereal projection extended. His face went deathly pale, and he immediately tried to retract his projection as fast as possible. But it was already too late.
The colossal serpent exhaled instinctively, still asleep, unleashing a brutal gust of wind that obliterated everything in its path. Realizing this was the end, Frank gave a bitter smile. No longer even motivated to regret his actions, he simply stared at the enormous serpent. But just before the deadly blast of air could consume him, he suddenly felt himself falling—overwhelmed by a sickening wave of vertigo.
***
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