The next two days were days of rest. Students were able to spend their time as they wished, whether that was working on assigned homework, dueling, working a job, or just relaxing. For Michael and the other recruits, it was the perfect time to enter the breeding grounds.
Michael already had everything he needed, so he went as soon as he finished breakfast with his friends. In fact, several of them left at the same time, citing "something they had to go take care of." Since they were all going to the same place, they decided to travel together until they reached the breeding grounds.
Once they reached the forest, Fergus, Leo, Nathan, Lara and Sara went their own ways. Michael continued on with Kayn, Malachi, Scott, Julia and Jackson towards where his master had taken him previously. By mid-day, they had reached the crossroads.
None of the others seemed to notice the staircase, and Michael was in no hurry to go back. The creatures there were too strong for most of them, anyway. Instead, Michael headed towards the huge body of water. He wasn't sure how big it was, but it was definitely big enough for what he needed.
Malachi and Scott followed him, but Julia and Kayn turned towards the caves and Jackson left for the volcano. None of them spoke, even to wish each other good luck. They were all being watched, and they all knew they were competitors.
Michael reached the edge of the water without incident. He walked in, the water moving around him to create a bubble of air as he dove beneath the waves. This was fairly standard for underwater mages, and Malachi and Scott did the same, though they moved in different directions.
Almost immediately, Michael saw signs of countless creatures. He was right in assuming the lake (or ocean?) would be full of life, much like the ones back on Earth. He had also realized he had an advantage here over his friends—he knew that water contained oxygen. With an affinity for both, he could supply himself with an endless amount of oxygen so long as he kept moving.
He headed deeper and deeper until he started to see rank 1 and rank 2 beasts. Most were relatively ordinary and were scared off by his presence. Some of the bolder ones, however, he was forced to cut apart with serrated blades of air magic. They proved even more effective given the added pressure from the water, leaving Michael in relative peace.
Though he could have just caught a rank 2 beast, Michael found the prospect of such an action boring. They were allowed to bring back something stronger, so he had settled on a rank 3 beast. The one he had in mind was a two-headed hydra called the Otowan snake. They were almost always rank 3, and they were relatively common in big bodies of water.
The two heads made for a more interesting challenge, but its ranking and abilities left it squarely within his reach. He didn't know exactly how long it took, but eventually he found what he was looking for.
This Otowan snake seemed to be on the smaller side, likely a juvenile. He gave up any attempts at a stealthy approach, knowing the snake could feel the vibrations in the water. Instead, he created a prison of air blades all around it. Regardless of which way it went, the snake would only cut itself open if it tried to leave.
Left without any options, the snake came speeding at Michael. But he had prepared for this. He closed his eyes and a blinding light appeared behind him. The snake, no longer able to see, was thrashing about wildly, looking for him.
But Michael didn't move, instead opting to send more air blades at the creature. He was careful not to kill it like he had done with the lower rank beasts. Its scales should be harder than those higher, but his blades were especially powerful here.
Once the blood started flowing, Michael knew he had to finish this quickly. Bigger predators were sure to smell the blood and would be eager to give chase. In fact, couldn't he have just used the lower level monsters to attract an Ottowan snake? Well, it was too late for those thoughts now.
He forced the injured beast into the cage he had brought and rapidly began swimming back the way he'd come. He breached the surface of the water, only to realize he was still far from shore. Normally that would be fine, but he could sense something beneath the waves, and it was at least as big as he was.
He forced out another air prison around him, hoping it would ward the creature off as he began to swim towards shore. But the closer he got, the more impossible it seemed. Now, a dark shadow was clearly visible below him. It was at least twice his size, and he estimated it to be at least the third rank. Otherwise, it wouldn't have dared to challenge an Ottowan snake, even an injured one.
With a sigh, Michael turned to face his new challenger. Several massive rows of teeth greeted him. He flung himself into the air with magic, just narrowly avoiding the gaping maw of the creature. From what he could see, it appeared to be a magic shark. Though there were countless kinds, this one had charged straight through his blades without worry.
Such a creature had to have tough defenses in addition to deadly teeth. To make it worse, the beast was fast. By the time Michael had reentered the water, it was already coming back at him. It was a dark blue that almost definitely helped it blend in in the depths. Even scarier, it didn't disturb the water when it moved.
If you didn't see it coming, you'd never be able to avoid it. Michael dodged the second attack, taking the opportunity to score his blade across its side and cutting into one of the fins. It didn't go deep, but it hurt the fin and angered the shark. The water below Michael was suddenly dragged down, pulling him with it. Without control over the water around him, he had to face the shark head on.
This time, it seemed almost cocky as it opened its mouth to swallow him. Its use of magic had perfectly isolated its prey, or so it thought. A stream of five massive blades of air and darkness magic shot down the back of the beast's throat. For a moment, it seemed fine. Then, cuts appeared all over the inside of it. They spread and spread, consuming more and more of the fearsome creature until not even a drop of blood was left.
This move left Michael all but drained of mana, having been one of the few trump cards he held. The amount it took to work was always high, but it grew the stronger his opponent's defense was. If not for firing it into the mouth, he doubted he'd have been able to kill the beast at all. Even without knowing its exact rank, he was sure it was at least at the upper levels of rank 3.
He paddled tiredly to shore, his prized hydra in the cage behind him. He stuck land and didn't stop. If he did, he wouldn't be able to get up for hours.
[System has detected debilitating physical fatigue and mana drain. Should system deploy regenerative functions? * Note: Costs 1 IP (Intellect Point) *]
Not now, system! I can deal with this on my own. Who'd use such a rare currency for something as minor as mana drain? Speaking of the system, he really had to sit down and have a chat with Al when he got back. This system had already proven helpful but expensive, and he wanted to know what it could really do. He was sure to gain a great number of IP over the next few years, and he wanted to make good use of it.
As soon as he was back on academy grounds, Michael fell to the ground. He had used up everything he had on this mission, and he couldn't move any more. As the world around him faded to darkness, Michael just grinned.