Over the next half hour, I point out new monsters in the jungle region on the 25th floor and Bri takes them out in style.
After just four additional mobs, the agile light magic user opens her status over the corpse of a fallen lizardman.
"Level 500... It's finally time."
From above in the trees, I watch the silhouette of her body immediately become enveloped in a bright white light. The blue text box of the system vanishes and pure mana flows through Bri's body at a rapid rate, circulating through all of her mana channels as the glowing light around her gets stronger and brighter.
In a matter of seconds, the flash becomes overwhelmingly bright, but also vanishes to leave us in the silence of the wide-open empty forest just as fast.
Stood in the place where the experienced craftswoman once stood is now an indistinguishable aura.
Her mana control is crisper and more elusive. I can still sense her presence because I'm looking straight at her, but it may be significantly harder if she actually tried to hide.
I can tell she's leagues above her strength just moments ago. The density of mana shielding that forms around her blades as she swings them through the air to test her new strength is so much more refined than in her previous battles. I wouldn't be surprised if the lizardmen in this dungeon couldn't even pierce her shielding now.
She throws a few kicks and even jumps up into the air using wind magic from her boots to come up near me in the treeline.
Her sharp eyes make contact with mine, and a wave of new confidence and certainty is in her gaze.
"Now this feels good... I should have ranked up sooner..."
Bri twirls her blades as I step out from the branch above and we glide down to the jungle floor in the clearing where she got her last kill.
She picks up the mana crystal of the dead lizardman, and by chance, I sense another one coming at us at full speed about 150 meters in the direction we just left.
Before I even mention it, Bri's gaze turns to it and she swings a glowing dagger in its direction. A nearly invisible, thin, and densely packed blade of pure mana comes flying out of the bonded weapon's edge. It flies through the forest in silence, leaving trace amounts of glimmering energy behind while gliding through full trees and boulders to finally land directly on the monster's neck.
Before it takes another step, the lizard creature's head topples off and rolls to the forest floor. I watch using enemy detection in my mind's eye with my arms crossed.
"Not bad... not bad at all..."
She turns back, twirling her daggers a few times before placing them on her waist and replying.
"Can we move up a few floors? I need something a lot more powerful to test out my new buff. I have a feeling I know what it can do, but I'm not certain what its full capabilities are."
My appraisal skill activates on instinct, and the buff's title enters my mind's eye.
[Domain of Total Illusion]
I raise an eyebrow because I also am very curious about what a power like this can do. Then, place a hand on her shoulder while activating Dungeon Walker to bring both of us up to the red-tinted dungeon of the faceless speed-monster creatures.
"You want a challenge? I can give you that. This is the 28th floor, everything here is well over level 600."
As soon as Bri's black combat boots hit the crimson floor, she takes out her blades and charges them with mana.
I teleported us in close enough to a nearby mob that she could have time to see it coming and assess her options, but still be plunged right into action. Seeing that she's already turned in the direction of the flash of blue light from the creature's extreme speed skill being activated, I jump backward but pull out my sword and keep it on my side just in case.
This is a huge jump in level and power all at once, so I'll stay on guard until I see Bri take a few out herself.
Once the dual long sword-wielding red-skinned humanoid monster glowing with a bright blue aura comes within 30 meters of Bri, she jumps forward with wind-powered steps and a look of concentration on her face.
The monster senses its opponent is very strong and immediately activates its ranked up speed buff, shifting its aura from blue to red.
Their blades clash fractions of a second later and the eruption of mana shielding breaking on both of their weapons explodes in all directions.
Both Bri and the monster fly backward with equal force.
The dagger-wielding craftswoman at level 500, and the humanoid monster with silver swords at level 633 are on almost equal footing.
The beast doesn't lose a second of battle time to grip the track material-like floor and reactivate its speed buffs, shortening the distance between Bri and it in an instant.
Using the wind from her boots, Bri just barely twists out of the way to dodge its attack, but she doesn't seem worried at all. Her face is calm despite the clear difference in their speed. Her perception, agility, battle IQ, and raw power seem to make up for it, for now.
The monster continues to charge at the craftswoman in erratic patterns, swinging its blade, trying to land a hit with greed and fury. However, Bri continues to track its movements with sharp eyes and dodge over and over.
Occasionally she blocks with her own blades and their shielding cancels out equally in power, forcing both of them to fly backward over and over again.
I can't quite figure out what her game plan is, but it seems she's just trying to get a complete understanding of its movements.
Just when Bri's repetitive motions start to get dull to me; the corner of her lip curves upward, her pupils dilate, and a shimmering white orb of energy expands around her in all directions for about 5 meters in diameter.
As she does this, the red-skinned monster is charging toward her, swinging its blades and plotting its next strike.
It doesn't seem to notice the shimmering orb of mana at all, and plunges headfirst right inside.
The creature doesn't hesitate, flinch, or seem hurt at all once it enters; but something peculiar happens once its blades swing down to meet Bri's.
It loses its footing, and its sword strike misses the mark by over half a meter. Bri counters and lands two deep gashes in the monster's side, bursting through its shielding with ease. It looks as if the monster didn't even see Bri's attack coming.
It almost falls to the ground, but as it continues the momentum and leaves the outer edge of the shimmering orb on the other side, it fully regains its balance and turns around in a blue streaking arc of light with blades poised ready to kill. Blood drips from its wounds and it attacks Bri again with no fear.
It runs headfirst into the glowing orb of mana and the same exact thing happens. The creature loses its balance and completely misses its attack by a long shot. Bri lands another deep blow.
Two more exchanges pass, and it ends with both of Bri's blades slicing the disoriented monster's head off while it swings its swords in the opposite direction helplessly.
She deactivates her buff as it falls to the floor in two parts and begins to dissolve.
I walk over with a look of curiosity on my face. I have my own assumptions of what this ability can do, but want to hear it myself from the source.
Bri speaks up as I get closer.
"12 more levels from that one, nice! It was definitely a strong opponent, without my new buff this would have been a totally different fight."
She shrugs in a nonchalant manner while putting her bloodstained daggers on her waist.
"I probably still would have been able to win, I just wanted to test it out."
I reply.
"Oh yeah? How does it work? I could tell something was happening from the outside, but hard to know exactly. You're messing with your opponent's sight?"
She smiles and replies while activating her buff again, making an orb of shimmering clear light expand around her.
"Good guess, it seems to be that I can change my opponents' perception of reality within a certain domain of concentrated mana. Not only sight, but other senses too. I knew ranked up buffs were unique and usually come to be based on your usual battle style or similar to your regular skill usage but this kind of ability is far greater than I expected."
I'm face to face with the shimmering barrier as I hear her continue.
"Step inside, I'll show you how it works."
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Author's Note:
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