"What do you mean the rift is closing? It's hardly even been a full day. I thought this tear has been closing for weeks, even months. Why is it closing so fast now?"
I do a full scan of the dungeon to locate the excess mana emanating from the rift, then Dungeon Walk us from the sky to directly in front of it.
The massive tear in space is now hardly over 10 meters in height.
Its black endless void is as ominous as ever, but just this morning when I looked at it, it was almost twice the size.
Ember responds.
"It could be for a number of reasons. The first being pure chance, the Void Creeper Lord could just be routinely closing the rift after it absorbed its fair share of mana in this dungeon."
My gaze tightens as Ember nods slowly to continue.
"But I also believe this isn't a coincidence. The overfarming must have made this dungeon inefficient. They're losing more mana than they're gaining, and there's no point in staying. On top of that, it's pretty easy to tell where the source of the problem is. Your mere presence is enough to drive these creatures off now. They may enjoy absorbing mana, but only from the weak."
I cross my arms.
"My presence? You mean my intimidation skill's passive perk? I have shielding up to cover that at all times now, lower-level mobs can't even sense my presence."
Ember nods.
"True, but high-level beings can. The fact that you're using such dense mana instinctively to shield a simple passive buff is more than enough of a tell that you're an extremely strong ranked-up hunter."
I raise an eyebrow as Ember keeps explaining.
"On top of that, any ranked-up monster or hunter with basic levels of mana senses can tell you're no ordinary being. The mana radiating off your body at all times is incredibly immense. The only time it's truly covered up is when your legendary stealth skill is activated."
"That seems to be a problem... I knew other strong hunters could sense my presence when I'm not actively hiding it, but is it really that accurate? You're saying any hunter with high mana perception can tell how strong I am just from being nearby even if I don't have any buffs or skills activated?"
Ember nods slowly.
"Not entirely, of course. If you're not in full battle mode, they cannot sens your full power. However, most hunters don't have countless skills to buff their mana output above their average control. The refined eye of a strong hunter can make a fairly good estimate of your base level mana control even when no mana is being actively used. When you look at other hunters, or even monsters, you can get a sense of their mana control even before the battle begins, right?"
I think back to some of the recent monsters I've faced off against. Their mana control levels are so far below mine, and the fact that I've had a trump card of Qi, Demonic Energy, or my Red Hydra's buff for so long, I haven't paid close attention to the mana bases of my opponents until they strike or put up shielding of their own. However, the faint white glow that emanates around hunters about level 400 or so and above does come to mind.
It's a passive perception ability I've had ever since absorbing that Blue Ogre's Essence in Solara. No special skill on my status or anything, just the fact that my baseline mana control got high enough to see the world in a different light.
Even without my All-Seeing Eye, it is possible to sense mana on individuals that have high amounts of it.
I respond to Ember's question after thinking deeply on the matter.
"Yes, you're right. I can. So what you're saying is that my natural aura is scaring away the Titans?"
"I'm not certain, but it could be a major factor. Especially after the last training session you had, your natural mana control base raised by over 2.5 times. I can sense the difference like night and day. It could be why the rift started closing faster since you revealed your newcontrol level in the dungeon this morning."
Ember's expression shifts to a more serious one.
"That means enemies are able to sense you much easier as well."
I think about this for a moment too, picturing a fabricated image in my mind of a massive pillar of invisible white energy shooting into the sky in the middle of Valor City as I walk around casually through the walls using only my concealment skill, and my stomach churns.
"So the only time my presence is truly concealed is when using stealth, and even then, someone with high mana control could still see through my ability... I've been walking around with a massive target on my back all this time?"
Ember nods again.
"There's really no helping it. All strong lifeforms can sense the presence of other strong lifeforms. However, now that you're a Qi user, I could teach you how to use a technique called Mana Suppression if you wish. If your goal is to blend in and seem weaker than you really are, or control your mana output at will, this would be the way to do it."
My eyes widen as I've heard Ember speak of this Mana Suppression technique in the past, but he also mentioned I was far too inexperienced back then to learn it.
Everything Ember is saying is true. I can sense beings that have awakened a high enough mana control, so there's no reason for others not to be able to do it too. The only upside of the matter is that it's not like someone can identify a person based on their mana signature. Especially mine, it's constantly rising and drastically changing.
The part that doesn't make this okay in my eyes is that I haven't been as stealthy as I thought. When disguised in Valor City as a simple merchant or businessman, higher ranked guards can surely tell I'm a formidable opponent in hiding.
Especially after my recent training session, I raised dramatically in power in a single day and decided not to attend the fight ring event tonight. If the Dark One wasn't already watching me closely before, it is now.
I turn to Ember and respond.
"Yes, I need to learn this Mana Suppression Technique. I would like you to teach me."
At the thought of it, I extend my enemy detection skill to see if there are any titans left in this Dungeon.
The radar reading that comes back is not what I was hoping to see at all...
A single blotch of dense energy is about 2km away moving at a very slow pace. It may reach our current position in front of the rift in about 25 minutes.
I turn my head back to the black rift behind us and can't tell if it's my imagination or if the edges have started to close in slightly faster than just moments ago when my conversation with Ember started.
My eyes widen and I airstep onto Ember's back.
"This may be our last chance to make use of these Titans."
It would have been nice to stock up on more materials for a long session, but there's no time. I have some extra unused clothes, leftover blankets, miscellaneous items, and months' worth of food and water still left over from last time. The fact that my high mana control reduces the amount of food and water I need to consume is a major plus. It's more than enough; it just won't be as comfortable as my last session.
I activate Dungeon Walker to spawn up about 500 meters in the air, right outside the energy blotch on my enemy detection radar. The last titan, with long swaying limbs and slow, steady moving footsteps, is silently making its way toward the closing rift.
Ember responds as he divebombs downward at the huge mass of black energy.
"Yes, it looks like we made the final one panic. We'll have to use it wisely, and make sure we get out before it leaves through the rift with us inside."
"Very good point."
I create two body doubles right before we plunge into the dark Void.
The copies airstep away from the danger while weightlessness takes over my body, and I fall back into the Titan's Domain.
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Author's Note:
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