Still sniffling, I pull myself up, my knees protesting the movement. My gaze shifts to the pile of rubble that was once Bob. "I swear, next time I'm bringing a rocket launcher," I mumble.
On my shoulder, Ilka gives a snort of laughter. "Or you could just remember to use your Bang! Bang! earlier."
"That too," I admit. "I need to stop underestimating my baby."
There's a pause, then Ilka asks, "Hey, are you not going to take some of the stones?"
I sniffle, wiping my nose on my sleeve. "Nah," I say, my voice sounding thick. "From the looks of it, although he was tough, the quality of the stones will deteriorate over time. Not worth the trouble."
Approaching the pillar, I reach out to touch the stone. My hand bounces back in pain, the runes acting as a barrier. I let out a hiss, clutching my hand to my chest.
Ilka, back on my shoulder, bursts into laughter. "Oh, you're such a dumbass!" she cackles. "What are you going to do now?"
I can't help but grin, despite the throbbing in my hand. "Well," I say, "if I can't grab it or decipher the runes, there's only one solution."
I sit down in front of the pillar, crossing my legs and resting my hands on my knees. The steady pulse of energy from the magic stone fills the air, a rich source of ambient mana.
I snort, and some snot rockets out of my nose. Gross. "Alright, Ilka," I declare, wiping my nose with the back of my hand. "I'm going to enjoy this."
The look she gives me is priceless. "What are you, a masochist?" she scoffs, settling herself on top of my head.
As I open myself up to the ambient mana, I feel it rush into me. It's like I'm a parched man, drinking from a well. The mana is pure, with little to no rebound. This could work. This is way better than I thought it would be.
I direct the mana to my core, stimulating it to increase circulation. The mana swirls within me, moving faster and faster. My core reacts positively, seeming to drink up the mana.
A bead of sweat trickles down my forehead. It's harder than I thought to keep a constant flow of mana into my core. It's like trying to fill a bowl with a leaky faucet. My mind is filled with the rushing sound of mana, like a river roaring in my ears.
The concentration needed is immense, more than anything I've ever done before. Each second, each minute that passes feels like an eternity. The entire process is nerve-wracking, as the slightest misstep could lead to disaster.
If the mana circulating within my core messes up its flow, it would be like pouring sand into a well-oiled machine. The consequences could range from a minor headache to severe internal damage, or worse.
Ilka, in the meantime, has become extremely quiet. She's bored. I can't exactly entertain her while I'm doing this. The most movement I've seen from her in the past few hours is a flick of her tiny fingers or a quiet hum of a song.
Suddenly, my core stutters. I gasp, breaking out in a cold sweat. Did a string of mana go awry? I quickly scan through the circulating mana in my core. There! A rogue string of mana is disrupting the flow.
A bead of sweat trickles down my cheek as I reach out, gently nudging it back into place. The relief I feel is overwhelming. Crisis averted. For now.
As I continue this delicate process, the minutes seem to drag on. But with each passing moment, I can feel my core strengthening, adapting to the increased mana circulation. It's working. It's actually working!
The sensation is unlike anything I've ever felt before. It's as if my body is glowing from within, my very core radiating heat and power. It's a heady feeling, one that leaves me grinning despite the sweat dripping from my brow.
I can hear Ilka shifting restlessly above me. "How much longer is this going to take?" she groans, sounding utterly bored.
"Patience, Ilka," I reply, my voice steady despite the intense concentration. "This is not something you rush."
"This feels..." I start, but the words trail off. How can I explain it? It's like...well, like...
"It's like eating the best damn burger after a long day of work," I finally say. "Or like waking up in the morning and realizing it's a weekend. Or like..."
Ilka snorts, cutting me off. "I don't understand what you're saying. What the hell is a burger? And what is a weakened? Are you making fun of me!? You know I don't understand you...you're a dick."
I grin. "I try."
Time continues to pass, the energy inside me growing. Tsk, if only stones of this purity weren't so expensive.
"Remember to pace yourself," Ilka chides, her voice echoing in the cavern. "Don't go blowing yourself up now."
"I'll keep that in mind," I promise, my voice a low rumble. It's getting harder to speak, the energy inside me building to a crescendo.
I spit out a mouthful of blood onto the ground. It's not exactly a triumphant moment, coughing up blood in front of a dead monster, but hey, I'll take it. After all, I've just made my breakthrough.
A shiver courses through me, but it's not from the cold. It's like my entire body is singing. All the mana veins in my body have opened up, and I can feel the mana flowing freely through them. It's like I've just run a marathon, and all my muscles are shaking with fatigue but also with exhilaration.
I let out a laugh. It's shaky, full of relief and exhaustion, but it's a laugh nonetheless. I did it. I broke through. I'm officially a stage one mage now. Sure, it's not much in the grand scheme of things, but it's a start.
With the magic stone still radiating mana, I continue to circulate my mana. My core expands like a balloon being filled with water, but it doesn't feel uncomfortable. Instead, there's a pleasant warmth spreading from my core to the rest of my body.
Ilka, apparently finding my hair more interesting than the dead monster, is completely oblivious to my internal celebrations. She hums to herself, twirling my hair around her tiny fingers and tugging at it every so often.
"Ow," I grumble, reaching up to swat her away. "Watch it. That hurts."
"Suck it up, princess," she retorts, not missing a beat. Her tone is laced with boredom, as if she couldn't care less about my breakthrough. If only she could feel pain...
"Is that blood?" she asks, finally taking notice of the red stain on the ground. "Did you fuck up?"
"No, just a breakthrough cough. I'm fine," I assure her.
She snorts. "Oh, so dramatic. Did you learn that from some cheesy romance novel?"
"Actually, yes," I say, deciding to play along with her. "I thought it would impress you."
She rolls her eyes, "Try harder, Kael. I'm not that easy to impress. I won't be teaching you anything new until you improve, why do you keep trying to rush your progress? You won't achieve shit that way."
"Tsk, you really saw through me there, huh?" I say with a click of my tongue. "How about teaching me something new to entertain us both?"
"All talk, no action. Improve, then we'll see," she responds, sounding nonchalant.
Shaking my head with a grin, I continue circulating the mana. My body feels like a dynamo, churning and burning, but in a good way. It's hard to tell how long I've been at this, the sense of time seems to dissolve when you're brimming with magic.
With a groan, I get to my feet, every muscle protesting the sudden movement. Ilka yawns loudly, stretching her tiny body. I can't help but laugh at her exaggerated show of boredom. Just how long was I sitting for?
"And you're released from your torture, oh tiny tormentor," I jest, only to see the once vibrant magic stone crumble to dust.
My heart sinks a little. I was hoping it would last a bit longer. "Well, that sucks. I'm only about two-thirds of the way to stage two," I mutter, mostly to myself.
Every bone in my body aches as if I've been sitting for a century. I glance around the room, frowning at the sudden trembling.
"That can't be good," I mutter as the room shakes. Ilka cackles, "Hehehe, another monster to bite your ass?"
I roll my eyes at her, but freeze as something rises from the ground not too far away. "What the... are those eggs?"
They're large, grotesque looking things, each different in texture and form. Ilka shifts on my head, obviously disappointed. "Tsk, just my luck," she snickers.
Ignoring her, I inspect them closer. Chimera eggs? The runes must have been set up so that when the magic stone dispersed its mana, these eggs would appear, turning the environment into a breeding ground. I shiver at the thought of what might hatch from these mutant eggs. I don't want to find out.
Without a second thought, I activate Umbra and slice through them. They're not part of my original novel plot but I'm not about to leave potentially dangerous creatures unchecked. As each egg splits open, I feel a sense of relief. No monsters hatching today.
I glance at Ilka who's casually inspecting her nails, obviously unimpressed. "You have anything else you want to break, or can we finally get out of here?" she says with a yawn.
With a chuckle, I glance around the room one last time, just to make sure I haven't missed anything else. "I think we're done here, Ilka," I say, picking up a couple pieces of the shattered magic stone. "But you never know, we might find something interesting on the way back."
She huffs, shifting her position on my head. "As long as it's not another weak-ass monster," she grumbles.
"Who knows?" I reply with a grin, "Maybe we'll find a magical artifact, or a treasure chest filled with gold!" As if, the only we will find are a bunch of rats and bats.
Ilka snorts, "Knowing your luck, we're more likely to find a rabid giant squirrel or a patch of mutated poison ivy."
I take a moment to pack the remains of the magical stone into a pouch, hoping to find a use for it later. Just as I finish, a fast-moving noise echoes in the distance. The sound seems to bounce off the walls, making it difficult to determine its exact origin.
Ilka, ever the voice of doom and gloom, cackles from her perch on my head. "Perfect~ Another friend is coming for a visit~" She sounds way too excited for someone who won't be participating in the upcoming battle.
"What type of monster do you think it is? Based on sound, it runs on two legs, and it can't be that big. It's not a skeleton since I can't hear any bones. Maybe it's a goblin? Nah, there's no way goblins are here, perhaps a ferroug? Maybe a ghoul?" Ilka continues, voicing out her speculations.
I click my tongue in annoyance. Anything but a ghoul. Isn't Isadora supposed to be dealing with the damn thing? Did it move here or, even worse, did another one appear? There's no way I can beat one; I'm fresh out of bullets.
As the figure approaches, my eyes widen in disbelief. "What the actual fuck?" I murmur, feeling like I've been punched in the gut.
Standing a few feet away from me, panting heavily and covered in sweat, is Sera. "Wait, what?" She looks just as stunned as I am, her eyes darting around in disbelief.
We slowly approach each other, both of us wearing mirrored expressions of utter confusion. "What the hell are you doing here?" we both ask in unison, speaking over each other.
I take a step back, shaking my head as if trying to rid myself of a nasty illusion. Sera should be on a similar island next to the one I'm on, so just what is she doing here? More importantly, how the hell did she get here?
"Did you swim?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. "Or maybe you got caught up in a rift?"
Sera gives me a scathing look, her hands resting on her hips. "And what about you? Did you fly here on your magical unicorn?"