Turning back, Temir noticed the gazes of the surrounding people. A phrase raced through his mind, one he hadn't finished saying out loud, realizing what he was uttering.
" What the...? " Temir exclaimed. His eyes searched the surrounding people for an answer.
" You are... strong, but... was it too harsh of you? " suddenly said Sasha, nervously gripping the bow in her hand.
" Yeah, though it's good. After all, the spider could have killed someone. " Adel added in support.
" Your name is Temir, right? " said the girl with red hair, showing a hint of embarrassment.
" Yes...? " Temir agreed questioningly.
" I'm Saule. " she said, extending her hand with a smile on her face.
" Mm... Temir. " he said, shaking her hand. A slight awkwardness was visible on his face.
Standing nearby, Adil slightly twisted his face. He was inspired by the scene when Saule helped him choose from the spider's web. One could say that a spark ignited in him at that moment, but... it seemed that this spark was destined to extinguish. All the anticipation and light in his eyes could disappear in a second, as the girl spoke.
" Are you a member of the guild? Can I join your team? " she said in one breath. Adding at the end of the sentence, which caused Temir's eyelid to twitch, " I want to follow you because of admiration for your strength, not for romantic relationships. "
A little stunned by her words and pondering for a moment, Temir spoke.
" No, I'm not a member of the guild, and there can be no talk of your joining, as you are already in that guild. " he said a little reluctantly.
" I can leave it. " she replied briefly, though her voice sounded firm and confident.
" If I create my own guild or start assembling my team, I will invite you. " Temir said, a little hesitating, wanting to finish this seemingly pointless dialogue faster.
" I take your word for it. " she said fanatically, then moved towards Adil. Her gait was light but not fast.
Adil, who had been drooping all this time but with hope in his eyes watching the conversation, suddenly lit up like a star. His mood lifted when he heard her words about the reason for her desire to join him, as well as her words denying romantic feelings for him. Geared up to introduce himself to her, he spun various phrases in his head that would help him endear her to him. Although there seemed to be enough time, when she approached him, his head was filled with emptiness, all those phrases disappeared without a trace.
" I... um... " incoherent sounds came out of his mouth.
" My name is Saule. I hope we can be friends. " she said, offering him her tender hand.
" Yes, yes. My name is Adil. " he said a little hesitantly.
" I know, we've met a few times already. " she said, smiling a little, and after a second's pause added. " I've wanted to meet you for a long time, but it never worked out. " she said, adding a touch of sadness at the end.
" A... I... " Adil began to pronounce incoherent sounds again, after which they started a conversation.
Standing nearby, Sasha said to Adel.
" She caught him, didn't she? " she said with an affirmative tone. She stood with a face like a judge scoring a game.
" Yes, I also noticed that. How long do you think it will take her to win him over? " Adel asked Sasha. A smirk played on her face.
" Well... I don't know, most likely tomorrow he will ask her out. " Sasha replied with a thoughtful look.
" I think he's already completely in love with her. I guess he'll try to confess today; after all, he's been wandering around dungeons for a long time, so he's confident enough. " Adel said, pondering for a moment.
" I believe he has already fallen head over heels for her. I think he'll try to confess today. After all, he's been wandering around dungeons for a long time, so he's confident enough. " Adel said, pondering for a moment.
The only calm person on the island, at first glance, was Temir, but inside, he was far from calm.
**************************************************************************************
From Temir's perspective.
Various thoughts echoed in my head. What did she want from me? What to do next? Such thoughts revolved in my mind. The first decision was to send birds to explore the surroundings of this group. They quickly flew beyond my sight, literally disappearing from view.
A few minutes after their exploration, I was able to pick a suitable route that would lead the entire group towards Arman. Currently, his group was moving forward peacefully; in fact, during all this time, they hadn't encountered a single spider, which was surprising, considering I had already killed two myself. I'll have to go meet him there and discuss the island destruction.
"Can't you send one of the birds with a note to him? Wouldn't that be easier?" Ever said, with a tone of voice that created an image in my mind, slowly rubbing her temples.
"Sorry, I didn't think of it right away," I apologized, my hand unconsciously resting on my neck.
"I also suggest that you go separately from the group, breaking the islands on your way. Then, you'll reach your destination faster," she suggested.
"If you think about it, these islands must be useful for something, don't you think? What will they ultimately gain from this dungeon if everything turns into a swamp?" I questioned her; it was terribly intriguing, as spider bodies were also not obtained by them.
"They will be saved, and the dungeon is beneficial with its swamps. If, of course, you can get the dungeon core. Otherwise, they will just gain experience for clearing the dungeon," she replied, with her characteristic calmness, but a hint of sternness in her tone.
"Understood," I replied dispiritedly.
After a short wait, the Crimson Arrow flew up to me. I attached a pre-prepared note to it, expressing my guess. I hoped he would act as written there.
Sending the bird, I turned to Adil.
"We should split up. As mentioned before, my guess is to destroy the islands. So, I will go separately from you and destroy the islands in the direction of Arman's group. You and Sasha follow the first group with the Blue Arrow. If there is any danger, I will know about it immediately and come to you," I said in one breath.
As mentioned before, the plan itself was simple. It remained only to implement it. After a short conversation with familiar people in the group, we split up. Adil and Sasha joined the group following the Blue Arrow, which remained their escort. I, on the other hand, set out to crush the islands left behind us.
"Can you check the islands for loot?" I asked Ever.
"I can, but you will have to clear the dungeon before collection," she replied.
"And if we collect it now or not at all?" I asked, hopeful.
"Then there will be a penalty for collection. Currently, the commission is 20% of the loot, but for collecting loot before completing the dungeon conquest, it will be raised to 50%. Are you sure you want to collect?" she asked, as if pressing me.
"Understood, but still, if we destroy the islands now, the loot might disappear. It's best to collect it," I said.
"Then wait," she said. After that, a beam of light shot out from me in different directions, or rather, it seemed that a glow burst out.
"At the moment, there are 12,000 points of the system's energy elements available in the dungeon, and there is also one level 8 spell, equivalent to 1,000 points of the system," she announced.
"If you collect everything now, I will get 7,000 points, right?" I asked.
"You will receive 6,500 points," she said firmly.
"But isn't there already no commission for abilities anyway?" I asked her.
"I spend my own energy to absorb the ability, and essentially, I don't charge a commission for it. But collecting is different; you didn't obtain the ability yourself but are trying to take it away. It's a different story," she said unequivocally.
"Can I know what ability it is? Maybe it will be useful for Arman?" I suddenly asked her my question.
"This ability allows you to create a coordinated resonance between different materials. By initiating vibrations in one material, the user can induce similar oscillations in neighboring objects, be it earth, metal, water, or sand. This resonance acts as a channel for transmitting various forms of energy or influences, such as sound pulses or attacks. The user has control over the intensity and direction of this influence, allowing the ability to be used for both defensive and offensive purposes," she explained as if teaching a lesson.
"A quite powerful ability, don't you think? Maybe I can still use it, huh?" I asked her with a slightly pleading tone. It was a pity to part with such an ability, very much so.
"Unfortunately, this ability is not compatible with me. But, fortunately for you, I have a similar ability. You will be able to acquire it at level 6 of the system," she said with a smirk at the end.
"I'll be waiting for that moment," I said sadly.
"Can you check if Arman can get it? - I asked her, suddenly remembering why all this started.
"Considering all the people in the dungeon, the only one who can use this ability is Saule. If you want, you can give it to her, but the island on which the ability is located is behind Arman's group," she replied, her words killed my confidence in passing on the ability. I trust Arman because of the memories of the previous "Temir" and his attitude towards the current me, who replaced the "Temir," but how can I trust a person I don't know?
"For now, let's put the ability aside; there will be time to think when we finish with Arachne. Right now, the main thing for me is to destroy the islands, so while you collect, and after that, I will destroy all unnecessary islands and meet the boss," I said, after which a burst of light occurred, and I heard Ever's reply.
"Ready! You can start destroying everything around."