" No wonder you are such a monster... " - Caera unconsciously muttered. Despite the first outline of what Ramiel was capable of, she was still in shock.
" Huh? You haven't seen my spells yet. I wouldn't even compare this thing to what I'm currently using. I'm curious what kind of face you'll make when I return to my old form. "
Caera took a deep breath and looked at Avi with a faint glimmer of hope.
" He's not serious, is he? "
The fairy looked at the elfess with sympathy.
" Unfortunately, he is right... in his world, he was a real monster. Even the strongest feared a clash with him, or at least he thought so. Ramiel was extremely arrogant... " Avi added after a moment. " ...and narcissistic, but at least he could back it up with strength... "
The elfess interrupted the fairy.
" I understand... you can stop now... " - Caera had had enough. She hadn't thought that the gap between them would be so big. Physically, she might be stronger than he is, but experience plays a key role. In that respect, Ramiel had beaten everyone in the dungeon.
Another question arose in her mind. How long will I be able to maintain my advantage?
Ramiel laughed. He knew exactly what the woman was thinking. He could bet a million dollars on it and take the whole pot.
" You will also become so strong. I'll make sure of it."
Caera made a sour face. The elfess thought that, unlike Ramiel, she had no talent. She may be good at archery and scouting, but that is her maximum.
" You don't have to console me, Master. I know my limitations. Unlike you, I'm talentless. " - The elfess whispered sadly. The basis of survival is to know one's limits. However, Caera was living in a huge mistake, which amused the former hunter to tears.
Within seconds, Ramiel's loud laughter spread throughout the dungeon. If anyone was asleep, they were surely cursing him now. Caera knitted her eyebrows. She didn't know what part of her statement was funny.
" You are joking, right? You alone were able to decipher the basic laws of the element of space. Your arrows always hit the target. They may not be lethal, but training can improve this. As for mana, most of your thesis was correct. What you lacked was a deeper understanding and a broader view of the big picture. If that's not talent, I don't know what is. Also, I don't know how, but you stole my hanyard... "
One may wonder why Ramiel was so sure of his words. Was he a second Nostradamus? No, he wasn't. Instead, he possessed abilities that bordered on deception. The man activated one of the evolution skills. Ramiel, this time, didn't receive a shock like last time. Fortunately, he had already checked Caera's evolutionary paths, and they were impressive.
Eight rays of light appeared in front of him. Only three of them interested him, but he decided to leave the choice to the woman. The first and largest of these was 20 centimeters in diameter. This ray was the same sky-blue color as Caera's hair. Ramiel wasn't sure, but he had the impression that it was connected to the element of space.
The second ray was much smaller, about 12 centimeters in diameter, and something like shadows moved inside the black beam.
The last one was the same size as the previous one. There was nothing special about it, and it was most likely related to the lightning element, as Ramiel felt its presence in it.
Unfortunately, all the development paths were shrouded in a dark mist. Only one shone brightly, but Ramiel didn't even consider it; it was the thinnest of all. The man was greedy. He didn't want to waste a woman's future potential.
Tsk... If it's not talent, then I don't know what it is. Besides, your growth is crazy. - The man thought. He was quite impressed the first time he saw it. So far, only Asme has matched Caera.
| Status |
| Name Caera |
| Race Elf |
| Age 20 |
| Strength 18 > 24 |
| Endurance 20 > 28 |
| Vitality 15 > 19 |
| Agility 25 > 31 |
| Defense 16 > 29 |
| Mana 25 > 29 |
| Compressed mana 0 |
| Intelligence 26 > 28 |
Such great progress was made possible by the refined water. The lake in the middle of the cave perfectly fulfilled its intended role, becoming the dungeon's driving engine. Ramiel was looking forward to seeing more of the Frost Touch Lilies. Thanks to them, water would be useful to him again.
" SSSSSSSsssss " - Ramiel was pulled from his thoughts by the hiss of Sarron lying on Caera's shoulder. The former hunter could have sworn that the vicious reptile was taunting him. As it turned out later, he was right.
" You can't say that. Your master will be sorry. " - Caera laughed quietly while chastising the snake.
" You understand him!!! " - Ramiel gasped in surprise. The elfess' previous words had left him stunned.
" Partly, the snake language isn't as difficult as it seems. It's odd that you haven't learned it yet, Master. "
The former hunter fell silent under the influence of the elven woman's sharp words. It seems like he's the only one who doesn't know the language of his bond... Now that he thinks about it, it's no wonder that Sarron would rather be with his woman than with him. At least he can talk with her...
Ramiel improved Caera's mood. Talking to him put some things in a new light.
Maybe I have been too hard on myself. When a monster like Ramiel says I have talent... maybe I really do?
Caera has never seen herself this way. All her life, she has been humiliated, dragged through the mud, and finally betrayed by the person she trusted the most. No wonder she thinks so lowly of herself...
The elfess tenderly rubbed her cheek against Ramiel's face, then stood up. With a newfound determination, Caera headed for training. After all, even the greatest gem is less valuable if it isn't properly worked.
Ramiel looked regretfully at the woman's distant back. His exquisite cushion had just left him for dead without saying goodbye...
When Caera disappeared up the stairs leading above, the man's gaze shifted to the fairy.
" Did you do something when I was unconscious? " - Ramiel wasn't even trying to be nice. He was stern and harsh and kept his words to a minimum. He was still angry with Avi.
" Mhm, I summoned a new batch of monsters, then organized the first mining expedition to the mine. Together with the skeletons, we collected 50 crystals of the lowest quality. If we want to mine the more precious ones, we will need better equipment or wait until some skeletons turn into miners. "
Ramiel listened to the report carefully. He was prepared for such a development; after all, things can never be too rosy. When Avi finished, he gave instructions.
" We should mine at all times. With the current number of personnel, we are in no danger of depleting the source... " Ramiel took a short pause over something while thinking. " Delegate two skeletons to process crystals into arrowheads. We don't have darts, but we'll use the current ones... I'm curious how strong the freezing effect will be... As for other things, have you found a new tunnel? "
Avi shook her head.
" I haven't found one yet. None of the current caves have been enlarged, not counting the armory. As always, there is only scrap there. In such a situation, there are several options. First and worst, a new tunnel has opened in the cave with mandragora. The second, but no better option, is to find it somewhere in the cave of the Night Rippers. The forest there is too vast. There is also the possibility of an opening in the cave of the Dead Gnu.
"
Ramiel sighed under his breath. The man felt annoyed that every time he started to succeed, life brutally brought him down to earth.
" This sucks... Never mind, we have to abandon this idea for now. Let's deal with moving the scrap metal from the armory to the warehouse. After that, we should focus on the next evolution of the dungeon and repelling the attack. "
Avi interrupted Ramiel in the middle of her sentence. She needed to straighten a few things out.
" As for the evolution of the dungeon, it's impossible for now. You have to pass the trial to unlock further progress, and the scrap has already been moved and sorted. "
Ramiel didn't like what he heard. Taking away the possibility of development effectively weakened him. At first, he had planned to improve the dungeon and just face the coming threat, but it worked out as usual.
" How much time is left? " - The former hunter muttered grimly. Each subsequent word from Avi put him in an even worse mood.
" 82 hours, you slept a long time... According to the hourglass, it is now four in the morning. "
Ramiel fell silent, devising a preliminary plan for defending the dungeon. His mind was working at top efficiency, analyzing hundreds of potential scenarios. Not much was missing, and the teeth of the gears driving his brain would have crumbled.
It wasn't until half an hour later that the former hunter spoke. Not because he was done, but because he had forgotten the most important thing... Thinking in the morning wasn't his strong point.
" The attack will come from the abyss? Or should I rather expect a giant portal in the middle of the dungeon. " - Ramiel muttered grimly, hiding his embarrassment. This time, the poker face worked perfectly.
The fairy looked at him strangely. She didn't know why, but Ramiel sometimes came up with really strange ideas.
" I don't know what you've read, but there will be no portal inside the dungeon... The attack will come from the abyss. Monsters will try to force their way in through the gate. "
Ramiel tore a few pages out of his notebook and scribbled some simple drawings on them. They depicted traps and a barricade with positions for archers. On one of the sheets was a detailed diagram of the layout of everything. The former hunter handed his scribbles to Avi.
" These are plans of the necessary things to do. Take half the skeletons from the mine and all the goblins. They are to finish it in two days. If they have enough time, let them create a corridor behind the barricade in the left wall, but they can't open it. That's it from my side. You can get on with it now.
An awkward silence fell in the room. The atmosphere became so thick that it could be cut with a knife. Avi decided to try her luck. She didn't want their relationship to look awkward from today on.
" And what about you? Are you all right? " - The fairy whispered with hope in her voice, which was shattered into a fine poppy by the former hunter.
" It's not, and it won't be. I doubt if I can recover for the attack. If you have no more questions, take care of your duties. I need to focus on increasing my mana reserves. I finally have the time to get down to it in a serious. "
Ramiel made it clear that he had no intention of talking to Avi any longer. He acted like an asshole, but maybe this will teach the fairy something. If he didn't deal with her now, it would be too late later. The man didn't like his chosen method, but other means were too time-consuming.
Without even getting a chance to respond, Avi lowered her gaze. She could have pressed the man, but she was at fault here. Until Ramiel stopped being angry, there was nothing she could do. Clenching her small fists, the fairy flew towards the upper floors of the dungeon.
" I wonder how much I have improved... " - Ramiel stood up and went under the dungeon's core. The man's hand met the cold and smooth surface of the sphere. He felt the particles of foreign mana enter his body and then return to the mysterious object.
All the while, Ramiel wondered how the core of the dungeon was created, but no ideas came to mind. He once tried probing it with his mana but was met with considerable rejection. Since then, he hasn't practiced silly ideas. Against all odds, he enjoyed living.
Almost immediately, a status window appeared in the man's mind. Unfortunately, the description of his abilities didn't change. This was a bit disappointing for Ramiel, as he had hoped to clear some of the blockages after such a long time.
| Master Status |
| Name Ramiel |
| Race Human |
| Age 21 (26) |
| Strength 14 > 20 |
| Stamina 15 > 19 |
| Vitality 9 > 13 (16) |
| Agility 12 > 21 |
| Defense 20 > 23 |
| Mana 27 > 36 |
| Enriched mana 0 |
| Intelligence 46 > 48 |
Ramiel wasn't satisfied with his stats. He still felt like a novice hunter. At least his mana was catching up. He trained hard every day, trying to increase the amount of available mana as quickly as possible. By doing so, he was balancing on the edge. His body could barely store such large amounts of energy.
This led to an almost unhealthy state, where the body's cellular remodeling process was proceeding at full speed, trying to keep up with the dizzying pace imposed by the former hunter.
Ramiel's progress was faster than the rest of the creatures in the dungeon anyway. He owed this to his cultivation method. Some time ago, he wanted to share a way to increase mana reserves faster with women, but he gave up on that idea. They still lacked elementary knowledge.
Ramiel tried to impart everything as best he could, but it would take about a month for the women to reach the right level of understanding. That is if they studied every day. Even then, they would only be able to reach the first two stages, and there was no guarantee that they would be able to create a medium-sized vortex.
Finally, Ramiel didn't know if his method would work on other people. He never had the opportunity to test it for a simple reason. There is a conspiracy of silence on Earth. If someone already develops a cultivation method, they keeps it under lock and key. After all, no madman would put a weapon in the hands of an enemy.
Part of it was sad. Even in the face of common threats and annihilation, people couldn't unite. They constantly plotted and schemed behind each other's backs, thinking only of profit. The former hunter was a walking example of unhealthy human ambition.
Do I really have time to think about such foolishness? - Ramiel criticized himself for rambling and sat down on a very comfortable throne... A moment later, he was already immersed in meditation. An image of eight mid-level whirlpools and two basic vortexes appeared in his mind. Demonstrating his masterful control of mana particles, the former hunter transformed the two smaller vortexes into their larger counterparts.
Now, a more difficult task awaited him. He first had to move the existing vortexes to create two more vortexes. Aligning them evenly brought greater efficiency, but the process was dangerous.
Vortexes are fragile and unstable by nature. If one were to be moved by even a millimeter, it could implode, destroying all the efforts and work done so far. That's why controlling the internal flow of mana is so important. Without it, the former hunter could forget about any movement. Fortunately, at this stage, he has long since passed. He paid for it with months spent in bed, but that time belongs to the past.
Ramiel had ten medium-sized vortexes in total. The two he created at the beginning didn't change their location from his chest. One was located in his brain, two in his feet, two in his thighs, two in his biceps, and one in his abdomen. It took him an hour to position the vortexes in this way, but it was the most optimal.
Ramiel created two more small ones in his hands and stopped there. A larger number was extremely dangerous for him. Now that the process was over, the former hunter focused on sluggishly emptying his mana reserves. Besides, it's not like he could have done anything else. The reckless fight with the scorpion left a solid mark on him,
This time, Ramiel created fifteen dark spheres and kept them all moving. In the meantime, he focused on circulating the mana inside them, adjusting it to his needs. This was possible thanks to the feedback dullness of the mana regeneration in his body. Without the work done so far, maintaining this amount of orbs would have been a pipe dream.
Caera wasn't wrong in her assessment of the man. He was a true monster.