"Lirio says it's down there."
At that moment, Frank reported after Lirio screeched a few times, so Erik quickly crouched down and placed two of his fingers on the rock, closing his eyes at the same time. At that instant, runes began to form on the ground, slowly spreading until they created a circle about 60 meters wide.
Meanwhile, Zoe, Elara, and Frank watched Erik in silence, holding their breath, but the wait seemed endless, with each second feeling like an hour, especially because they could see the starry-haired boy clenching his teeth in pain. This especially worried Ebonique, who decided to stop worrying about everything else and materialize part of her body to help with the search. But just as she was halfway there, Erik opened his eyes and spoke.
"I found something, but give me a few seconds."
As Erik spoke, visibly in pain, the runes on the ground suddenly vanished. At that moment, Ebonique quickly approached her contractor and asked, while wolves, who ran toward Erik along with her, started licking his face.
"Are you okay, Erik? Did you hurt yourself?"
"I'm fine; I just overdid it a bit…" Erik replied as he sat down on the ground, at which point Zoe and Elara approached him with concern.
"What happened to you, Erik?" Zoe quickly asked, kneeling with her legs together in front of him. At the same moment, Elara crouched down and placed a hand on Erik's head, asking.
"Where does it hurt, Erik?"
"Don't channel mana into my system!"
Before Elara could activate her diagnostic spell, Erik spoke hurriedly, which surprised the pair of girls a little. Elara quickly withdrew her hand from Erik's head, and after letting out a painful sigh, he explained.
"I overloaded my mana circulatory system. Give me a few minutes to recover."
"You overloaded your mana circulatory system…?"
Hearing Erik, Elara couldn't help but ask, filled with shock. After all, that was something that only happened when dangerous empowerment methods were used; under normal circumstances, something like that would never occur since a person would have to use their entire mana capacity—something that only happened in moments of extreme stress, as it was equivalent to using all the potential of one's muscles in a desperate situation.
"Yes… I call it Overdrive. It's useful for casting spells that are too costly, although it hurts quite a bit. But don't worry, I'll be fine in a few minutes." Erik said calmly, then closed his eyes and began to steady his breathing. At that moment, Zoe and Elara looked at each other in disbelief.
That starry-haired young man was truly a box full of surprises and mysteries. Even though there were methods that allowed the use of full mana capacity, those generally depended on external means, such as pills, potions, magical artifacts, and the like. Since the limits of the human body weren't something that could simply be exceeded. Still, that didn't make what Erik did any less dangerous, so Zoe looked at Erik and spoke in a serious tone.
"Erik… doing something like that is extremely dangerous. You could end up with serious injuries, and even a Master-level finds it complicated to deal with the mana circulatory system, so the damage could even be permanent."
"Don't waste your breath, girl. This guy is not only reckless but also incredibly stubborn, and he won't stop doing it, no matter how many times you warn him."
Before Erik could say anything, Ebonique remarked in an accusing voice as she stared into Erik's green eyes. He simply smiled and remained silent, at which point Elara asked, with a strange expression on her face, since something wasn't adding up.
"Erik, if you even had to overload your mana circulatory system to cast that spell, why don't you seem to be out of mana…?"
"Oh, that's because I've mastered Communion with the Myst." Erik replied casually as he got up from the ground. But his words left Zoe, Elara, and even Frank—who had stayed silent on the side—completely stunned.
No matter how the proud direct disciples looked at him, the idea that a simple Ascended-level had managed to master a technique that even Master-levels struggled with was just too insane. And even though, throughout history, there had been a few 'super geniuses' who managed to master it 'early,' none of them had ever been below the Illuminated level, and none were under two centuries old.
Feeling dizzy from the news and realizing that the young man before her was even more monstrous than she had initially thought, Zoe couldn't help but look at him with a myriad of emotions flickering in her eyes. But upon noticing the prismatic barriers floating around him, Zoe suddenly remembered something and quickly asked in a restrained voice.
"Erik… the mana recovery potions are just for our sake, right…? You don't actually need them…"
"I don't really need the mana recovery potions specifically, but I do need healing potions—especially because of my Overdrive. If I go a bit too far, the only way to heal the damage in time is with a healing potion. Not to mention that healing spells are pretty costly, and I can't cast the best Ascended-level ones even with Overdrive, so I rely on potions."
Erik replied in a calm tone, stretching his arms a bit as the weight of his heavy armor was starting to take a toll on him. This caused Elara and Zoe to let out a sigh of relief they hadn't realized they were holding, and they began to get up from the ground. At that moment, Elara commented and asked in a calm voice.
"And do the mushrooms and roots work for making healing potions?"
"A bit, although none of them work as active agents. Depending on the ingredients we find in that 'garden,' they might serve as catalysts after processing them." Erik replied calmly while stretching his legs, which Elara, Zoe, and Frank also began to do.
"That's good…" Zoe commented quietly, to which Elara nodded as she stretched her arms. At that moment, Erik jumped a couple of times, then looked at everyone and spoke in a serious tone.
"Underground, there's a small cavern with three different structures, and it doesn't seem to have any entrances or exits. So, I'm going to use a spell to move us through the rock and get us there. For that, we need to gather close together, since I don't want to push my mana circulatory system too much."
"""Understood."""
The trio of young people responded in unison and quickly gathered around Erik, along with the wolves and the spirits. At that moment, a magic circle formed beneath them, creating a spherical barrier that covered them completely. The rock below them began to behave as if it were some kind of liquid, and they started to descend gently.
"This spell is quite interesting, I didn't know about it…" Elara commented as she looked at the magic circle beneath her feet. Erik replied in a calm tone.
"Well, it's still under development, and lately, I've been focused on other projects, so I haven't had time to write the academic paper."
"Wait, you created this spell?!"
Hearing Erik, Elara couldn't help but turn to look at him and ask in surprise, to which the star-haired young man simply nodded and replied in a casual tone, not giving it much importance.
"Yeah, I got inspired by one of the 'monsters' on the planet where the selection tournament was held, and after trying out a few different things, this is what came out."
"How many surprises can you give us in a single day…"
Elara couldn't help but comment in a stunned voice, to which Zoe and Frank could only nod, especially Frank—he had only been with the starry-haired young man for a few hours, and already he'd had his sense of reality shaken a couple of times. At that moment, Ebonique remarked in a proud tone.
"He's my Erik; something like this is only natural."
"Stop bragging, Ebonique." Erik scolded his favored spirit in a calm voice, to which she quickly retorted 'righteously'.
"I'm not bragging, I'm just stating a fact!"
"Call it whatever you want; just stop doing it." Erik rolled his eyes and admonished her in a serious tone, to which Ebonique could only huff and look away, crossing her arms.
"Hmph, you never say anything to Sigrún and Eleonora when they do it."
"They're my masters; they're strong and know what they're doing. But you're my contracted spirit, and just as weak as I am, so it's better if we avoid problems."
Erik replied quickly, which made Ebonique sulk and shrink down to hide in Erik's hair—something that Hiyori, the fox spirit, watched with equal parts disbelief and fear, while Zoe, Elara, and Frank struggled to hold back their laughter.
…
After a couple of minutes, inside the barrier, everyone could see themselves descending into what appeared to be a cavern with a six-meter-high ceiling, which was completely dark. Elara quickly created a ball of fire, fully illuminating the surroundings and allowing them to see three structures arranged in a sort of triangle. These buildings were in much better condition than the ones above, with their details perfectly preserved—even their colors were intact.
In the center, there was a structure similar to the other 'entrances,' with a dome, pointed arches, and columns framing the windows. It was painted a pale green with white highlights. To the left, there was a building of equal size with a slender, vertical design, topped by a pointed tower instead of a dome, and at its entrance was a simple gothic-style arch with no door in sight.
Finally, on the right, there was a building of the same size but with a much more 'gothic' style, visibly more ornate, its facade somehow reminding Erik of ancient cathedrals. It consisted of a central tower ending in a point, accompanied by a lower adjoining structure.
"It looks like we really managed to find an entrance…" Seeing the scene, Zoe couldn't help but comment with visible excitement, to which everyone else nodded in agreement. At that moment, Erik gave a serious command.
"Take your positions, we're going in."
With Erik's orders, Ebonique quickly stopped playing around and flew up, then grew larger to guard the rear with Hiyori, while Elara and Frank stood to Erik's left and right, respectively. Zoe took the lead at the front with the two wolves. At that moment, Erik gave a firm command.
"Let's go."
When they reached the central structure, Zoe extended her ethereal protection, wanting to confirm that no one was inside. Then she proceeded to push open the stone doors, which revealed a staircase going down, illuminated by a greenish crystal orb on the ceiling. The group quickly descended, soon arriving at a place very similar to the one Erik had seen at the other 'entrance.'
"This is the 'entrance'…" Upon reaching the place, Elara couldn't help but comment in mild surprise as she looked around. At that moment, Erik spoke in a serious tone, pointing to the door between the two statues.
"Yes, it's almost identical to the place I entered before, so I'm guessing the entrance is through that door."
"Let's go in. Whatever happens, we need food as soon as possible." Zoe said in a serious tone, to which Erik nodded and replied.
"Let's go."
With Erik's order, Zoe quickly approached the double doors and pulled them open forcefully, revealing a long hallway with no light source. Elara quickly sent a fireball inside, illuminating a narrow corridor slightly wider than the doors, with all sorts of magical runes carved into the walls.
"Let Kaiser take the lead; he's good at escaping if something happens." At that moment, Erik announced clearly, and Zoe nodded before stepping back.
"Understood."
Kaiser immediately began emitting small arcs of electricity, then entered the corridor, followed closely by Zoe and Tiberius. After that, Erik and Elara entered, followed by Frank, with the two spirits bringing up the rear.
As they walked down the long corridor, Erik began to examine the runes carved into the walls. Unlike the golems, these belonged to the Aegis system, which left him somewhat confused. But to his disappointment, although he recognized a good portion of them, there were many he didn't, making it practically impossible to decipher how it worked—or more importantly, why it worked.
Meanwhile, Elara, Frank, and Zoe kept their eyes fixed ahead, their fists tightly clenched. They felt both hopeful and fearful in equal measure—hopeful because their salvation might be at the end of the corridor, but terrified that what awaited them could be an even worse hell. This, inevitably, made their hearts race.
Besides just getting food from the garden, there was something else: the initial exploration group had only mentioned the possibility of there being more 'exits', but in reality, they had only found two—and both were precisely in the garden. So actually getting inside was an extremely important step.
…
After almost 10 minutes of moving through the corridor—a distance several times greater than the total size of the building they had entered—the team came upon a pair of doors very similar to the ones they had entered before. Elara, Zoe, and Frank turned to look at Erik with solemn expressions.
"Prepare for anything."
At that moment, Erik spoke in a serious tone, and the trio of young people nodded in silence before turning their gaze back to the front. At the same time, they began to circulate mana throughout their bodies, ready for battle. Erik then looked at the impressive silver wolf leading the way and gave his command.
"Kaiser, get ready to fight and open the door."
Upon hearing his master's command, Kaiser gathered his mana, causing arcs of electricity to crackle over his body. At the same moment, a deep darkness began to envelop Tiberius, to the point that he almost vanished into the dark corridor, while Ebonique started to emit dark rays all over her body, surprising Hiyori.
Although the fox spirit couldn't understand why someone at the dragon's level needed to show such caution, not wanting to draw attention to herself, she quickly gathered her mana. This caused a kind of veil made of white fire to appear around her neck and fall over her shoulders—a clear sign that she was ready to fight with all her strength. At that moment, Kaiser used one of his paws to push the door open.
The moment Kaiser pushed the door, a powerful light entered the dark corridor, along with a warm breeze filled with different scents and various sounds—a combination that everyone present unmistakably recognized as the presence of 'life.' Although their eyes shone with anticipation, it also made them even more cautious.
"I can't sense anything beyond these walls, so we'll be 'blind' until we get out of here. Let's proceed with caution." At that moment, Erik gave the order in a serious voice, and the whole group responded in unison.
"""Understood."""
Quickly, the group advanced through the last stretch of the corridor, soon passing through the door and finding themselves on the other side in an exact replica of the room they had just crossed—but this time, it was completely lit and filled with fresh, slightly humid air. Through the windows, they could see what seemed to be vines, leaves, and trees swaying gently in the wind.
The sight was like a rush of adrenaline for Elara, Zoe, and Frank, who wanted to jump for joy and run outside. But thanks to their experience and discipline, they managed to restrain themselves, clenching their teeth tightly. That was when they heard Erik's calm, serious voice.
"Let's go out slowly and stay alert. I detect several presences nearby, though none of them are human, and the strongest is barely a Revealed-Initiate."
Upon hearing Erik's words, the group couldn't help but smile with excitement as they nodded in unison. Then they moved forward together and climbed the stairs, where Erik once again ordered Kaiser to open the building's door—finding a world completely unlike the rocky ruins they had experienced until now.
As they stepped outside, everyone realized they were in the middle of a dense, humid jungle—a sight that overwhelmed them for a moment. Still, they quickly extended their ethereal projections as far as they could, wanting to check their surroundings. This allowed them to detect various animals and insects, but no sign of the types who had been camping outside the garden entrances.
Knowing they were safe, Zoe and Elara could no longer hold back. They jumped and hugged each other, visibly excited and with tears gathering in the corners of their eyes—since only they truly understood the emotional rollercoaster they'd just experienced—while Frank clenched his fists tightly.
"""We did it!!"""
Full of happiness and relief, Zoe, Elara, and Frank exclaimed in unison, overflowing with emotion. Erik couldn't help but smile in visible relief as well, since even he had started to think those rocky ruins might become his tomb. At that moment, Ebonique wrapped herself around Erik's neck and spoke with excitement, having completely forgotten her previous anger and caution.
"You did it, Erik! You're the best in the world! Nothing is impossible for you!"
"Haha, I didn't do anything. If it hadn't been for Lirio, we'd still be in that cavern." Erik said with a cheerful laugh. At that moment, Frank turned to look at Erik and spoke in a serious tone.
"No, direct disciple Erik, we owe this entirely to you. It was your idea to have Lirio sniff out the entrance to find an unwatched way in. You were the one who took the risk to go to that place and came back, even though you could have easily left on your own. You led us until Lirio was able to pick up a trail, and more importantly, if it weren't for you, I would most likely have died at the hands of that golem. Truly, thank you so much, direct disciple Erik—you saved my life."
"Frank is right, Erik." Zoe quickly turned to face Erik and spoke in a serious tone, then bowed at a 90-degree angle to thank him from the bottom of her heart.
"Thanks to you, we made it here safe and sound. If we had been alone, we'd most likely be dead already or in the hands of those people. Thank you so much, Erik. Teaming up with you was the best decision I could have made."
Before Erik could say anything, Elara bowed with one hand on her chest, following the etiquette of the Arcane Order. She expressed her gratitude in a restrained voice to keep from breaking down in tears but still full of deep sincerity and gratitude.
"I feel the same way, Erik. In this short time, you've shown why you're the best of this generation, and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you so much, Erik; I owe you my life."
"Thank you very much, direct disciple Erik."
Frank quickly bowed, following the etiquette of the Order, and thanked him sincerely once again. This left Erik a little speechless, while Ebonique gazed at her beloved contractor with shining, excited eyes, clearly telling him with her look that this was his moment to show off.
***
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