Chapter 40: Elite

Chapter 40: Elite

“ROAR*

Another behemoth fell, marking the 13th that I had killed.

Of course, doing so took hours and all the energy I had.

What had initially been morning turned into afternoon. Now, the sun was beginning to lower, bringing us into evening.

I had only left twice during the day in order to eat once and take a piss. Otherwise, I had been laying inside the central tower the entire time.

And Umara had never left my side. Operating her sound spell, while tedious and boring, wasn’t that difficult for her. If anything, she utilized this time as a training opportunity.

At the very least, I was working harder, so I could confidently say that I wasn’t wasting her support.

But I was reaching my limit mentally. I had gone through my entire Psyka pool a few times over, constantly regenerating and using any dregs of power I got when I got it. I had basically been running on empty for half the day.

And it was when I hit my 13th kill that I finally couldn’t hold on anymore, the gun disappearing from my hand as I could no longer maintain the communion.

I grunted as I felt my head throb. Thankfully I wasn’t also focused on surviving. With the tower and this many warlocks around me, I didn’t have to worry about getting hit even if spells were launched at us.

I just laid there, and a few moments later, I suddenly heard the surroundings get louder.

Now that Umara wasn’t muffling sound, I could hear everything clearly. Unfortunately, it also hurt my head to suddenly get an influx of sound.

“Come on. Let’s get you into the bunks. You’ve done enough.”

I heard Umara mutter as she helped pull my body up.

I initially wanted to refuse her help, but when I started to get to my feet, my headache multiplied until my vision blurred and the dizziness threatened to throw me off my feet.

Umara slung my arm over her shoulder as I became unsteady, using her body to prop mine up as I finally stood. Given several seconds, I started to acclimate and feel better, but my mind was still drained of all its energy.

We left the tower, making our way down the walls. And as we did so, there was a sudden shout.

“Damn, John! Where was that during training?!”

The Puppet Master appeared in front of us, marching over with a wide grin. It was uncharacteristic of him to be so excited.

“Hey! Do you know what Authority those monsters were?”

“No...”

“Authority 5! You just killed a dozen of those things! Congrats on officially becoming an Elite! Now go get some rest! Umara, take care of him.”

“Yes sir!”

Umara shouted back before continuing to carry me back down.

She spoke as we finally descended the wall.

“Killing an Authority 5 Scourge Beast earns you the title of Elite. It’s usually done as an Authority 4 and is a sign that you’re really talented since you can kill above your Authority. Normally, you need to kill it by yourself, have witnesses, and there needs to be a consensus that you unilaterally contributed to its death. But since you just killed a dozen, there’s no need for that.”

Umara explained as we crossed the field, smiling at me as she finished.

“I’ve only ever killed 7, so congrats on becoming one of the top Elites in a single day.”

“Eh, it’s just another Tuesday.”

“How humble of you.”

She giggled as we arrived at the male barracks. Directly bringing me inside, I pointed her to my room. Fịndd new updates at novelhall.com

We entered and I was laid on my bed. After getting comfortable, I seemed to become more aware of my headache as it shook my brain.

I also felt like I was going to pass out any second. For a moment I got worried since this base was still being sieged by monsters. But I knew that I had contributed as much as I could. I just had to trust that everyone else would be able to hold on.

Before I even realized it, my body shut itself down without warning.

Everything went dark, and I no longer felt any pain.

......

...

A magic formation filled my mind.

At its center was a single orb of fleeting lights that spun fast in orbiting patterns, yet slower than they should’ve been.

I recognized it almost instantly, yet with some willpower and tricking my own mind, I maintained a suspended sort of awareness of what was going on.

I focused on the formation. Its outer edges were all bright, indicating my comprehension.

As for the dark parts that moved toward the center, I slowly started to analyze them as my focus moved along the lines.

However, unlike the first time, my analysis now was far slower. It felt like I really had to focus on understanding it in order to make progress as opposed to last time when it all just came to me.

Not only that, but some parts were indistinguishable. I felt like I could see them, but when I focused on them, they simply slipped my mind.

I moved on from those parts, focusing on what I could as I made my way around the formation.

“Nobody. He just asked you a simple question.”

“But there was an implication!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t play dumb!”

“Hehe.”

We all laughed as Tana refused to lose. Once she calmed down, Umara nudged me with her elbow.

“How are you feeling?”

“Fine. I recovered fully.”

“Good. You pushed yourself a lot.”

She spoke comfortingly, making me feel a bit warm and fuzzy.

Then, Vestmon chimed in with a nod.

“You’re really impressive John. I fought one of those things today, and while I’ve killed several before, they don’t get any easier. The most I’ve handled is four in a day. I have no idea how you killed a dozen in a single sitting.”

“From the safety of the tower is how. Compared to you guys, I have it a lot easier. You’re the impressive ones, going toe to toe with those monsters. I could never.”

“Don’t say that. Given the same circumstances, I know you would perform just as well. You’ve got the determination and the heroic spirit. So don’t belittle yourself. What you do is no less impressive than what anyone else does, no matter the position.”

“...”

I went silent for a bit, mulling over those words before nodding and sticking my hand out.

Vetsmon smiled and took it, the two of us shaking hands.

“Thank you Vetsmon.”

“It was nothing unobvious. After yesterday, I can confidently say that I would fight fearlessly knowing you’re there behind me.”

“I appreciate that. And with you guys there protecting me, I know I have nothing to worry about.”

I spoke my genuine thoughts. I was vulnerable in battles, so having someone like Vetsmon who was trustworthy and reliable gave me great peace of mind.

Knowing that he could fight an Authority 5 head on meant that the two of us could easily secure those kills. I would never have to worry about being overwhelmed.

Then, I suddenly looked over at Umara who was smiling while staring down at her plate.

With a grin, I put my arm around her shoulder.

“And let’s not forget my favorite support warlock.”

“Eh?”

“How were you after an entire day of casting that spell? You don’t talk about yourself much so I forget that you can get tired too.”

“Oh, it wasn’t too bad. I was tired, but not as much as you.”

“Still. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

I gave her a hug, patting her head once before letting go.

Despite Umara liking to snoop around my private business, she didn’t talk much otherwise. She simply stuck to herself and silently worked hard. I had noticed that over time.

I made a note to check in on her more instead of just assuming she was doing just fine.

“Look at these two...”

I heard Tana snicker, making me shrug.

After that, we all finished eating before heading back out.

The siege lasted into today as well, but by now it was close to ending. What remained was simply clearing out anything else that walked and taking care of the piling corpses.

There were even some teams that came to claim loot. These people would cart out corpses before cutting them open and extracting the Black Crystals.

These Black Crystals were poisonous to humans. Only after they were purified did they become White Crystals, so in this raw form they were worthless.

Every Scourge Beast had them as well, so they quickly piled up. I saw a large wooden crate filled with them.

What was curious was how the crate gave off a faint black fog, like it was seeping that poisonous aura into the surroundings. I had never seen anything like that before, so I asked Umara about it.

Apparently, with enough crystals or a sufficiently powerful one, the Magika within them will manifest as a fog. A bunch of White Crystals in a small space will do the same thing, except the fog would be white.

That fog represents an increased density of Magika, and it's actually very beneficial to cultivate in. But doing so is naturally expensive.

On the other hand, staying away from a poisonous black fog such as the one around that crate was generally advisable. Just being near it would make you feel sick, but figuring out how to counter that poison is also a form of training.

After walking by, we all headed back to the wall. By now, things were calming down, but there was still work to be done.

Deciding to help out while I was energetic, I went to head up the wall and pick off some strays. On the way though, I encountered the Puppet Master, who seemed happy to see me.