This time, the absorption was different. He couldn't afford pauses or breaks. He needed to create a vacuum large enough for the monsters to descend and see the tunnel directly.
"Come on," he encouraged himself. "Just a little more."
The hours passed, and Elio felt his concentration beginning to waver. Hunger, which he had managed to ignore for days, now made itself felt with renewed force. Wide Guard, his elephant familiar, stood by his side, a silent but reassuring presence.
It was during the seventh hour of uninterrupted absorption when it finally happened. Among the endless tide of cores, Elio glimpsed something different. The light from the outside made the color of the cores clearer, and enormous shadows moved hurriedly in all directions.
"I've almost reached the Locus," he whispered.
As more Locus shadows appeared in his field of vision, he made a quick calculation.
He had been absorbing cores for just over 7 hours, had ascended what he estimated to be about 100 meters, and only now was reaching the monster layer.
"More than half," he murmured to himself, the realization hitting him hard. "More than half the height of the sea of monsters is just cores."
This information was invaluable. It meant that the core barrier protecting the tunnel was much thicker than the monster one.
At least about 300 meters... Maybe more, that would leave the Locus layer between about 100 to 150.
He had discovered that the core barrier was at least twice as thick as the monster layer, a significant finding in itself. However, a crucial question still remained unanswered:
Could the tunnel serve as an effective hiding place against the Locus?
And more importantly, would the Locus ignore a bare tunnel, without the protection of the cores?
To obtain these vital answers, Elio knew he needed to expose a part of the tunnel directly to the monsters, an impossible task from his current position at the top. With determination, he formulated a bold plan.
"Here we go," he murmured to himself, preparing for the risky maneuver he was about to execute. Wide Guard trumpeted softly, as if sensing the importance of the moment.
With a fluid motion, Elio let himself fall down one side of the tunnel, his body brushing against the smooth carbon surface. Vertigo threatened to overwhelm him for a moment, but he remained focused. His absorption book worked tirelessly, creating a vacuum around him as he fell.
Elio's Mana: 57
"Let's see how you react to this," he murmured, closely observing the approaching Locus.
The monster stopped momentarily before the barrier, as if processing this new obstacle. Elio held his breath, aware that the Locus' reaction would be crucial...
If the creature decided to break the barrier to reach him, it would mean that the monsters were prone to destroying his carbon structures, even if he wasn't there.
The worst situation for his tunnel strategy.
On the other hand, if it chose to go around it, it would open the possibility that the tunnel could go unnoticed in Elio's absence.
To his relief and fascination, the Locus chose the second option. With surprising agility for its size, the creature quickly went around the barrier and peered from one of the sides, its eyes again fixed on Elio.
"Interesting," Elio murmured, his mind already working on the implications of this behavior. Wide Guard seemed to panic by the proximity of the monster's terrifying face.
But the experiment was not over.
Now that he knew the Locus wouldn't destroy the barrier immediately, Elio needed to determine if the creature would continue to ignore it once he was out of sight.
Elio's Mana: 54
Without wasting time, Elio crouched and created a carbon box around himself. Taking advantage of the fact that he already had the back, feet, and front built, he only needed three additional mana points to complete the sides and top.
In a matter of an instant, Elio found himself completely wrapped in a 1x1 carbon box.
Before the monster could catch him.
Darkness surrounded him, but his mind was completely focused on the sounds coming from outside. Wide Guard, being inside the box with Elio, stood close, providing a comforting presence in the confined space.
Would the Locus attack the box?
Or, unable to see him anymore, would it ignore it?