While continuing to experiment, Elio discovered that neon had applications beyond movement.
Testing different combinations, he noticed a particular synergy with lithium, or more specifically, with his eel.
The red color his familiar had adopted during the challenge hadn't been a coincidence. With neon's addition, the eel gained a new capability: it could fire a red ray, similar to the arc Elio had faced in the seventh level.
The energy pulsed through his familiar's body, transforming its usual electrical discharge into something more focused, more lethal.
This new ability significantly expanded his summon's offensive arsenal.
It would no longer have to chase its targets.
The wind emblem's powers also revealed interesting aspects.
Though similar in result to helium's capabilities, they operated under different principles. Where helium focused on precise vectors, wind was more... natural, less directed.
To compare them, it was like reaching the same destination by two distinct paths.
The most notable advantage was the ability to increase his impulses' effectiveness. Beyond the 50% he had achieved with the neon and helium combination, wind allowed up to a 100% improvement.
However, this additional power came at a cost: even greater mana consumption.
Elio dedicated time to practice, integrating these new abilities into his repertoire. While executing different combinations, his mind constantly replayed the battle against the monster, analyzing each moment, each movement.
But the memory of those black eyes haunted his calculations.
The reality was undeniable: he wasn't ready.
The only time he had managed to damage the monster had been with the power emblem, at point-blank range, and even then, the damage had been minimal.
Each practice attempt only reinforced this harsh truth.
His 98 points of magical damage had been reduced to 51 without the emblem. The gap was abysmal.
'I need to be stronger,' he thought, calculating the chasm between his current power and what he would need to effectively face that creature.
The uncertainty of what awaited him outside the book weighed on his mind.
'Perhaps,' it thought while its eyes turned toward the city, 'the most efficient approach would be to wait for a barrier failure...'
It was about to take flight toward the city when something unexpected happened.
Elio's book, which it had been carrying, began to open by itself. The monster instinctively retreated, unable to touch it now that its activation had begun.
Its claws tensed, preparing to eliminate Elio the moment he emerged. The initial numbness of its awakening was gone now; its body responded perfectly, every muscle ready for action.
But what happened left it momentarily paralyzed with confusion. Instead of the human's appearance it expected, a huge carbon sphere materialized around the floating book.
'What is this?' its multiple voices vibrated with bewilderment. The strategy was unexpected, different from anything it had anticipated.
The monster maintained its distance, its senses alert for any trick.
Was it a trap? A decoy? Or was there something more it wasn't seeing?
One second seemed to stretch several times in its concentration.
The situation uncomfortably reminded it of that other human's inexplicable sacrifice. Again, these parasites were acting... unpredictably.
The realization hit the monster: Elio had emerged surrounded by a protective barrier, planning an immediate return to the book.
Its claws cut through the air, heading toward the carbon sphere, but it was wrong. Instead of splitting cleanly as expected, the entire structure detonated.
Elio hadn't fled.
The explosion barely caused it damage, more an annoyance than a real threat. Its claws continued their trajectory, tearing through the barrier's remains and finding flesh. Elio's side gave way to its attack, but the monster's smile didn't last long.
Elio's eel, now glowing in an unsettling red tone, fired an energy ray with impressive speed. The impact, though not powerful enough to cause significant damage, produced a strange sensation: a paralyzing effect that made its muscles involuntarily tense.
"Here I am, damned abomination!" Elio's voice resonated while lithium began forming around the monster, attempting to create a prison.
The rage in his voice was palpable, raw, personal.
But the monster let out its characteristic laugh, that unnatural sound of multiple superimposed voices. "Is this your power now?" it mocked.
"You're weaker than before, little parasite."