Chapter 436 - Storm approaching (Patreon)

Wile the guide works, I observe his movement. There are twenty of us inside the room and thirty more outside. The entire group 4 is inside as well, together with one of three passengers with 2 question marks.

[Ashenfoot Shaman - lvl ??]

He is the vyssari, and like the ones from before, he is short with scaly legs. Otherwise, there doesn't seem to be anything special about him.

I could probably probe him more, but something like that is quite rude, often considered a challenge or something like a slap or pulling out your weapon.

He isn't that important right now, and I let Sophie keep an eye on him and only occasionally check on him.

I continue to work on moving my mana. Currently, I'm transferring all the mana from my reservoir into the crown. When I am done with it, I will do the same with my body mana.

[Mana Crown - lvl 36 > Mana Crown - lvl 37]

[Infusion - lvl 34 > Infusion - lvl 35]

I do it all while doing a new kind of training I have started not that long ago. I still don't know much, so it's a bit awkward, but I do it with a clear intention in my mind.

It will work, I'm sure.

Someone could say that in situations like this, I should stop wasting my mana on training and keep my attention on the surroundings.

I do that. Part of my mind is constantly checking the area. As for the training… well, it's something I got used to. Mana Cycling that starts to feel like I can let it run without much focus. It's something I have done for close to 1 year and nearly nonstop. Sooner or later my body will get used to it, and it will become as simple as breathing. At least I hope so. Who knows how mana affects our bodies? It could easily happen.

Cutting off this train of thought, I look back at the guide.

This one is also in a thick robe, cape over his head, and a white mask covering his face. There are only 4 of them remaining now, so he seems fairly busy, moving from control panel to control panel while also constantly communicating with others.

From what I've seen, he seems to be in control of defensive plates and fields at the top of the deck. Another one takes care of the movement, and the third one of the power.

It also seems like all three stations can be used to control any of these three functions, and that even if the guide in front of me died, it would take a few minutes before what he controlled got out of control.

Sophie seems to also somewhat enjoy this kind of use of mana, and her [Manipulation] is the second best after me in the group.

I might even be able to convince her to put more stats into mana. I have a feeling that even some others are slowly opening up to the option after seeing my success.

Surely.

"You keep observing me. Why?" a voice next to me sounds. A presence I felt moving closer.

Vyssari with two question marks, meaning he is between 281 - 299 in level. If he was over 300, he would be three question marks.

"I'm bored," I answer.

"Maybe I'm bored as well and will gouge out those eyes of yours."

"Sure. Why don't you try?"

"Your [Mana Crown] doesn't scare me."

"It's [Notyourfuckingproblem Crown], and how did you recognize it? Aren't they rare?"

"You have one of the 4 attribute crowns and know nothing about it?"

"People around me are jerks who like to keep their mouth shut," I shrug.

"Human, I don't know if I should laugh or gouge your eyes out."

"I will give you a few mana batteries and some upper rare items if you answer a question or two."

"Screw off."

With that last sentence from the shorty, my information collection ends.

The more time passes, the more I find myself appreciating Tess and the others for being able to deal with people and collect information. Some time ago, I even dared to be a bit disappointed that they didn't find out much about the 6th floor when I was gone. But now?

What legends. Absolute gigachads, that's how the twins say it, right?

Damn, if the twins and Min-Jae ever get to interact with Myrra for a longer time, they will ruin her.

***

A few hours later, our group ends up on the deck, sent to deal with the monsters. As a few times before, it's me who snipes them down while the rest of group 4 slacks around.

It causes a gradual discomfort in groups who defend together with us. So far, they haven't seen anyone from group 4 attack, it was only me.

To their apparent surprise, I do not show signs of stopping, and my attacks are as powerful as before, even stronger as the monsters become stronger.

[You have defeated Glasswing Moth - lvl 235]

These ones are quick and nimble but prefer to move alone, always trying to attack from below. The best kind of attack is a small orb infused with a bit of thermal energy and aimed at the wings.

After crashing down, with bits of mana from the orb still lingering on them, the white sand takes care of the rest.

[You have defeated Dune Wasp - lvl 245]

[You have defeated Dune Wasp - lvl 235]

[You have defeated Dune Wasp - lvl 226]

…

These ones are smaller and much quicker, but at the same time, they are much more vulnerable.

So far, the best kind of attack seems to be an orb with an anchor tied to it that releases resonating mana as the orb reaches them.

An oscillating mana then takes care of the rest, causing the cuts and lingering on the monsters as they fall down to the sand.

The last type of monsters that attack us is even rarer to show up and has extremely powerful bodies.

As big as a small car, they can also cause a lot of damage. They also move much slower.

But it's all simple, and finding out a bit more about the white sand and the Mana Desert, dealing with the monster is barely an inconvenience for me.

Of course, it's not information I share; only group 4 knows it since we confirmed it with Sophie.

I'm also almost sure the guides know it as well. I don't have proof of that; it's just the feel, and I would be very surprised if they didn't.

So the orb slams against the Boneclad Scarab and moves in a way I programmed it. The orb is dark blue, and tendrils extend from it, surrounding the scarab with threads that then shrink and shut its wings closed.

It all packs a nice amount of mana, so it's enough, and as with the monsters before, the scarab falls into the white sand.

This time as well, the white sand grinds the monster to nothing.

[You have defeated Boneclad Scarab - lvl 291]

Hunting them like this is boring.

The monsters also seem to realize this weakness, at least some who seem to have been tracking us for days already. Their heads poke from under the white sand as they launch compressed acid and poison attacks towards us.

These attacks often hit the metal plating of the trainship flying thing and often sizzle on the surface, melting a thin layer of the thick plate.

It's a kind of attack that Deathtrap seems to have gone through dozens of times already, and the inscriptions are deep in the metal with no worry of them being destroyed because of some surface damage.

I enjoy sniping these monsters the most, not even bothering to show them respect and aim. Just landing a few orbs around them and then white sand taking care of the rest.

Even so, there are so many more of them. It's not something I got from my senses, as they are unreliable outside of the field of Deathtrap. No, I just need to look out, and I can see it on my own.

The desert monsters really don't like us.

They don't like our mana.

***

Another day passes, and no guide dies, surprisingly.

It all goes very smoothly, and that makes the passengers even more pissed off.

A constant noise of the engines. A tilted and constantly shaking ship, vibrations going through it. The heat inside of the ship, even during the cold nights, as the metal plates release all the heat they collected during the day. A lack of sleep and being forced to guard guides, guard the deck, or rest and eat for a few hours.

(So how is the progress?) Sophie asks as we guard on top of the deck.

(I don't think I can do anything about clothes or equipment. It's much more difficult than just with my body.)

(Do you think the white sand would be able to destroy damaged arcane items?)

(Given enough mana, probably yes. And your progress on Deathtrap´s inscriptions or the field around the deck?)

(No progress, but some ideas. You?)

(None, the material and the inscriptions must be working together in a way I just can't replicate yet.)

(Yet?)

(Yes, yet. But I don't think I will be able to do it in a few days. Given a few months, probably yes, even without the alloy that is inside the plates.)

“Storm,” Tess says calmly out of nowhere.

She doesn't even use the link we have set up and says it out loud while pointing in one direction.

Looking there, I see nothing no matter how much I stretch my eyes, and it's way too far to feel it with my senses. But it's no surprise Tess with her [Farsight] sees something.

“Are you sure? Really sure?” the man with black chainmail and a big mana stone imbued in it asks. The one with whom we made our little unreliable 5 group alliance.

“Absolutely sure,” Tess answers.

“If it's a white dust storm, we might be royally fucked. Will you come with me? We need to talk to the guides in case they didn't notice.” Even though he curses, he says it with a calm expression.

“Sure. Nat, will you be fine here with Kim?”

“Yup, no problem.”

“Thanks. Let's go.” She takes the lead, and followed by the rest of group 4 and a few members of the man´s group, they head down the ship.

“Min-Jae, can you keep talking with the twins? Constantly. In case the connection cuts off, let me know immediately,” I ask.

“Sure!”

This time there is no attack, but more of the monsters are assembling not that far away from the ship. As if a bigger group changed anything. Min-Jae quite enjoys sniping them, and he is really good at it - just tiny orbs with a little mana.

For now, I clear my mind and get ready to use my skills. A few slow breaths in and out to calm my heart, and I wait for the inevitable fuck-up.

“Nat!” Min-Jae barely finishes saying my name, and I move.

I try to teleport to the anchor I left on Izzy, but it's gone. Immediately I switch the target to the anchor closest to where they should be.

Mid teleport something feels wrong, very wrong. The space around me twists in a way that it shouldn't, and I find myself unable to do anything about it as I spin and unstable teleportation damages my body.

When it all stops where I find myself outside of the ship. My feet touching the white sand.

[Focus - lvl 51 > Focus - lvl 52]

The world around me loses most of its colors, and it becomes quiet as a lot of scenarios go through my mind in the split of a second.

Even that short time is enough, and because of the amount of mana I hold, the white sand grounds and pierces my body.

It gets pulled towards me.

There is no resistance from my body at all as my feet grind into nothing and floating grains start piercing through my chest, neck, hands, drilling sand grain-sized holes through them.

I use my anchor again, but this time concentrate more. I force it to behave the way I want, even though it resists. I grab the remains of it and force it back together and teleport from the sand at the cost of even more wounds.

Then even that single teleport damages me.

My body twists and cracks, there are tears. The pressure I feel is as if my body is about to fall apart as I try to endure it all.

Even so, I do not use black mana,I do not fail, and I teleport through the ring of skill level-ups sounding in the back of my mind.

Finding myself back on the ship, I reform my missing feet with mana and ignore the rest of the damage.

I feel a smile crawl on my face again as I use my anchor again, the same one that sent me into white dunes.

This time, even though my body gets damaged even more and my head rings in pain, I do not fail and teleport through even with all the interference trying to send me out of the ship.

Appearing on the other side, I boost my body with kinetic energy and move quickly through the hallways and rooms until I reach where the others are.

The barrier tries to stop me from getting inside, and someone launches a mental attack on me.

Activating my eyes and checking the barrier's fluctuations, I resonate mana on my skin, pass through the barrier, and shake off the mental attack.

In the same control room where I was before, two guides stand, a powerful monster with three question marks over its head, a few groups led by the two thylarin with two question marks over their heads.

All of these stand against group 4, who fights back, corpses already at their feet.

Good, I like mysteries, but I much prefer when things are simple like that.

***

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