Capítulo 48: Skill Against Power
The woman, the Tower Master, walked forward unperturbed, only giving the two wolves who were flanking her a side glance. It was rather surprising that the beasts didn't even try ambushing her, as if recognizing the futility of such an action, trying to take her head-on instead.
In the end, it seemed that despite their size, the wolves of black and white were at a disadvantage in this battle. They were intelligent enough to understand that, being tense and cautious.
Soon, the lone woman stood in the middle of the room, staring the beasts who still didn't attack straight into the eyes. Seeing their idleness, she sighed.
"Not going to come to me? Well then, I'm going to come to you."
Following those words, a sequence of events happened within seconds, in which only Lan could fully understand what happened.
As Matilda finished speaking her words, Lan witnessed how mana began to circulate rapidly within her, before surging toward her hands. This caused light to emerge from them, before condensing into something like a thick needle, which hovered over her palm briefly.
Said needle turned out to be a projectile as it was then sent out faster than an arrow shot out from a bow, straight towards Tag. The wolf managed to barely react as his pupils shrank at the incoming threat. He crouched down to the ground, the magic bolt whizzing right above his head, before flying away into the treeline, an explosion sounding soon after.
Nacht stared in shock briefly before understanding what happened. Recognizing that this was no prey, but a fellow predator, she chose to immediately attack instead of wasting time, risking getting shot down having done nothing.
As she rushed at the woman, at the same time trying not to follow a straight path, knowing such tactics worked against other ranged adversaries, Nacht closed the gap rapidly, being a single jump away from the threat in mere seconds, as the wolf's capabilities were growing by the day.
Just as she was about to pounce on the woman, an explosive force suddenly slammed into her face, not causing much harm, but flinging her further than where she came from.
"Oh my, you surprised me there. You are quick, I'll give you that. But will you manage to get close again? Let's test that, shall we?"
The Tower Master was nothing like the pragmatic and charismatic researcher when Lan observed her in the camp. No, now she looked like a mother playing a game with naughty children. The children in question being giant wolves wanting to kill her.
Still, when Nacht was flung away, Tag was already on the move, being in range and already midair, his claws outstretched in offense. Sadly for him, the Tower Master seemed already aware of him, turning her head towards him, a smile present on her face.
"I always wanted to test this..."
Just as his claws seemed to be about to hit her, they seemed to slide across an invisible wall, the dumbfounded Tag following soon after, tumbling over the woman, being repelled by something smooth and unseen instead of cutting into her. The would-be victim was instead muttering in her breath.
"A bit inefficient... The redistribution of force needs some work, and the overall structure is destabilized after a hit. Good enough for now."
After this brief exchange, no result was achieved in the clash, but this was only the beginning. With a twitch of Tag's tail, Nacht received the signal along with a brief image being transmitted through their mental link. And following that, Nacht melded into shadows, and Tag disappeared into the light.
Matilda merely narrowed down her eyes at this display.
"Truly curious. I've never seen a Monster use mana before in such a way, and such unfamiliar mana too..."
As she was saying this, she moved her hands to the sides, before twitching her fingers one by one. With each twitch, a sphere of pure energy appeared on her fingertips, before detaching and starting to hover around her, continuing to grow inside along the way. In just a few seconds, ten spheres of light floated to her sides.
"...but using such unrefined magic in hopes of hiding from me is... Laughable."
With that she giggled, followed by her waving her right hand. Five of the orbiting spheres left their places almost instantly, flying away in the given direction even faster than the magic bolt previously. Their target: a barely noticeable shimmer of light that attempted to close in on the Mage from her side.
With such speed, there was no hope for evasion. They struck true, five small explosions appearing upon striking an invisible target, which was Tag whose invisibility was canceled shortly after with his side having a large charred wound, yet one that was bleeding anyway. He rolled on the ground after receiving that momentum, and he had a hard time standing back up.
It was obvious that the damage was severe, and that his battle ability was near-nullified. However, he was not alone. A shadow surged from the direction opposite to Tag's, turning into a wolven jaw closing in on the woman's torso, seeking to snap her in half.
And yet, when it was about to bite her, it halted mid-motion.
"A pincer attack, the most basic of strategies. But you probably didn't know that using mana makes you a beacon for me and that I wasn't giving my all just yet, did you, little puppy?"
As Matilda turned around, what greeted her sight was a black wolf with crimson pupils which was staring at her intensely, but was unable to move. All because it was tied down in place with thick ropes of grass which seemed to have spontaneously grown out of the blue. Despite the result of her latest experiment, Matilda clicked her tongue
"Tsk, though the idea was worthwhile, the mana expenditure is horrific... I have used up almost the entirety of that green mana. Oh well..."
Turning her attention to the wolf who was struggling against the restraints, Matilda merely sighed.
"I won't make you suffer. Until we meet again."
With those words and a wave of her hand, the remaining five spheres slammed into Nacht's skull. Fading mist and a black crystal were all that was left behind.
The Mage then looked at Tag, who unsteadily tried to walk towards her, only to crash down due to blood loss. The Tower Master merely condensed a magic bolt once again, before sending it towards him. In the end, the white wolf didn't even get to use his flash attack due to how short the whole battle was.
Where numerous lives were previously lost, the two beasts who have slain many an explorer were killed by the Tower Master with relative ease. It just went to show her skill, the skill which outdid the pure power of beasts.
Matilda Stein soon returned to her cold persona as she knew that along with the cessation of the sounds of battle, the group would come to investigate. She picked up the two glowing crystals examining them closely, feeling them in her palms.
As the sound of many footsteps arrived behind her, all that was left were two transparent husks devoid of energy, the woman standing still with her eyes closed as if tasting an exquisite dish.
"T-tower Master? Are you okay?"
The Mage breathed out, her breath containing some residual mana, before turning towards the one who spoke out, that being Anna.
"Yes. I told you all not to doubt me. Is any further proof than this necessary?"
Along with those words, she showed the crystals in her hands, earning her gasps of admiration. However, she paid no mind towards the praise that came her way, instead turning to her next destination, and beginning to walk towards it: the way downward.
"Madam? Aren't we going to break camp?"
Marilyn seemed to ask the question that was on the mind of the whole group when they saw her do this.
The Tower Master did not even turn around.
"Are you sick or elderly that you get tired after a brief walk? I was the one who just fought, being older than all of you, and I am not complaining. So what's the point?"
Those who were questioning her now had no arguments to make, as what she said was rather reasonable. But it also kind of put their previous exploratory efforts to shame, as massive battles with casualties were now replaced by what was in essence a brief walk and a small fight.
While Marilyn contemplated her strength as a leader, the group silently followed the lone Mage down the tunnel to the Second Floor. The thing was rather straightforward, with no surprising twists appearing during the descent, and the sight of an underground forest soon came into view, illuminated by the light from above.
Marilyn gasped in surprise as she witnessed it, as the scenery was different than before.
"It's... Changed."
Apparently, she said such words out loud, as she soon heard Matilda's inquisitive voice.
"Oh? In what way?"
Though a little startled, the battlemaiden replied nonetheless.
"Well, first of all, those uh..." She pointed towards the ceiling. "...Stars were not there last time. And the ceiling was definitely visible."
Upon examining the scene further, Anna pointed out another thing.
"And that light in the pillar over there? Yeah, it was lower down on it. I'm telling you all, this place is strange as hell. If I still thought it was just some Monster Nest, I would be the biggest fool I've ever met."
Some veterans from the Second Expedition nodded in agreement, also noticing the changes. The Tower Master looked over all of them before turning away once again.
"...Another thing to research. Now, I've heard that the last time's group went down the path to our left. Why not the one to the right?"
Marilyn was the one to answer.
"We had Leopold scout out the one on the right, and it was dark and full of spiders. The left one seemed to be the better alternative. It didn't mean that it was safe, however."
The Tower Master while asking was also scanning the flow of mana to understand whether one of the paths was a fake. But she was surprised by the fact that both possessed an intense mana flowing through them. In fact, the whole 'forest' before her had various points of concentrated mana. She once again whispered so that only one person would hear.
"Did you mask the flow of mana this way? Truly an interesting solution. Are you trying to make full use of the space on the floor like that?"
"Tower Master? Is everything alright?"
The Mage was snapped out of her thoughts by Anna's curious gaze. The ranger was one of the Tower Master's many admirers, and seeing the renowned person deviate from her usual visage made her curious about the reason.
"Yes, I'm fine. We shall proceed just like you did before, down the path on the right. It would be wise to fully know one direction before exploring another."
"Yes, madam!"
Marilyn responded as the group's leader, giving out orders and arranging the formation. When she was done, she asked Matilda a separate question.
"Would you still like to lead, Madam? The path ahead is mostly unknown."
In response to such a question, Matilda asked.
"Are there foes ahead that are stronger than that pair of wolves from before?"
"We haven't encountered any so far..."
"Then there you have your answer and reassurance."
Marilyn was once again shocked by such a brazen response from the usually stoic woman but nodded silently. Once again, an interesting sight unfolded. A woman in a white coat and casual wear was leading a group of armed explorers, clad in armour with their weapons ready.
Such a group followed the narrow path, being surrounded by pines from both sides, soon emerging into the first clearing housing a white birch, golden leaves covering the grass under it. The first adversary soon came into view.
A supernaturally large fox was already staring at the group with a wary gaze, their sheer numbers alone being intimidating. The Beast waved its two tails, and, upon steeling its resolve, disappeared into the tall grass. Had the Tower Master not been present, it would have succeeded in stealth. But she was present.
The woman herself pointed towards a certain spot in the undergrowth, a sphere of magic glowing in white light forming on her finger.
"Follow my aim."
The sphere shot out towards the beast, an explosion followed by a yelp of pain soon being heard. A flash of light erupted at the location of the strike, clearly illuminating the wounded Beast. The rangers of the group didn't dally, their arrows flying out at the visible target, some missing but most striking true.
The Beast's body soon struck the ground, turning into a mist made of magic once again, a green crystal remaining in its place.
One of the rangers sighed. "It's a pity that the bodies just disappear. I wonder just what we could do with the leathers and bones that we could get from all these."
Anna was the one to respond. "Hey, we get these... Mana Crystals, I believe the Mages call them, instead! And we can get stronger thanks to those. Speaking of, Tower Master, what do we do with this one?"
The woman in question already had the crystal in her hand, and she responded by tossing it towards the ranger while saying.
"I suggest you give it to the Mage of the group. The Nature Mana, as I now call it, helps heal wounds, so if it is given to a warrior or a ranger, it may only enhance their natural regeneration."
While saying that, she picked up a twig from the ground, and infused mana into it. The seemingly dead piece of wood sprouted new leaves, and soon looked like a fresh branch.
"But if given to a Mage, you may gain a healer, as well as give them another means of attack if they master it."
She finished up those words by manipulating the mana within the branch in a certain way, which resulted in it growing rapidly, the ends of it now looking like sharp spikes. The crowd was awed at such a display, and the Mages present soon began to argue amongst themselves for the ownership of the crystal.
"I suspect there is some kind of aptitude at play, however, as it would seem that some accept different kinds of mana better than others. Beatrice over there seems perfectly compatible with it, while I absorb only a portion of mana from the crystal."
The discussion halted at such a suggestion, some envious looks were cast at the young healer, causing her to turn away, unused at the attention. One of the Mages asked the Tower Master.
"But how do we find out?"
An unclear response awaited him. "Feel the resonance, and you will know. And think of your teammates before lying for a chance of getting the crystal in hopes of getting just a little stronger."
Every Mage appeared as if they were seen through, and they soon began passing the crystal amongst themselves, though Beatrice was excluded as she had previously used one. In the end, a certain Mage got it, absorbing around 60% of mana within the crystal, causing it to shatter in his grasp soon after.
After the short episode was done, the group moved on, venturing down the path, and onwards to where the Second Expedition turned back.
Lan, meanwhile observed all this, and his initial awe for the Tower Master's skill turned to worry due to how easily a powerful individual along with the beasts suffering a severe numerical disadvantage allowed the group to quickly get past obstacles in form of Magic Beasts.
'Calm down Lan, it's just the Second Floor. Did you expect it to be super difficult? I should be concerned if they make it down to the third just as easily. For now, I observe.'
As he was observing, he was also trying to decipher the identity of the mysterious Tower Master, whose identity he should have known at some point.
'Still, who is that woman... Damn, these human memories are so bad. Just the fact that she gives me such a strong feeling means that she must have been important to me. But who exactly... My teacher, an aunt next door? Heck, maybe my past girlfriend aged that much? No, wait, I remember that I died a virgin, so that option is ruled out.'
Among all his thoughts, one possibility was almost screaming into his mind, but he subconsciously denied such a possibility, not until he had definitive evidence, as two people could share the same name, and even the surname. Lan didn't want to cause himself pain if his guess was wrong, so he did and didn't want it to be true at the same time.
Nevertheless, as he was embroiled in mental conflict, the exploration group was embroiled in one of physical nature. This fight wasn't over in mere seconds, as the next tree was surprisingly occupied by a group of beasts. Squirrels.
A swarm of squirrels the size of a human's leg frantically fought with the intruders. They scratched, they bit, and they even threw various objects with surprising force. The rodents displayed surprising mobility due to their patagia (the membrane between limbs), gliding around the humans.
But eventually, one by one, they were struck down by a precise magic missile, an arrow, or a well-timed slash of the sword.
As a result of the battle, only the largest one, the leader, left behind a crystal that was transparent in color, yet still had mana in it, surprising even Lan, as the mana within was unfamiliar even to him, yet he could guess what element it was.
'Wind mana?!'
The Tower Master, just as curious, picked it up, before absorbing it. As the crystal was emptied, a gust of wind blasted outwards from the woman, her robes flapping behind her.
"Hah... Let's go onwards. We will rest after the next one."
Marilyn listened to the woman, calling out various commands. She couldn't help but respect the strength she showed, leading the whole group towards where Marilyn had to turn back, and nearly completely by herself.
On the other side, Lan was pouting, bitter to his Core that an outsider got hold of Air, or Wind Mana before he did. He swore to pay more attention to various things in the future. And by strengthening his awareness on the floors, an unexpected sight greeted him on form of a wolf pack on the Third floor, led by an oddly-familiar wolf.
'Wait... Aren't some of those Tag's and Nacht's kids? When did they get here?'
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