章 44: Mind Your Own Business
Eleonora scrutinized the fire hydrant with a hint of frustration. Closing her eyes for a moment, she extended her senses beyond the surface.
That's when she felt it: a web of water running beneath the city like veins pulsing with liquid energy.
'At least he wasn't lying,' Eleonora thought with a resigned sigh.
Meanwhile, chaos raged around her. Hunters were fighting tooth and nail against the creatures emerging from the portal.
The monsters—massive lizards covered in black scales and blazing with fury-filled eyes—seemed endless.
The melee fighters were beginning to show signs of exhaustion; their movements were slower and more erratic. Numerous visible wounds adorned their bodies, but they kept fighting regardless.
"Does anyone know when reinforcements are arriving?!" shouted a man wielding a large sword that glowed with golden runes. His tone was desperate, his eyes darting for someone who might have a solution.
"Keep attacking! We can't let them advance any further!" yelled a woman holding a spear that seemed to hum with electrical energy, right before she drove it through one of the lizards' skulls.
A little farther away, Eleonora was trying to turn the hydrant's valve, but the rust was putting up a fight. She clicked her tongue in irritation, her fingers straining, and finally decided that brute force was the most practical solution.
"I don't have time for finesse," Eleonora muttered before striking the hydrant with the heel of Leonar's foot, shattering the metal in one clean hit.
Water burst forth with force, flooding the sidewalk and drenching everyone nearby.
Some hunters turned to her with incredulous expressions, and an annoyed voice rose from among them:
"Hey, kid! What the hell do you think you're doing? You think this is a joke?"
Eleonora, focused on controlling the flow of water, ignored the complaints. Closing her eyes again, she whispered:
"Power release."
A metallic sound resonated in her mind as a message appeared before her eyes:
[Eleonora's power released to 53%]
At that instant, Leonar's body responded immediately. His muscles tensed, and strands of his brown hair turned white, one by one.
The water pressure increased, transforming the chaotic flow into a controlled torrent that began soaking the lizards.
The water, now fully under her control, moved through the air with precision, drenching the creatures completely.
Nearby hunters paused, bewildered, as it seemed like Eleonora was toying with the water—some of it splashing onto them as well.
A few of them shouted:
"Hey! What are you doing? You're soaking us too!"
"That guy's nuts! Doesn't he realize he's making the ground slippery?"
Within seconds, however, Eleonora began freezing the water. A thin layer of ice formed around the lizards' limbs, immobilizing them.
Even those that tried to resist and break free soon found themselves hopelessly trapped, their movements clumsy and frantic. This gave the hunters an easier chance to attack.
What shocked them most was that, despite many of them being drenched, none were affected by the freezing magic.
"It's actually working…" a blonde hunter exclaimed, swinging her sword in a perfect arc that cleaved one of the ice-bound lizards in two.
Another hunter, armed with a magical staff, added with a hint of admiration:
"How can he control water like that? This level of precision…"
As the battle continued, Eleonora could feel the energy surging through Leonar's body.
Three times, a message appeared before her:
[Level Up Achieved]
With each notification, Leonar's body grew stronger, though the strain also increased.
Ignoring the chatter from some hunters, Eleonora wondered:
'How much time has passed…? Three minutes? I'm getting too tired…'
She couldn't help but feel that the way she was earning these "assists" to level up was absurd, though she had to admit it was effective—even if she wasn't exactly proud of it.
The growing pile of lizard corpses eventually began blocking the portal's exit, reducing the flow of new creatures and making it easier for the ranged attackers to pick them off.
When Eleonora saw that the situation was under control, she decided to cut off the water. Reaching out to the broken hydrant, she froze the outlet, sealing it completely.
'Not worth helping with the leftovers,' Eleonora thought, canceling her power release.
[Power Release Canceled]
Leonar's body instantly relaxed, his hair gradually returning to its original color. Some hunters approached her, while others remained stunned by what had happened.
"Hey, kid, that was impressive," said one of them—a burly man with a massive axe slung over his shoulder. His tone was friendlier now, though curiosity still lingered in his eyes. "First time I've seen a hunter use the city's water supply like that. What kind of training do you do?"
Still in control of Leonar's body, Eleonora replied with a dry, straightforward tone:
"It's just what I can do. Nothing more."
The man raised an eyebrow but didn't press further.
Another hunter, a woman in a blue robe, joined the conversation:
"Didn't you use some kind of artifact? That level of control, for so long… it's not normal."
Eleonora ignored her, turning to leave, only to notice more people approaching.
The press had arrived, cameras and microphones in hand, capturing every detail of the incident.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Eleonora tried to slip away into the crowd, but a hand closed around her wrist.
'What now…?' she thought irritably, turning to face a young woman with short brown hair and bright blue eyes.
The girl's expression was a mix of awe and curiosity.
"Wait! Can you tell me the name of your ability?"
Eleonora let out an exasperated sigh.
"I just control water."
Her statement left the healer baffled, as mages typically created the element they controlled to use against enemies.
Controlling existing water as Eleonora had, with such precision and duration, was unheard of.
"Control water…? Is the change in your hair related to your magic?" the girl pressed, leaning slightly forward as if afraid to miss a word.
Eleonora shot her a cold look before turning away.
"Mind your own business."
With those words, Eleonora disappeared into the crowd, leaving the remaining hunters to answer the reporters' questions.
The young healer stood there, perplexed and slightly offended.
Who does that hunter think he is, acting like that?
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