Chương 112: (B2) Chapter 39 - Knights arrival

The crisp morning air settled over the floating island. A low fog hugged the ground, the breeze shifting it ever so slightly while also carrying the distant sound of monsters screeching. Ethan pulled himself over the ledge and fell onto his back with a huff. The waterfall thundered beside him, but he was sure he had heard something. He stood, removed his armor from storage, and promptly began getting changed. As he slipped his helmet over his head, another screech filled the air.

He swiveled toward the sound, his eyes narrowing as he let his senses expand. [Keen Sense] spread throughout the scattered forest, flowing across the landscape and laying everything bare. The feeling was surreal. Even though he had experienced something far greater in another lifetime, it still brought a smile to his face as hidden information was revealed for him to examine. And it worked. He had definitely heard something. In fact, he could still hear it.

As he listened more closely, something became painfully obvious. There was fighting ahead. Ethan strapped his sword to his back while already moving in that direction. Though he was no tracker or scout, he was reasonably sure Leah and the others had run that way during the initial wendigo battle. Even if that wasn't the case, he still needed to check it out.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered, nerves prickling at his pride. Mana siphoned from his core at a slow trickle and entered his soulspace. It flowed into [Mana Infusion], urging the skill to activate. After grueling hours of constant work and reflection, Ethan had converted all of his pathways. Now, a cocoon-like network of aura spread throughout his body. It had resulted in a skill he had never seen before, one that allowed his aura to manifest into something physical.

To say he was surprised would be an understatement. Ethan had assumed he had walked aura to the end of its path. He had been wrong. Now mana flowed through those very networks, the structure far more solid than it had any right to be. The result became obvious the moment [Mana Infusion] activated. Ethan powered forward, launching through the clearing and along the river. Trees blurred past him while only a slow trickle of mana kept the skill active.

Ethan bounded over a fallen log, his foot shattering the bark on impact. He checked his reserves, confirming what he already knew. His mana was still sitting at around ninety-nine percent. His new pathways seemed far better at keeping the energy focused solely on its task. That, combined with the knowledge [Worldfire] had granted him, showed Ethan how to use his mana far more efficiently. He could keep [Mana Infusion] active like this for a good few hours now. And he was using it at a powerful rate.

He was moving so fast that his perception was only just keeping up. But the real test was still to come. As he drew closer, Ethan became increasingly certain a battle was taking place ahead. It became blatantly obvious when he caught the scent of smoke drifting through the forest. Not many monsters possessed active abilities on the first few levels. Those that did were usually variants or some other overpowered creature. Ethan hadn't expected anything like that to be on this island.

Apart from the wendigo, of course. But that fucker was going to die. Of that, Ethan was certain. In fact, he had become so convinced of his promise to end the monster's life that the System seemed to accept his conviction. [Oath] had granted him another ten points, split between Strength and Agility. Ethan came to a stop and allowed [Mana Infusion] to deactivate. Monkey corpses littered the ground, while flames licked at the trees beside the path. He frowned as he inspected a crater in the earth.

"Some kind of bomb?" he asked himself. Ethan pulled his sword free. He could still hear more noise ahead. Deciding it would be smarter to proceed with some caution, he continued forward at a walk. After a moment, it became apparent that the place was riddled with traps. There were snares, pits, boulders, and all manner of other devices. Each seemed effective enough, judging by the victims lying motionless across the ground. Royal Road is the home of this novel.

Visit there to read the original and support the author. Another explosion rocked the earth. Ethan saw smoke rise into the air before the vibration reached him.

"Jesus," he muttered, picking up the pace slightly. What the hell were the monkeys doing down here anyway? Did they occupy this forest as well? He had assumed it was the wendigo's territory, and judging by the sounds of slaughter he had heard in the cave, the two species didn't exactly get along. It didn't matter. None of it did. He just needed to link up with the rest of the group and get off this island. So when he exited the tree line and spotted the demolished town, he let out a sigh of relief.

Which was odd, considering the place was overrun with monkeys. Plenty already lay dead on the ground, with more joining them by the second as trap after trap activated. Amongst the chaos stood his group. They were fighting. Leah's sword slashed out while her dagger worked in tandem. Striker stood beside her, showing his effectiveness by slowing anything that got too close while delivering impressive blows that crippled the monsters he struck.

What relieved Ethan even more was seeing Seb nearby, with a young woman standing between him and the rest of the group, shouting for them to follow her. Ethan assumed they had found their target. Which meant they could get off this island. Which meant there was little point in wasting time. A loud war cry rang out. Ethan turned as the trees parted and a massive monkey descended from a burning branch. It struck the ground to his left, completely oblivious to his presence.

Instead, it stared toward Ethan's retreating group, lifting its arms before slapping both hands against its chest.

"Looks like they have a new leader," Ethan muttered. It wasn't that big of a deal. He had taken out the last one easily enough. Though, admittedly, everything had gone to shit when the horde descended upon him afterward. He was about to step forward and end it when he paused. The monkey began running toward the group on all fours. Ethan could intercept it. He could likely kill it in a single blow. But despite knowing he should finish this quickly, his eyes flickered toward Leah.

If pain brought strength, then so did danger. The two often went hand in hand, and whenever someone came out the other side, they were usually stronger for it. At least seventy percent of the time. Good odds, really.

"Let's see what you've got, Leah," Ethan muttered.

"Show me I can rely on you." She answered with a surprise attack. The monkey charged forward, knocking one of its smaller brethren aside as Leah reached up and tore the hairpin from her head. The metal spike slammed into the monkey's chest as it drew closer, though the creature barely seemed to notice. She followed the attack with a lightning-fast [Silent Draw]. Her sword cleared its sheath almost too quickly for Ethan to track.

The blade dug into the creature's chest while Leah simultaneously threw herself to the ground, rolling beneath its swinging arm. She came back up with her dagger in hand and drove it into the monster's leg, clearly using [Silent Draw] once again. Ethan felt a hint of pride as she stood, both weapons drawn. The monkey slammed its fists into the ground. That seemed to act as a signal, because the entire troop exploded into motion. Monkeys rushed the group with complete abandon.

What followed was a desperate exchange as Leah and the others fought off wave after wave. Ethan already knew the smaller monkeys weren't much of a threat. They didn't possess any skills, nor were they particularly strong. They were likely the weakest creatures in the dungeon. Only now that the dungeon had exploded, with nothing limiting their numbers, they had become one of the dominant forces on the island. Leah's sword sliced through the larger monkey's hand as it reached for her.

The blade cut through flesh and bone, severing the limb entirely. It was obvious to Ethan that, despite the monkeys' numerical advantage, Leah and the others had the situation under control. Of course, they didn't seem aware of that, likely too frightened to see the larger picture within the chaos. Between Bonnie's traps, Leah's deadly attacks, Striker's support, and Seb's healing, they would easily be able to outlast the horde. Dare he say it, Ethan was actually impressed.

Unfortunately, the Trials were never that simple. Whenever things appeared too easy, something always came along to remind you that easy wasn't part of the Trials' vocabulary. So Ethan wasn't overly surprised when the wendigo burst from the very same clearing the larger monkey had emerged from. Its long claws shredded any unfortunate monkey that entered its path. Its antlers began to glow, and a beam of pure energy burst from between them. The beam disintegrated everything in its path.

Ethan rocketed forward as his sword cleared its sheath. The others threw themselves aside while the building behind Leah collapsed beneath the attack. For a moment, silence fell across the battlefield. Everything apart from Ethan seemed to pause. He watched the monkeys realize they were also under attack. He watched the wendigo dig its claws into the ground as it prepared to charge again. And in that moment, Ethan knew it was time. Mana poured from his core, funneling into [Worldfire].

When the skill activated, the energy that emerged was so pure and powerful that it put his normal molten mana to shame. Comparing the two was like comparing father and son. His ordinary molten mana may have originated from the primordial affinity, but for now, the mana produced by [Worldfire] was on another level entirely. It entered his pathways, and for one terrible moment, Ethan was sure they were going to collapse.

That all his hard work would be washed away and he would end up writhing on the ground once again. Instead, all he felt was the familiar sting of mana and aura touching, accompanied by an overwhelming sense of power. Ethan activated [Mana Infusion] at the same time, making sure to feed the skill with his new and improved mana. The moment it activated, he shot forward, crossing the fifty yards between himself and the others in less than a second. His sword swung as he came to a stop.

Ethan twisted around just in time to watch the large monkey's torso split in two, its head and shoulders sliding free from the rest of its body. Behind him, he heard Leah whisper.

"Ethan?"