Chương 118: B2 Chapter 37

Ava didn't like that answer, but she knew deep down that Hakon was right. Now she only had to overcome her own weakness to survive. That, however, was easier said than done, and Ava decided to change the topic rather than thinking too much about killing monsters.

"You should learn [Double Casting], you know. Your Magic Skills have improved a lot, but you can do so much more with the right Skill to support your magic. If you learn [Double Casting], you can even learn [Multicasting] and rival some of our greater Mages." Ava said, half excitedly, half hopeful that Hakon wouldn't call her out on the sudden shift in the conversation.

"But you do not use elemental mana, do you? Do you not have an Affinity unlocked yet?" From what he'd been told, [Motes of Light] was elemental magic. It was a Skill that required a specific Affinity to be used. And while Eren did not unlock a Light Affinity either, he was a Lightcaller. His Ancient Power likely granted Eren a strong Light Affinity, something Hakon did not have. That's why [Motes of Light] is so weak. First, the Magic Skill's Level was not very high, and, second, Hakon didn't have a Light Affinity.

That also meant he should never have learned [Motes of Light], yet he somehow did without unlocking the Light Affinity.

"I don't. Teach me." Hakon stared Ava deep in the eyes.

"I did not learn [Arc] even though I did what you told me to. In the fight against Ulfar, I used [Arc], but the Ancient Scripture did not change. I did not gain a Lightning Affinity either." His complaints brought a smile to her lips.

"Not everything can be this easy, mister prodigious Barbarian." She must have found herself very funny as she let out a light chuckle. That chuckle died as soon as her eyes flickered to the right, where the bloody battle was still going on. Blood splattered everywhere, monsters were being torn apart, and Eren got bitten. He let out a pained yelp that made Ava flinch. She hurriedly turned back to Hakon and continued, eyes and ears hyper-focused on him and their conversation.

"I-If y-you help me break through to a Mage, I can teach you [Double Casting]. Before that, I cannot even learn it myself." Mage. That wasn't the first time Ava mentioned that term. She was currently a Mage Apprentice and wanted to advance to a Mage. Was that the equivalent of a 1st Ascension warrior breaking the Second Wall to advance to the 2nd Ascension? He shelved that theory with a nod.

"Then teach me [Arc], [Bubble], and [Ignite]. You mentioned before that some elemental Skills will help me find out what Affinities I have." Everyone had different Affinities. Ava, for example, once mentioned that she was adequately talented with most basic Affinities. She trained them for many cycles to raise them, but only her Water Affinity reached the double digits. The same was true for some of her more advanced Affinities, such as Lightning.

She trained both her Water and Lightning Affinities even now, trying to reach their limits, but it would take many more cycles to make that happen. So she said. Ava raised a brow at Hakon, then shuddered as the bone-crushing noises from the battlefield echoed across the vicinity.

"D-Do you have enough space in your spirit? You already have so many Skills. I could show you the spellweaves first, and we figure out together what Affinities are most suitable for you. That way you fill your spirit with too many spells that won't ever reach their full potential." Like [Motes of Light]? Hakon mused to himself, attention drifting to the battle to see that Astrid and the hunters at the 2nd Ascension were doing too much.

Their aggressive fighting style turned what could have been a challenging fight for Eren, Teraq, and Zurok into a much simpler scramble. His brows furrowed, and he would have said something if it wasn't already too late. I need to pay more attention to them. A Scripture popped up, informing him that [Pack Coordination] had improved by yet another Level, but there could have been more changes. He missed out on more Skill improvements and an opportunity to strengthen the warriors' teamwork.

"I will be fine. The spirit is my issue to worry about." Hakon waved dismissively. His spirit form was no longer as crowded as it had been a fortnight ago. Ava seemed to notice that as well, whether it was through the way he said it or from his expression, and she had some choice words to say about that.

"That doesn't make any sense." She mumbled to herself, barely loud enough to be heard.

"So unfair…as if wielding mana and Will together isn't enough." Ava continued to grumble, but she did conjure the first spellweave in her palm.

"I only etched [Arc] and [Bubble] into my spirit form, making them Class Skills. That too only because some of their mutations and upgrades are hard to achieve through studying alone. They're supposed to become my main attack Skills. Well, [Arc]'s supposed to be. [Bubble] is more useful to have clean water to drink and to bathe. But once it upgrades the way I want it to, [Bubble] should be powerful enough to conjure entire ponds of water. As long as my mana reserves don't run dry that is."

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Or to conjure a storm, for she was a Stormcaller. Lightning and Water… was that not what a storm needed? Hakon tilted his head before shaking it. Ava was too scared to be a Stormcaller. She could not weather a storm even if she wanted to. Rather than a Stormcaller, Ava was a… researcher? Whatever she wants. As long as it didn't affect him negatively, Hakon didn't care what she wanted to be. At last, the fight came to an end.

The monster remains turned into blue mist as an offering to the Ancestors. The warriors and hunters looked mostly satisfied with themselves, even though some were riddled with gaping holes that could only have been inflicted by the monsters' tusks and deep bite marks. As satisfied as they appeared to be, Hakon couldn't be further from happy.

"You wasted your energy. This was our first fight, and most of you look like you won't be able to win another two fights of similar scale." He shook his head.

"I know you all recover fast. That, however, only applies to your physique. Your Core won't recover mana fast enough to keep up with the amount you waste during a fight that shouldn't have caused so much trouble." Sure, Astrid and the hunters at the 2nd Ascension were doing fine, but even they could have fought a lot more efficiently. It was almost like they fought to make an example and show what they were capable of. Hakon swallowed most of his lecture and redirected his energy into a quick debrief.

The group's journey through the dark forest continued, and they were lucky enough to encounter no more monster packs. A few lone predators located them only to vanish before the hunters could riddle their bodies with heavy arrowheads.

"... That's why you should focus on your surroundings. You never know what other monsters are waiting for you in hiding. One perfectly timed ambush, and you're deader than dead." Hakon shared a last bit of wisdom before they arrived at the Fracture portal. It looked like all the other Fracture portals he had been to, but this one was a little larger. The vibrant colors of the Fracture portal stretched far and wide, almost reaching the size of a hut back in the tribehold.

[Fracture – Grand Coliseum Rarity – Uncommon Recommended Level – 18 to 25 Slots – 0/∞]"Grand Coliseum." Eren muttered what everyone read. He looked confused, and so did all the others.

"What is a coliseum?" Astrid asked, eyes lingering on Ava, who could only shake her head.

"I don't know."

"The Recommended Level is weird." Hakon mused more to himself than to Ava or the others.

"The slots. Is that a number?" Björn grunted. He didn't know much about numbers, but Hakon didn't really understand the slots part either.

"Infinite. It looks like an eight placed horizontally, and it represents the never-ending cycle. That means it does not matter how many enter the Dungeon." Ava explained.

"Usually that also means the Dungeon is either an Infinite Dungeon with countless instances or that it's a Specialized Dungeon""So even if we conquer the Fracture, it won't close?"

"No, but the Essence accumulation is slowed, which is nearly as good if you want to prevent an Outbreak." Ava confirmed. While that wasn't perfect, it was better than nothing.

"Perfect!" Björn exclaimed, his eyes zoned in on the Scripture beside him. It took him a while to finish reading through everything, but when he was done, he looked overjoyed.

"No time to waste. Let's enter!" That was the plan, but Hakon made sure they rested a little longer until even the rest of their wounds was no more than dried blood on Barbarian skin.

"You done with your research?" he asked Ava, who'd been busy moving around the Fracture portal to study it. Mana flowed out of her fingers and into the portal, which didn't seem to affect it in the slightest. Her eyes glowed faintly as she looked up and nodded.

"I can study the portal a little bit longer when we're done with it, right? Oh, and I can note down how much the essence level changes from a clear" Ava chimed, "And! If I want to do this properly, I have to write down our loot as well! If we enter this a few more times, we can even write a dungeon guide!" Hakon could only guess how the dungeon guide would help them. It wasn't necessary, nor would it help Barbarians challenge the Fracture.

Being prepared was great and sometimes essential, but the challenge imposed upon an unprepared Barbarian was much greater. Extraordinary, some may even say, and that was exactly what they needed to improve their Ancient Scripture greatly. That was taken into consideration as Hakon led the men and women into the Fracture portal. They stepped through without the slightest hint of hesitation but slowed as something crunched beneath their feet.

It was finely ground gravel, though it was light brown in color and felt hot to the feet. Around an entire field of that light-brown gravel rose an arena like a fortified mountain. Towering walls packed with stands, thousands of seats that were filled to the brim with Barbarians, humans, and beings Hakon had never seen before. They were all so different, yet each and every single one of the beings seated atop the wall had one thing in common; their faces were a hazy mess.

Heat radiated from the finely ground gravel beneath his feet, the scent of blood reached his nostrils, and it was not long before the smell of sweat and iron reached him as well. It tasted like battle. Somewhere above the crowd of blurry faces, Hakon felt something. He was watched.

"So that's the Grand Coliseum?" Astrid grimaced, though a faint smile creased her lips as their eyes met.

"Looks like an arena to me."

"It is," Björn said just as Scripture popped up. A moment later, he let out resounding laughter and issued a loud 'Yes'. The next instant, Björn disappeared like he had never existed. Several Barbarians followed behind and disappeared with toothy smiles on their lips.