Chương 229: B4–Chapter 9: Snakes on a Balloon—Rue’s Culinary Letdown

After the balloon was full and Rue jumped inside, the three of us stood and looked at it with a thoughtful expression. Mahya crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly as she spoke.

"We need a bigger basket," she said.

"Yep," I muttered, nodding in agreement as I rubbed the back of my neck.

"We really need a bigger basket now," she repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep," I said again, glancing over at Rue, who seemed perfectly content despite the tight fit. Mahya shot me a look, one eyebrow still raised.

"Any idea how to create one? It's your familiar that got as big as a house."

"Nope," I replied with a shrug.

"We have spare dungeon cores, and we'll find more." Al suggested. I glanced at him, puzzled.

"So?" I asked.

"They're relatively small, I don't think they're at a stage that they can create stuff."

"Maybe if you combine the two we have, they'll be big enough?" Mahya asked, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

"Worth a try," I said, scratching Rue's ear as he looked up at me.

"Rue, buddy. Hop out of the basket. We need to do some things—you got too big." Rue huffed, shaking his head stubbornly.

"Big good! Rue more dangerous! Rue protect friends!" I chuckled, giving his ear another scratch.

"Yeah, buddy," I said, grinning.

"It's great. We just need to find a solution for the basket." The two spare cores we had were from the fire and beef dungeons, and both were about six centimeters each—not tiny, but not big enough either. Mahya handed me both cores, and I began pouring mana into them. I could feel her watching closely as I focused. The process was similar to combining mana crystals, only longer and much more draining. My brow furrowed as the mana flowed, beads of sweat forming on my forehead.

Finally, after 10, 000 and some change mana, I had one core instead of two. I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand, inspecting the result. It wasn't much bigger. The larger of the two—from the fire dungeon—had been almost seven centimeters before. Now I had a core 8. 3 centimeters in size.

"Not much of a difference," I said, frowning slightly as I held the core up for Mahya to see.

"Yeah..." she stretched the word, her mouth pulling into a thoughtful line as she crossed her arms.

"I hoped for a bigger difference." Drawing the ritual inside the basket was no easy feat. Usually, we had much more space to work with, but we prevailed. After two hours of crouching, stretching, and careful concentration, the magic circle was finally complete. Mahya pricked her finger, a small wince crossing her face, and drew the bloody runes in the center. She then channeled mana into the design, her brow furrowed in deep focus.

After establishing the connection between her, the core, and the balloon, I pulled out the aluminum sheet engraved with the feeding circle and asked, "What are we feeding it? We don't have rattan or wicker to weave the basket."

"I have an idea," Al said, tapping his chin thoughtfully before handing me a piece of the strange wooden material my house had given him before.

"Try this, it should be perfect." I turned the piece over in my hands, examining its rough surface.

"It crumbled when I squeezed it too hard last time," I said, frowning at the memory.

"Yes, but that was a piece exposed to the elements for a long time," Al explained, crossing his arms.

"Try to crush this one." I gave it my best effort, gripping it tightly, trying to snap it, even jumping on it with all my weight. Nothing. The thing held firm.

"Let me see," Mahya asked, holding out her hand expectantly. I handed it to her, and she inspected it closely before tossing it up and catching it a couple of times.

"Light."

"Yes," Al said with a nod, a slight grin on his lips.

"That's why I suggested it."

"Looks good," I said, giving Al an approving look before pulling out my core.

"Give me blocks of Thergwon." At my command, more and more blocks of the material appeared around the core. I took a step back, surveying the progress.

"I think we should add some aluminum for durability and more fabric," Mahya suggested, pacing around the basket.

"If the basket is bigger, we'll need more lift."

"If you say so," I replied with a shrug, glancing at her.

"I haven't even used the LTA Flight skill yet, so I have no idea." We carefully placed the core on the "feeding" magic circle, the air heavy with anticipation, and fed it the new wood, aluminum, and every bit of the fabric we'd bought for the balloon. Keeping any of it in Storage was pointless now that the balloon was connected to a core. I stood back, watching as the materials disappeared one by one, absorbed into the core. It took over three hours—hours of watching, waiting, and hoping.

Finally, with all the materials consumed, Mahya stepped forward and, with a commanding tone, ordered the core to enlarge the basket, strengthen it, and then expand the balloon. I held my breath and crossed my fingers, silently hoping it would work. To my relief, it did. Bit by bit, the basket grew; the wood stretching and reshaping, becoming sturdier and larger. The balloon followed suit, expanding gracefully above us. I let out a breath I didn't even realize I was holding. This book is hosted on another platform.

Read the official version and support the author's work. With every passing day, I understood more and more why cores were the most sought-after commodity in magical worlds. Even the basic ones could perform miracles. But none were quite as awesome as my core. It was already evening, so we stayed put for another day. After a quick dinner, we settled in to watch The Secret Life of Pets. Surprisingly, we all ended up loving it—except for Rue. He lay sprawled out beside me, grumbling telepathically every few minutes.

"Big dog stupid," he complained, his mental voice filled with irritation.

"Small dog annoying." I exchanged a glance with Mahya, who was trying not to laugh, and Al just shook his head in amusement.

"That's dog logic for you," I muttered, scratching Rue's ear. He let out a huff but didn't move, clearly unimpressed by the movie. Still, we enjoyed the rest of it while Rue continued his low grumbling, voicing his disdain for the "stupid" characters. In the morning, we finally took off, the balloon lifting smoothly into the air as we headed toward the first city on the Map. I had estimated that we'd reach it in just a few hours, but I was very wrong.

As the day stretched on, it became clear this world was far bigger than I'd thought. My estimate had been based on Earth's distances on the Map, not Zindor's. The sun was already setting by the time we realized we'd only made it about two-thirds of the way. I sighed, rubbing my temple.

"I'll look for a good place to land," I said, stretching my arms before flying out of the basket. The cool air rushed past me as I scanned the forest below. After a quick search, I found a clearing large enough for the balloon to land without getting tangled in the trees. Satisfied, I flew back.

"Head that way," I instructed Mahya, pointing to the spot I had found. She nodded, adjusting the balloon's course with a practiced hand, and we slowly descended toward the clearing. Just as we began our descent, something felt off. My Perception and Luck acted up and Mahya and Al tensed up beside me. Rue growled. The trees below rustled unnaturally, and a low hissing sound reached my ears. I squinted toward the clearing, and my heart skipped a beat.

Dozens—no, at least fifty—slender green snakes slithered through the air like ribbons, their scales glinting in the fading sunlight.

"Flying snakes! Incoming!" I shouted. Before I could act, they were on us, striking from all directions. They moved faster than I expected, weaving through the air with terrifying speed. One shot straight toward me, its fangs bared. I reacted instantly and shot it with lightning. That snake fell smoking on the ground, but another one I missed bit the back of my shoulder. I winced, but its paralysis had no time to take hold before I activated Neutralize Poison. The effects dissolved in seconds.

Rue jumped out of the basket and snapped his jaws at the air, barking furiously as the snakes tried in vain to pierce his thick fur.

"Rue too tough!" he growled, shaking his massive body as one snake coiled around his leg. He flicked it off like it was nothing. Mahya leaped from the basket, her sword already drawn. In a flash, she launched herself high into the air. Her movements were quick and precise as she sliced through two snakes mid-flight. They dropped to the ground, lifeless. She landed gracefully on a tree trunk, defying gravity as she stood Perpendicular to the vertical surface.

"I'll draw them away from the balloon!" she called out, launching off the trunk and running along it with ease, using the trees as stepping stones to leap from place to place. Al, sword and shield at the ready, let out a battle cry as he swung his massive blade through the air, cleaving through a snake that had gotten too close. He twirled his shield, knocking another one off course. He cut down two more as they darted toward him, his sword a blur in the chaos. I had no time to think.

A group of five snakes lunged at me from above. I activated my Telekinesis, stopping them mid-air before they could strike. They writhed and twisted against my hold, but I tightened my mental grip and sent them hurtling into the trees with a satisfying thud. One of them slipped through, and I barely had time to react before it was on me. I raised my hand and summoned a crackling bolt of lightning, blasting it into a puff of ash. The smell of charred snake filled the air. The fight dragged on.

The swarm was relentless. Every time we downed one snake, another took its place. They were fast, vicious, and attacked from every angle. Mahya vaulted from tree to tree, her sword flashing in the twilight as she cut them down with quick, precise strikes. Al stood his ground near the balloon basket, his shield a wall of protection, while he swung his sword in wide arcs. Rue snapped at any snake that dared approach, his deep growls echoing through the clearing.

He either slapped them down with his massive paws, biting off their heads, or simply bit them in half mid-air. I split my mind, my mind juggling the two tasks as one hand shot lightning bolts and the other launched Mana Darts, mindful of the high mana cost of the lightning. The familiar hum of power in my fingertips felt like second nature by now. Quickly, Al, Rue, and I found ourselves in a triangle formation around the basket.

Mahya darted between the trees at the edges of the clearing, cutting down the snakes that tried to ambush us from behind. After what felt like an eternity, the snake numbers finally thinned. One last snake zipped toward Rue, but it stood no chance against his thick fur and sharp fangs. He bit it clean in half, letting out a huff of disdain as the pieces dropped to the ground.

"Too small," Rue grumbled, his telepathic voice dripping with disappointment.

"Not enough yummy snake meat." I couldn't help but chuckle, wiping the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand.

"Well, buddy, we'll find you something bigger next time." Rue, still grumbling to himself, prowled around the clearing, occasionally slapping dead snakes and muttering about their size. Al looked up from where he was inspecting the remains of a snake and called out, "Rue, please don't ruin more snakes. We need the venom sacks." Rue sighed, audibly and telepathically, shaking his head in a very human-like motion.

"Fine," he replied in a put-upon tone, clearly unhappy with the situation. Mahya landed beside me, her breathing steady despite the long fight.

"That was... something," she said, cleaning her sword with a cloth, her expression a mix of amusement and weariness.

"Good call on the anti-venom paintballs. Definitely saved us some trouble." Al grunted in agreement, casting Clean on his sword and himself, the grime and blood vanishing from his gear. I nodded, glancing at the trees surrounding us. The sun had dipped lower now, casting long shadows across the clearing.

"Let's just hope nothing else comes slithering through," I muttered as I cast Clean on myself, Mahya, and Rue. The dirt, sweat, and blood evaporated, leaving us feeling refreshed. Mahya gave me a grateful nod as she inspected her gear, ensuring everything was still in working order before storing it.

"We should start wearing armor all the time," she said. All of us nodded, including Rue. I rolled my shoulders, stretching out my arms to shake off the tension of the fight. I had used a lot of lightning during the battle, but strangely, I didn't feel lightheaded or drained. Normally, after expending that much mana—even with the Mana Darts—I should have felt at least somewhat tired. Curiosity got the better of me, and I checked my mana reserves. 6, 235/11, 700. My eyes widened in surprise. How?

Then it hit me, and I facepalmed, letting out a groan.

"Right... the new Mana Siphon thingy," I mumbled, shaking my head at my forgetfulness. When I first got the ability, I'd dismissed it as something minor, nothing too special. But now... it seemed like it was much better than mehh. A grin tugged at the corners of my mouth. This ability was turning out to be a real game-changer. My mana regenerated faster than I'd realized during the fight. The more I thought about it, the more I understood I'd barely tapped into its full potential.