Chương 88: Chapter 93: Do You Want to See?

It took her more than a minute, but in the end we got up and tried to move again. It had taken her some time to get going after her emotional moment, but now we were well on our way, and much faster than before. Rhea was excitedly trying out her newfound capabilities. She had gained a lot of stats in so little time, and it showed. I took her arm and pulled her to me as she was about to run straight into a tree.

Well, run was technically wrong, she was bounding forward the same way I did in the tunnels, just that she was using trees to do so, jumping from one to another. I didn't think it was the most efficient or fastest way forward, but I wasn't going to deny her this moment of fun. Actually, I was experimenting with movement too. I got another small bump in my stats with the last achievements, so I was readjusting. The thing I was wondering about was how Quinn could move so fast.

I was sure he didn't have as many stats as we did, but the boy was still faster than us, more agile too. I think it was proof that skills were more important than pure raw stats, something that, in hindsight, was pretty clear given that we always fought enemies more powerful than us and prevailed. Honestly though, I felt that since the first couple of days I was the one doing the overpowering. I don't think I found any enemy stronger than myself.

I found enemies in great numbers, and that was a problem on its own, given that I got severely injured by the Eldir in the shrine, but taken individually… they were no match for me. I didn't think I was superior in any particular way, but the work I put into my skills, the higher stats, and my class together made me versatile and quite powerful. Now, though, the new skill opened a myriad of possibilities I was just starting to explore.

While Rhea was busy perfecting her ninja-style forest traveling technique or something like that, I started to use my Aural Manifestation and apply it in different ways. I made claws of aura extending from the ends of my fingers. The piercing capabilities of the manifestation were higher than the slicing ones, it was easier to make a single fine point instead of a long blade. I used them to scale trees with ease, especially after applying them to my feet too.

Then I thought that, being so mobile, I could harden only the ends and keep the remaining aura in a flowing state. This way I made some really nasty appendages. Like an octopus, they protruded from me. I could extend them several meters away before it became too strenuous to be worth it. But it gave me a great deal of capability. I could swing from tree to tree, and when I felt something approaching at high speed through my senses, I reacted without thinking.

I swept an aura tentacle up and slammed the offending thing against a nearby tree. The thing exploded in a shower of stone fragments, peppering the forest ground and shrubs. I didn't manage to see what it was, but a notification indicated it was an enemy of some kind. You have killed a Lybi Lv23 The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Ok… whatever that was, it was too fucking fast for that level, but it died very easily too, so maybe I should consider it like a flying Quinn.

"That was too fast! I didn't even manage to see it properly, just that it looked like some kind of bird, maybe…" said Rhea.

"The System called it a Lybi, and it looked like it was made of rocks, or it became rocky as it died, or maybe it's a skill, I don't really know. But keep your eyes open and be ready, they are damn fast, yes." She nodded at me while scanning the sky. We managed to proceed very fast. We didn't even mark the path anymore. Our traveling was more training and fun than a scouting journey for the group, but what we gave up made us that much faster. In a bit, I was sure we would exit the valley.

I could see we were approaching the end of the mountain range on our right, so we were close, and our way back wouldn't be too hard to find. We just had to return to the spider's cave, then follow the signs we left earlier. As we proceeded, another Lybi dive-bombed us, then another and another. I took them down with my aura tentacles first, then I went back to a tried-and-true method, the turtle spiky shell I used with the spiders. The little monsters ended up destroying themselves on the hardened aura barrier.

I didn't even need the spikes, which I retracted. The things were kamikaze-like enemies, and while moving forward we noticed how they operated. They were literally living projectiles. They were fast and had a powerful attack, given that they could pierce and kill enemies way stronger than themselves. We saw a dead spider, a big one with a hole in its abdomen. Given the tracks, it didn't die instantly, it tried to drag itself around, but a small swarm of other Lybi came and started feasting on it.

They were basically killing themselves to provide sustenance to their own. But that made them dangerous. Their life was probably a short one, and they didn't reach a high level, but the power of their unique attack and the sheer amount of these rocky birds made them a nightmare for most enemies. When we reached an opening in the trees, we saw where they came from.

High on a stony cliff in the mountain on our right, they detached from the rock, like they were created by it, then with a spin they turned and pointed in our direction.

"I got this, let me try something…" I looked at Rhea as she pointed at them and weaved a ritual in a moment. Her finger blurred as she tapped the air in a precise pattern, then lines started spreading and connecting by themselves. They looked like blooming flowers from this angle, little circles and lines and symbols all growing from a single point of red light, only to become one greater whole. By the time the little kamikaze birds were on us, she finished her preparations, and they were good.

Her ritual created an invisible shield that covered the area just in front of us. The birds simply killed themselves on it, rocks and fragments scattering on the ground and around us, never touching us.

"That was impressive. Did you manage to infuse the mana with your willpower?" She looked at me in shock.

"How did you get it so fast? But yes, I managed to imprint a command in the pockets of mana I left in the ritual. Each one is a part of a greater whole, and when they interconnect they form the ritual proper. It's less efficient, but much faster than drawing all the lines one by one." She finished with a hint of pride. It was deserved too. In her field she was a monster, I was sure. It never occurred to me to break down the parts composing my spells to create them faster.

Well, mine could be created in a second, but when I want to overcharge them it takes more time, and she didn't have a skill like Multicasting to help her. If I had to cast many different spells at once without that, I should be looking for other solutions. Still, impressive though.

"I do something similar for my spells, but just to make them more powerful instead of this separate weaving you did. Anyway, I have a question, did you evolve your class?" She looked at me and smiled.

"Of course! I'm a proud level 25 Grand Ritualist!" Then, in a lower tone, she asked,"Do you want to see a magic trick?"