Sumi slowly descended toward the surface of the lake. At first, she tried to adjust her body in the air, but the strength didn't come. Her limbs felt heavy, and a sudden wave of exhaustion washed over her.
"What… did I use too much mana?" she murmured softly.
Before she could stabilize herself, her body dropped into the water.
Compared to the size of the lake, she looked almost like a small dot disappearing beneath the surface. Water splashed upward as she sank for a moment, then she struggled back up. Gathering what little strength she had left, she began swimming toward the shore where Tokarou and the others were waiting.
By the time she reached land, her clothes clung to her body, completely soaked. Water dripped from her hair and sleeves as she stood there, breathing slowly.
Maleta, Fura, and Soujo stared between Sumi and the massive lake, their mouths hanging open. Then Maleta suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs.
"WHAT THE HELLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!"
Tokarou looked at Sumi calmly and asked,
"Need help?"
Sumi glanced at him, said nothing, and slowly stood upright.
"Just watch."
She closed her eyes and raised both hands. A faint warmth spread through the air, and thin flames began to form around her body, rotating gently. The fire wasn't violent, it spun steadily, evaporating the water from her clothes. In a few seconds, steam rose, and her clothes were completely dry.
Nearby, Maleta, Fura, and Soujo slowly approached the lake, still unable to believe what they were seeing.
"What was that attack…"
"She's crazy strong…"
They whispered among themselves, eyes fixed on the water.
Sumi walked back to Tokarou and spoke in a light voice.
"Darling, why don't you try using magic too?"
Tokarou looked at her for a moment before replying,
"I can't."
"Huh…?" Sumi tilted her head slightly.
He exhaled and explained calmly,
"I tried. I imagined fire, just like you did. But every time I focus, the image disappears. It's like something keeps breaking my thoughts apart and my mana doesn't react either."
He paused, looking at his hand.
"When others imagine magic, their mana moves but in my case… I don't feel anything at all. It's like my mana isn't meant to become magic."
Sumi listened quietly, thinking back to how she felt earlier.
'When I used magic… I could feel something flowing.'
She looked at him again and gave a small smirk.
"Oh? So my darling can't use magic?"
Tokarou didn't respond. Instead, he stepped forward.
"I can do this."
He clenched his fist and threw a punch into the empty air in front of him.
The moment his fist moved, a deafening boom exploded outward. The air itself seemed to shatter, releasing a shockwave so strong that Sumi had to quickly grab her skirt to keep it from being lifted. Maleta, Fura, and Soujo were thrown flat to the ground by the sudden pressure.
The sonic boom rushed across the lake, tearing through the air. Water at the impact point surged violently, rising high and being pushed all the way to the far side of the lake in a massive wave.
Sumi stared at the scene, then looked back at Tokarou.
"Of course… you're way stronger than me physically."
A faint voice suddenly echoed inside Sumi's head.
'Did you see that?'
She blinked, slightly startled, and turned to look at Tokarou. He was walking normally, his expression unchanged.
"…That was you?" she asked quietly.
Tokarou nodded a little.
"I'm using telepathy i just think about talking to you and it connects."
Seeing her confusion, he continued calmly.
"It's like a thin string forms from my head to yours. Once it connects, my thoughts reach you directly. Feels like kinda of skill."
Sumi narrowed her eyes slightly and stared at him, as if trying to find something invisible.
"Oh? I can't see it at all," she said. "Let me try."
She focused and turned her attention toward Maleta. She imagined her thoughts stretching outward the same way Tokarou described. For a brief moment, she felt something forming but before it could extend properly, it snapped and disappeared she tired again but it happened again.
She frowned lightly.
"…Yeah. Looks like I can't use skills."
At that moment, Maleta, Fura, and Soujo slowly pushed themselves up from the ground, breathing heavily.
"I thought I was dead!" Fura said, clutching his chest.
Sumi glanced at them and spoke casually.
"So, are we ready to go?"
Maleta looked at Sumi and Tokarou for a moment, then nodded.
"Yes… this way."
As she turned around to lead them forward, her thoughts were in chaos.
'These two are really strong…'
'Could they really be…?'
She shook her head slightly and continued walking.
Sumi and Tokarou followed as the group moved deeper into the forest. The trees grew denser, and shadows stretched across the ground.
After a short while, Tokarou spoke.
"Sumi. Want to have a competition?"
She looked at him.
"Who gets more monster cores," he added.
She raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure? I can use magic."
He replied without hesitation.
"Doesn't matter."
She smiled faintly.
"…Alright."
The moment she agreed, both of them vanished.
Maleta, Fura, and Soujo froze mid step, looking around in panic.
"They're… still here, right?" Soujo muttered.
Almost instantly, faint movements rushed past them like sudden gusts of wind. Though the three kept walking forward, Tokarou and Sumi were already moving through the forest at high speed, circling around while still keeping pace.
Sumi encountered the first monster hiding between the roots of a tree, it was a slime eating a plant.
'If I use too much force, it'll die…'
She adjusted her control, focusing carefully. Instead of releasing power outward, she directed it inward, forming a gentle pressure. The slime trembled, and its core was pushed cleanly out without destroying the body and it melted quietly.
She moved on without stopping.
Elsewhere, Tokarou appeared beside another monster which looked like a fox but had purple fur and two tail and one purple eye. In a blink, his hand moved. There was no wasted motion, just a precise strike that separated the core instantly. The body fell a moment later, never realizing what happened.
They continued like that, one encounter after another. Monsters fell silently, cores collected one by one.
After some time, both of them reappeared behind Maleta and the others, walking as if they had never left.
They turned around and froze.
Both Sumi and Tokarou were holding piles of glowing cores.
"…That's impossible," Fura whispered.
Tokarou glanced at Sumi.
"How many?"
She counted quickly.
"Eighty three."
He paused, then replied.
"…Eighty three."
Silence followed.
They both stared ahead for a moment, neither saying anything, quietly wondering why they had even started the competition.
Maleta stopped walking and pointed ahead.
"We're here."