Thud-thud-thud-thud, Thud-thud-thud-thud.
I could vividly hear the footsteps of the beast approaching us.
" Dux cannon, output 20 percent," Velvet transformed her left hand into a cannon, prepared to fire.
" Wait, hold your fire. I want to try
something." I opened the codex. The first page was the only one that had spells on it; the others were blank. I saw a spell that piqued my interest, so I waited for the ex spawn to come closer.
When it emerged from the far horizon, it looked like a lion covered in dark, eerie-looking fur.
Grahhhhhhh, Grahhhhhhh!
It roared, preparing to pounce on us.
" Flarer Norve." Flaming spears appeared. I thought to myself, "Attack." They pierced the hide of the spawn and exploded its body.
" That was amazing, Master." Velvet shook my shoulder. I picked up its mana core, and my body immediately absorbed it. I felt super refreshed. But I hadn't heard of a situation where an Acknowledged could absorb mana cores. Then again, I wasn't shocked. A whole lot of weird things had already happened to me, so I wasn't surprised.
I just remembered I didn't have a job anymore, so maybe I should take this chance to acquire a lot of mana cores and then sell them to a merchant guild.
I turned toward her. " Velvet, let's get going."
" Affirmative." She ran toward me as I walked away.
The roads were broken in halves, the smell of blood filling the air. Piles of damaged vehicles—cars, buses, helicopters. From the looks of it, this was an actual failed battlefield. To think that civilization once thrived here… now it was a totally abandoned wasteland.
"Master, what's that thing floating in the sky?" she walked in front of me.
"That's a lost relic. They came into the world along with the magical beings and mana." I patted her on the head.
Lost relics came into our world during the Great Integration. They are remnants of worlds destroyed by EX. The one currently floating in the sky is the Casatic Library. Up until today, scientists and researchers are still trying to decipher the contents of the book in it. But due to the constant EX attacks in these parts, access is limited.
I checked the codex again, and the spell I had used now had a description. I guessed that I had to try out a spell first in order to get its description. As for the Dranus Arcadia spell, it was a teleportation spell that required me to add a location. Since I hadn't added one previously, I was taken to this location by default.
" But why a doom-rated zone of all places?" I wondered to myself. On the bright side, I now knew how to utilize the codex. Then it dawned on me—maybe there was some kind of clue or guide in the Casatic Library. So I decided we were going to the library.
" Heat signature incoming. This time the creature, or as you call them, EX spawn, is huge." We both got into position.
At first glance, I knew this wasn't a normal EX spawn we had faced so far. It was a bloody EX beast—an evolved version of an EX spawn.
" Dux blaster, output 50 percent, fire!" She blasted the beast. When it emerged from the smoke, it was a huge rhino with glass-like skin. The attack only cracked its hide.
" Power level low… need to recharge." Velvet was already running out of energy. I had to act.
" Velvet, you start recharging. I can take this from here." I had a strong feeling that I could take it head-on. With my bare fists, I lunged forward. My speed was extraordinary; in an instant, I was already in front of the beast. I didn't have the leisure to be flabbergasted.
I punched the torso of the EX beast. I could feel the air vibrating as it flew upwards. A strong energy wave dispersed; the clouds above dissipated, but I wasn't done.
" Levite." I took to the skies in pursuit of the beast. One punch after another, I attacked it rapidly. I was in total awe—my combat prowess had increased a millionfold. As expected of an EX beast, it was still kicking after my barrage of attacks. For some reason, I just knew what to do, as if the cells in my body were familiar with combat even though I hadn't trained.
The beast began to spin downward, using its horn to attack me. I blocked the attack with my bare hands, held it by the horn, and slammed it downward toward the ground. It crashed with intense force, its body shattering to pieces; its grotesque innards scattered all around the floor.
I touched down with incredible speed, raising dust, and walked up to Velvet to help her up. "Are you okay now?" I helped her balance.
" Yes, I am, Master. That was stunning, by the way." She hugged me, pressing her chest against my arm.
" Oh really now?" I kept my ice-cold demeanor outwardly, but inwardly I was super excited and glad. I patted her on the head.
" Can we share the mana core this time? I just remembered that I used mine to recharge." She turned toward me, her eyes sparkling.
" Whoa, I didn't know you needed them, but sure, we can." She let go of my arm, and I walked up to the remains of the beast. After burning a couple of its flesh, I found its mana core. I broke it into two and gave the other half to Velvet.
Before heading to the library, Velvet and I decided to do a little practice. And what would be better to practice on if not EX spawns and beasts? We also needed to formulate an emergency exit plan in case things went sideways.
Also, I needed to gather mana cores so I could sell them, as I was currently unemployed.
We ventured deeper into the Midwest, which was crawling with a lot of EX spawns and beasts. Luckily, we hadn't come across any major threats. I tried out some new spells and got their EX Titans—or Colossals. Those guys were on a whole other level. After a tiring hunt, we had killed over 100 EX spawns and 50 EX beasts.
Our luck finally ran out—we came across a huge dragon, at least it looked like one. It coiled around itself. Blazing red scales, dark claws. When I looked at its head, it had multiple mouths. That was when I knew we had just come across an EX Titan.
EX Titans are capable of leveling a mini city, and there I was, standing in front of one. The Titan woke up.
" You know the plan. You go low and I'll go high."
" Unlocking circuit one: suspension zone." Ancient scribbles appeared around the Titan, elevating it into the air and rendering it immobile.
Grahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
It roared. The sound echoed in my ears.
"Flarer Nova!" My eyes were fixed on the Titan this time. The flames were hotter. "I tired of spears; I want a sword to slay this monstrosity." The flames coil around my hand and formed a sword. I corrected myself—luck had finally run out for the Titan, not for us.
I dashed toward the Titan with impeccable speed, and with one strike, I beheaded it.
"By my calculations, Master, our teamwork has improved by 5 percent. That puts us at 65.7 percent now." She flew toward me with a grin, all proud. We decided to absorb the core of the Titan, since it was the first one we killed among many to come.
I could feel the mana from the core was richer than anything I had absorbed so far. I turned toward Velvet and held onto her arm—it was finally time to head to the library.
" Dranus Arcadia: Casatic Library."
We were teleported to the entrance of the library, where a huge door made out of stone stood. I pushed the door. As it opened, only one thought went through my mind:
" Anybody that's pulling the strings had better hope I find out it's for a good reason. I'm done being a piece on someone else's chessboard!"