"Anna?" said Azalea.
She had taken an awful lot of time in there. Even the flight spell was starting to waver.
"Hey," he called again—but there was no reply.
He frowned.
It seemed they had found the original cave.
He willed himself forward, floating into the cavern, skillfully avoiding the frozen stalactites suspended above. The cave was freezing cold. He closed his eyes.
Fire.
Suddenly, the tattoo on his hand flared. He imagined the warmth spreading slowly, coating him in a protective layer of heat to ward off the chill. This time, he was extremely careful, using only a minimal amount of ether—and it actually worked. The warmth curled around him like a comforting embrace.
"Now this is convenient," he muttered with a nod, continuing his flight forward. And then—
There it was.
"The book."
He spotted it ahead: a skeleton slumped at the far end of the cave, clutching a book tightly to its chest.
He looked around.
There—
A pink-haired figure lay unconscious on the ground.
And to the other side—
A monstrous creature, embedded into the ice. The place looked like it had stared into the face of the sun. The creature wasn't dead. One of its arms was severed—but it had four.
He sighed and glanced back at Anna.
"Hey. Get up. Or keep sleeping in unbearable pain."
Instantly, her body obeyed his words. Her eyes shot open.
"AHHHHHHHHH!" she screamed, squirming violently.
"Good," he said flatly.
"FUCK YOU! I HATE YOU! ARGH!"
For the first time since… never, she actually cursed. Not that he cared.
"Now kill that nasty thing. I don't have all day."
He pointed at a nearby stalactite—its surface slick and sharp. With a flick of his finger, he fired a thin beam of fire. It ricocheted off the first stalactite, then the second, then the third—before striking the creature squarely in the forehead.
The beast awoke.
And since the attack had come from her direction, its eyes locked onto Anna once more.
"ONE DAY YOU'LL PAY! ONE DAY!" she roared as the creature lunged.
She was already injured. There was no time to lick her wounds. She pushed herself to her feet, twin blades—one of fire, one of ice—materializing in her hands.
In just a few torturous hours, her control over her affinities had skyrocketed.
But she hadn't even noticed.
"Pardon me, dead one," Azalea said, kicking the skeleton. Its brittle bones snapped as the book fell from its grip. Still levitating, he caught it and floated higher into the air.
Below, she fought for her life.
The creature—Tier Six, at least.
"Kill it in the next ten minutes or stop breathing," he said lazily, opening the book and ignoring her screams.
He flipped the first page—
Then frowned. His expression turned serious.
"It really is it," he thought.
A treasure trove of alchemical knowledge. He only knew about it thanks to his curiosity while playing the game—when he had ventured into uncharted regions of the vast map.
"This is the first step..."
His face shifted—
Sinister.
That grin.
"Let's get powerful first... Goddess of Life," he laughed, low and wicked.
"I just hope you can kill me before I find you."
He was completely unaware of Anna's desperate situation.
She had less than five minutes before her body would begin rebelling. She had to kill the creature.
But it wasn't just any beast—it was a Tier Six Evolved.
She shouldn't even be able to scratch it.
And yet—
Somehow—
She was holding her own.
But it wouldn't last.
"AHHHHHHH!"
She crashed into the wall, slammed aside by one of its extra limbs. Dazed, she looked up—
Only to see the young man reading a book.
"Haah... Haah... haaah... Fine."
Her eyes darkened.
"If I'm dying, I'm taking you down with me."
Suddenly, her etherpool expanded violently. She forcefully extracted so much ether from her body—too much. She was going to blow the entire place apart. Kill the creature. Kill him. Kill everything.
She had lost it.
She wanted him dead.
But then—
Huh?
She caught a glimpse of him.
Flying out of the cave.
Peacefully.
Without even glancing back.
"WAIT! STOP! COME BACK, YOU BASTARD!"
She tried to gather enough ether to pursue—but she wasn't fast enough.
He was already gone.
Leisurely.
She turned.
The creature was charging again.
All four arms aimed to rip her to shreds.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
BOOOOOOM!