Crowds of red chimeras packed themselves into the cave until there was no space left to retreat.
The last chimera heaved a boulder into place, sealing the entrance. As stone ground against stone, he glanced back at the bare red land behind in fear.
His eyes trembled. A vine slithered toward him. He hurled a fire spell in panic, and the vine sat ablaze. But the fire didn't. burn the vine.
Instead the vine grabbed him and the scorching heat began burning him. He quickly controlled the flame to stop.
When the vine coiled around him, his feet lifted from the ground. He was drawn upward, suspended among his brethren, all caught in the same grasp.
It and his brethren watched in horror as the cave was opened by the vines and the children and elderly inside were dragged outside.
The vines began crushing the chimera brought from inside the cave and the chimera began casting all the spells he could but it was all meaningless against the vine.
Everyone slowly died, it was easy to tell who was this particular chimera's close relatives from the way he reacted, biting, struggling, and casting spell repeatedly till red liquid dripped from his eyes and ears.
Their magic was amazing, incredibly efficient in the amount of consciousness it needed. They used the same flame ability as mine, but required so less to cast all the while being stronger.
When all the chimeras including the ones inside the cave and outside the cave died, the system voice spoke.
"I've finished analyzing their magic."
A magic circle appeared in my mind and my consciousness began drawing itself around them.
"No, not like that. Why can't you follow the lines?"
Hmph
"I am doing it, it just takes a while to draw my consciousness along the lines."
The system sighed.
An awkward silence hung between us.
"So there are two different power systems?"
"Sigh, they're the same thing, they have the same source."
It sighed again.
"But you said they were different."
"I never said they were different. The unique abilities and the power you call magic has the same energy source and that is consciousness."
"Well, you never said they use the same energy source."
"I did. It went through your one ear and went out the other."
When I finished and consciousness was formed in the shape of an intricately designed symbol a small flame appeared dancing beautifully. It licked around at the air like a hungry child.
"It's too slow, practice more." The system spoke again.
Sigh,
"I don't need you to say that."
It became quiet for a while. Then suddenly began speaking softly, "Why are you so angry? I am trying to help you am I not?"
It finally pointed out the weird dynamic we had. Somewhat hostile.
But I didn't like it anyway, something about him made me feel hateful. The more I thought about him, the more I hated him. Plus he wasn't always frustrated with me.
But I couldn't say I didn't like it out loud and we needed to be harmonious for me to clear the floors.
The fire increased in output and danced across the sand, engulfing the flesh on the ground.
It was time for me to go forward.
I arrived in front of the 17th floor boss room door.
Though it wasn't a conventional entrance and instead a quicksand. I walked into the quick sand and well into the whirl. This time, I didn't feel like the boss room will be easy to deal with. I was already getting bored from the weak bosses, so this was good.
The sand continued to pour down and a humid air hit me as I landed on the ground.
A single light poured through the tiny whole above where the sand continued to pour from. There were piles of gold on the floor that shimmered in the darkness that still looked clean and not dusty. There was also the very faint glow to be seen as a snoring sound rose from time to time.
I shook off the frustration I was feeling, the boss before me gave off a danger signal like none before.
I slowly moved closer to the snoring sound. I didn't dare to use light magic, there was no doubt the boss of this floor can detect consciousness power.
A vine crawled across the room and stopped right before touching the huge figure, a flower bloomed from inside. But this time, instead of the usual flower, it was a trumped shaped flower with oozing black liquid that appeared.
The way it drooped on the vine appeared delicate but in the next instant it shot forward like a bullet and pierced into the sleeping dragon's scales.
Poison seeped inside the dragon and the dragon awoke with pain, sweeping the room in flame.
But the moment the fire faded away, I still stood in place without an injury.
The dragon looked at me incredulously.
But in the next instant its claws shot towards me and began to squish me like a mosquito.
***
In a dark space holding a glowing thread, she thinks about the vine climbing slowly through the floors.
It has been a long time since she fulfilled her goal and even longer time since Onsra was defeated.
It was time.
The copy of Jiji and the plant was already forming a bond, and the fate she wanted was delicately forming.
The figure clad in white cloth sighed, she remembered something from the past.
Soon the truth will be revealed, when that happens without a doubt the plant will treat the copy of Jiji poorly. Even if it wasn't her Jiji, she hated to see it in a pitiful state.