(Near the collapsed tent: Amy's POV)
It seems Kai had devised a plan beforehand. Strangely enough, I didn't feel the slightest bit angry, in fact, I was genuinely pleased that he included me in his strategy. Didn't that mean I was someone important to him, someone he truly recognized?
I smiled and rushed toward where King was struggling to stand.
Kai had entrusted me with three tasks: first, incapacitate King without killing him; second, retrieve the pouch; and lastly, eliminate all the Gobolts.
"He really gave Amy a difficult assignment." I glanced briefly at where he stood facing the massive onyx dragon. "But Amy has faith in him."
Upon seeing me, King snarled and barked furiously. "It was you, wasn't it, bitch? You and your deranged companion!"
The calm composure King usually displayed had shattered, leaving behind only a terrified shell. "Come to think of it, you were one of those who mocked Kai."
I advanced deliberately, the air thick with mana as my crimson eyes flared with intensity.
[YOU HAVE ACTIVATED THE TALENT: ATOM FORMATTING]
Scarlet crystals formed around me, and with a flick of my hand, massive blades emerged from the sand, impaling the four Gobolts attempting to ambush me.
King's wounds were already healing at an unnatural rate. Judging from his talent, he clearly wasn't a healer, but this was a dungeon after all, and logic had little meaning.
He raised his hands, and with a flicker of dark mana that resembled void itself, a large orb materialized.
The orb hovered above his hand as though drawing energy from the world to strike me. It was terrifying, yet strangely thrilling.
"You'll need to go this far if you want to live," I shouted. "But make no mistake... You'll die today."
The orb grew massive—so much so that even the dragon had to adjust its flight path.
King grinned, prematurely declaring his victory, which infuriated me. "Amy hereby sentence you to death for every evil deed you've committed, including but not limited to robbery…" I paused. "But worst of all, for harboring ill thoughts toward Kai."
I lunged forward, daggers forming around me as I leaped into the air for a swift kick.
A gush of blood escaped King's lips as he cursed, "You're really shitty... Just die for me."
His exhausted, lifeless eyes locked on me as he unleashed the dark orb.
It was as if space itself split open in its wake; the ground trembled violently, the shockwaves making the orb seem even more colossal.
I clenched my teeth as survival instinct took over, if I didn't evade, I would die. I dove sharply to the left, away from the cave where Kai had hidden the woman.
Planting my feet, I raised my hands and summoned a crystalline barrier, stacking layer upon layer until even I lost count.
Above the shield, I summoned about twenty swords and hurled them at the orb, but they barely made a dent.
Tents and debris from the ruins were gradually being consumed by the void when a spark of inspiration struck me.
Since childhood, I'd studied various engineering principles since my ability didn't allow me to manifest what I didn't understand.
I envisioned a catapult and began constructing it in real-time, my hands moving rapidly through the air as the orb drew closer.
It was far too fast; no level of craftsmanship would allow me to complete it in time. I wasn't even sure it could stop such a force.
I knew I wouldn't make it, but my body kept moving.
The orb was mere inches from my barrier, and I could already feel its crushing pressure, like gravity had tripled. Then, in a fleeting instant, something shifted in me.
My core trembled—not from fear—but as though the world itself had slowed.
This was awakening.
Awakening wasn't a one-time occurrence, it could happen again and again. But each one required a trigger.
Some deep emotion. Even for child mages, their first awakening required an emotional surge.
My aunt always told me that emotion had a greater impact on one's talent than their trait.
I smiled slyly. The emotion I had buried since the start of school, the one I finally chose to embrace—it didn't seem so bad.
If this feeling could help me protect him, then I would gladly accept this power.
My eyes glowed intensely as the color of the mana barrier darkened.
In the few seconds before impact, I managed to materialize a massive catapult in the air.
My arms tore open, my sleeves reduced to rags.
King's eyes widened as the orb collided with the catapult. My barrier shattered into fragments of light as the orb's momentum finally reached zero.
With a command from my trembling fingers, the catapult hurled the orb back toward King.
I saw tears form on his lips as he turned and ran, stumbling before scrambling back to his feet.
"Please, have mercy!" he pleaded, but I looked at him through my aching, half-closed eyes.
Blood dripped from my lips as even the smallest movement became a struggle.
The orb struck King with a brilliant flash; the shockwave rippled through the battlefield. I shut my eyes as sand flew in all directions on the back of the wind.
A massive crater now marked the place King once stood. Even the Gobolts—none remained.
The void left behind looked bottomless as I stood tall. "Now for the small fry."
The remaining Gobolts shrieked and fled, but I couldn't let a single one escape. "Kai will reward Amy, right?"
My face lit up with joy at the thought of his praise. I glanced briefly at his battle and turned toward the drifters. "I hope he's not mad that Amy killed that King guy, at least Amy retrieved the pouch."
------
(Back in the battle with Mollusk Rider: Kai's POV)
Dodging the Mollusk's black fire breath—now cloaked in dark mana, my gaze flickered briefly to Amy's battlefield.
"Seriously, how is that fair?" I muttered. "She's already had her second awakening? I know she's part of the main cast, but this is blatant plot armor."
I landed gracefully as Shiki landed a hit on the Mollusk.
Awakenings were far more intricate than they appeared. Just as I had mine a few days ago, every main cast member was destined for their own.
But Amy's wasn't supposed to happen yet, it was meant to come after the academy, after her father's death, when she gained the resolve to save the world. So what changed?
I shook off the distracting thoughts, my overcoat billowing from the drifter's wingbeat.
Even though I had poisoned the drifter using my acid manipulation and Elione weed, which I had put into the group's bathing and washing water, thereby weakening it if they were consumed—it still stood firm.
Its hollow, emotionless eyes locked onto me as it opened its maw, unleashing another inferno.
I had already dropped off Nassar who was paralyzed by fear—a safe distance away. I couldn't break my promise, but I doubted King was still alive, especially with the giant hole now carved into the desert.
I slid through the sand to evade the flame, then launched myself into theair.
[YOU HAVE ACTIVATED THE TALENT: CLAIRVOYANCE]
[YOUR TALENT INFINITE ADAPTABILITY IS RESONATING WITH YOU]
[YOU HAVE ACTIVATED THE TALENT: ALABASTER ICE]
The system echoed in my head as I formed a massive boulder of ice above the drifter's head. While its attention was divided, I grabbed its claw and leapt onto its back.
But as if it had already anticipated my move, it kicked me, sending pain coursing through my body.
All I could see through blurred vision was blood.
The drifter seemed pleased with itself, then I smirked and pulled a potion from my pocket.
"I owe Anica for this." I let the flask fall as my gaze locked onto the now-confused Mollusk.
The drifter roared. "Finally showing some emotion, huh?" I muttered. "Well, there goes another potential Saint."
Cracking my neck to the left, I rushed at the Mollusk. Wind pressure surged as the creature flapped its jagged, onyx wings.
As I jumped again, it struck me with its arm, but this time, there was no reaction.
[YOUR TALENT INFINITE ADAPTABILITY IS RESONATING DEEPLY WITH YOU]
Infinite Adaptability was the very definition of a cheat skill. The more a specific attack was used on me, the less damage it inflicted.
And apparently, it wasn't limited to any rank.
"Who needs a second awakening," I whispered, leaping onto the drifter's back.
The remaining soldiers looked up at me as though I were their savior, but I paid them no mind. They were as good as dead anyway.
I formed a massive ice spear and plunged it into the Mollusk's thick hide.
As expected, it had no effect. But that wasn't the point.
If what I thought was true, then the more I tried to pierce the drifter, the more powerful my attack would become to counter its resilient skin.
The drifter trembled again and again in the air, doing its utmost to throw me off balance, but I endured, my arms gripping tightly onto its jagged hide.
The spear of ice once again launched toward it as it finally descended closer to the ground, but just as I was about to ease up, the drifter hurled me into the air.
I was momentarily stunned, unable to maneuver myself away from its gaping maw and the acrid stench emanating from it.
[YOU HAVE ACTIVATED THE TALENT FIFTH-TIME]
I heard the rustling of wind, and with my heart pounding, the world fell silent, as though I alone remained in it.
The world that was once crimson was now bathed in a light purple hue. "So this is the world in Fifth-Time."
As I hovered in the air just above the Mollusk's wide-open maw, I summoned Gumiho and leapt onto her back.
She had already adjusted her size at the start of the battle, making it comfortable.
As soon as she landed on the ground, I deactivated Fifth-Time.
The drifter snapped its jaws shut but sensed nothing within them. I glanced briefly at the Arian Stopwatch dangling from my wrist. "Damnit," I muttered, my tone edged with frustration.
The drifter's eyes were filled with shock as it suddenly glided toward me with blinding speed.
'I have to end this now,' I thought.
Less than twenty minutes remained before the fog would appear, and we still needed to find shelter, since the tents had been destroyed.
A single thought played on repeat in my mind as I surrendered to the impulse.
Sparks of white light ignited along my arm as I felt my mana drain at an alarming rate.
Gasping for breath, I screamed, "Protect me!"
Amy glanced at me briefly as she slammed the head of the last remaining Gobolt.
Immediately, I activated Fifth-Time once more as the white light turned golden, the residual hues still glimmering faintly around it.
A massive blade formed in my palms as I surged forward.
[User's mana is depleting… Warning!]
Ignoring the system's alert, I raised the star of ruin vestige.
Pain surged through me as I clenched my eyes shut.
Even then, blood still streamed down them—my arms long torn and shredded.
[YOUR TALENT INFINITE ADAPTABILITY IS ALTERING YOUR PHYSIQUE]
I bit down on my lip as I screamed out involuntarily; the pain was so overwhelming that without release, I felt like I could die on the spot.
The impurities in my skin peeled away like a shedding snake as a newfound strength surged through me.
But still, my arms continued to burn.
Then the sword glowed brilliantly, expanding into a blade forged purely of mana.
The massive blade split the sky open, even in the absence of time and space.
[FIFTH-TIME HAS EXPIRED FOR THE DAY]
"Die, you vermin!"
The drifter's eyes widened as sand billowed into the air, and the dark sky was momentarily illuminated by the radiant light, the darkness in the clouds briefly dispelled.
The blade remained in my grip, clenched so tightly that blood dripped from my hands.
With a downward slash, the sky, the earth—even space itself—fractured.
The heavens looked magnificent as the world turned golden; the drifter's body disintegrated into ash, and the ruins in the blade's path crumbled into oblivion.
As the brilliance faded, only I remained in the spot where the battle had taken place, not even ash could be seen. I panted heavily as cold sweat streamed down my cheeks.
The blade's mark had carved a long, terrifying slash in a straight line from where I stood, leaving a clean, gaping hole in the desert sand.
[YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE IMPOSSIBLE]
[YOU HAVE EARNED....]
Upon hearing the chime of the system, I smiled as darkness overtook my vision.
Author's Note:
Drum 🥁 rolls please.... Guess what?
REMON has gotten contracted.
I thank you guys for all your support and a special thanks to my former readers who followed me through ICELAW's journey.
I hope we have many more years together.
You can drop some power stones and a little gift 🎁.
Thanks... WATER7