Hell Difficulty Tutorial

The combination of Mana Wavelength Iris and [Tether] is really strong, but it’s taxing, and I can barely activate my new trait for a second or two. Placing anchors that are harder to detect is nice, but I'm not sure if they are well hidden or if Thalen was just the unobservant type. Or maybe he didn’t care because it wasn't his real body.

I will need more testing, and yes, there will be people quick enough to run away the moment I send something through the anchor, or people capable of disrupting or using them against me. But I will deal with that in the future. So far, I'm really happy with my new trait and will be sure to supplement my build with two nice epic passives after I enter the 5th floor.

[Perception] encompasses the room I'm in. The range of the skill is smaller on purpose as I'm trying to fine-tune it and maybe find some hidden stuff. Myrra and I split up, both of us going through the tower and searching for any interesting items, so far it looks like Thalen already found the best one and that’s in Myrra’s hands now.

The tower bears signs of time’s passage that are mostly cosmetic. Dust, faded colors, worn-out carpets, furniture crumbling to dust, that kind of thing. Otherwise, the building is still holding strong, and even though it’s empty, I can still sense the circuits running through the walls. After checking the last room I was interested in, I channel my mana through the wall and observe where it leads, and then walk in the opposite direction. I will try to find the source, the place where mana enters the wall.

As I’m tracking it, I meet Myrra in the hallway.

“Two more anti-lynthari stones, three rare items, some mana stones, and conductive metals,” she holds a bag in front of her, her search has clearly been much more worthwhile.

“I'm trying to find the source of the mana filling the walls and powering the enchantments,” I explain.

“Oh, you mean the core.”

“Do you know anything about it?” I ask.

“A bit, it’s not the kind of thing I'm interested in. From what I know, most important buildings and the homes of powerful or skilled people have it. It can be as simple as a high-quality mana stone that the owner keeps and replenishes with mana daily, and to power enchantments,” she smoothly jumps over a piece of broken furniture blocking one of the doors.

She puts a finger to her lips and after a moment of thinking, she continues, “Some have mana stones so big that it’s impossible for one person to fill, so multiple people do it. Then there's also the option of creating an array of mana batteries capable of keeping enchantments running at full power for weeks, or in restricted mode for months or years, maybe even longer. It's the kind of stuff I never caught an interest in. I consider observing humans and lynthari to be more fascinating,” she smiles shamelessly.

“These mana stones you speak of, are they as big as the ones we use as currency?” I ask to confirm.

“Sometimes. Often they are raw mana crystals too low quality to be used like proper mana stones, or in cases where you don't care about size and just want them to hold as much mana as possible. But in the end, it still comes down to the skill of the enchanter. A good one can create a blueprint, weave a web of enchantments, and inscribe them in a way that will increase efficiency by tens of percent in comparison to someone less skilled.”

Now that I think about it, I have a few mana stones with that kind of information. Nothing too good, just the kind of stuff they would teach at schools. Damn, from what I know, some of the inscriptions could be trademarked here, and I wouldn’t be surprised. I think I will ask Tess to get some and leave them somewhere I can retrieve them.

After channeling my mana through the wall, I notice that I’ve been following fake circuits all this time. Actually, there are so many of them that I didn't notice until now.

Thinking about it, it makes sense. These fake circuits were probably designed to prevent this kind of tracking, and there were probably more anti-tracking inscriptions that are currently inactive due to the lack of mana.

The way Myrra is smiling at me tells me that she knew and enjoyed watching me walk into a dead end.

As if nothing happened, I send my mana through the walls again and use my eyes for a split second before continuing.

“Is this your trait, feral one? You didn’t answer me before, but when you are using it, a golden ring appears around your iris. It’s pretty.”

I nod and change the subject, “You said the core is powering enchantments. What are the most popular ones? I know there are some to fight against detection skills, some are strengthening the building, others for isolation, or maybe even heating.”

“One of the first are anti-detection, anti-teleportation, reactive barriers, and insulation. There are a lot of them. For heating, to repel insects, to absorb the shock of earthquakes. I even heard stories about enchantments capable of making entire manors fly, enchantments that absorbed mana from attacks to strengthen their barriers, enchantments that killed you if you used specific skills or said specific words.”

I quite like what I’m hearing; it all sounds really versatile and like something I will totally try to learn how to do. I also push my plan to steal secrets on the matter higher on my priority list. For example, I can already imagine building a manor for Biscuit and creating an enchantment that would feed him deer jerky at pre-scheduled times. Or an enchantment that would activate and attack anyone who uses an invisibility skill.

That’s nice indeed.

I don’t rush my search for the core, and we examine a few more rooms in the process. Some of them are more interesting than others, but all of them feel empty and lifeless without mana or people flowing through.

The silence is nearly eerie, made even worse when we pass by windows and see the entire city like this; there is no movement, and it looks drained of colors. Even the wind seems to avoid it and doesn’t pass through the streets.

Breaking through a few walls, we finally reach the core, a pillar as tall as me, made of a light purple mana crystal. It stands proudly in a simple room, and the set of inscriptions around it is extremely delicate. After examining it for a while, I channel my mana into it, but even that little trickle seems to cause problems, the pillar has likely been programmed to only accept mana from certain people to avoid manipulation.

All the possibilities fascinate me endlessly.

[Resonance] activates, and I start changing the frequencies of my mana, while [Mana Manipulation], [Infusion], [Mana Domain], and [Perception] continue to run in the background to ease things along. All these skills work together under the watch of my split [Focus].

It’s something I’ve just started learning to do, and the advantages are just as obvious, as the disadvantages presented by my lack of proficiency and the weakened effect of the skill.

Before I get fully into it, I send a message in the Community.

Noname - Sset, is everything ok with your master?

It takes a few minutes for Tess to answer; like me, she checks the Community often, just for a second or two to see messages, in consideration of the 15-minute limit we have.

Sset - She will be dealt with.

I see, she must be angry too, after learning that Obelia worked with Thalen to kidnap or kill Lily. Tess isn’t one to hesitate in such a situation.

 

---

 

POV Storm Brigade

Out of nowhere, a flash of light passes through the air, ignoring our defenses, and I watch as my partner for this watch gets thrown against the wall. The alarm rings in my head, and the core sends more mana into the barrier, but the flashes continue.

By the third one, I finally realize what it is.

"It's the third disciple, Tess!" I shout while activating an item that ensures the message is heard by everyone else on duty tonight.

Ducking behind the wall, I quickly crawl towards my partner and find him already dead. He shows no signs of life, a javelin is lodged in his neck.

My heart is racing, but I push myself back onto my feet, activating my skill which covers my body in stone armor, drawn from the ground. At the same time, the javelin that impaled Roland disappears, pulled back towards where it came from.

I track its movement, trying to identify the woman that even the guild master called a rare genius.

A few seconds pass, and only then do I realize how far out Tess is, a distance none of us can hope to reach quickly, I can barely see the tower she is standing on, let alone her figure.

Like a dart, something appears from the javelin’s destination, and I feel a tug on my body and lose my balance. I reach out with my hand to stop myself from falling.

But it's not there.

I look down, and half of my body is missing, a javelin pierced into the ground behind me, red and white lightning flickering around it. My mouth opens to scream, but I feel only blood rushing out and the world starts darkening.

Out of nowhere, I feel so tired. I try to fight against it, but the javelin behind me gets pulled back towards the source of the attack and on its way back, it pierces through me again.

Before my heart stops beating, I realize it's the same javelin that killed Roland and find that funny. I don't know why, but...

 

---

 

POV Storm Brigade

Layering ice, metal, and mana barriers in front of us, we block one of the javelins.

"Fuck, why would Tess attack? How far is she even out?" someone exclaims.

"Maybe she's with the lynthari!" another suggests.

"Go and get Jenna, the first and second disciples, or call the guildmaster, we need to..." Jonathan screams.

Another javelin pierces through the barrier with such strength it feels like it weighs a ton. The javelin pins Jonathan to the ground, and before he can even scream, lightning burns him from inside.

Before I can move, the javelin gets pulled back with Jonathan still impaled on it. In mid-flight, his body gets torn into two pieces that fall somewhere outside.

Unable to help my fascination, I watch the trajectory of the javelin, the one our guild master sold during the auction. The attack came from so far away.

"Barriers!" I shout.

I manipulate all the metal I can reach and layer it into the barrier we create in front of ourselves, but I know it won't be enough. A flash of lightning, and another attack crashes through the barriers as if they are made of paper.

Then there is only darkness.

 

---

 

POV Storm Brigade

"Get out of the courtyard, hide somewhere and hide your mana. She can see your mana even through the walls!" I scream at a petite black-haired woman dressed in servant's clothes.

"Sorry!" she screams and rushes towards me, carrying a bag with her.

I scan her, and she has a bracelet that identifies her as one of the servants.

"What the hell are you even doing outside so late? Just get in and tell the other servants to..."

The young woman, almost a girl, puts her hand on mine. From up close, I notice how pretty she is: shining black hair with bangs, pretty eyes, pale skin, and soft lips.

“Stop…”

The last thing I see is gray smoke.

 

---

 

POV Storm Brigade

“There is no way I’m going outside! She has Primordial lightning and an epic weapon; there is no way I can stop a single attack from her. Just get the guildmaster and…!”

Before I can continue, I detect another presence, and all four of us turn to the newcomer. It's a petite black-haired girl dressed as a servant. “Someone got into the tower!” she screams. “One of the warriors told me to…”

I identify her bracelet and let my guard down.

“Okay, calm down and tell me what happened, and what's with that bag you have with you,” I reach out towards her and place my hand on her shoulder. For a moment, a weird expression crosses her face as I touch her, but I ignore it.

“Senna, just send her away and…”

In the middle of the sentence, Senna’s face disappears, and her lifeless body falls to the ground.

Huh?

I send mana through my body, let go of the girl, and try to pull my hand back. Only then do I realize that my arm is gone in its entirety.

“Do not touch me,” the young servant says with an expression that terrifies me.

Someone screams, and then I see nothing.

 

---

 

POV Jenna

The 1st disciple died, the second one as well, but finally, I reach the top of the tower where the attacks came from with three of our elites. As expected, Tess stands there.

Tall, beautiful, and lit by the moonlight. Even on this night, her golden hair seems to shine, and the crown of lightning over her head makes her seem more regal than anyone I have seen in my life.

“Jenna,” she greets me shortly.

Behind her back, a dozen javelins float. One epic and the remainder are upper rare grade, but the most dangerous thing is the lightning flickering all around and the sheer amount stored in the crown.

“Tess,” I greet her back and absorb all the mana my batteries hold, a storm cloud forming over our heads as our elites surround her.

Tess looks up, observing the cloud and the lightning that flickers within. My lightning. The one I’ve worked twenty years to master.

Then her crown enlarges and radiates more mana. The stormcloud I created darkens and expands even more.

And I lose control over my lightning. She takes it from me and replaces it with something of hers, something much stronger. Something Primordial.

And she does it with such ease as if my years of work are worth nothing.

For the first time, the hate I always felt towards her is replaced by fear.

Fighting for control over the storm cloud I created, we attack. I watch as Tess reaches her hand up and swings it downwards, drawing a pillar of red and white light from the stormcloud over our heads.

The air itself shakes, and then I die.

 

---

 

POV Obelia Jenth

The wall around my doors disintegrates, destroying all the inscriptions and expensive materials, and they come crashing down, revealing a petite black-haired girl with a bag in her hands. There is no sign of the guards in the hallway, and even now I can feel and hear a constant barrage of attacks outside.

“Your door needs some work, even the ones to the room he enchanted were stronger than this,” Lily says and enters my office. She does so without any worry, even though she must be feeling all the protections I have.

I push against the table and stand, stepping on my prosthetic leg, and follow her eyes to look at my arm, which is also a prosthetic.

“Yes, even Thalen was unable to restore it. It was the first time I saw him so terrified,” I say in response to her unspoken question.

When she doesn't react I offer her, “How about we make a deal? In exchange for my life, I will do anything you want of me.”

My eyes meet those of hers, and I can see no mercy in them, no hesitation. They feel like she is looking at a bug.

“Nathaniel would accept,” I try again.

A look of surprise appears on her face, and she starts laughing. It's a laugh that I would consider cute, and that makes her look even more innocent.

“You don’t know him at all,” she says, still laughing and smiling at me. “You stepped over the line.”

Lily takes a step towards me, ignoring the fact that the closer she gets, the more enchantments light up and the more mana radiates into the air.

Her voice is smooth, but dark, “We are his, I AM his.” She throws her bag on the ground, and from it, something rolls out.

With fascination, I stare at her lips as she proclaims, “He is probably the most rational out of all of us, but Obelia, you don’t have any worth anymore. You and your guild have betrayed him.”

Only now do I recognize that the things that fell from the ground are limbs. Small hands, like those of the girl in front of me. There are a dozen of them.

I activate all the enchantments, and my mana moves as well, sparking the lightning, which feels somehow hesitant as if traumatized from my clash against the young healer before.

My red lightning clashes against wisps of gray smoke that surround her, and the hands on the ground vanish, and the pressure I feel from her strengthens overwhelmingly while her hair becomes shorter, and one of her hands disappears.

The wounds that she receives from the defenses of my office get healed immediately or blocked by that terrifying skill of hers. The entirety of my mana flows from me, fighting against her, enchantments, items, and even epic items. All of it is useless, and her entire arm disappears, strengthening her once more when I'm already out of mana.

“You are weaker than I thought. I think Tess is already stronger than you.”

Her words sting, no, they hurt a lot, and the feeling of pride and hate I hold towards my third disciple surfaces. But I push it away, there is no sense in comparing myself to a genius like her.

I can't even run because then I would fall under attack from Tess, so the only thing that remains is to fight against the girl in front of me, till the end. She stands there, petite, innocent face, her arm missing and in simple clothes. Wisps of gray smoke destroy everything they touch. It doesn’t matter if it's mana, my body, or items. All of it is equal under the force of her skill.

“I would recognize your sub-class anywhere, it's Wrath, isn’t it?” I stagger back, with a deep gash in my chest as the life leaves my body.

I feel so cold.

"You do not need to know," she says and the last thing I see is her face.