When I first stepped inside the humid hallway, I tossed off my wet clothes and injected mana into the sigil placed on them, which dried and self-cleaned the fabric. However, my body was still icky and sticky from all the sweat.
Activating the crest on my left hand, I summoned the void gem and grabbed a soap bar. Warmth spread out through my body as I swirled the mana—Calming Vortex.
All I needed to do was dissolve the soap and let the spell do its work. As the spell defused, I cast Phoenix—a pillar of flames erupted beneath my feet. But I instantly cut the mana flow. The water on the surface of my skin evaporated in an instant. While the heat did pass through my resistance a little, it was lukewarm.
"Phew… that was refreshing."
I bent down to grab my clothes and dressed myself. Glancing toward Navi, I noticed the hall seemed endless.
"Sigh…"
I followed the murky corridor. Each step echoed loudly, making me feel very aware, and a slight shiver ran down my spine.
"This won't do…" I grumbled as unease pumped through my veins with every beat of my heart.
The loud echo of my own steps eventually got to me, resulting in the cast of Swift Steps and Body Reinforcement. Taking a deep breath, I increased the pace as Navi led the way.
"If there's a dead end, then it would really be the end… of ME!"
I took a deep breath. My palm throbbed with mana as I dragged the wind along my fingers. As I increased the speed, a dense ball of screeching winds cried sharply. I came to an abrupt halt—Aerial Blast.
Boom!
The spell swiftly soared throughout the hall, whistling as it traveled. I caught my breath, waiting, sweat ran down my cheek, dripping down my chin. A tiny echo from the drop resonated in the hall—
Kaboom!
A thunderous rupture echoed from the far distance. After a short while, a gentle breeze caressed my cheek. I sighed in relief and picked up the pace again.
"Well, now I know there isn't a dead end, and I didn't rupture my eardrums—"
Kriikiiriiiikiiik!
"…"
I'm not alone. Am I?
As I got closer, I heard high-pitched cries in the far distance. Could it be Aerial Blast killed something? From the sound of it, aren't there many creatures over there? Like… many of them…?
Deflated, I hugged my knees.
"I just wanna go hoooome!" I exclaimed, sobbing all the while.
"Sigh…"
I got up on my feet. In the end. This was the only way. I took a deep breath and prepared myself for what was to come. I summoned the void gem and took out a runic chalk; it glittered in radiance as the condensed mana leaked. With this, I inscribed potentially useful spells on my left arm.
Firstly, Absolute Frost. It's capable of instantly brittling most defenses if not outright killing the target—not only did it use half of my chalk, but it didn't leave much room for other spells…
Next is Frenzy. I could either apply it to myself or my opponent—it'd drive them mad. They'd lose control and their sense of pain. Hopefully, they'd also self-destruct in the process. While it only works on biological creatures, I doubt I'd come across something else.
I only have a little space left… I wouldn't want to trigger the chalk accidentally and burn away its mana needlessly. So, I won't be inscribing anything on my casting arm. But… well, I have chalk left for a few minor spells. So maybe?
Navi is fine since it's already active. Body Reinforcement constantly drains mana and resistance, and it doesn't use atmospheric mana like Navi.
Screw it! I stripped down and took out all the runic chalk I had, drawing a massive Body Reinforcement sigil over my body. I also drew a seal around Frenzy and Absolute Frost so it wouldn't accidentally activate.
Now, the sigils only need a small amount of mana to trigger—I'm glad the chalk contains my own mana… I wouldn't want to poison myself now, would I?
I concentrated mana around my stomach to activate the chalk, and slowly, it burned; I could feel my body heat up, and my heart raced; adrenaline soared.
"Phew…" I sighed, wanting to cry since these chalks took so much time to make.
With determination, I clenched my hands. I had about a few hours before the chalk burnt through—by that time. I really need to be out of here.
Using Swift Steps, I skated above the ground, closing the distance rapidly as I channeled Wind Claws. Crystallized claw-like blades protruded from the back of my hand.
"I see you~!"
As Navi illuminated the tunnel ahead of me, I saw creatures crawling towards me. From a quick glance, they were ants the size of a thirteen-year-old—wait, of me?
Gulp
"Navi! Burst!" I cried, commanding the light ball to burst, flashing the whole area as I covered my eyes.
Navi became dim but would regenerate soon. Now that the ants were disoriented, I focused on channeling Pressure Sphere, covering the whole hall. My acceleration slowed down, but I pushed the ants along; some got crushed between the Pressure Sphere and the walls, eventually making my way into the chamber.
"Hah! Easy—"
Before I noticed, the ground beneath me seemed to be very… far down. Navi might be dim right now, but I could tell I was in a massive chamber with crawling ants my size or larger…
"…"
Beneath me was an enormous queen laying eggs. I noticed some of them were damaged—it was likely from an Aerial Blast.
Kriikiiri? Kriikiiriiiiki! Kiiriiiikiiikiriiik!?
Aah… the others noticed me… I heaved a deep sigh. Time seemed to have slowed down; the ants locked onto me, turning their heads and spitting some sort of poison or acid. I retracted Wind Claws and placed my fingers on the Frenzy sigil, activating it. The sigil began to glow crimson. I extracted the madness.
"Well, I'd gone insane either way, spending time with you guys…" I mumbled to myself.
I pushed the Frenzy inside my chest. Mana erupted, surging through my veins. Vapors escaped with each breath. I channeled Phoenix; my body instantly became engulfed in ferocious flames.
I touched my face; it was dry and slightly rough… However, I couldn't help but notice the grin—so this is madness?
Mana surged to my hand, forcing my clenched fist open, trembling. The wind in my palm swirled the Phoenix's inferno, cutting through my own magical and physical resistances. A drop of blood emerged from the cut, instantly evaporating—Aerial Bomb.
"Helloooo… DINNER!"
The chamber was then engulfed in flames and screeching winds.