Valença created a fireball in her hands and began to compress it, then added more magic, making it grow, and compressed it again. In front of her was a small red statue, one of Val'Drakar's summons, pointing at her. Valença released the spell in the direction of the summon, causing a small explosion more condensed at a point, managing to make a hole in it.
"That's not what I wanted."
She noticed that besides the delay in casting the attack, its speed upon release was slow. This attack might have caused more damage than the original fireball, but it would be better to use the original one instead of this slow spell.
"I need to find a way to improve it..."
They still had three days left. In that time, she had already managed to create a new spell and was now improving the ones she already had. Picking up the staff on the ground, she concentrated and channeled magic through it, releasing several fireballs in succession. Now that she was at the second Circle, she was one step closer to turning the staff into an Ego weapon.
"I still have a long way to go, but at least I'm getting closer."
On the other side of the field, Val'Drakar blocked a fire arrow with his sword and counterattacked Enrico, who was in the air nearby, preparing a new attack with a fist covered in flames. Both attacks clashed, pushing them both back. Leaving the sword in the ground, Val'Drakar sat down while Enrico fell to the ground, his body slumping.
It was incredible that even unconscious, attacking anyone who posed a threat, that body could adapt on its own and realize it was only training.
'It seems the lord's body is addicted to training.'
It was clear that body was adapted to enduring hardships and striving to go further. An explosion happened in the distance where Valença was. The girl had been training a lot in those days, asking him to teach her the basics of a certain spell that would be very beneficial for her development.
Valença approached with Incandis on her shoulder, both already great companions. Seeing his former comrade, the dungeon's defender, he felt some relief. Perhaps there was a chance for the Dark Elves.
"Good work, miss. You've gotten much stronger lately."
"Well, I can't fall behind my rival."
Val'Drakar watched as Valença sat beside Enrico and placed his head on her lap, beginning to stroke the boy's hair. Incandis sat on his stomach, finding it comfortable.
'She calls him a rival, but it seems like she loves him.'
She always had that calm look, but he could tell how much she loved doing that. Seeing a romantic rivalry was something new to Val'Drakar. Standing up, he left the two children together and returned to his tree. Upon arriving, he touched it, transferring magic to himself. When he sacrificed this tree, he would regain his original power and could face anything Sairao sent—except Sairao himself. He had to protect these children until they left the dungeon, no matter what.
The surrounding magic changed with his core growing stronger. He realized he had recovered a better level. Clenching his left hand, a second, thinner sword appeared. Now holding both, he made two slashes in the air just to test.
'With this, I've evolved to Phase Two.'
To naturally recover all his power, he was doing it slowly so that he wouldn't have to wait as long when requesting full recovery. Otherwise, it would take more than thirty seconds during a battle. The reason he didn't do it all at once was because absorbing all the power at once would cause the barrier to disappear. Looking around, the animals were preparing for what was to come. He planned to send them all at once into the sphere in Enrico's hand once he recovered all the power from the tree.
'I'm fulfilling my role, and when this is over, I'll be able to rest in peace... right, Master?'
He looked at the blue rose being cared for by his summons. Sitting on the ground, he closed his eyes. It had been decades since he last rested, so he decided to give himself that luxury today. When he opened his eyes, it was already night. Returning to the training area, Valença was asleep, but Enrico was gone.
"An enemy appeared?"
It would only be possible for him to get up if something dangerous happened or if it was training time. Summoning his sword, he also summoned some smaller statues to take care of Valença and wake her up if necessary.
"No one should be able to enter here until the last day of the barrier, but who knows what Sairao could do."
He searched for a while—even though it was a small barrier, the area was still the size of a medium village. Following traces of mana that resembled fire in the air, he heard the sound of rock breaking and immediately headed to the location, surprised when he saw a four-meter rock being destroyed by a fist.
"Is this for real?"
The shocking part wasn't just him destroying a rock with his fists—yes, that was impressive for someone at his level—but what truly shocked him was that body adapting so much to constant training that it didn't stop even while unconscious.
"Incredible..."
He really didn't want that boy to die like the two Elves from the past. The boy had such a strong determination to evolve—it was admirable even in his current state.
A red aura began to emerge from Enrico's body, and again he was surprised by what happened next.
"He's..."
Enrico's body was assuming a stance—legs apart with knees bent, one leg forward supporting the body's weight and the other behind for stability. His arms were clenched into fists in a defensive posture—one close to the torso and the other pulled back. As he moved, a red glow emitted from his fist, causing a slight pressure in the air.
Even unconscious, he was creating something new to become stronger, and that night Val'Drakar watched everything—as he would in the following days too, until the barrier began to fail with only a few minutes left before the start.