The demon wolves were standing on a transparent surface. Looking closely, I realized they were standing on water, and beneath the water were two more figures of sleek beauty.
My curiosity got the better of me as I instantly made a careless step forward, but immediately withdrew my legs.
The wolves had let out a collective warning growl at my movement, but didn't attack. That wasn't the reason for pulling back my legs, though.
I couldn't walk on the water.
I couldn't live the fantasy of walking on water, I've read many times in a certain Book of Words. I would drown if I tried to.
Yet, the wolves stood comfortably as if on a solid floor.
Determined, I tightened my hands on the hilt of my sword and slowly began to move forward, ignoring the warning of the wolves.
Right? Determination is key, or should I say, faith can move mountains. It was better to face my fears than to relent and fail woefully.
As I began to throw out deliberate steps forward, I noticed the water seemed to be freezing before me. But I still had to be careful.
Freezing to become a solid floor doesn't make it less slippery. Or else—
'Strange.'
Even as a member of the Seafrost, I wasn't able to walk on the water initially.
And now, I could even stomp my feet on it without tripping, failing, or even sliding off.
'Could this be a trap?'
The wolves kept making warning growls and didn't attack, and the girls... I looked down and didn't find them anymore.
Then, a gush of wind energy swept my feet off the floor, sending me to collapse back to the dark, curtain-like wall, down to the floor with a thud.
Rising once again, I noticed the same iridescent wings of a dragon, folding itself behind one of—
My eyes widened, and my throat choked.
The wielder of those wings that had covered the statue-like girl on the stone slab was one of the girls who had been under the water.
And the other girl, what is she?
"What are they?" I asked, expecting an answer from no one but a voice responded from behind.
"Simply call them demons."
That was Muna's voice. At her arrival, the air around had become fierce and wavered with ultimate strength. To pass through the curtain-like barrier, she had activated her title — the Lioness.
Since she has arrived, her presence has slowly begun to diminish, and surprisingly, the dark, curtain-like barrier has begun to dwindle menacingly.
"They are fallen demons. Any demon we happen to come across in this apprentice Spatial Tear were all defeated by Father, and are serving as duplicates of his retention," Muna explained.
"Oh, I get. But why am I having this feeling that we've found what we came here for?" I asked, perplexed at the same time.
"What feeling?"
"The feeling of having found the Mana Plants."
...
Back in the first dimension of the Spatial Tear, the surroundings were not of bloodlust and terror again, but were those of peace and serenity.
Littered on the floor were hundreds of demon cores, glittering their thin crystal light in the dimly lit space.
The wolves were gone, yet a presence filled the arena.
The air whooshed, and whooshed, and calmed to hum with a gentle vitality, carrying the scent of blooming herbs and fresh rain.
Overall, the presence was calm, radiant, and quietly powerful. It was like the first breath of dawn after a long storm.
All because she had renewed her strength and power.
The barrier set around her was gone.
On her open palms, soothing light that was neither blinding nor harsh to the eyes, but warm and alive, glowed faintly.
After a short while, they flickered off, and the bearer stood up from her cross-legged position.
Yes. The bearer of this condescending presence was Linda.
So, she smiled.
Her strength had been renewed, thanks to Muna and her master. Especially her master, who has sacrificed all his demon cores for her immense healing.
She couldn't deduce why they did it, but she now believed that a mage could share their demon cores.
And more importantly, she now believed her master could go to any length to make sure she was safe by my side, even if it meant remaining a shadow.
Her first smiles had vanished, and another tugged at the sides of her lips.
"Then, so be it. I now believe in him, and I must never leave his side even as a shadow on—"
A sudden worry crept into Linda's mind.
She was my shadow on contract, and could still decide to leave once it expires.
"Even if it means becoming his shadow forever. I must stay before him to protect him. Beside him to guide him. And behind him to shoo away uninvited guests," Linda proclaimed.
At that point, she sensed that her master might be in danger and diffused mid-air in the form of blue-streaked smoke with speed, over to her master.
...
Ding!
«↓ You have slain a 4-Star Normal Wolf [x3] ↑»
«↓ Attunement Points: 19 → 31 [+12] ↑»
I hadn't wanted to care about this set of notifications before me. My mind wanted to focus on the problem at hand, but noticing a sudden change, I couldn't help worry less since it might slip my mind later on.
'What is this Attunement Point used for?'
« AP: It is used to record the number of times you made use of your title. Once your accumulation reaches a certain point, it might be limited or withdrawn. On a general note, your attunement points are dependent upon your experience as a mage of Montana. »
The system was not straightforward, but if I understood correctly, my points had decreased by 1 since I activated my title to save Linda.
And, it was also informally warning me that the attunement points were sort of a long-term temporal feature. I wondered what it meant by "dependent upon my experience".
Good enough, the notification and its information had come fast and gone.
Yet, as I was about to make a move, another notification appeared.
«↓ Mana Plants Detected ↑»
>> Lotus Fern is within your reach.
>> Crimson Tide Reed is within your reach.
>> Azure Kelproot is within your reach.
>> Moonwater Bloom is within your reach.
>> Stillpond Lily is within your reach.
«↓ Congrats on locating Five Mana Plants ↑»
I couldn't contend with the joy that bloomed within me as I turned to Muna and announced.
"The Mana Plants."
"What about the Mana Plants?"
"I have this feeling that we have found five of them."
"And so?" Muna asked coldly. "If you didn't find them outrightly, then it's of no use until we grasp onto them."
I turned back to the three girls; the one still sitting on the stone slab, and the two sleek girls of beauty now flanking her sides.
It wanted to turn annoying when another system notification blocked my view.
«↓ Linda has leveled up! ↑»
«↓ H.S.P: 60% →90% ↑»
«↓ Linda has earned a new title.
[Do not forget to support the story with your Golden tickets and Powerstones. Thank you. ]