The roots continued to stab into the ground randomly, killing all the small monsters in their path.
The roots were now heading towards us!
"Get up, we have to run!" I grabbed Sierra's hand and guided her to run as fast as possible.
While running, my eyes searched for where Azrael, Aaron, and Emily were...
Then I saw a large pillar in my path. I gripped Sierra tighter and pushed her towards that large pillar.
We were finally safe from the root's strike. Our breaths were heavy and panting.
"Thank you..." Sierra said between her gasping breaths.
I didn't answer because I was peeking from behind the pillar, searching them. But so far, I hadn't seen them. All I saw was a large monster, about five meters tall...
'What the heck, was that the monster from earlier? Did it evolve or something? I just found out it could evolve.'
The monster's body, which was originally small, was now big, sturdy, and green, a mix of roots and trees. It had no legs, but instead, its legs were intricately intertwined roots that lifted its body high.
It was huge. But its defense wasn't like before, which was focused and calm, now it seemed panicked...
From behind the monster, I saw roots being cut rapidly. Then, from behind them, Azrael and Aaron appeared, running using the monster's roots as their path.
I couldn't see Emily's position, but her structural magic always created wide paths for Aaron and Azrael.
Aaron's hand was slashed by the monster and sent flying backward.
"Aaron!" No, I have to help him.
But before I could take a step, Azrael had already reached the perfect position to slash the monster.
His sword was fully charged with mana and electricity.
–Slash!
The slash split the monster into two parts between its stomach and chest. Finally, Azrael split its head and stabbed its heart until it came out of its body.
The monster groaned and melted away along with the roots that enveloped this place because its heart was taken from its body.
Azrael jumped down, his temple bleeding. In his hand now, he held a round crystal, or what could be called the monster's Mana Core. He grinned looking at it.
"Azrael!" I ran towards him.
He looked at me. "Thank goodness you two are alright," he said, then threw the monster's Mana Core towards me.
I caught it.
"I will heal you," said Sierra.
"Yes, but you better heal Aaron first," Azrael replied, pointing at Aaron, who was lying in pain with a torn wrist. Emily was beside him, checking his wound.
Sierra immediately ran towards Aaron and quickly activated her healing magic by creating healing roots beneath Aaron.
Suddenly, something moving in my hand caught my attention. The mana core I was holding was regenerating little by little. It was almost invisible if not paid attention to.
Sigh...
"Azrael, it seems this Mana Core is useless," I said, showing it to Azrael, who was cleaning the blood from his temple.
He nodded in understanding when he saw it. "Then don't destroy it yet, let it live. I'll take the crystals."
I nodded, then slowly polished the flesh that was beginning to form around the mana core, forcing it to regenerate again. The reason this regenerating Mana Core is useless is that this monster is essentially still alive, and it clearly can't be sold to the local guild. It's only valuable in the central city, where they experiment on monsters.
But the central city is very far from Havient.
My eyes then turned to Emily, who was easily and casually killing the small monsters. But it wasn't her I was focusing on, I was interested in her magic, which was very elegant and looked easy. You just have to imagine something, like a sword, and then solidify that imagination with mana until it physically appears.
But that's very mana-intensive. Fortunately, she's a Wizard-Rank who already has a lot of mana. By the way, that's two ranks higher than me.
I walked and collected other mana cores from the small monsters. Actually, the reason these dense mana cores form in their bodies is because it's their self-defense when they're near death. A monster's instinct when near death is to gather mana into its heart as densely as possible until its heart crystallizes. That way, they can still exist even if only as a lump of crystal.
No matter what, they are still living creatures with the primal fear of no longer existing.
But some monsters can regenerate even with just their Mana Core, which might take about half a week to fully recover. This is an example: Veiled Tangleroot can regenerate.
Aaron and Azrael had been healed by Sierra, and I had collected about seven Mana Cores in my small pouch. Hehe, maybe they're worth around 8-10 Crowns each.
'If only the Veiled Tangleroot's mana core wasn't regenerating, it might be worth thirty-something or more.' Yes, the higher the quality of the mana core, the more expensive it is, and the better the energy output for electricity and other needs.
We were almost at the portal. Azrael, even though he was bleeding earlier, insisted on carrying the small bag containing the mana crystals he took, and he told Sierra to finish healing Aaron outside so she could focus. That made Aaron grimace in pain, touching his hand while walking because it was only half-healed. Emily was behind me; she was fine, no serious wounds.
Sigh...
Basically, they already complement each other, right? Why bring me along?
'Should I leave this party?' That thought just popped into my head. After thinking about it, it seems like the best step.
'If I stay with them, I can't develop, whether it's because the enemies are too strong for me or I don't get enough chances to practice.
'And also, something like earlier shouldn't have happened if they had a capable Mage, or at least one at Rank Mages. It would be easier. I would endanger them if I kept tagging along. In fact, I was just lucky because Veiled Tangleroot's pure weakness is fire. If not? My other attacks wouldn't have affected it because I'm only Rank Caster.
'Phew, it seems clear.'
Finally, we all exited the dungeon. The gentle breeze cooled my sweat, and the scorching midday sun on my face now felt more pleasant after leaving that stuffy cave...
They all sat resting under a tree. Sierra, beside Aaron, began healing him with her magic. Emily cleaned the dust off her clothes. Azrael, after putting down the sack of crystals he carried, immediately sat down and checked his sword blade.
Seeing the dungeon behind me still open, I remembered the Veiled Tangleroot's mana core, which I hadn't destroyed yet. Taking it from the sack, I immediately said:
"Should I destroy it now?" I showed the Mana Core from the Veiled Tangleroot, which was visibly regenerating bit by bit in my palm, looking at each of them one by one before Azrael finally nodded.
I threw the mana core into the air and split it into two pieces with my sword. The two pieces fell to the ground, then turned into blue particles and finally vanished.
I planted my sword into the ground in front of me, then announced my well-considered decision to them:
"Oh yeah, there's something I want to say." They all turned to look at me, and I continued, "I think it's time for me to leave this party."
""What?"" Sierra and Aaron said in unison with confused faces, including Azrael and Emily, whom I saw with such expressions for the first time.
"Huh? I'm not hearing things, am I?" Aaron tilted his head.
"No, you heard right," I explained. "I want to leave because you all should get a better Mage than me. Actually, that boss could have been defeated easily if you had a Mage at least at Rank Mages, right? I'm aware of my abilities. My presence will only be a burden to you. Sorry."
"Fool, you're not a burden to us," Aaron said.
"What do you mean? You're already enough for us, and you managed to injure that monster earlier," Sierra said, her brow furrowed.
"Yeah, but mostly because its weakness is fire," I answered Sierra, then looked at Azrael. He was tilting his head, his hand touching his chin, then he said:
"Honestly, I never thought you were a burden to us. You're quite helpful, and most importantly, you're trustworthy. But what you said also has some truth to it. If you keep joining us, you could die because our Dungeon Rank isn't suitable for you. Moreover, Emily has been promoted to Rank Wizard. Soon, we'll definitely be required to promote to a higher-rank dungeon."
Hearing Azrael's words, Sierra and Aaron could only gape, while Emily nodded in understanding.
"That's true," I confirmed. "That's the precise reason... But I still won't stop being a Hunter because there's something I want to pursue... Well, I'll form my own party at the same rank so I can develop. So, this parting is only temporary, okay?
"I just want to develop to catch up with you. You all left me behind so quickly even though when we first met, we were all at the same rank. Haha, maybe it's because I'm really lousy at magic." I felt my voice turning awkward, so I scratched the back of my neck while smiling as best I could.
–Sierra Aunsworth Pov–
He said this is only temporary and that he'll catch up to me... Uh, I mean us? But can he really catch up?
It must be very difficult for Adrian because he's actually not very good at magic, even though I saw his usage earlier was quite good.
The reason is probably because he's pursuing two educations simultaneously, so his growth is slow.
Even I, who study full-time at the Academy, still struggle a lot with mana manipulation, let alone him, whose focus is divided.
He definitely can't catch up. I'm sure of it. But what can I do to be with him?
I can't be selfish by telling him to stay here. Azrael is right. Adrian could die at any time. No, I don't want him to end up like my friend from before.
My friend's death happened 7 months ago.
My friend and I were chatting casually together like normal girls, then the next morning I received news of her death with a body so torn apart it made me nauseous and afraid to go on missions again...
Not just me, but all the students.
The second Mage before Adrian also experienced severe trauma until he left the Academy and chose to become a civilian rather than suffer the same fate. Because the one torn apart was his close friend, it left my party short one Mage. And at that time, I just realized that being a hunter was this terrifying.
This wasn't like what I imagined before.
I decided to become a Hunter back then only because I Awakened at Vitalist-Rank on the Healer path, meaning I had great potential to rank up compared to someone who Awakened at Soother-Rank.
The other reason was because I really love magic! It's so exciting, I can create roots from nothing just by manipulating the mana inside me...
Of course, with such a weak reason, my morale immediately crashed when I heard the news of my friend's death. The hunter world is crueler than I imagined before...
Instantly, I locked myself at home, curled up in disappointment, thinking:
"I should have just gone to University and lived a comfortable life as a civilian. I want to quit."
After that, my desire to leave the Magic Academy was firm. As for saying goodbye to Azrael and the others, I fought my fear by returning to the Dungeon one last time. However, there was a new mage with us, but I had never seen him at the Magic Academy.
Was he a new person?
He introduced himself as "Adrian Hale. I'm a new student at this Academy, and Aaron's friend. Actually, I'm also from the University, hehe."
What? From the university? Is he stupid?! I wanted to leave the Magic Academy just to avoid dealing with Gates again, but this guy from the university, who probably lives a comfortable life, actually wants to enter the Academy and explore Dungeons?!
This is the dumbest person I've ever met.
When inside the Dungeon, we fought a very large wolf monster. Everyone in the party fought with their respective magic, but I stood behind, trembling because I kept remembering the news of my torn-apart friend.
My stomach felt nauseous, and then, without realizing it, a large bat monster pounced on me.
I thought I would die.
But no. Someone saved me: Adrian. He pushed me into a roll, but his back was torn by the bat, making him bleed.
In short, we (without me, I just watched) managed to defeat all the monsters in that Dungeon. Of course, most of it was thanks to Azrael and Emily; they're talented. The hunter world suits them.
I guided Adrian out to repay him for saving me earlier. I couldn't use my magic for some reason, maybe because I was too scared.
Then I asked something that always bothered me: "You're from the university, right? Why do you want to enter the Academy and become a Hunter? Don't you already live comfortably as a civilian? And I also heard your older brother is a high-rank hunter?"
And Adrian's answer made me realize something: "True... I do live comfortably with my older brother who is a high-rank hunter. But do you think that will last long? I don't think so. I'm sure that someday, there will be another major disaster...
"And the first to die will be civilians who have no protection whatsoever. Civilians will die like ants. I don't want to die meaninglessly like that. I don't want to rely on others to protect my life. This life is mine; I will protect it myself.
"Besides, in bad situations, humans tend to think more about themselves than others. It's basic nature. Small people like civilians, even if they help the economy a lot, will still be forgotten."
That was the answer from someone who came from the University...
That answer made me think again: Should I leave the Magic Academy? But what if one day a major disaster really happens again and I have no skills to protect myself?
That question flashed in my mind, but one by one, they seemed to be quickly patched up by Adrian's words, then turned into a strong determination not to leave the Academy.
And since then, I've met Adrian more often. I also got to know him better.
Whoa, I just found out... it turns out he's a student with high academic grades in his school and University, even becoming a teaching assistant at the age of 18?! Well, with that intelligence, he could clearly become a professor and live comfortably in the central city, but he instead chooses to be a hunter with the principles he holds.
I'm both amazed and ashamed for once thinking of leaving the Magic Academy. He actually really wanted to go to the Magic Academy alone, but he said his older brother didn't allow him. But I, who am already here, was complaining?
I was wrong. I was the foolish one.
Months passed with him. Going to the Dungeon is one of the things I like the most now because it's the only thing that lets me meet him without making him suspicious.
Then February 14th arrived. It was Valentine's Day. I don't know what I was thinking until I saved my money to buy Valentine's chocolate with a heart-shaped container to give to him.
At that time, I felt I had to give him something, but I wanted to give him more than just a party friend...
I...
I asked Adrian to meet outside dungeon activities, just the two of us, and I didn't expect him to accept. He said he also needed a break!
Then when we met, I was surprised. He looked very different when not wearing the robe he usually uses in dungeons. He wore all-black clothes that made him look very handsome...
After chatting about ordinary things for quite a while, I gave him the chocolate shyly.
Uh, what am I doing? Why am I like this?
Won't this ruin the Party Dynamics?
I shouldn't have done it!
And indeed, the atmosphere suddenly became very awkward.
But he started the conversation first by thanking me and saying he would keep it...
But that was enough for me. I also didn't want to go further because it would ruin the Party Dynamics...
Adrian Hale. He's not just a party friend; he's someone who changed my life. Made me find the answer to my fear...
And now, he's going to leave me, but I won't stop him or go with him.
He has to develop on his own, on the path he chose.
Besides, if he stays in our party, he could die. I don't want that. So, I'm letting him go, and I will stay here. In the party, keep growing stronger.
"Tch, alright, if that's what you want." Aaron, who was being healed, suddenly snapped me out of my reverie.
Everyone looked at him.
"Thank you for understanding," Adrian said with his smile. He was now looking at me.
"Can I come with you?" I said softly, and not seriously. I already knew the answer. I just wanted to know if he still held to his principles.
"No," he answered briefly, with a smile playing on his lips.
"It's okay," I nodded. But my chest felt tight even though that was the answer I expected.
Then I saw Aaron's hand, which was completely healed. I turned off my healing magic.
"Aaron, your wound is healed," I said, then squeezed his hand hard to prove it.
"Ouch! What are you doing?"
I chuckled, then stood up. "Well, then, for our farewell with Adrian. Do you all want to go eat out?"