He would remember some points in his life where he was entirely focused on one thing, and one thing only.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t anything serious like taking exams or having an important match in some physical sport. No, it was only focusing on a particular boss that had trounced him over and over in a video game.
But he would still remember those times fondly, because it was at that moment where he would always feel like he had entered into a zone of absolute zen. A flow state where his mind and body acted as one, and no other distracting thoughts came to annoy him.
His mind was driven, paying attention to every single detail. He kept his eye on his resources while he studied the boss with intensity. He remembered looking up videos on how to fight against that boss, but eventually when he faced it himself, he ended up doing his own thing rather than following any sort of advice given.
That was what was happening right now as he faced the Matriarch, but he knew that there wouldn’t be any resets that would jump him back to the beginning for him to try it again at a later time, when he could get stronger and more knowledgeable and re-do the fight.
Because of that, he poured all of his attention onto the Matriarch. He ignored everything else, including the horrors that had passed by him. He couldn’t keep spending mana on the small fry when the big boss was the true threat.
So far, he was able to use his improved Area Field and Rend combo to get as close to the creature as possible without getting caught. It erased the limbs that were sticking out of the large body as he flew across the large enemy with gusto. The Matriarch responded by hurling flying horrors straight at him, but he responded in kind by erasing them with Rend the moment they approached.
That was when it revealed it had more tricks up its gnarly sleeves, with some horrors sticking out of her body and opening their mouths. Each one unleashed the same laser blasts that the giant horrors shot before, but this time there were numerous, reaching dozens at a time. It became something like a light show as Aidan dodged each laser that came at him, turning the entire forest around them into a conflagration of fire and heat.
There were times when he wasn’t fast enough, the lasers hitting too fast for him to react in time, so he kept using his Area Field as a sort of makeshift barrier using the air he crafted to defend himself. It didn’t entirely protect him, but it was better than the alternative of getting grazed and perhaps burnt into oblivion by these powerful attacks.
If that was the only thing the Matriarch could do, Aidan would have made some plans by now to attack the creature outright. But as expected, reaching above level 90 proved to be quite a feat as the Matriarch unleashed more of her powers.
She sent off a wave of energy that traveled across the sky and land, strongly reminding him of the nasty energy that had stuck to him when he faced the horrors directly. The air seemed to have thickened profusely, making flying across the air harder to pull off. More than that, tiny motes began appearing along his skin, weighing him down like weights were strapped to his body.
It forced Aidan to work overtime by blasting powerful blasts of air to propel him away from the multiple lasers aiming to burn him alive. As he approached the Matriarch, he sent off waves of Rend to deal more damage, skimming off the layers of her skin. His stamina lagged as he had to pull in more effort, thankful that his Channel Mana had been working its ass off to refill him with mana before he needed to take a drink of his Soul-Mending water.
Which was becoming more difficult to do when he had to keep dodging lasers and the Matriarch’s swipes from her hands, reaching the size of a parking lot.
He eventually got to the top of the Matriarch, deciding to do something different. While he hadn’t tried this before, he knew that as long as he could craft the air, he could also craft something else that the air had.
He pushed his hand out and intensified the molecules that exist in the air. While he wouldn’t claim to have great knowledge about it, he knew that the air already contained the elements necessary to start something that might prove useful for this endeavor. Like a match, the air sparked with life as fire was born, unleashing a powerful torrent of flames boosted with his abilities to drown the entire Matriarch in a heavy stream of flames.
It covered the entire area, reaching the ground and burning the forest beneath. Smoke flowed and trailed as the fire burned everything in sight, bringing devastation to every horror that surrounded the Matriarch.
There was also an upside to doing this gambit as well. The heavy motes that surrounded the Matriarch was burned away, leaving nothing but burned husks of energy behind that finally resulted in giving Aidan a much needed reprieve from the dark energy infesting the air around the boss.
A large hand suddenly leapt up, grabbing the surprised Aidan whole and trapping him within her clutches. He looked down to see the boss looking fine, only looking slightly burnt despite Aidan giving her a good heavy dose of flames.
The Matriarch grabbed tightly, squeezing him to nearly turn his insides to paste before lunging Aidan across with a powerful throw. The air pressure was intense from being chucked at with such daunting strength as he was hurled straight across the forest, beyond the city walls, and headed straight into the center of the city itself.
…..
Darkness surrounded him, making him drift off into the bitter cold. He felt somewhat smoothed out, as if in peace with his surroundings.
Then a second later, he realized what he was supposed to do. His eyes burst open and the pain quickly hit him. It was agonizing, but nowhere near as bad as the slow rise of panic of his realization.
He got knocked out in a situation where he wasn’t supposed to. The longer he was away in battle, the worse things would get for everyone involved. He was already imagining Yin facing the worst of the bunch, possibly heading towards a bad direction in battle.
“Ooh, I gotta hand it to ya, dearie. You sure know who to pick. Who’d thought that boy would’ve survived this far? At his level, no less?”
“Less meandering, more helping! Aidan! Can you hear me?!”
The two voices collided with one another in his vicinity, sounding incredibly familiar with each passing second. One in particular he was fond of the most as he finally adjusted his battered senses.
It looked like he was in the center of town, deep into the southern corners. He was near the Grim Corner, and the two voices near him were in truth the people he knew. Madam Welsh, who stood off to the side staring down on him as though he was some wonder of the world, with Nina kneeling beside him and shaking his shoulder to wake him up.
Shaking his head, which only made it worse due to a rising headache, he finally spoke.
“...I got my ass kicked,” He answered as his first words to his boss, which probably would be the last thing she wanted to hear.
“I can see that,” Nina said, and despite her curt tone, her soul actually rose in concern. “Can you move? Can you keep fighting?”
“You expect him to keep fighting that thing over there?” Madam Welsh responded, sounding surprised. “You really drive your people like a slave-driver. Can’t you see he can barely even stand?”
“Don’t you see he’s the only one we have that can stand up to it?” Nina suggested. “I’m sure with your eyes, you can tell that nobody else has the capabilities he has.”
“I did,” Welsh replied rather fast. “But in the end, he is the one who has to face that thing. That… creature is not normal. I have never seen that disastrous thing before in my life, and I lived a long life. Can he truly keep fighting?”
“I… have no choice.”
Aidan uttered, forcing himself to stand. While he had the time, he pulled out his container and drank the water, refilling his mana while, at the same time, constantly casting Heal on himself.
He could feel his broken bones mend back to where they were, the organs that were probably ruptured from the throw reorganizing themselves within. He felt every ounce of movement thanks to his senses, and it was incredibly painful, but the Heal was making it easy for him even as his eyes teared up a bit.
“Nobody else… can even do a thing to it.”
Not even Yin, who was higher level than him, could do such a thing. He knew for certain now that only his particular magic could even damage the thing. But the problem was that the Matriarch was too sturdy. No matter how many times he bashed it with his crafted elements, he wasn’t able to do a thing other than to annoy it.
Only his Rend, capable of tapping into the direct essence of harmony, was able to do any meaningful damage to it.
“What about Yin?” Nina asked, handing him what looked like a red bottle. Realizing it was a health potion, he took it with glee as he drank it full.
Compared to using Heal, it was like someone else was providing the mana channeling directly throughout his veins, restoring his broken body in a more stabilized way. He realized he could learn a thing or two from how the potions work to make his Heal work better, but he put that thought to the side.
“She’s doing her best, and probably the reason why the monsters aren’t invading the city right now.”
“Uhh, does he know?” Madam Welsh asked uncomfortably.
“Aidan,” Nina let out a sigh. “Monsters have already invaded the city. People are currently fighting back while the others have evacuated into bunkers deep within the city.”
“Fuck!” Aidan cursed. “Was I too late?”
“They already came in the moment you left,” Nina answered, leaving Aidan slackjawed. “But more importantly, it looks like you did enough damage that it brought out its leader. Can you keep fighting?”
“I…I can,” Aidan nodded. He had some plans in action, though he was afraid to say that he was hesitant about them, given his current state.
“Ugh, seeing you like this just hurts me to no end,” Madam Welsh suddenly said, shaking her head. She approached the two, digging something from within her coat.
She pulled out what looked like a small ball that looked similar to a medical pill. It was the size of a thumb, sporting a bright yellowish color. But what truly amazed Aidan wasn’t the appearance, but the sheer power emanating from it.
He couldn’t help but scan it to see what it was.
Enriched Mana Conductor Pill (Epic)
A powerful enhancement alchemy pill crafted with materials that were densely packed with extreme levels of energy. The materials were gained from powerful monsters who resided deep in mana-rich environments. Upon consuming this pill, the user will absorb a fraction of the monsters’ powers, empowering them for a short amount of time.
Effects gained when consumed:
+25 STR
+25 INT
+25 AGI
+25 VIT
+200% Health Regeneration
+200% Mana Regeneration
Once the timer has run out, the user will experience an extremely enhanced period of weakness, their stats reduced by 25% for a period of 30 days.
“Holy shit…” Aidan said in awe.
“Madam Welsh, are you serious?” Nina, who saw the pill, actually expressed shock on her face before turning to the old lady. “This is extremely valuable, and I’m surprised you still even have it on you.”
“I was saving this for a rainy day,” Madam Welsh added, adding a smug smirk. “Who’d thought my simple whim of keeping something powerful to myself would actually come in handy?”
“Uhh… what do you–”
“Forget about payment, boy,” Madam Welsh replied quickly, stomping Aidan’s question. “Just take it, and deal with that thing. I am absolutely fucking sure there is no one else that can take advantage of this thing better than you can. I heard the weakness period is a bitch to handle, but you’re a young, strong man–I’m sure you can handle it.”
Without another word, Welsh handed the pill to Aidan, to which he held it like a valuable treasure, and it certainly was.
He heard about enhancement concoctions like this, and he heard that it was equal to having several levels all in one go. What made this more valuable was that normally it would come with a heavy price, but it was offset with just a time-limited period of weakness. This is normally conserved against terrible threats, but considering their situation, it was literally the best thing he could have for himself.
He wasn’t going to like the weakness period, for certain, but it was ten times better than roughing it out against the Matriarch as he is right now.
“I’ll pay you back,” Aidan said, nodding to Welsh. “I promise you.”
“Ooh, a favor from someone like you is definitely worth a hundred of those pills,” Welsh grinned widely, clearly eager for it. “Good luck in your battle.”
With that, Aidan took in a heavy breath before swallowing the pill whole. It was bad enough that the damn thing was larger than his throat could usually handle, but he forced himself to swallow it despite the short pain that followed.
But what came after was nothing like he ever felt before. Flames ignited deep in his blood, flaring up all throughout his body through the veins, then outward towards his muscles and extremities. His head burned and his eyes welled up, his insides becoming charred as energy seemed to heat up from deep within.
Within his senses, his soul looked like a fire that was doused in oil, flaring up higher and higher than he had ever seen before. He didn’t even have to check his status to know that he was powered up to the extreme, his body crackling with energy.
“Whooooooooaa!”
Aidan couldn’t help but let out a sharp yell as he stood up, his legs unable to hold back from the energy flowing within. He felt like he could transform into a blond green-eyed martial artist at that moment, grinning as his imagination ran wild.
“I’m going in!”
He shouted, crafting the air which felt even easier to do than before as his body blasted into the sky, breaking the sound barrier. The air resistance became stronger as well, but his toughened body handled it with ease.
With this boost, his ideas became clearer in his head as he aimed directly towards the giant looming figure of darkness with vigor in his powered body.
…..
Nina watched as the excited Aidan leapt into the sky, leaving a small crater behind from the excess force that he used to propel himself upward. It was easy enough for Nina to handle herself, but she had to hold onto Welsh as she was too weak to handle the force herself without being blown off.
“I didn’t take you to be so kind as to give something so precious away,” Nina said, more than curious as normally, that kind of pill could’ve given Welsh a mansion within the center of the capital.
“Honey, I told you beforehand,” Welsh said, dusting off the dirt that piled up on her coat from the explosion that occurred. “I was saving that for a rainy day. It was given to me by someone who owed me a debt he could have never repaid. Ended up dying before actually paying me back my due, and quite frankly, I didn’t feel comfortable giving it to someone who would just hand it to some commander out there ready to take a country and kill off anyone who resides there.”
Nina had to agree that, as far as she knew Welsh, she wouldn’t like giving something so powerful to the ones who live high in the upper echelons of nobility. That was one of the reasons why she likes Welsh so much.
“And if you ask me, I didn’t take you as someone who would trust someone so much as to rely on him even in this situation,” Welsh said, turning her question to Nina. “I thought you were the lone wolf type of gal.”
“Well… as you said many times before, there are times when you have to rely on someone.”
“And you are certain that someone is under your control?” Welsh said, raising a brow.
Nina grinned. “Naturally.”
“If you ask me…” Welsh said, turning to the direction where the giant monster resided. It was easy enough to spot thanks to its large size, capable of overtaking the entire city just with its presence alone. “Someone as powerful as him wouldn’t be bound so easily.”
Nina frowned at that, switching her sight to the monstrosity beyond. Her words echoed in her head, which only kept making more sense the further she thought on it.
Perhaps she might have to consider upgrading that contract of his.
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