'It can't be... I don't want to have this feeling.'
Valença continued with her head hidden between her arms, trying to understand what was happening inside her. The problem wasn't just that Enrico had changed. She had started to enjoy his company, felt comfortable by his side, and, when they were together, she no longer needed to maintain the same rigid attitude she usually had with others. But realizing that her heart had tightened when she saw him get hurt because of her was different.
She didn't want to admit it.
'He is only my rival.'
It was easier to think that way. Rivals trained together, wanted to surpass each other, and worried when the other fell behind. There was nothing strange about that.
'Of course... he changed. He's more handsome, intelligent, and strong...'
Valença interrupts her own thought.
'Handsome?'
She becomes even redder.
'No! Valença, stop thinking about this!'
She lightly hits her forehead against the ground, trying to push those thoughts away. The more she tried to find a simple explanation, the more she realized that she was only trying to run away from the obvious.
She had started to like Enrico.
And that bothered her precisely because he was still her rival. Valença didn't want her feelings to interfere with her determination to surpass him, nor did she want to start depending on him emotionally.
'I don't want to end up becoming someone who can only be happy when he's around.'
She tightens her arms around her head and takes a deep breath.
'That's right... it's just to make sure I won't fall into something that could make me suffer. He is still my rival. I'll keep training and getting stronger.'
It was the explanation she could accept at that moment. Even so, her face remained completely red.
From afar, Enrico looks back and sees Valença quickly shaking her head while maintaining a neutral expression.
He had some suspicions about her reaction, but decides not to give it much importance. To him, there was something much more important at that moment.
He needed to reach the second circle before her. And to accomplish that, he would have to do something dangerous.
"I'm going to face a boss while I'm like this."
[Idiot. Stop with this nonsense. The boss is a Rank Faizes Nartheis. Facing it alone while being only first circle is suicide.]
It was truly risky, but Enrico had a theory. If the fruit increased his percentage as it was absorbed, perhaps facing a dangerous situation and pushing his body to its limit would accelerate the process. If he could take advantage of the fruit's effect while facing a stronger opponent, perhaps his percentage would increase enough to reach the second circle.
'I know, but I have to stay ahead of them.'
[For me, it would be better if they discovered that you aren't a genius. It will become increasingly dangerous for you to keep maintaining this image in the future.]
Enrico also thought that way. It would be much safer if the others realized that he wasn't as extraordinary as he seemed.
However, if he did that, some people might begin to believe that surpassing him would be easy. That could end up interfering with precisely how much he wanted those people to become stronger.
Therefore, his strategy remained the same: appear to be a genius who trained a lot.
'I'll do my best to increase my potential. That way, maybe this can actually become a reality.'
[Idiot...]
Enrico continues walking through the forest, passing by several trees and animals, until he reaches a river surrounded by several rocks.
He approaches the water and touches one of the rocks. At that very moment, the area reacts.
The water begins to move and several Nartheis emerge from the river. They were creatures similar to humanoid fish, blue in color, each with a core located on its forehead.
Enrico looks at them and tightens his grip on the bow in his hand. It was time to find out how far he could go.
[There are at least ten, and they are all level two Zara.]
"I'll need to defeat several of these to awaken the boss."
Enrico jumps into the middle of the Nartheis and, as soon as he lands on one of the rocks, it is destroyed by a creature that emerges from beneath it.
"Charged Impulse."
He uses the impulse in the air and kicks the Nartheis downward. Then, he positions himself in the air and creates ten fireballs, but does not launch them at the enemies. Instead, he directs all of them toward the river, causing the water to evaporate and creating an enormous amount of steam that spreads throughout the environment like dense smoke.
"Fire Bow..."
Creating two arrows, Enrico activates Crimson Eyes and improves his vision through the mist. He aims both arrows and fires. The projectiles pierce the heads of two Nartheis, directly hitting their cores.
"Bo—"
A ball of water strikes his ribs and explodes a second later, spreading even more mist throughout the environment.
"I can't sense where they are."
Anyone capable of naturally using magic could hide the amount of mana they possessed. It was as if the body's own mana tried to protect the user, preventing others from discovering their true capabilities. Therefore, unless someone had an item or a natural ability capable of seeing mana, it was impossible to know how much magical energy another person possessed. Another way to know someone's mana would be if that person released their own magic outside their body.
'What they're doing now isn't just hiding their mana. They're also hiding their own presence.'
Enrico couldn't even see the Nartheis' statistics, making the system even more useless than it already was.
[Hey! Why am I starting to think you're making fun of me inside your head, Enrico?]
'Because I am.'
A blow strikes his back and pushes him forward, directly toward a water bubble that was already waiting for him. Enrico realizes the danger and jumps into the air before the bubble explodes.
He needed to find another way to keep up with the enemies' movements.
Then, he activates Crimson Eyes to the Extreme, trying to make his vision see not only the trails of fire mana, but also the mana present within the mist itself and in the air around him.
At the same instant, his eyes begin to hurt intensely.
'My eyes feel like they're burning. If I continue like this at my current level, I'll go blind.'
Crimson Eyes had an even greater enhancement, but it could only be used from the third circle onward, when his percentage reached fifty percent. Enrico immediately abandons the idea. He couldn't lose his sight, at least not now. If that happened, he would need to go to the Church itself and ask the Saint to heal him, and obtaining that would require many things he didn't have at that moment.
'You don't need to hurry... You're not like this... There's a much better way.'
For an instant, he had panicked because he was faced with something new and couldn't find a solution immediately. But, remembering who he was, Enrico calms down again and even becomes excited.
Without spending any more mana and keeping only Crimson Eyes active, he notices a small movement in the mist.
Enrico ducks at the same instant, letting a Nartheis pass over him.
'Zero Impact.'
The creature's head explodes as his fist strikes its face.
The mist moves again behind him, but Enrico was already alert. He uses Charged Impulse and jumps, remaining upside down while watching another Nartheis pass directly below his body.
'Zero Impact.'
That Nartheis' head also disappears.
Enrico was adapting again and, as always, he loved that feeling.
'This feels so good.'
A body is thrown against him and hits his stomach. It was a Nartheis that had been thrown by another. Enrico manages to catch it before it falls and plants his feet on the ground. Then, he raises both arms and brings them down with force, crushing the creature's core.
Another Nartheis appears behind him and bites his shoulder, drawing blood as it begins draining his mana.
Enrico immediately realizes what is happening. He brings one of his hands to the creature's forehead and creates a small fireball.
The attack explodes directly against the core, destroying it.
'I need to be faster.'
The fire clone appears beside Enrico and begins fighting alongside him against the four remaining Nartheis. Despite possessing the same basic techniques, the clone couldn't do much against those creatures, mainly because it was much weaker than the original. Even so, it was enough to create an opening.
"Now."
The two jump at the same time, each with a fire bow in their hands, and fire an arrow. Enrico's passes through his target's core and destroys it immediately, while the arrow fired by the clone merely cracks another Nartheis' core.
But that was already enough.
Enrico puts both hands together and positions them beneath the clone's feet. In the next instant, he releases mana and the clone propels itself over his hands, being launched at a much greater speed. The body of fire strikes the Nartheis' head, causing it to lose its balance.
Enrico switches places with the clone at the same instant and appears in front of the creature, pointing his hand at its head.
A small fireball begins to form in his palm.
"With this, there will be two left."
Before he could attack, however, his body fails.
Enrico feels an intense pain run through every part of his body, as if he were being torn apart from the inside. His movements simply stop for an instant.
The two Nartheis that were farther away take advantage of the opportunity and run toward where the third one was. Both create water claws and attack Enrico at the same time.
The blows hit him and launch him out of the mist. His body violently crashes against a rock.
The fire clone disappears.
Enrico's eyes begin to grow dull, and he doesn't immediately understand what was happening.
"Why—"
[It seems the time has come. I can see that your body has reached its absolute limit.]
Enrico's head seemed to spin. Even so, one last smile appears on his face when he finally understands.
"So the time has come? I hope it works."
Three water attacks hit Enrico at once, causing his body to sink even further against the rock. The three Nartheis advance to finish him off, and one of them approaches first, raising its claw for the final blow. However, before it could attack, its hand is grabbed.
"KHRR-RAAHHH!"
The Nartheis lets out a scream of pain as flames begin consuming its hand. Enrico tightens his fingers with force and, shortly afterward, brings his other hand to the creature's head. A fire explosion destroys its core, causing the body to fall lifelessly to the ground.
The other two Nartheis retreat upon seeing Enrico slowly stand up. There was something different about him. Even while injured, his body seemed much more stable than it should have been.
They do not hesitate for long and advance together.
But Enrico disappears.
In the next instant, he appears behind the two, holding their heads with his hands. The creatures try to grab his arms to free themselves, but two small fireballs appear in Enrico's palms and pierce through their heads.
Both cores are destroyed at the same time.
Enrico remains standing in silence.
Behind him, another fifteen Nartheis emerge from the waters. They were the same type as the previous ones, but there was one difference: their bodies possessed an even more intense shade of blue.
"Khra."
"Khra."
The creatures spread out and prepare to attack. However, little by little, they begin to hesitate.
Enrico made no movement.
His eyes were completely dull, without any shine or sign of life. Even so, there was a strange pressure around his body, as if something inside him had just awakened.
At that moment, Enrico had finally reached the state of Limit Break.