Valença created a fireball in her hands and began compressing it. Then, she added more magic, causing the sphere to grow, before compressing it again. In front of her was a small red statue, one of Val'Drakar's summons. Pointing at it, Valença launched the magic toward it, causing a small explosion concentrated in a single point. When the smoke dissipated, there was a hole in the statue.
"That wasn't what I wanted."
She realized that, besides taking too long to prepare the attack, its speed was also low when it was launched. The technique had caused more damage than a normal fireball, but against an enemy, it would be much better to use the fireball itself than that attack that was far too slow.
"I have to find a way to improve it..."
They still had three days. During that period, Valença had already managed to create a new magic and was now focusing on improving the ones she already possessed. Picking up her staff from the ground, she concentrated and began using magic through it, firing several fireballs in succession. Now that she had reached Circle 2, she was one step closer to being able to turn her staff into an Ego Weapon.
"I still have a long way to go, but at least I'm closer."
On the other side of the field, Val'Drakar defended a fire arrow with his sword. Then, he advanced toward Enrico, who was in the air and approaching while preparing a new attack, with his fist covered in flames.
The two attacks collided, causing both of them to retreat. Val'Drakar planted his sword into the ground and sat down, while Enrico fell to the ground, his body slowly descending after the impact.
It was incredible that, even unconscious and attacking anyone who somehow represented a threat to him, that body could adapt so well. He had discovered on his own that this was only training and, even so, continued fighting as if he were facing a real situation.
'It seems the master's body is addicted to training.'
It was easy to notice that this body was accustomed to going through difficulties and always sought to go beyond them.
An explosion occurred in the distance, at the place where Valença was training. The girl had been pushing herself quite hard during those days and had even asked Val'Drakar to teach her the fundamentals of a certain magic, something that could help her greatly in her evolution.
Valença approached accompanied by Incandis, who was sitting on her shoulder. The two had already become great companions.
Upon seeing her, Val'Drakar felt a certain relief. Perhaps there really was a chance for the Dark Elves.
"Good work, miss. You have become much stronger lately."
"Well, I can't fall behind my rival."
Val'Drakar watched Valença sit beside Enrico and place his head on her lap, beginning to stroke the boy's hair. Incandis also settled down on Enrico's stomach, apparently finding that place comfortable.
'She calls him her rival, but she seems to love him.'
Valença maintained her usual calm expression, but Val'Drakar could tell how much she enjoyed doing that. Witnessing a romantic rivalry was something completely new to him.
Standing up, he left the two children together and headed toward his tree. When he arrived, he touched it and began transferring part of the magic into himself.
When he completely sacrificed that tree, he would recover his original power and could face anything Sairao sent, as long as it was not the god himself. He needed to protect those children until they left the dungeon, no matter how.
The magic around him began to change as his core grew stronger. Val'Drakar realized that he had recovered a considerable level of power. Clenching his left hand, a second sword, thinner than the first, appeared. Now holding both, he made two slashes through the air just to test his new power.
'With this, I evolved to Faizes Level 2.'
To naturally recover all his power, he was doing it slowly.
That way, he would not need to wait as long when the time came to completely recover his strength. If he did this during a fight, it could take more than thirty seconds to recover all his power. The reason he did not do it immediately was simple: if he absorbed all the tree's energy at once, the barrier would disappear.
Looking around, he noticed that the animals were also preparing for what would happen. When he completely recovered the tree's power, he planned to send all of them at the same time to the sphere that was inside Enrico's body.
'I'm fulfilling my role, and when this is over, I will be able to rest in peace... won't I, Master?'
He looked at the blue rose, which was being cared for by his summons. Sitting on the ground, he closed his eyes. It had been decades since he had rested, so he decided to give himself that luxury that day.
When he opened his eyes again, it was already night.
Upon returning to the training area, he found Valença asleep, but Enrico was not there.
"Did an enemy appear?"
The only way Enrico could have gotten up would be if something dangerous had happened or if it was time for training.
Summoning his sword, Val'Drakar also created some smaller statues to take care of Valença and wake her if necessary.
"No one should be able to enter here until the barrier's final day... but who knows what Sairao could do."
He searched for some time. Although the barrier was small compared to the size of that place, the protected area was still approximately the size of an average village.
Following a trail of mana that seemed to be left by fire in the air, Val'Drakar began hearing the sound of rocks being broken and immediately headed in that direction.
When he arrived at the location, he was surprised to see a four-meter rock being destroyed by a single fist.
"Is this serious?"
What was most shocking was not simply the fact that Enrico could destroy a rock with his bare fists. That would already be impressive for someone at his level, but it was not what had truly surprised Val'Drakar. What shocked him the most was realizing that this body had adapted so much to constant training that it continued training even while unconscious.
"Incredible..."
He really did not want that boy to die in the same way as the two Elves from long ago. Enrico possessed such a strong determination to evolve that it was admirable, even in that state.
A red aura began to emerge from Enrico's body, and Val'Drakar was once again surprised by what happened next.
"He is..."
Enrico's body assumed a different stance. His legs were separated, with his knees bent; one was positioned forward, supporting part of his body's weight, while the other remained behind, providing stability. His arms were held with clenched fists in a defensive position, one close to his torso and the other farther back.
Then, as he moved, a red glow appeared from his fist, causing a small pressure in the air.
Even unconscious, Enrico was creating something new to become stronger.
That night, Val'Drakar watched everything. And he continued watching over the following days, until the barrier began to fail.
With only a few minutes remaining until the end.