The next second, the ground began to tremble. The circles on the floor seemed to move. Instinctively, Karla stepped back, making sure not to forget the starry stone.
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The nine overlapping circles began to slowly separate and retract inward, revealing dusty stone stairs leading downward.
Karla: <
Nico, Estris, Hiyro: <
Karla: <
Hiyro: <
Karla: <
Raysley: <
Karla: <
Nico: <
Raysley: <
If there was one thing you couldn't take away from Raysley, it was her quick wit, especially when it came to me; she was full of inspiration.
Karla: <
Rayzo once again carried Raysley on his shoulder and moved closer to me, as if to say, "Count on me to protect you."
We were ready to descend. Karla was in front, having activated her flame spell and drawn her sword. Her light was so bright it illuminated everything under our feet. Right behind her were Hiyro and Estris, also ready to attack at any moment, advancing cautiously. And behind them were me, Rayzo, and Raysley.
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Raysley: <
Nico: <
Raysley: <
Karla: <
Raysley: <
Karla: <
We kept going deeper into the underground gallery. There was still no source of light; it remained just as dark.
Karla: <
So we decided to sit near a wall for a few minutes of rest.
Estris: <
Hiyro: <
Karla: <
Karla couldn't produce fire while resting, so we would be in the dark again. I didn't like that idea, so I used my phone's flashlight as a light source. Its light was uniform and had a decent range. At least it would be useful while Karla regained her strength.
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It was the perfect moment to learn more about the magic they seemed to use so well and which was an integral part of their daily lives. Karla began to explain everything in detail after taking a sip of water from her canteen.
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This meant that one could transform their mana however they wished, giving it any desired form, but it required considerable effort and concentration. Karla used four steps to generate fire with her hands: [Mana Concentration], [Shaping], [Combustion], and [General Control]. These four steps were necessary to keep the flame intact and were very draining. Unfortunately, that was the process for casting the spell [Will-o'-the-Wisp], as it was called.
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I moved closer to her as she asked and left my phone in Estris's hands, even though Hiyro tried to take it.
Once near Karla, she signaled for me to extend my hands toward her and took them. Even though she wore gloves, I could feel a warmth gradually enveloping me; it was very pleasant. The reason was that she was letting her mana seep into me to examine my body and, more precisely, my mana core. I felt it slowly coursing through me. But just as I was focused on this gentle warmth, my breath abruptly cut off.
I felt my heart stop for a moment, and my senses began to fail. An unpleasant sensation, as if a foreign element was invading each of my cells, was so painful that I nearly fainted several times.
After several minutes of agony, I wasn't dead, but I could no longer move. The others looked at me as if this were normal. The only one who seemed a bit confused was Raysley because, like me, she didn't understand the situation. Finally, I managed to stand up, though breathing was difficult and my senses were numb. However, I felt lighter, more alive.
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She took my sword—or rather, my makeshift sword—for a demonstration.
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Without another word, she stood up with her sword and mine and clashed them together, creating a powerful echo throughout the gallery. To my great surprise, my sword was still intact, despite all the force she had used.
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[Resistance] was a widely used enchantment. It was quite simple to activate; you just needed to let mana flow into the object in question, which would strengthen it. Even a beginner could do it—but not me.
Despite all my efforts, I could barely transfer mana into my sword. It was very frustrating, especially since it was quite painful.
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At her words, I could only resign myself to waiting and doing my best to accumulate mana quickly. At least I had learned a lot about mana usage. Now I just had to wait.
Karla: <
Raysley: <
Hiyro: <
Raysley: <
Karla: <