Murai got a wide range of improvements across the board, and it was rather surprising that most of it came from the Will of the Battleworld, which this Battlewill was part of. He lacked certain knowledge if this was fitting, or if everything was meant to be like this.
He wasn't sure about the Battlewill and his voice. Or if he was the same thing as Will of the Battleworld or not. So if he wanted to know it for certainty, he could try to persuade Lisa.
She must know more about it since her status in the past must've gone through depths and skies. This included answers to his wonders, information about this place, and volumes of interest that Blessed were prone to. All of this must be within her head. Somehow... They must be. She just didn't talk out loud about them for some reason.
Anyhow, he needed some answers to know just what invaded his Soul Space without a choice on his part. It went all of a sudden and why it happened was clear, but how wasn't.
There were many suspicions lingering in the air around Villan and Battlewill alike. He didn't like how it all came to be, even though they said what this was about. They were proxies to the double-crossed interest of Mindarch and Will of the Battleworld. There was nothing more to tell about it. They were simply doing their job.
Unsurprisingly, Murai didn't mind the benefits that came out of this brief overlook. And let's just say they weren't small at all. The incoming Boosts that Battleworld will grant him won't be small at all. It was his due reward, coming out of this systematic approach to his abilities which had noticeable and real values.
Vitality increased the weight of his body, regeneration, and power over his life in itself. It also eased any consumption of food and elevated his growth. It was empowerment to his physicality as well. That included power over his flesh, muscles, blood, organs, and even his beak and feathers alike. In a sense, it was like a boost to his core life force. At least in his head, it was exactly that.
For now, few things indicated any life force kind of power that he was used to. He had a simple thing for now. And the Battleworld never mentioned anything apart from Vitality.
Life Force was a term used in many of his lives, depicting the strength of the living body, the power of one's blood, and living potential. The more qualitative it was, the better it got. It was how physiques, treasures, and talent made a true difference. Life Force was something that was always able to change the status quo between a weakling and a powerhouse. It was how proper power made the difference and how talents shattered those differences.
Vitality sounded like that, but in a way, it was different. It was coming from an outside entity toward his body without his direct touch or Will. It wasn't coming from within him like Life Force would. Nor it was working on some treasure, or high life force treasures, or materials. But they could be.
Murai wasn't lucky to find any such treasures so far since Vitality was essentially the most generous depiction of Life Force.
Depicting the same source of value as Life Force, he would realize it if he broadened his head, or if someone talked to him about it.
Not thinking and comparing his living experiences to his current life would help too, but Murai wasn't exactly that broadminded individual. Especially when this world wanted his head. His Cursed Living never allowed him to have a great time. It was a Curse, after all. A nasty one.
Vitality was groundbreaking, affecting the majority of developments of the body in its fundamental state. Like proper Life Force would've done. It was like having a clear path and purpose. It effectively gained him the upper hand without his direct involvement.
It was cheap, forming a very strong point of interest that affected almost all living beings in this world. It was different from his usual life, so he didn't find it fitting to his memories. He didn't prefer it for sure, since he was always more happy to involve his own choice that would affect his body or Path.
If anything in his Cursed Living made sense, it was choices where he found himself in another life. He could roll with anything he ended up with while following anything afterward was always up to his choices. In most cases, of course. If his life ended up enduring even those choices, it was the beginning of a tough time.
This was such life as well. Perhaps even more so since it was significantly different. The power ruled in different ways in this world. The choice was always a rule that supported the growth of his mind. A truth. The hope of his living.
Vitality was a supplement to the growth, increased efficiency of his other attributes, and added benefits like nothing. Strength and Dexterity needed the foundation of Vitality to truly shine. Each had worth like life itself.
That was why having all 3 Body Attributes around the same number was important. Vitality was life itself. Its line.
Of course, there were Paths and evolutions that weren't doing that. Speed-based Paths will always lack strength, but the disparity between the attributes shouldn't be large. If they were too far apart, the benefits of the Body Attributes weakened instead, their power would remain stagnant, and their disadvantages would undoubtedly become a major headache.
Those limits and problems were one of the many reasons some Paths were harder to follow in steady steps. It was because the individual was unable to progress, breach past the limits, and reach a higher stage. It can happen because of a lack of information, teachers, or opportunities. Such people simply wouldn't know any better. No one was to blame for that but fate.
Strength was self-explanatory in power and value. It affected Murai's power in steady ways, unlike the force of Vitality which was more of a foundation to build upon it. Strength worked with power that was shaking the base. It increased the power of his body or physical abilities.
But for the Dexterity, the number was rather special in its prose. It involved more things than just speed. It stimulated senses and not just physical ones, but one's awareness, reflexes, and how one's mind worked with speed and perception when one moved quickly. He definitely noticed improvements in his movement. Fighting after increases in those attributes was always easier than before.
It must had some notion to his Wisdom as well, but he had it always at 100. It never went up, so he wondered what effects it had. He always wanted to know that, but he never noted Wisdom's worth, or what it was giving him. He always figured out what others did when the Boost came to his body in those surges of power. He never got a Boost to his Wisdom, so he never noticed its worth.
Even his Soul Power and Will had their notable effects, albeit they were vague since they revolved around his soul. Those were harder to perceive.
Murai was sure the attributes affected something around his magic in a less steady manner. He had yet to discover what.
After all, almost every recent message of his improvement increased his mana as well as other things. Because of that, he didn't know the exact waves and benefits of which Boost increased what. It was always one huge flood of power. Not one thing at a time.
Murai had no doubts it would be the same this time as well, so he waited for the message to end.
Though, not like he cared too much about it. Beggars can't become choosers.
After further outlook and a few level-ups of other mana abilities, nothing else mattered. From this rundown, what he gained was great merits. He just wasn't happy to see two absurd Will to invade his Soul Space.
Mana Sonar and Beak's Blitz were the best things to come out of this. He couldn't wait to see their growth and effect. Training in them will be fun. Especially that Mana Sonar sounded weird and exciting. He always loved the Detection side of magic, while his beak was coming close second in terms of his fighting capabilities.
Magic was always more fun because it was soft in nature, and the power to Shape anything up to insane proportions was always amusing. His body was the limiting factor like Laws, so he couldn't Shape it up. But something could. Evolutions of his species were like magic of the body. In this world, they had intricate positions, similar to magic in other worlds.
Murai had to gain more information about his choices, but the requirements for his next evolution weren't clear. He gained only 1 of the 3 possible choices to start the next Evolution. He needed to accomplish other choices. How? He didn't know...
Understanding his own power was more important than knowing his foes. It happened behind his head and Battleworld's systems. His Detection was pretty much the most used ability he had for a long time. At last, it gained its evolution. Fury was... whatever.
It happened by following their leveling process and by meeting the right requirements and efficiency. They changed to a better ability. He wasn't surprised by Detection becoming a Sonar. It sounded right within its Evolutionary Pathway, but it also mentioned Robust Spirit and he didn't know why. Still, it went in a good direction so Murai didn't complain.
Sonar will be a better version of detection. Blitz will be the same.
It was true he was using Fury more since the Encounter started, and his Hunts in the Seventh Death Forest worked for the best of it, but it wasn't something he used very often, yet it still moved towards its evolution.
Did it mean there were shortcuts?
If so, that meant massive news.
This Gate was great for Fure since it was flexible and usable in less than a breath. Unlike the Peak, which held better and denser power, Fury was suitable in many other ways, complimenting other aspects of his beak.
It had no channeling, which put more emphasis on his beak, stance, and powerful slaps and stabs. He made it work in Gate 1 of this temple.
But it went all the way to a Beak's Blitz. Why? How? Was it even Fury's evolution? Battlewill did mention some requirements and recalculations, but it went over it like a drunkard over a beer.
Blitz and Fury were species-based abilities of Anatidaes, so he wondered if their requirements were different than mana-based abilities. He couldn't fathom how evolving the abilities worked since it wasn't what Iris talked about that much. Lisa was... whatever.
Iris mentioned a couple of hints about them: how unique species worked with them, how important they were, and how one gained strength from changes. One shouldn't remain stagnant. That was one of the deep rules of this world. Stories or some overexaggerated legends were mostly what she mentioned along with them. Those involved dragons, Blessed figures, or beasts of all kinds.
It was a prudent view of stories based on word of mouth. Those were often exaggerated. In this world, they may be far from that or be close to the truth, but Iris talked about them as if they were backyard stories. Murai couldn't tell the difference how great or bad they were since he lacked substance. And Iris was overly excited about them because she was talking to a legend as well.
She didn't shake Murai's senses. So he was curious if abilities and their evolutions happened because of something specific with the way species worked. His mana was constantly under his body, so it made sense they would evolve. Perhaps the body wasn't that different from how mana abilities worked.
Every ability had its value, Grade, and level. Gaining some familiarity and efficiency in order to get access to the evolution formed a steady path. That was the fact that Iris insisted on. It worked along the leveling system that all beings in this world had. Some had it clearer than others, which was why Blessed were the most intricate beings.
Then came a different issue. Could a mage evolve their ability on their own without relying on anything coming from outside, Will of the Battleworld included? The answer was clearly yes. Mana was the outside influence that moved from the universe to this world. Not the other way around.
Could a mage evolve their abilities through the Will of the Battleworld alone? Relying on its rules and system? Yes! That was the most popular choice in the world. Will of the Battleworld was better than trying things alone.
Working alone required more time. One had to have an incredible teacher, great Mana Tomes, or talents to overcome the hurdle that was the Boost.
Those were the two main means of progression. They transpired with pretty much anything and anyone. Be it body, soul, or other powers, one can be the giver of their own progression, but they will be acknowledged by the Battleworld one way or another.
So why care about outside, or inner ideas? It was just a different acquisition of power. Battleworld will always read one's potential and grand due Boosts anyway. It was like reading a book and learning from it. It could reward one for reading.
Someone can also learn from one's own head, which was very important. In Blessed figures, it was their significant advantage.
It was an easy concept, so why not take a more comfortable slice of a pie? Will of the Battleworld was clear, easy, and generous. That was the truth that Murai was understating in gradual steps.
He had a shameless stance on this topic. He wasn't that serious about his own progression, so he had chosen to handle those Boosts as a pie to eat.
If the world was hungry for his skin, taking everything that he could get wasn't stupid. It would be ridiculous.
Shame was unnecessary, nor were his rules or choices. He wasn't upset or ashamed over this strategy at all, even if it may be laughable or hypocritical.
According to him, Beak Fury's evolution had a simple premise. Its lack of power and efficiency was enough for Mindarch and Battlewill to reach an agreement, getting him its Evolution earlier than usual because it was no longer on par with some limits or rules. It spoke of some recalculation, Anatidae Bloodline, and limits.
That must be it. It may be for the balance too, or because he was worthy, as Mindarch said.
He shouldn't complain about free stuff, so kept it shut. Evolutions of his abilities may or may not happen, as they were outside of his vision anyway. All he had to do was follow the Gates and kill things. It was surprisingly simple.
It was one less worry up his mind since he didn't have to care about anything.
The world will gift him choices by his direct, or outside influence. Those were places such as this temple, treasures, successful battles, or new comprehensions.
In most worlds, power had complex concepts. It wasn't this... easy or generous. One should have a grip over one's choices when power was fueling one's Path.
One could elevate it with new equipment, techniques, or upgrades to the body, or core of one's strength. These could be various in form and worth. Such an approach was truthful across countless Paths.
But this world was affecting everything with the generosity of unfathomable proportions. Its rules were the Laws. Power was that and rewards came with following those rules, effectively killing the controlled flow of power that Murai was accustomed to.
It sounded cheap... almost too easy. He was suspicious about what was worth following, trusting, and knowing. He could ask Lisa more about it, just to make sure. No. He will have to ask her further, or his curiosity will eat him up.
Hopefully, she will listen and talk. It was a bit weird idea. For the second time today, he thought of taking his curiosity to Lisa. Was he so dependent or desperate on her insight and care? He never liked the approach of being dependent on someone. It stank of lacking power, opportunities, and a slacking approach to a New Beginning.
He had his rules and powers to care about, which were unique and unlike what anyone should even consider. Because of that, he had many opinions that were considered rude, insensible, and insane.
Murai tossed the worries behind his head for now. Lisa will be willing to talk some sense. He will force her to talk if she won't.
Upon the closure of Battlewill's words and new assets that seemed bigger than usual, Murai noticed that the globes of Wills remained. They floated in his Soul Space as if they wanted something else than to be witnesses to this charade of their rules.
Battlewill was there because it had no choice. On the other hand, Villan was questionable because she was too vivid and her reasons may be questionable.
“Well, I heard it all.” Murai spoke to both of them. “What choice is there then to take those gifts like a pie? I am not gonna thank you if you are here for that. So, let me be frank. What do you want with all of this? You remind me as if you are hungry. Want a share of my pie or do you want something else? My whole head? Sorry. Not sorry! Get in the line.”
Both globes of Wills were silent.
“Hm? Speak! Why keep this up? Wills of whatever you both are?” He asked again in his curiosity. He didn't put forth his power or soul, speaking calmly like a reasonable duck. He got his reward, so he shouldn't be too obnoxious or poor in his words.
Villan was the first to talk since it seemed she had a much more steady Will than Battlewill. She was vivid, as she was not forced to come here. Normally, Mindarch was enough. She insisted on sending her Will to Mindarch and then to Murai on this rare occasion. In fact, since it was too interesting, messed up, and detached from the norm, she had other reasons to be here.
Battlewill was calm, floating beside Villan without talking. He spoke enough already, unlike the mechanical voice that Murai was used to.
“Again with these lacking choice of words... You are speaking to the height of two powerful entities!” Villan said unhappily, speaking in anger and arrogance. “We had to act. We are here to observe the course of this... chance that you forced to create, Anatidae. That is that. We are... observers.” She said her latest words with some hesitation.
“Is that so? Simple observers can mean a lot of things. What about it? You know I am a Blessed, so what is there for you to even seek? I am fairly certain Battlewill knows all about me, since I am under constant watch of it, or am I not?”
“Precisely.” Battlewill agreed. “It goes by the rules of all Blessed. They are takers of God's Will. Wordly guests that went to this world for a new purpose.”
Villan paused speaking, thinking or realizing something in her head. “I will be blunt. Are you interested in the spot in the Demonic Armies under the Somalis Hell Haven? It's proportional to your interest. Your cause needs more than what you think. You need a safe place, or the world will shatter you before you know it.” She said as if she let go of all her breaks.
Murai found her words surprising. A warning and invitation wasn't what he expected. He guessed some hostility in her voice, but he was mistaken. “Is that the recruitment I am hearing about? Or shackles? I thought you were some nasty God since your Will is so strong. This offer... isn't one?”
“Don't speak useless nonsense. Are you willing or not?”
“Maybe. Someday. Who knows? I am not interested in being part of anything at the moment.” He replied and didn't care much about her offer. He had too much in his head already. #
And taking an offer from a suspicious God was less than sensible. Unless there was a person before his eyes, he wouldn't take any offer of this caliber. He did the same with Vermillion. He wouldn't agree to anything on such an occasion.
“Heheheh. You truly have no idea about your situation, both of you.” This time, Battlewill said with some mocking laughter. “So the Hell Haven has this sort of vision, Villan? Is that something that should be considered with the current bigger picture?”
Villan sneered. “Shut up tool. Tell it to your bosses if you give a shit. I don't. No one does. So?” She turned her attention back to Murai.
He observed them from his high throne, interested but silent. Those Wills before him must be very complicated in their status, as they act under this temple and the Will of the Battleworld, but neither of them is fundamentally that. They should be manifestations of the bigger picture. Interest that was curious.
This temple and his situation were reasons why it was happening. They sounded way too individual to be stupid, so they must be fairly important.
“I don't care about the plots of some... entities, or whatever jokes you are thinking of. It's better to act for oneself than by sheer logic of others. Especially those that are offering the world without promising anything. I refuse you, Villan. I am alone, but not at the same time. It has always been the case.” Murai said.
“F-fine. Keep at it if you wish you are fine. But you are not. Not at all. Let's see what you will accomplish in Gate 2, or 3 and whether your life will continue or not. I wonder if you will regret your choice or not, or if you will be able to continue at this pace. Hmph!” She spoke before shaking her Will, retrieving her voice and crimson color out of his Soul Space.
According to Murai, this wasn't Villan's power. It was some sort of artifact that acted over long distances pushing her Will to his like an arrow. Mindarch could structure and send Will to others, perhaps?
Murai no longer saw or felt that crimson Will. It blinked like a construct losing mana before it disappeared completely. What was left was Battlewill, or what was the shred of the bigger piece of Will of the Battleworld as a whole.
“What about you then? Battlesomething. Will you also include some stretchy wordy efforts between some sense and nonsense?”
“I fear you understand too much of very little. Too little of everything may also be there. It may be your downfall to be like this. Not in this world.”
“Downfall of what? Me?” Murai laughed and didn't think of this as a loss.
“Maybe...” Battlewill said with a strange tone. He sounded as if he wanted to tell more than that, but he began to disappear.
“We will meet again, Citizen. Every Gate will seek our attention from now on. The rules and following Breaches go against the norm. It is a rule among the Blessed Challengers of this Remnant Dungeon. Don't take it as an offense or chains. We are watching. A lot of us are.” He said calmly, unlike Villan whose intentions were questionable. Those were coming from whatever her position in Levandis' Hell Haven was.
At last, the Battlewill disappeared into strands of silvery threads that moved out of his Soul Space. It was different and more full. This must be a more static vision of a bigger Will, but it wasn't one bit weaker than what Villan had.
Murai ended up alone, floating in his Soul Space, contemplating what he should do next. With the two weirdos gone, their words resounded in his Will.
“So stirring trouble, huh? Limits, or Breaches? They are afraid of me, aren't they? I don't know specifics, but I don't know much. I do it all. Others too. Why should I care about what others think? They do... Why offer an army then? Is Villan one to want me, or someone else?” He mumbled to himself in worry and curiosity.
Outside was no different.
Lisa was out of this discussion, but she heard it all because of her connection to him. She was frowning, thinking of some things in the real world, appearing ashen and serious. She floated above Murai, who wore a stoic expression as if he was turned to stone. It was how one usually looked without one's Will, albeit it was a bit weird since not just anyone could travel with their Will to their Soul Space, or be such vivid about it as Murai was.
One had to have very deep familiarity with one's soul, which was essentially the Soul Space itself. It was the source and power of Soul Shaping, but its prose and power weren't prone to the normal course of any magic.
Soul was no magic, after all.
Murai had very little familiarity with the source of Soul Pathway, yet something was showing him that he had some talents in this. At least in this life, that took major threads of his soul as a source and everything. It manifested it all.
Lisa didn't question everything that was to this world, but she recognized all of Murai's intricacies and stored them in her head. Those were all points to the whole picture that was his weird status. It was hard to fully merge, and submerge one's consciousness so deep into oneself, that the body would get stranded still.
One could even die if one's Will was away from the body. But Murai was different. His soul was special. The power of his Will and soul granted him a special Breach.
He will return to his body with a steady flow. Normally, one's soul space was a no-go place, unless one worked within some Soul Path. Any touch or disturbance to one's origin was extremely dangerous. It could endanger the soul, after all. No one wanted to leave the body alone.
After some moments of undisturbed time, Murai's eyes flickered. His vision turned back to normal.
“Oh. I am back.” Murai mumbled, unaware that his awaited Boost was coming.
What followed next shook his body like hundreds of hammers. A surge of power went from the ceiling, walls, and ground. It was the Boost he expected and it was as powerful as ever.
It was still intangible to one's senses, but he felt it with his body as if something was touching and pulling his feathers. He was noticing this power more and more. The intangible waves encompassed him like many hands, touching and going deep into him.
Intangible force overflowed, enveloping his body like squeezing a toy. It was filling him with all sorts of understanding in one swoop, giving the numerical value of his attributes some edge. They were like a current in their form, but thinking of them as just numbers wasn't fine.
There was more to them, he believed.
Everything corresponded to his accomplishments and prowess. His muscles convulsed, his heart skipped a beat, and blood rushed through his veins at unlikely speed and force. It was like many shots of adrenaline, or... drugs? He was almost inclined to think of some very potent elixirs, but this was much more outlandish.
His Vitality shot above its limit and his feathers grew, similar to his body that grew a few centimeters. Strength steadier his muscles, giving the little of what was under his feathers more density. Dexterity was not as noticeable. Whatever it did got washed away with the rest.
He was sure it all improved, one way or the other.
Will, and Soul power this time around were unclear to his sense. Perhaps it was because his awareness rose a bit higher, or this wild rush of Boosts included more things than usual. His new abilities did give rise to some flow of power, mashing together with other things, making it a bit wild. He had to grip his beak and think of this as a wild storm he had to endure.
“Oh shit... This Boost is wild, creasing every strand in my damned head and body all at once.” He moaned, squeaking like a duck. The power was not crazy as if he couldn't fathom it. It was penetrative and smashed his senses, which was what bothered him. It went straight to the source. His head. Soul. His body. Everything.
Nothing. This is nothing. I was a taker of much wilder things. Like the Law Waves of the literal planet when I tried to escape that prison. Where was it again... Not Novihaim. The different world. I can't remember... He dismissed it and went over other things, hoping to gain some clarity by thinking in his head.
It seems this Boosting power is abnormal in its purpose. It is clever... flexible. The surplus of information is steady, so it must go through some conductor, construct, or even a catalyst of some kind. A lot of things can work like this, but what kind of it would be this insane and widespread? The world is that, or the Gods handle it by some use of something specific.
Just how big or complicated that is, if it involves a whole world? Probably large... Well, hideously large. Just this stimulus of this degree is bewitching to my heart and greed. What if I will gain gifts of this kind in later stages? How do Lawful Boosts feel? Like a sudden Bliss? Resonance? Lawful Comprehension? Kick to guts?... nuts? Well... Anyway. All is good at the End or the start. Let's get those Attributes higher than this. They feel incredible so I will take what I can. That is, what the Battleworld and Mindarch deem worthy. I have no say in what I get, but I sure can influence it by my actions. Like a game.
I've fought with relative ease so far because the enemies weren't overly aggressive and powerful at the same time. With special circumstances, the fog gave me an advantage instead. Those deathly or dreadful feelings have been whatever. I saw enough to usher in eternal darkness anyway. All of this enabled me to uncover certain comprehensions and fight how I wanted.
This Mana Sonar will be especially handy, and I got some hunches over it after the last clashes against that Crowhell Bat. Evolution! It seems to have a specific power over perception limits. It is something that carries certain themes. Is every evolution different? Could they change the flow of an ability and turn it upside down?
Blitz can be that. It seems from the description it should be a different kind of ability than the Fury. It even has some minor channeling and Shaping abilities. I need to take a look at that. Coming up with more evolution is a trick, however. Evolving them further may lead to interesting results. I need to train, fight, and uncover their effect and power. Like gifts, truly. Murai thought to himself.
The flow was yet to be over, yet Murai stood in the midst of the hall, thinking of them as if he were in the middle of the reckoning force. Lisa was above him, speechless when she felt the large tidal power rush and envelop him from inside out. Normally, the people and Blessed alike would begrudgingly take it. Most of them would lose consciousness, waking up after it was over.
It was how it usually went, but who was she kidding? She doubted herself ever since she woke up as a soul form. Then, Murai was way out of her... head? She watched him reap the benefits of those Boosts with delight and a little bit of fear. It wasn't the first time she had seen this. Hers was the same, and she made sure to view and hear everything Murai was subject to.
This rush of power was making his body tremble as if he were in epileptic shock. Yet his mind was serene as if he was taking a candy. Robust Spirit stood its ground, while Murai thought nothing of it. His face wasn't one bit crazy. Murai was even wearing a pleasant face, thinking and feeling the continuous stretch of the waves in the hope of understanding them better. Thinking in his head also helped him with ignoring some pain and discomfort.
Almost everything was improved. Be it his physical abilities or the value of his magic.
The first feelings that he noted were probably the most interesting out of everything. It was the Beast Core. It steadied, even though his stage remained the same. He thought it would improve on its own, like his spells or abilities, but that wasn't the case.
His Core remained the same, but his Mana Flow Grade was different. It was not his Core, but it was touching some rules of his Core. He could guess how it worked. Mana Flow increased the density, flow, and power of his mana. It gave his Shaping more power and force. That was what Mana Flow was. It didn't improve the Core directly. That was up to him, it seemed.
Improving. Channel everything up. A better core would be the best way to get more out of it, but getting stronger feels great in other ways too. That's what I am getting when I am rather weak. He dejectedly thought. This won't shatter my capabilities all that much, but overall, I should be much better at handling more complex Shaping and situations.
What if I can fight those around level 40s now? Can I handle some essences beyond Grade 7? Those... How is it again? Nah. I suppose the level 40s should still drop Grade 7s. At the end of level 40s, there should be rare enemies with Low-Grade 6s, but those must be tough foes for sure, and who knows what? What if the drop rate drops off since the quality of mana essences skyrockets at higher grades?
Thinking of the possibilities, he held all kinds of comprehension in his mind. Everything seemed that his future would be more stable if he kept taking this route of gifts and boosts. Was it something he wanted to do until the bitter end? Perhaps...
Murai got stronger, but not enough to become someone who can disregard his current life.
Looking around the hall, the power washing over his body ceased to exist. He soon noticed Lisa looming above his head. “What do you think?” Murai asked. “Have I got enough to shock your face? You seem to be like that. Wide eyes and mouth. I would stick something there, but I can't.” He spoke to her head.
Lisa didn't know when, but her face betrayed her core. She changed back to normal in a breath. “Not much to call you. An Anatidae, you are. This Gate 1 was a good start, I suppose. The route towards Gate 2 is open by the way. You should hurry forward if you are afraid of what, or who will come here sooner or later.”
“No comment about my improvements? How boring.” Murai sighed, looking around to seek this so-called Gate 2, but he didn't find a thing. He wasn't in the right place to see that, so that's why. Lorry was her for that. And like before, he appeared around the corner of his vision. This time, Murai didn't quack like a shocked duck.
“Congratulations Murai. Well done taking everything in. Murai is indeed a fierce duck, Lorry must say. Taking it all in, solving the issue of the invisible Crowhell Bat. Lorry must say that Murai's awareness and fierceness are off the chart. Very Impressive.”
Hearing Lorry and his exaggerated words put Murai at ease. At least he knew how to act with a face.
“Right. Right. This was quite a nice fight I must say, filled with all sorts of benefits.” Murai acted like a beggar who found a mountain of gold, yet stepped away, acting proud of his accomplishment as if he made it to the heavens. His beak was high in the air, making him appear as he felt. A true winner, but of what?
Killing Crowhell Bat wasn't an accomplishment worthy of much. The only source of trouble was its invisibility, but once it was solved, it didn't pose a problem. Close quarters were its weakness, while Anatidaes were known as expert brawlers. And he wasn't even a Peniscula.
That was at least what Lisa was thinking, but she was finding excuses to underwhelm Murai's accomplishment. All in all, he did more than she thought was possible against the invisible enemy. It was almost the perfect counter-opponent to his powers, but the Crowhell Bat had its fair share of disadvantages. Mainly, it had no clear magic, it couldn't injure him deep enough, and its intellect was like a rock. Sure, it could slam him and damage his feather, but not once it penetrated the flesh.
More head-on slams and Murai's feathers wouldn't help him much.
It wasn't the case, however. He ended up fine. Any fatigue was gone after this Boost. Even his feathers turned crisp and full. He put his strategy and skills into powerful countermoves, solving the problems with strategy and brute strength.
“Now. Now. Lorry is glad it is over, but before Gate 2 is next, shall Murai move on to the other parts of the rewards? As a Guide, the source of the reward is not only up to the Battleworld. This temple has a Vault of Gate 1. Lorry bets Lisa is already itching to see that, right?” Lorry glanced at her, but Lisa sneered and looked away. “No? Very well. Temple will reward the challengers in a unique way. The Guardian fits the right time. Gate 1 has Treasure Vaults. Murai will like them, Lorry is sure. It goes outside of the Boosts.”
“Is it somewhere else than the next Gate?” Murai asked.
“It is part of this Gate. Lorry will guide Murai to Gate 2 afterward. First, the Vaults will be up for Murai's choosing. Is that not great and exciting?” Lorry asked, his teeth clattered in a seemingly good mood.
Murai ended up nodding without many other thoughts to say. Lisa followed behind him after she stored the invisible corpse of the Crowhell Bat in her spatial pouch. It worked easily by a space storm that ate the invisible enemy. Space in the pouch was enough for it since the bat was not large.
They moved around the perimeters of the hallways until they walked to a wide and short hall. The leading figure was Lorry, who went straight to the locked door at the front, which unlocked. It was Mindarch who opened it wide. Not Lorry, who was just a token.
Thick moss littered the ground, which was a mixture of stone and soil, making up the bottom of a large cave beyond the door. Residual grass was trying to go through the edges, little creeks were around the floor, and nature tried to survive below the surface. Perhaps a lush land, filled with healthy grass was once this cave. Now, it was barren, with dead trees in the corner, and an empty pond of what was once full of water.
A dark atmosphere was in this place, but Murai had his Nigth Vision. Lisa was also a nice lantern. The surprising factor was also Lorry himself, whose Soul Flames lit the surroundings since there was limited light. There were no flowers—just some weeds.
One probable reason for the lack of vegetation was this place itself. It was underground, and flowers loved the sun. It may be solved with an artificial sun, or a spell of a similar kind, but the walls had some chandeliers of fire. Torches weren't enough to light this huge cave.
Though, Murai didn't watch the backyard for the scenery, or what was on the floor. What interested him were two large buildings in the middle of this large cave, as well as the Portal between them. It was quite a magnificent one, filled with waves of all kinds of colors and a mash of swirling mass of space.
Murai figured that each colorful wave and thread represented a path he could choose next. There were dozens of them. It was a very open Portal indeed. It was quite an exciting method in this challenging place. A choice was prone to no regrets aimed at the temple. Only one would be to blame if one was regretting the choice.
This sort of Portal was as clear to him as the path forward. But there was a catch. The further he went closer, the least he was sure about the Portal's premise. There was something wild and livid about it. It was absolutely chaotic in its waves, making the undulations tremble the surroundings around it.
He never considered this sort of chaotic spatial property in a Portal before. Too much of it can lead to unnecessary troubles. It had one big issue that made it absolutely horrendous.
It butchered the sole purpose of what made Portal so good, That was to travel from point A, to point B. This one, on the other hand, had no such purpose. It was full of Chaos. A fundamental element in the wild universe that was the origin of everything, along with the Order.
This Portal played with the Chaos itself. It wasn't natural. It was just insensible and weird, making the choice nonexistent. He will come in, and the portal will go into one of the possible Gate 2s.
Still, Murai was sure to gain some familiarity with this thing too, but he didn't like what he was looking at. Chaos Space this Portal held must be a peculiar power that only very few powerful mages can work with. He was never lucky enough to wield such sources of power, since his own comprehension and talent toward them was always lacking.
“Well, that is interesting,” Murai mumbled with his beak, tapping his flat feet a couple of meters before the portal.
“Oh, Murai is interesting in the Portal, rather than the Vaults?” Lorry said behind him, mocking his choices, but pretty much glaring at him in curiosity. Lisa was the same.