Everyone looked at Ark with wariness in their eyes. Given how he walked away, it was natural. Even Silvia, who seemed genuinely happy, didn't draw near just yet.
His appearance also didn't help.
A face that was void of the slightest emotion, clothes stained with blood, and a hand completely covered in blood. He also carried a burned, bloody smell.
Ark looked like a psychopath after a kill, which was basically true.
There was no sign of the red eyes. His killing intent long faded, and he moved lightly and casually.
It's the silver peregrine that broke the silence. Jeff flew to Ark undettered of his cold aura and landed on his shoulder, gently rubbing his tiny head that only reached Ark's neck.
“I am fine.”
Jeff tweeted in concern.
“Scenario 4. Get to it. I trust you, little bud.”
Jeff left, but only after sending a pulse of Primordial Wind at Ark. The little bird finally showed his abilities, his destiny to be by Silvia's, the Wind Avatar's, side.
It was so little that weak pulse must have drained Jeff dry, but his mastery and potential were apparent. Ark didn't resist the pulse, and he immediately felt safe.
He pushed down his emotions and focused solely on his killing intent to avoid being affected by the enchantment, but then he didn't want to deal with the emotions that were sure to follow.
However, the calming tinge of silver energy now made him feel secured.
(Thank you.)
Ark, so silly and immature, without a hint of madness in his gaze, was unable to express his gratitude aloud.
“Wait a minute.” A knight that Ark didn't even know his name stepped forward and spoke out. His voice trembled, and he was clearly afraid. “How do we know this isn't a farce and the... the witch didn't send you as a spy?”
Was it because of the trauma from being manipulated? It seemed to have sowed a sense of wariness and distrust in the knights.
Ark looked around and met various gazes.
He circulated mana in his circuits—a basic drill to improve control. He did so as he walked through the city and even now at this moment. However, Ark now modified the drill to explore the best pathways for the least dispersion of mana, which was to better utilize overcharged spellcasting.
Then he stopped.
Mana Drain activated, and magic power flowed into Ark, at first gently, then more and more violently. Mana flooded from all around, drawn in a whirlpool.
“You are all fired. I am clearing the dungeon today, so quietly hole yourself where I can't see you, be it your room or whatever.”
The confused looks Ark received amused him. Some people were truly unaware at times.
“You are nothing but a burden.” He amassed more and more mana, to the point he couldn't stop it from leaking. Instead, he pushed more in to compensate. “I will clear that damned dungeon by myself, just like I did as a snotty brat, something none of you will ever achieve, because you are all utterly useless, and you should take this opportunity to understand why a bird was more helpful than any of you.”
With that, Ark left. The thick magic power that enveloped him was like the armor of a soldier marching to war.
To minimize the impact on mana-sensitive civilians, he moved from rooftop to rooftop and passed the city with calculated leaps. He redirected every intent to divert attention and conceal himself from the surroundings, all but one knight following through him through the crowd.
(I admit you are straightforward, Barkus.)
It was Barkus, tall and muscular, strong and promising, which earned him the epithet of Goliath.
“Am I really that worthless?” he asked.
So young and talented. Barkus reached the might of B-class through his strength while barely 16. His body was gifted, his spirit was strong, and his skill was a strengthening type, which was highly regarded. And true to the promise that he showed, Barkus won a tournament with veteran adventurers and mercenaries and earned himself an epithet earlier than most in his generation.
Ark knew that much because he witnessed the moment with his own eyes. He saw someone his age using his strength to overwhelm his opponents and even thought he was impressive.
But that's it.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“Yes. You are weak, and most improtantly, you don't put in the effort.”
“I do... I do put in the effots! More than anyone else!” He tried to protest, but that made Ark even more disappointed.
“If that's what you think.”
Magic power seeped out of Ark less and less. Even the bits that leaked were pushed back inside. His breathing remained calm throughout, but his mind relaxed as he took control over the abundant mana.
Seeing this only served to agitate Barkus. “I am not like you or Silvia. I am not that talented!”
Talent. The word Ark had no relation to almost made him laugh. Everyone he met was half-hearted, limiting themselves with excuses, then crying about the unfairness of the world.
(Guess what? The world really is unfair.)
“Your body is stronger, your spirit is stronger, you have more mana, and you have a powerful skill, yet you complain?”
“My spirit isn't stronger! You demolished me with just your newborn spirit,” he objected.
Ark unfolded his spirit without boosting it with Phantom. “I won't use magic. I won't even use my skill. Come at me.”
The world lost its colors before he even finished the sentence. It wasn't quite as slow as when he used Mind Acceleration, but even that was enough to slow Barkus's movements to effectively a walking pace.
The Goliath charged with his spirit's passive strengthening, unarmed like Ark; his strength and endurance fortified even further with Bolster. Agitation and frustration clouded his judgment, and he failed to maintain his usual composure.
Ark found it difficult to move. Unlike Barkus, who moved at a walking pace, he moved at a crawling pace. But that wasn't an issue.
Grasping his Void Spirit, he redirected power to his hand and exploded it toward Barkus's chest. Pushing more energy from the fist forward and blasting the young man backwards. All that using the tiny little output of power that would barely be classified as D-rank.
It was something he failed to do with Potentia series energies, but it felt much more natural with the spirit's innate strength.
(As expected, it's strong. But can I fuse it with fire energy or the other energies?) Ark thought to himself as he left the colorless world. (I should see what information I can find on spirits and energies in Elizabeth's library.)
“Barkus, start using your brain and your skill. Once you stop thinking about how you can become stronger and improve, it's over.”
Ark never stopped thinking, never stopped practicing, never stopped trying to learn.
It hurt like hell; it caused him terrible headaches, but he wasn't willing to accept his weakness. That's what made him who he was—the foundation he had based himself on.
He walked away, leaving Barkus on his own. After a few minutes of walking, he found Silvia waiting for him near the dungeon entrance, Silverstar in her hands.
“Took you long enough,” she said.
“I had to beat the crap out of someone.” Ark stopped himself from adding 'useless' at the end.
“Don't be too tough on him. Barkus is diligent and a nice guy overall. He only reacted that much because he looks up to you.”
“He wastes away. That academy rotted his brain. A curriculum meant to mass-produce knights with a limited variety.”
“It's not wrong, but do you think everyone can go on their own? The curriculum is unavoidably making compromises to apply to a broader scope of people, teaching necessary knowledge, and guaranteeing safety.”
Safety wasn't bad. Ark also enjoyed not feeling like some unknown threat would spring forth from nowhere, which happened constantly, but that's why he made the most of peaceful days.
But at the same time, the back of his head screamed at him the uncomfortable fact.
“Safety is boring,” Ark said without a speck of a lie. “It takes the fun out of fighting. Sure, destroying an army of mobs is fun, but killing a superior enemy is what makes my heart race.”
The joy of winning was incredible. Sometimes the price was heavy and he couldn't enjoy it properly, but thrill found itself creeping into him whenever he outlasted someone better.
And there were so fucking many better.
“Battle maniac,” Silvia said, and he didn't deny.
What's the point of power if it wasn't used?
They entered the dungeon and teleported to the tenth floor. Walking down the stairs, Silvia handed Ark his sword, which he let her examine for a while.
“I can't believe you forgot your sword.”
“How careless of me.”
In reality, the sword and his phrasing were an invitation for Silvia to join. After all, Ark had help from his parter while exploring his first dungeon, a fact he explained succinctly.
“What is waiting at the bottom?” Silvia asked as they crossed the dimly lit stairs. “You refused to answer even though it should be similar to the one you cleared before.”
“I have no idea.”
“Is the last room going to be different? But what was in the other one?”
This time, Ark took a second to think of an answer.
What lied at the end of the dungeon he explored as a kid?
“A Calamity.”
His first experience with a Calamity happened to be his first experience exploring a dungeon.
Silvia didn't ask further questions, despite how curious she probably was. She patiently waited for Ark to continue.
“We got trapped. The floors were a dysfunctional mess. We could barely breathe, and there was no food or water. I used her like a mana battery because she had a stupid amount and zero control, and we barely delt with the defensive mechanisms that were viciously accurate. Then, as we were most tired and exhausted, we decided to risk the final floor and hope the challenge is something we can pull through. What we found was a Calamity in the devesated bottom floor.” Ark paused, emotions taking over him. “I used a holy item I had, and it was enough to turn that brat into an S-class menace. Of course, I had to use more than just that, and with some cooperation, we defeated the Calamity.”
Solemn silence ensued as they reached the room with the five swords, now four as the green one shattered.
“Was it hard?”
“I lost opportunities with that battle. Examining the magic, the real trials, and more ancient magic and technology. Not to mention the holy item I had acquired after sacrificing a lot. No, it wasn't hard. It was hell.”
“But that is why you are so strong. Here,” she tapped on her head. “And here.” She tapped on her heart.
Blinking, Ark maintained an emotionless face and looked away at the room.
The room had nothing else to it. The only keys were the swords, but without the green one, there was no way of opening the door.
At first, Ark wanted to take control over the mechanism like he did in the labyrinthine tenth floor, but that wouldn't work this time. The labyrinth was designed in such a way that someone would be able to manually control the walls, unlike the door, which was sealed until the right key was inserted.
So instead he slashed at the door.
The slash close to a concept did not damage the door, opening it instead.
(I got pretty good at using this after several uses and near-uses.)
It was still an incomplete concept, but Ark was able to make it a step closer. He had learned how to visualize both a 'slash' and a 'target'.
However, there was hardly time to enjoy it as the enemy flocked from the door in droves.