Chapter 477 - Green acid

The Rotlings are a constant reminder of the dangers of the mines we are traveling through. The deeper we delve, the more of them appear, and I could swear they have some sort of Hive Mind or skill-sharing ability.

If you kill one with lightning, the rest become that tiny bit more resistant to the lightning.

Of course, each one might have a different level of resistance, and I could be wrong. But I prefer to assume the worst, so that’s the option I go with.

For the first time, there have been some deaths, as Rotlings are now coordinating and often attacking in large groups against single targets. I’d like to think it’s just coincidence, not a display of greater intelligence, but they focus heavily on Lily and the other healers.

That’s why I’m watching closely now, as in the larger cave we're in, Lily steps forward, her axe flashing as it cleaves a Rotling in half. She shifts her stance, takes a few quick steps, and slashes into another. Using the width of the axe blade, she blocks three Rotlings in quick succession, delivering a few swift kicks.

As they put some distance to reorganize, she takes a big step, the handle of the axe extending, and she reaches them, one Rotling not quick enough to avoid the attack.

From beneath her, a dozen or so creatures burst from the ground, leaping at her legs. Their small mouths, filled with sharp teeth, bite into her flesh—which is highly durable—yet they manage to tear pieces from her legs.

Axe flashes as Lily cuts through her legs, in a blink growing new ones as she stomps and slashes against them.

Not even for a moment does she seem to be pushed enough to require help, and she quickly massacres the rest of the monsters.

When the attack stops after a few more minutes, the sounds of fighting are replaced by cries for help, plenty of dead bodies on the floor, most of them missing big chunks of their bodies, eaten alive.

After checking on us, Lily turns back, healing some people.

With how much she leveled her [Reconstruction], she doesn’t even need that much mana, and her natural regeneration fills it back fairly quickly.

“Are you planning something, letting her heal all these people?” Aaron stops by me while his brother moves not far from Lily, keeping an eye on her.

“Not really, it’s just something she wants to do.”

“What if she spends too much mana and needs it later?”

“Then it’ll be something she learns from and decides on herself.” I shrug it off. “By the way, I think Biscuit keeps sniffing in the same direction you mentioned the Witch’s connection leads. So that’s probably where the prisoner really is.”

(Food.) Biscuit confirms and sits on the ground next to us.

While looking at him, I continue to talk to Aaron, “That silly corgi refuses to tell me more about what’s there. It’s highly suspicious.”

Biscuit gives me a side-eye, a look that makes dogs look so silly when they do it, and then looks away.

“The Witch is planning something, you’re planning something, Biscuit is planning something, and Mais likely is as well,” Aaron sighs. “Nat, I swear, we haven’t had a single normal expedition. The old capital on the fourth, the Mana Desert not that long ago, and now this.”

I can’t help but agree with that. I just don’t tell him this might be something I prefer.

***

Hours pass, and we nearly get buried a few times, only the Witch’s quick reactions stopping me from stepping in, as she solidifies the rock around us or creates holes through the wall to yet another cave with a small outpost.

The timing is extremely suspicious, and we reach such places every time members of the expedition start complaining too much. It’s like she’s dangling shiny rewards in front of their faces to make them forget the dangers and let their greed take over.

There’s also the way she looks at humans that makes me think she might be a little bit… well, racist? Even a few human leaders, feylith or vyssari members, get the same looks—the only exception being thylarin.

She also knows I keep watching her, and it seems to annoy her. Not to the point of dealing with me and risking a clash down here, but I can see it in her bearing.

Still, I keep watching as she uses her skills, manipulating mana from her crown. I rely only on my regular senses, certain it would be unwise to provoke her by using mana senses. Even so, it's fascinating enough.

I'm also curious as to why she has six arms. The only other thylarin I met with six arms—though five were missing—was Caisus, the trapped Champion. The Witch isn’t anywhere near his level, with hers barely above 300, while Champions likely start around 500. So, being a Champion has nothing to do with it.

Maybe it’s some rare mutation? Or can the number of arms change similarly to how some humans can have brighter or darker skin? Is it the result of a trait? Is it something some thylarin are just born with? A skill? I'm curious.

Then there’s trouble with Babyface, number 4 of Hollowgate, and one of the other members, leading one of the bigger and stronger groups who joined.

It could be said that the entire expedition split into 4 groups.

The first one is the Witch, Mais, and some other loyalists.

Another one is Babyface, his group members, and some additional people.

The biggest group consists of some random people collected to be used as fodder. They know it as well, yet decided to risk it in hopes of getting their hands on some expensive materials. Likely hearing from veterans of previous expeditions about dangers and opportunities.

Our small group of five is last, positioned there for sheer strength comparable to any other other group.

As for Babyface, he is a tall, muscular man wearing leather armor and fighting using a crystal dagger and a weird skill that allows him to create crystals, not dissimilar to Myrra´s Aurora Glass. Hearing his nickname, I would expect a different kind of face, but the man is extremely… well, not that nice to look at.

Broken nose, a meaty scar that goes from his left cheek to his clavicle, a missing left ear, and a huge bushy beard.

He relentlessly bombards Lily with offers to join his group as a healer, and the Witch’s group makes a similar offer. Shamelessly, right in front of me, they’re trying to take Lily away.

If we weren’t so deep underground, if Lily weren’t so strong or important, and if I were weaker, I’m sure these attempts would look very different.

Around that time, acid rivers start appearing as well.

Unlike the rivers full of a weird combination of molten material, they are much smaller. Streams of green acid circulate through the walls in separate tunnels, probably as big as a bus.

Sometimes monsters redirect small streams at the cost of their lives, the green acid starting to fill the tunnels we passed through minutes ago and heading toward us, that way avoiding the Witch blocking them.

These streams of green acid partially evaporate as well, filling the tunnels with vapor that moves quicker than the liquid form.

Before we learn to block them and expand our senses, they reach us two times.

The first time, a group of twelve dies almost instantly, as the vapor melts their skin, flesh, and lungs within moments, before the rest manage to push it away with a wind-like skill. The stream following the vapor arrives quickly, dissolving the twitching bodies on the ground in seconds, then breaking through the mana barriers we set.

It even melts through my tricolored barrier, partially dissolves the reinforced stone the Witch creates in front of it, and effortlessly evaporates weapons left on the ground.

Instead of blocking it, I switch to Breaker Style, a controlled burst of kinetic energy forming a ditch through the entire width of the tunnel, the acid flowing there and filling it as we make our escape.

Joining in, the Witch deepens it, creating a gutter that leads it somewhere else into the wall.

As the guys with wind-type skills keep the vapor away, I watch the expressions of fear solidify on the faces of most of the expedition members.

Of course, that's when Lily gets closer and sticks her finger into the green acid and when she pulls it out, it’s gone—bone, flesh, tendons.

As it starts regrowing, it’s slower, much slower than usual.

(If I heal even my body this slowly, I would recommend you guys avoid it and not rely on healing marks,) she notes, fascination not leaving her face.

Then she goes back to it and, in front of shocked people nearby, dips her entire hand into it.

***

An hour later, there’s another wave of looting, this time in a small mine we found. The timing is perfect, as plenty of people started to panic when we got attacked by streams of acid multiple times. For a short moment, the fears are replaced by greed, and I’m sure around this time the Witch is thinking of just separating.

I would probably do so as well. The big groups of people are likely a bother when there aren’t monsters attacking but this acid. Of course, there is a chance if she does so, monsters will start attacking normally again. Sucks to be her.

Taking the time to rest, I rely on Lily nearby to keep an eye, and I close my eyes, appearing in an empty metro, electric lights shining on the ceiling and an empty train passing by.

That train slows quickly until it comes to a stop, Whitey standing near it. He wears a black suit that fits him very well, and even his hair is a bit shorter and tied, falling on his back, the hairstyle still emphasizing his horns.

I know I’ve said that Channeler is one handsome mofo, but Whitey is on an entirely different level…

On one of the screens, the view changes from the train schedule to me stomping to stop the stream of acid.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone so proud over something performed so terribly.” He stomps, imitating my movement, and in the ground under him, a crater forms.

This one is perfectly circular, the released kinetic energy taken back, reused, and sent akin to a wave, clashing with the first shockwave and deepening the crater two more times after the initial impact.

“How the hell were you only level 301?”

The question seems to make the demon happy, and he smiles. “The others might have uselessly focused on leveling, but I trained to control my abilities better.”

I mumble, “While you were partying, I studied the kinetic energy. When you were having premarital sex, I mastered my skills. While you wasted your days leveling in pursuit of vanity, I cultivated inner strength.”

Even though it was said quietly, Whitey catches on and nods energetically. “Yes, just like that. I quite like it!”

Without warning, he appears in front of me in a flawless display of Wraith Dance, and I mirror it, my movement taking me to the other side of the metro and I sense him moving behind me.

I time my attack, tracking his presence, but when I turn to face him, he’s gone, leaving only a disorienting afterimage in his place.

Instead, he punches my side with an open palm, and I switch to Resonance Flow, absorbing the impact, moving it through my body, and with a switch to Breaker Style, add my own energy to it and release it at Whitey.

He also switches to Resonance Flow and does the same, absorbing it all with ease and throwing it at me.

I mimic him, and he then mimics me.

We stand there, throwing kinetic energy at each other, absorbing it, adding more, and throwing it back, the amount of energy ramping up very quickly.

“When it comes to moving large amounts of kinetic energy, you’re quite good,” Whitey nods, satisfied, and takes a step toward me, his body so close I could punch him.

As the distance closes, his speed increases, giving me less time to react. The jerk begins subtly shifting what I think of as the frequency of kinetic energy.

My absorptions are rough, bits of energy releasing around me, cracking the floor, while when Whitey does it, not a single one of his hairs moves in the reaction.

Dozens of quick attempts later, I fail to do so, and before it all bursts open, I release it in the direction of Whitey, who absorbs it again and throws it back, the explosion smashing me against the wall, the metro exploding around us.

Only a last-second absorption of my impact stops me from dying here.

Blowing the dust away, Whitey stops in front of me and nods, satisfied to see I’m not dead yet. “Tell me, why don’t you use mana? Why don’t you level up and get your Primary Class upgrade like I did? Wouldn’t that make facing me easier and more fair? It’s something you could have done already.”

I fall from the wall and dust off my clothes. “Because I don’t want to.”

“There’s Pride, and then there’s being dumb.” Whitey takes off his jacket, unbuttons one button on his vest, and starts rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt.

Standing there tall and proud, he moves a strand of hair from his face, the mellow atmosphere around him changing.

The lights above, damaged by the explosion, flicker, throwing a shadow on his face, and his red eyes glow dangerously as he becomes more serious.

“If you land a hit on me, I might finally tell you my name,” he offers playfully.

“Must be a terrible name for you to hide it for so long.”

His teeth show in an irritated smile. “... you little shit.” With that, he disappears, and the fight starts anew.

***

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