Chapter 29: Artificial Magical Monsters?

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Artificial Magical Monsters?"Damn it, I must do better!" Lian cursed under his breath, his voice barely audible over the rustling sand. The worms granted him no reprieve. The first, injured, burrowed beneath the sand, while the second opened its gaping maw, preparing another bite, its jagged teeth gleaming with predatory intent. Lian dove to the side, but the monster’s teeth grazed his arm, leaving a red welt that stung with a sharp, lingering pain. "Alright, that is enough!" he shouted, anger surging within him like a rising tide. The wound, though superficial, was a testament to his strengthened body, yet the pain was a bitter reminder of his vulnerability, a spark of defiance igniting in his chest. "Now I will finish you off!" He focused once more, pushing aside the slight ache radiating from his arm. "Geometric Spells, Circle!" This time, he envisioned a larger circle, its form expanding in his mind like a blazing sun. "If small projectiles are not enough, let us see how you handle a massive fireball!" he thought, the mana warming his hands with a fiery pulse. "Ignis Arde, Ignis Globus!" A fireball as large as his head hurtled toward the visible worm, striking its flank with devastating force. The explosion was deafening, and the creature collapsed with a guttural wail, its body half-charred. [Accuracy: 70%] "Yes! Take that, you filthy beast!" Lian let out a triumphant cry, his voice echoing across the desolate expanse. But he had no time to celebrate. The sand beneath him trembled again, and the second worm emerged directly behind him, its mouth agape and ready to strike, a silent predator rising from the depths. "Damn it!" Lian shouted, rolling away at the last second. The worm’s teeth grazed his leg, tearing a strip of fabric from his tattered pants. "Alright, now you have pissed me off!" he yelled, his pulse pounding like a war drum. "You cannot keep popping up out of nowhere like that!" He rose, panting, and prepared another spell, his resolve hardened by the relentless assault. Moments later, one fiery projectile after another erupted from his hands, striking the worm in multiple spots. Blood sprayed across the sand as the stench of burnt flesh grew ever more pungent. "Finally..." Lian muttered, breathless, his hands still warm from the mana coursing through him. The two worms lay motionless in the sand, their bodies smoking and reduced to tattered remnants. The acrid smell of charred flesh stung his nose, mingling with the ever-present taste of sand he could not rid from his mouth. "Now I must escape before more arrive—Lian, shut up. Everything you say comes true, so just stay quiet and run in peace..." He chastised himself, his voice a whisper of caution. His blue eyes scanned the horizon, where the sun remained fixed in the sky, unyielding and eternal. "This place is a nightmare. But at least I am alive." A crooked smile crossed his face. "For now." As he prepared to flee, the thought of the crooked-teeth worm resurfaced in his mind. "Wait a moment..." he murmured, scratching his sand-encrusted chin. "That worm... it was an Iron 3 when I first fought it. Then it returned, all red and angry, shooting fireballs like a Mage, effectively becoming a Bronze 1." He paused, his mind racing with possibilities. "It cannot be that... it absorbed my spell, can it? After all, it fled after swallowing my fireball..." The realization hit him like a thunderbolt. "Damn it, that is it!" he hissed, his eyes widening in shock. "These filthy worms absorb spells! I must be careful where I cast my magic. I need to practice extensively." His voice trembled with a mix of awe and apprehension. He ran a hand through his hair, tugging at the rebellious lock falling over his eyes. Another idea struck him like lightning. "What if I cultivate these monsters artificially? I could encounter an Iron 1, feed it a fireball, wait for it to return, and kill it definitively to obtain a Mana Core!" He glanced around, his heart beating faster with the audacity of the plan. But before putting his scheme into action, he decided he needed more training. "I cannot risk being eaten by a worm just because I messed up a circle," he thought, clenching his fists. "I must improve my accuracy. If I can master the Circle, perhaps I can do something even more impressive than simple fireballs... and who knows, maybe one day I will understand what that Hypercube is... though it feels like the System is mocking me right now." "Moreover," he murmured before turning to flee for good, his steps resolute despite the weight of exhaustion. "I feel I am close to a breakthrough. Remember, Lian, arrogance leads to death!" After walking for another hour under the scorching sun, with the horizon unchanging and relentless, Lian decided to sit and begin training. "Geometric Spells, Circle!" He closed his eyes, focusing on the shape in his mind. After a few seconds, the circle appeared, clear and luminous but still slightly crooked at the edges, a flawed gem in the rough of his consciousness. Lian had improved significantly since his first attempt, when it took him over ten seconds to draw half a circle, but he was still far from perfecting the form. "Come on, Lian, you can do better," he told himself, gritting his teeth. He experimented with making the circle larger, then smaller, playing with its dimensions as he had before, each attempt a step toward mastery. Every time he completed the shape, a tiny spark of mana tingled in his fingers, as if the System were encouraging him, a subtle nudge from an unseen ally. "Ignis Arde, Ignis Globus!" he shouted, launching a fireball toward a distant dune. The explosion kicked up a cloud of sand, but it lacked sufficient power, a reminder that precision was as crucial as intent. [Accuracy: 72%] "Not bad. Since absorbing the Mana Core, I feel my mind has improved as well," he murmured, wiping sweat from his brow. "But I must reach 100% if I want to unlock something else." He continued training, heedless of the world around him, lost in the rhythm of his magic. After some time, the sand trembled beneath him, interrupting his focus. "Well, I was looking for a worm," he muttered, surveying the scene of utter devastation before him. "Maybe I got a bit carried away..." he said, scratching the back of his neck with an embarrassed expression. A worm’s head emerged a few meters away, but it was not as small as Lian had hoped. "An Iron 5?" he thought, his heart racing. "Damn it... Should I flee, fight, or power it up?" With a deep breath, he raised a hand, ready to draw a circle in his mind. "I must take it down... if this monster becomes a Bronze 1, with its physical strength, it will become a real threat." "Geometric Spells, Circle!" Before the monster could lunge, a massive fireball streaked past it—not because Lian’s aim was poor, but because he feared the creature might accidentally swallow it. Alas, the worm had no intention of dodging. Observing the fireball closely, it sensed the energy it could harness. Lunging forward, it swallowed the fireball in one gulp. A thick plume of black smoke billowed from its mouth as it let out a satisfied belch. "Damn it! Have I created a monster?!" Lian thought, preparing to launch more fireballs, this time faster and less powerful. "Geometric Spell, Circle!" A circle materialized in his mind, but with a swift thought, it split into three smaller circles, a bold experiment born of desperation. "Let us see how you handle my fiery triad!" he thought with a hint of pride, rapidly tracing their outlines. "Ignis Arde, Ignis Globus!" The monster, too absorbed in the fireball it had just consumed, noticed the three projectiles hurtling toward it too late. Boom— The explosion was small, the damage not significant enough to cripple the monster, but enough to snap it out of its stupor. Just as Lian thought an interesting battle was about to begin, the monster fled, burrowing into the sandy ground, a coward’s retreat that left him stunned. "Damn it, when it comes back, it will kill me... I must hurry and become a Bronze 2!" His voice carried a mix of urgency and determination. --- Author’s Note! Lian’s getting smarter, but his mouth keeps getting him into trouble! Will he master the Circle and survive the return of the powered-up worm? Drop a Power Stone to give him a boost!