Chapter 30: Fighting

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: FightingLian resolved to make use of the time before the worm returned, choosing to remain in place. "If I am to become a Bronze 2, I must advance my meditation technique and absorb Mana Cores." A resolute smile crossed his face, his eyes glinting with purpose. "It is time to transform this wretched desert into a training ground." "Geometric Meditation," he declared, settling into a focused state. During his previous cultivation session, Lian had gathered and refined twenty mana orbs, significantly bolstering his strength. Furthermore, the absorption of a Mana Core had enhanced his overall abilities. Having drawn six lines previously, he was eager to discover how many more he could manage before reaching his limit once again. The seventh line materialized with startling ease, causing Lian to jolt with joy as the energy flowed into his body. The eighth and ninth lines followed with similar ease, each one drawn with a fluidity that surprised him. "If we do some calculations, I would say that every twenty mana orbs I absorb equate to three lines... so this should have been my limit. However, having absorbed a Mana Core, it appears my capacity has increased. Let us see by how much—" His voice was a mix of curiosity and determination, a spark in the oppressive heat. The tenth line appeared in his mind, its form vivid and clear. As more lines emerged, they began to coalesce into the faint outline of a circle. "This is difficult, but I believe I can draw one more—" he said, absorbing the mana from the tenth line, his body trembling with the influx of energy. His body felt like a bomb of raw power, teetering on the edge of a breakthrough. Yet, something was missing—despite his body’s readiness, an unseen barrier held him back, a frustrating limit that gnawed at his resolve. "Tch, I will not give up! Perhaps I must absorb a certain number of lines before I can advance. Let us find my limit!" he muttered, drawing his final line. "Excellent. That makes eleven," he said as his body emitted a faint blue glow. It seemed that absorbing the Mana Core had granted him the ability to draw two additional lines, pushing his boundaries further than he had anticipated. His moment of triumph was abruptly interrupted by a tremor beneath the sand. "Oh, right on cue. Could that be the worm from before?" he said, leaping to his feet. A worm’s head emerged a few meters away, small and yellowish. "An Iron 2," he thought, his heart quickening with anticipation. "Perfect. It is the ideal candidate for my experiment. But first, I should incapacitate it... I would not want it to escape," he reasoned, crouching slightly, ready to enact his plan. "Alright, it is weak, so I must hit it with a weak spell..." "Geometric Spells, Circle!" He visualized a small circle, drawing it with swift precision and aiming it at the open maw of the worm slithering toward him. "Ignis Arde, Ignis Globus!" As expected, the creature opened its jaws wide and swallowed the projectile with a satisfied hiss. Its body quivered slightly, and a reddish hue began to form across its scales, a sign of the transformation Lian had anticipated. But before it could even consider fleeing, Lian rushed toward it with startling speed, pummeling it with punches and kicks. "Stay down while you evolve, you filthy monster!" he shouted, striking with controlled force, careful not to overwhelm it. After a few more hits, the creature grew too weak to move, remaining still as it absorbed the spell into its body. A significant amount of time passed before changes began to manifest in the worm. Its body started to glow an unnatural red, and the heat emanating from it intensified. "Damn it, it is working... it is getting hotter!" Lian exclaimed, his voice tinged with both excitement and apprehension. But just as the worm neared the completion of its evolution, another head burst from the sand with alarming speed. It was the Iron 5 worm from before. As expected, its body had taken on a redder hue, though not as pronounced as the crooked-teeth worm’s had been. This worm did not unleash fireballs at Lian. Instead, it fixed its attention on the evolving worm beside the boy, its intentions clear—it wanted to devour its kin. "Seriously, buddy? Now I am the protector of worms against their own kind? What a twisted joke of fate..." Lian muttered, his voice laced with incredulity. He roared, positioning his body as a shield to protect the evolving worm, allowing it to complete its transformation in peace. "I do not care how strong you have become—I am stronger!" With those words, a circle appeared in his mind, swiftly splitting into two smaller circles. "Take this, Ignis Arde, Ignis Globus!" The two projectiles shot toward the monster at high speed, but it dodged them with relative ease."Tch, it is fast. I need a plan..." Lian muttered, his mind racing for a solution. The monster was not attacking Lian directly. Perhaps it, too, was waiting for the smaller worm’s evolution, intent on stealing the prey from the boy. Lian seized the opportunity, launching more fiery projectiles at the worm, which it continued to evade effortlessly. "Damn bastard, let us try something different..." he growled, frustration mounting. A circle materialized in his mind, splitting into four, each slightly smaller than a standard circle. Lian’s goal was to bombard the ground around the worm, leaving it no escape route. "Ignis Arde, Ignis Globus!" he declared, amplifying his spell with the incantation. Four fireballs materialized beside him, hurtling toward the designated directions. The worm attempted to dodge, but the surrounding explosions caught it, a fiery trap closing in. "I have got you!" Lian shouted, following up with single projectiles in rapid succession, aiming to inflict as much damage as possible. A cloud of sand and smoke rose like a tsunami, obscuring the monster from view. Lian panted heavily, his chest heaving. "What do you think of that, huh?" His voice carried a mix of triumph and exhaustion. As the dust settled, there was no sign of the monster. "Did I disintegrate it? What about my Mana Core?" he thought for a moment, his heart sinking. "No, wait... it cannot have died—" His instincts were correct. The monster had merely fled underground, now charging toward him with alarming agility, its head bursting from the sand directly beneath his feet, a sudden assault that caught him off guard. "Damn it!" Lian muttered, throwing himself to the side. "That was close..." he said, eyeing the monster now positioned closer to the evolving worm. "You bastard, now I will kill you for real!" His voice roared with defiance, a vow to end the threat. The monster’s body bore slight blackened marks, evidence that the earlier explosion had made an impact, but it had not sustained significant damage. Now in a better position, the worm had no qualms about unleashing its full power. As Lian shouted and prepared his spell, the monster opened its mouth. A light began to glow within its throat, a menacing prelude to its attack, while Lian drew his circle. "Damn it, faster!" he thought, sensing the mana stirring within the creature. Despite his closed eyes as he focused on the circle, Lian could somehow perceive that the monster was about to unleash a fireball. Almost simultaneously, Lian’s fiery projectile and the worm’s fireball collided mid-air, creating an explosion that sent his hair whipping back. "I must be faster," he said, using his arm as a shield to protect his eyes from the flying sand. "However, I cannot draw small circles—they lack the firepower..." As Lian strategized, the battle raged on. Fireballs clashed mid-air, with the evolving Bronze 1 worm lying beside the Iron 2 worm, which continued to writhe in the throes of its transformation. "Oh?" An idea sparked in Lian’s mind as he observed the collisions between his projectiles and the worm’s fireballs. It had happened several times during their magical duel, with Lian casting far more spells due to the speed of his smaller circles. Yet, despite many projectiles hitting the monster, they left only minor black marks. After all, before becoming a Bronze 1, the worm had been an Iron 5—its body was tougher, and its spells could rival an Iron 3 in power. "This is how I can make my projectile stronger without sacrificing its speed!" A sudden epiphany took root in Lian’s mind as he sought an opportunity to execute it. "Let us see if you ignore this strike like the others..." he murmured, preparing a new combination.