Chapter 42: Perfect Timing!

Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Perfect Timing![Precision: 100%] [Error—] [The precision of the Square form cannot exceed that of the first form, Circle.] [Recalculating...] [Current maximum precision (Circle): 78%] Lian stared at the notifications, speechless. He had not expected to achieve 100% precision in constructing the square form, a feat that seemed almost too perfect for his newly unlocked ability. But what he saw next sent him into a spiral. "No way!" his voice came out like a whining cry as he thought through all the possibilities of this. Does this mean I have to master the simple forms by getting 100% in the circle form first? Are we joking? Just as Lian was ranting about the absurdity of it all, more system notifications rang in his mind. [Mission: Reach 70% precision with Square to unlock a new form, COMPLETED!] [CONGRATULATIONS, Lian Veyr.] "Ohh??" Hearing the notification, Lian’s anger dissipated like smoke, replaced by an unprecedented excitement, a rush of triumph that surged through his veins like wildfire. The next instant, another notification sound brought unpleasant memories back to his mind. [Please choose one of these three cards.] In his mind, the same image from a few days ago repeated itself, along with the unpleasant memories of a monster’s appearance and his poor choice. Not that the hypercube was useless—far from it. It was just that Lian’s level did not allow the use of such a complex form, its intricate geometry far beyond his current grasp. "Hm..." One hand rested under his chin as he calmly chose which card to draw. "Last time, I picked the third from the right... and it did not go so well..." he whispered, pondering the best choice to make. Meanwhile, Seline and Freddy were still mesmerized by the stone block Lian had launched earlier. They wanted to rush over and question the boy immediately, but seeing his position remain unchanged as he continued to whisper and mutter something, the two decided to let it go. They could ask him anything later. But just as Lian was about to make his choice and the two returned to their tasks, something powerful shook the sandy ground beneath them, a violent tremor that seemed to herald doom. "Huh?" "Again?!" Seline and Freddy said at the same moment. The swordsman immediately assumed a combat stance, his sword unsheathed and glowing green. Thanks to Seline and Lian’s intervention, the sword had regained its full mana pool, its runes pulsing with renewed vigor. It should be noted that storing mana in an artifact was far more costly than using the magic itself. It had taken nearly all their mana to fill it, while they could have used the same amount of mana in the artifact to cast at least twice as many spells. Seline stood up abruptly, beginning to channel mana to prepare her spells. This time was different; she could feel it. The monster would not appear for just a few seconds before vanishing—it would confront them. "So the boss is about to appear?" Seline asked with a doubtful voice as the sand continued to churn. "I sense a dense mana aura—" Freddy did not answer right away. His eyes were closed as his sword was plunged into the sandy ground, trying to better sense the enemy’s movements. "Little girl, someone’s power is not based solely on the aura or energy they emit," he said, pulling the sword from the ground as he stared in a specific direction. "We are about to face a magical monster; they are generally less durable than their physical counterparts." "But let me tell you frankly," he added, tensing his muscles, ready to attack at any moment. "The monster we are facing is more dangerous than the last one!" As soon as he finished saying those words, a reddish-skinned worm—different from those Lian had artificially evolved—burst out of the sand. A scream of pure power tore through the air as Lian snapped awake from his meditation. "Huh?" he murmured, turning his head sharply, only to see a massive worm staring at his companions with a hunger to devour them. "Not again, damn it!!" he shouted as he got to his feet. Why do these damn monsters always appear with perfect timing?! Lian thought with a visible frown on his face, his frustration bubbling over at the relentless interruptions. This time, he had chosen the first card, the one farthest to the left, hoping to get something simpler. But just as the card was about to reveal itself, the worm’s scream interrupted him. Observing the creature’s color and the mana it radiated, Lian immediately realized what it was. "A magical monster? Why is it covered in blood?" he said to himself, staring at the monster with a thoughtful gaze, his mind racing to piece together the puzzle of its eerie appearance. Freddy was ready. The moment the monster appeared, the man leaped high, approaching the worm. His sword moved with swiftness as several wind blades flew toward the roaring monster, each slash a crescent of razor-sharp air slicing through the desert haze. The wind blades struck the monster, cutting into parts of its body. The monster did not scream; it simply opened its mouth, rushing toward Freddy. "Maybe you really are weak..." he said as he landed on the ground. The sharp fangs were about to descend on Freddy when something unsettling emerged from its mouth. "Damn it!" Freddy barely had time to dodge the jet of red substance, rolling away and then fleeing with fear in his eyes. "What the hell was that?!" he said, watching the sand turn red with a sizzling liquid. The smell was nauseating and vaguely reminded him of... "Blood?" Lian shouted with realization. "It seemed strange that all the blood on the sand disappeared without a trace! It was always you absorbing it to evolve!!" Then, the scene became even more gruesome. The blood dripping from the monster’s open wounds coagulated, returning to its body and closing the wounds as if they had never been there, a grotesque display of regenerative power that defied natural logic. The worm screamed again, but this time it was not just screams. Hundreds of pores, each a few centimeters wide, opened on its body. Suddenly, the worm had become a sponge, its surface bristling with malevolent potential. A moment later, countless blood needles formed from the pores, hurtling toward all of them. Cursing a bit, Freddy positioned his sword in front of himself, shielding himself from most of the needles. Unfortunately, some landed on his body, causing him excruciating pain, each prick a searing agony that tested his iron resolve. Though Seline was farther away, she was also a target of the blood needles. "Aqua Vivax, Rivo Levis" With veiled mastery, she used a sharp jet of water to block the attacks, but the needles were too powerful, small, and sharp to be stopped by a mere Bronze 1 Mage like Seline. However, she managed to deflect many before some of the needles broke through her water jet, piercing her body. "Ahhhh!" Seline’s eyes widened as the pain she felt made her scream and tremble like a leaf, her body wracked with torment as the needles burrowed into her flesh. The needles were not lethal, but the pain they caused was immense. Lian suffered the same fate, facing numerous needles that came at him with great speed. But the boy was not scared—or at least, not too much. A stone block stood before him, ready to defend him, a solid barrier conjured from his newfound mastery of the Square form. Lian prayed that no needle could break through the defense and hit him, and fortunately, it went that way. No needle broke through the stone block... except one. Exploiting the grooves the other needles had made in the stone block, a single needle managed to slip through, piercing and striking Lian in the shoulder. "AH!" a small scream escaped his lips, only to hear Seline’s much louder one. "Damn it, the monster must have hit her head-on!" the boy hissed, trying to stand up. "This time, I won’t sit on the sidelines. I’m going to destroy that worm with my own hands!" Resolve shone in his eyes as the stone block vanished, allowing Lian to see the monster clearly. A blood-red worm had its head floating in the air, while the rest of its long body was above and below the sand. Its fangs were smaller than those of the Steel 1 worm they had faced earlier, but the aura it radiated had nothing to envy. It was a magical monster, a genuine Silver 1 in all its splendor!