Leveling up the World

Chapter 723: Desperate Boosting

MAJOR HEAL

Your health has been increased by 50%

Dallion thought he saw a red rectangle hover before his eyes. After he blinked, it was gone. Still, he was starting to feel a lot better. The dartblade was on his chest, surrounded by a layer of blue flames.

Are you okay, boss? Lux asked from within his realm.

This wasnt a question that could be answered right away. For several seconds he lay there, trying to figure out if all the pain had left his body. Then and only then he stood up. The door remained open a few steps away. It was pointless closing it at this point, so Dallion didnt. Rather, he proceeded to collect all his gear and belongings.

Back into the fray? The armadil shield asked. I have to hand it to you. You manage to make even school life dangerous and exciting.

Go me, Dallion replied. He would have very much liked to say it had been fun. Sadly, hed be half lying. Is Ruby okay?

Dallion looked at his shoulder. The shardfly was there, as usual, only now the chips on its wings were gone. On the surface, all the damage seemed to have been healed, and yet there was an unmistakable feeling of bitterness emanating from him.

Nil, wheres the nearest exit? Dallion asked.

Nearby, the echo replied.

Is there one close to the novice administration building?

Yes, I supposed there is.

Good.

Running the corridor, along with a bit of combat splitting, Dallion made his way to the administration building. On two occasions he was briefly stopped by an apprentice, determined to send him back to the safety of his room. A bit of music skills, and the situation was quickly resolved in Dallions favor.

Lock, Dallion whispered at the buildings door. Is anyone inside?

Naa, the lock guardian replied. Everyone rushed out somewhere. No ones here now. Want inside?

Sure.

Yaa. A faint click followed.

Making sure no one was looking his way, Dallion entered.

Creature cages are near the entrance, Nil said as Dallion went up the wooden staircase. Riddles are further away.

Good advice. Dallion intended to deal with creaturesthey were quick to deal with, especially now that hed obtained some practical spellcrafting experience.Alll latest novels at wuxiahere.com

The warehouse room was just as packed as before. One had to admire the amount of vortex cages the Academy had. The question where they were getting them remained, but for another time.

I can only boost up to level twenty? Dallion asked as he picked up a purple cube.

That is the general idea. From twenty onwards, youll need the real thing.

Dallion moved a cube to an empty area of the room and put it on the floor. Done, he placed his hand on top and extended his magic.

VORTEX CAGE LEVEL 1

The cube extended, surrounding him with glowing purple.

You are in a VORTEX CAGE.

Defeat the guardian to ABSORB the vortex.

You have 20 minutes before the VORTEX becomes too weak to absorb.

I know. Dallion reached for the creature. But I need to be certain.

Just before his finger came into contact with the being, the aether shadfly sprung into action. One of its wings grew ten times its usual size, then slashed through an instance of Dallion, cleanly severing his fingers, arm, and head as if it were a laser beam.

COMBAT INITIATED

The pain only lasted for a moment, but it made it perfectly clear that this wasnt the creature he hoped it would be.

Splitting again, Dallion charged forward. Using the approach of his previous fight, he cast a projectile spell, while slashing through the creature with a spark attack.

To his astonishment, the attack succeeded, slicing the shardfly in two. However, no red rectangle emerged.

Illusion, Ruby said, darting off Dallions shoulder.

Another two instances of Dallion were shredded to pieces before Ruby engaged in the invisible enemy. Red and purple sparks filled the air.

One moment Ruby was fighting nothing, the next, a second shardfly with amethyst wings appeared. No longer the aethereal Dallion had initially seen, the creature resembled Ruby, though with slightly prolonged wings. Looking closely, Dallion could see hundreds of minuscule mana threads all over its wings. While engaged in a wing fight with Ruby, the guardian constantly attempted to create a spell, only to have the symbols systematically slashed midair.

Holy crap! Dallion thought.

Despite all his skills, spells, and experience, he remained hopeless against creatures capable of creating high-level illusions. If it werent for Ruby, there was a very real possibility that he would have lost the fight. That wasnt the case, but now Dallion was presented with a new problem. During the fight, the guardian had changed appearance, becoming a copy of Ruby.

Just great, Dallion hissed.

He didnt think hed have an issue killing any one of the shardflies, or even both of them. However, there was no way of telling which was Ruby and which not. If he were able to maintain combat splitting for more than a few seconds, maybe he could try killing either and then waiting to see which was which. In theory, it was possible he found out before that, but Dallion had no intention of taking the risk.

It was an interesting stalemate. Neither Ruby nor the guardian had any advantage. Meanwhile, Dallion was free to perform any attack he wished, but could do so; to top it all, if he were to order Ruby to disengage, that would give the aether shardfly the chance to cast spells again.

Of all the creatures, why did it have to be this one, Dallion clenched his fist.

In his mind, he went through dozens of options. Filling the vortex cage with water was risky, since it could affect Ruby as well. In equal fashion, using Ravens magic draining spell was also dangerous. Using Cheskas chain magic sounded like a passable option, but shardflies were the last creatures that would capture.

That remains one of your great weaknesses, Nil said. You have no way of fighting illusions on your own. It was fine while Gleam was with you. Without her, though

What about the spell you taught me?

Try it f you like. It wont work. The creatures spell is too intricate. If your magic trait was a dozen levels more, I could teach you a spell that would help you out, but not at your current level.

Harp? Dallion asked, only to get no answer. He didnt feel her being mad or even upset at him. Her silence, rather, suggested that she agreed with Nil on this point: Dallion had to figure out a way to shield his vulnerability and do so on his own.

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became hed never be able to distinguish between the creatures. Illusions at this level changed reality itself. Although, there was one thing that the vortex guardian was unable to change.

Nox, Ill need your help, buddy, Dallion thought. I wont lie to you. Its going to hurt a lot. Will you help me out?

Okay, the crackling replied. There was no trace of annoyance or rebellion in his voice. When it came down to important things, Nox remained unwavering, just as he was back when Dallion had first obtained him.

Thanks. Dallion pulled out the Nox dagger and struck the floor.

The entire vortex cage trembled as black cracks formed around the point of impact. Simultaneously, flickers ran up the dagger, inflicting an equal amount of pain and damage to the crackling as well. Dallion felt the pain pulse within his realm, and yet Nox didnt make a sound.

Gritting his teeth, Dallion struck the floor again. The cracks spread until an entire quarter of the floor was affected.

Can you handle one more? Dallion asked. Itll be the last.

Hey, its me, the crackling said with his typical confidence.

Thats what I thought. Thanks, Nox. Dallion struck the floor.

Beneath the cracks, several strands of magic snapped.