The Beginning After The End (New Heights Book 2) (11 page)

No.  The
biggest improvement throughout this period was definitely my
body.  Not using mana made me take a step back and remember how to
use my body and sword efficiently so I can be that much better when I augment
myself.  I can’t say I’m at 100% in terms of strength, since the
physical reach of my limbs and my muscles are not as developed as it was when I
was an adult, but I no longer feel awkward or restrained when I fight
now.  I fine-tuned some of my sword techniques to better fit my
current body, which I’ll need to improve along the way.

I
can’t say it was an easy ride and I have scars on my body to prove it, but I
know it was worth it. Coupled with my Dragon Will assimilated body and the use
of mana rotation, I could finally be at ease in knowing that I was on the right
track for the future.

Jasmine
has gotten stronger than ever before.  While journeying with her, I
noticed that her biggest flaw was in her swordsmanship.  Growing up
while only learning fire attribute skills for a little until she was deemed
unfit, she was on her own to learn how to best control her swords to fit her
wind attribute skills.

I
wasn’t the best at wind but that didn’t mean I couldn’t teach her skills
regarding it.  She passed the AA class examination by utilizing the
new skills I taught her along with her double blade techniques she developed on
her own.  I wanted to take the AA class exam as well, but the merit
point requirements made it so I needed to complete a lot more missions or clear
dungeons before I’m eligible to.

I send
out a mental transmission to Sylvie.  She’s been acting strange ever
since we came to the Beast Glades.  We would always keep in touch,
but for some reason she didn’t want to come meet me yet, even when I go back to
Xyrus to visit my family.  Every time I tell her to come back, she
says there’s something she needs to finish before coming back.  I
could definitely tell how much she’s matured though.  We can hold
conversations and her emotions have developed to become more complex.

While
I went home a couple of times during the first year, since last year, it’s
taken too long to make the trip back to Xyrus and come back to the dungeons
every time.
 
Instead, we stuck to
letters and meeting Father or Mother every so often at Guild Hall, where the
transportation gates are.  She has been pretty dissatisfied by this
fact but
she
doesn’t keep me from being an Adventurer.  I could tell my father has
been keeping up with his training because he broke through into the solid
orange stage now, which is impressive for someone his age.  He smiles
at me proudly both at himself and at his son who’s doing well.  

They’ve
also been telling me a lot about what’s happening at the Helstea House.
 
My sister is still quite a bit away from
forming her mana core, but I was surprised when I learned that Lilia awakened a
couple of weeks ago.  Her awakening caused her bed to implode, which
was about average for a mage.  Her parents were ecstatic to say the
least by this and didn’t wait to enroll her into Xyrus
Academy.  After being tested, while her mana core was about average,
it turned out that her mana veins were excellent.  She had a high
capability to absorb mana from her surroundings, which was essential for all
Conjurers.  I guess she’ll be my senior at school when I start going
next year.

Snapping
me out of my thoughts, I hear, “We’re here…” as Jasmine slows down her mount,
approaching a clearing in the woods we were traversing.

In
front of the dungeon entrance, which was just a cave in this case, was a group
of people clearing their camp and getting ready to go in.  I guess we
were the last to arrive.

“Cheh…
I guess we’re stuck with more Augmenters.”  I hear an all too
familiar, snotty voice.  Getting off of my mount, I walk towards the
group of Adventurers when the blond fire Conjurer from the examination site
gives me a distasteful look.  Jasmine follows behind me as an armored
Augmenter steps up and holds up his hand in front of him, gesturing for a
shake.

“Please
don’t mind Lucas and let me introduce you to the party.  My name is
Reginald Brooks and I’m an A class Augmenter.  I am an Earth
Attribute yellow stage core that specializes in using a hammer.”  He
points at the giant hammer that was on the ground where the group was.

Reginald
had a short, messy brown hair that matched his eyes.  He had a very
square face that made him seem more masculine with his short beard and 1.9m
height and broad shoulders.

The
group consisted of Reginald, Kriol, and Brald as the Augmenters besides
us.  Kriol was a very defensive, water attribute Augmenter that only
used a gigantic shield as his weapon.  He was rather short, at around
1.7m and was kind of fat.  I could tell he was strong though, by how
firm his body was overall, despite his belly.  Brald was a very
noble-looking man that stood at about 1.8m.  He wore a white metal
armor that covered his shoulders and chest only, with a cape behind
him.  With a trimmed blond hair with sharp hazel eyes, he seemed like
a real lady-killer.  To my surprise, he was a real gentleman and
offered us handshakes and a smile.

“I go
by Brald and just became an AA class, light yellow stage Augmenter.  I
am a fire attribute Augmenter that specializes with the broadsword and
shield.  I’ll be the one to lead us today.”  He beams.

After
the Augmenters introduced themselves, the Conjurers stepped
up.  Aside from Lucas, there were 4 other Conjurers.  One
of them was a lanky man and the other a girl, while the last one was the
serious-looking, bespectacled black haired boy that was also at the examination
site!  What was his name again…?

“My
name is Elijah Knight.  A class, dark orange stage conjurer… single
specialization in Earth.”  He says simply.

I
can’t help but eye him carefully.  There had to be more than
that.  He wouldn’t be able to get by with skipping the exam and being
placed into B rank by just being an Earth Conjurer no matter how young he was.

The
beady-eyed lanky man that looked well into his thirties came up
next.  He had a smug look on his face despite his less than
attractive appearance, with his crooked nose and parted brown
hair.  “Ahem!  I go by Oliver and I am an A class, dark
yellow stage Conjurer.  I am an Emitter deviant, specializing in
healing.”  He sticks his jaw out smugly while crossing his arms.

Despite
his attitude, I can’t say I’m not glad to have a healer this time.

“Hi!  My
name is Samantha but you guys can just call me Sammy! Dark yellow stage,
A
class Conjurer with a Single specialization in water at
your service!”  She throws in a wink at my
direction.  Samantha looked to be around her mid twenties and was an
attractive woman but by her attitude, I’m sure she knew it too.  She
had wavy blond hair that flowed down her shoulders and light blue eyes that
looked almost grey.  Her eyes were big and round; making her look
cuter and her short height of about 1.5m complimented that
well.  While her assets weren’t abundant like a certain wind Conjurer
from the Twin Horns, she had a nice figure and I could tell Oliver had a thing
for her by how he kept taking side-glances at her.

“Jasmine,
light-yellow stage, AA class Augmenter.  Wind attribute with dual
swords.”

My
partner says without batting an eye.

“Note,
light orange stage,
A
class Augmenter.  Fire
attribute with specialization in sword.”  I said simply.

Brald
smiled at us,  “Welcome you two!  I’m certainly glad to
have another AA class in the group!”  The other two Augmenters nodded
in agreement while Oliver and Lucas had faces that showed they didn’t care
while he simply announced that he was a fire specialized Conjurer who was at
yellow stage.  Elijah kept his stone face while I notice how Samantha
keeps looking at me, trying to look through the mask somehow.

“I
can’t help but ask.  Mr. Note, there have been various rumors about
you saying that you are not an Augmenter, yet you clearly just announced that
you are.”  Reginald asks, picking up his giant hammer and leaning it
against his shoulder.

“I
haven’t been using my magic for a while due to personal
reasons.  That must’ve been the reason why those rumors came
up.”  I just shrugged, signaling them to move on.

Noticing
that I didn’t want to indulge their curiosity, he simply coughs and sets up the
formation for the party.

It
would basically be Brald in the front, since his shield and sword style was the
best fit for the front line.  Beside him were Reginald and I, who
both specialized in offense.  Guarding the rear was Kriol with his
gigantic shield to prevent us from getting flanked and Jasmine beside him ready
to kill anything that may get past him.  We were all in charge of
protecting the four Conjurers with Oliver in the dead center, the most protected
since he was the healer.

“We
should head out immediately!”  Brald declared.  He was
assuming the position as the leader since he was the front line and the only
other AA class besides the quiet Jasmine.

This
dungeon was deemed AA
class,
meaning parties with only
A class and above are allowed to enter.  Brald recently found out
that there was a hidden tunnel that leads to an unexplored portion of the
dungeon, which we would be exploring today.  This meant that most of
our dungeon exploring would be through uncharted parts.  Everyone
unsheathed their weapons while even the smug Conjurers put on a serious face as
we stepped into the dungeon named by the first explorers “The Dire Tombs”.

Stepping into the dungeon, I felt the
temperature suddenly drop as we descended down a slope.
 
I stood to the right side of Brald, who
had his shield up in position and his sword drawn.
 

Jasmine and I did some research on the Dire
Tombs dungeon we were in now.
 
It
was a unique place, even amongst the mysterious dungeons.
 
The beasts that made their homes here
have been described in the records as undead.
 
I’ve never heard of mana beasts that
could come back to life.
 
Because of
this, one of the hardest aspects of clearing this dungeon seems to be the endless
amount of undead mana beasts.

Digging deeper, some Adventurers and mage guilds
even speculated that inside the bottom of this dungeon might be a special
artifact that can reanimate dead mana beasts, but no one has been able to prove
it.
 

Clearing the dungeon meant that the area has
been explored.
 
It’s different from
conquering the dungeon, where the mana beasts inside have been defeated and the
treasures looted.

This dungeon has been cleared, or at least it
was until Brald discovered the hidden passage, but never defeated.
 

“We’re approaching the first level of the
dungeon, stay on guard.
 
The mana
beasts here aren’t strong, but there’ll be a lot of them.
 
Don’t waste your time trying to collect
the mana cores from the beasts…they don’t have one.” Brald declares.

I hear a faint muttering from Oliver, our
healer, who’s complaining about the lack of rewards from this dungeon.

While the goal of defeating a dungeon is to loot
the accumulated treasures high-level mana beasts have collected, most of the
profit, usually, comes from collecting the beast cores on the way down.
 
In most cases, even if parties can’t
defeat or even clear a dungeon, they can still come out with a hefty sum from
just the beast cores, which could be sold for a high price.
 
One of the reasons this dungeon is so
unpopular, and why our party is the only one inside the dungeon, is that the
mana beasts here have no cores.
 
This meant a big chunk of revenue from trying to clear the dungeon would
be gone.

“GRRRRRRRRR”

I narrow my eyes and focus.
 
We just reached the end of the
descending passage and into an underground cave around 50 meters in
diameter.
 
Looking around, the whole
cave is glowing in a dim blue color.
 
Above us, the cave was covered in stalactites that seemed to threaten us
with their sharp tips gleaming.
 
There were around 20 mana beasts that looked like big bats, except with
no wings but instead four limbs.
 
The hollow body of the bat-like mana beasts had their ribs fully visible
and inside it, where the beast core should’ve been, was a cracked rock.

I guess it was true.

“Batrunners!
 
They’re not strong but they attack in
groups.
 
Minimalizing the usage of
our mana is going to be the key inside this dungeon!
 
Get ready!”
 
Brald roars over the growling of the
Batrunners, all of them positioned to pounce, with their patches of fur
standing on end and their teeth bared.

“Form and torment the foes around!
 
Fire Cyclone!”
 
I hear a yell from behind me and I
realize it’s Lucas who casted the spell.

Suddenly, four twisters of fire 3 meters high
swirled into life around our group and spread out.

*YELP*
 
*YELP*

Many of the Batrunners were eaten up by the fire
tornadoes and were burned up.
 
The
ones that were fortunate enough to escape the tornadoes fled, trying to circle
around and attack us.

I could hear Brald click his tongue,
dissatisfied that Lucas just ignored his orders and casted a spell that wasn’t
needed.

The fire cyclones killed most of the Batrunners
and the ones left were badly burned so defeating the rest were quick.
 

“Next time, follow orders and don’t waste mana
like that.
 
Your spell was
overkill.”
 
Brald growled.

Lucas just rolled his eyes, “I don’t see the
problem.
 
We killed them fast enough
so that everyone else could save their mana.”

Shaking his head, Brald just ushered us forward
to the other end of the cave.
 
Before going into the next room, I hear crunching noises behind me and
to my surprise, the Batrunners that were just killed dug themselves out of the
ground, looking rather unhurt, aside from their ribs sticking out.

Dire Tombs…What an unfortunately fitting name
for this dungeon.

We just ignored them and went into the other
room while Elijah quietly casted a wall of rock over the entrance so that the
Batrunners couldn’t follow us.

The opening on the other side of the cave lead
us through another dark corridor that was around the width of 4 people,
standing shoulder to shoulder.

I could tell everyone was a bit more relaxed
upon leaving the first cave but I couldn’t shake this uneasy feeling.

“Fwishshshsh!”
 

“Clang clang clang!”

My shortsword blurred as I instinctively parried
the projectiles aimed towards Samantha.

“T-thank you...” even under the dim blue
lighting, I could tell that Samantha’s face paled as the earthen spikes that
almost killed her landed on the ground beside her feet.

“Something’s wrong…there were no traps last
time.” Brald picked up one of the pointed rocks to study it but was
baffled.
 

The presence of traps meant that there were
high-level mana beasts capable of conjuring spells with activation
requirements.

“Stay
alert
everyone.”
 
Jasmine already had her
twin daggers guarding her vitals but Reginald and Kriol readied their weapons
as Samantha inched a bit closer to me, her hand pinching my sleeve, her free
hand gripping her wand.

Fortunately, we reached the end of the hall with
no other traps deterring us.
 
The
next cave that we arrived in front of was similar to the previous cave, but
twice the size and there were suspicious holes scattered on the ground.

“Don’t get near the holes.
 
They’re geysers that shoot extremely hot
streams of gas up.
 
It should be
fine as long as you’re not in direct proximity of the blast.”
 
Brald announced, looking around for any
signs of mana beasts.

*RUMBLE*

As if on cue, the cave trembles and from the
ground pops up something that oddly resembles a worm, except it was a glowing
red and about a couple meters thick and unfathomably long, countless rows of
teeth circling the hole on the head.

“Was that here last time Brald?”
 
Kriol looks at our leader.

“N-no…I don’t get what’s happening.
 
It doesn’t make sense for new mana beast
species to enter a dungeon like this.”
 
The handsome knight has a wavering look, losing his confidence.
 

“Cheh.
 
It’s not a big deal as long as I’m here.”
 
Lucas just flips his blonde hair.

However, the gigantic red worm doesn’t attack us
but burrows down, creating another hole.
 

“It doesn’t seem to be after us.”
 
Muttered Elijah while his sharp,
bespectacled eyes studied the giant worm.

The red worm-beast is now burrowing itself into
the walls of the cave, creating more holes from all different angles, never
confronting us.

“Are we just going to stand around watching the
worm dig or are we going to go?”
 
Oliver, our lanky Emitter, just pushes past Brald and me, confidently
striding towards the other end of the cave.
 

He wanted to show is confidence in front of
Samantha is what I assumed.

“Get back here!
 
We need to assess what’s happening
before we go across!”
 
Brald gets
more and more frustrated at the arrogance displayed by the Conjurers as he
steps forward to go after him.
 

Suddenly, the whole cave shakes and we hear a
light fizzing sound.

“LUCAS! HEAT WAVE BARRIER! NOW!”
 
I scream at the confused blonde
noble.
 

“FWWOOOOOOOOM!”

The holes.
 
The holes existent in the beginning and the holes on the ground, roof,
and walls made by the giant worm all trembled and released a fiery blast of
gas.

The giant worm was making the holes in order to
kill us and we just let it happen.

I managed to pull Brald who was just in arms
length of me before he had the chance to run after Oliver.

The shield was erected in time to shield us from
the gas but Oliver faded out of sight.