Chapter 142 — To Find Their Own Answers

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Pearson saw it.

A faint line stretching out, seemingly showing him the direction he should take.

No matter how many times he rubbed his eyes, the faint line continued to move, as if urging him to follow.

“Anais. Come with me. Kael, you go help Senior Alano.”

“-Right. Leaving her alone doesn’t feel right.”

Kael turned around.

Emerson and Melanie followed her up the path.

“We might be able to help. The rest of you, go find Senior Manus.”

“Got it. Hang in there as best you can.”

Pearson disappeared, following the faint light.

Anais and Trace were with him.

The team was well-balanced in offense and defense, so the journey shouldn’t be too difficult.

What worried them more was Alano’s safety.

If even Manus, who always encouraged them, had advised against confronting the enemy…

‘I should have stopped by to see Black and White.’

Kael bit her lip.

It was her responsibility to take care of the party’s needs.

She wanted to be like Manus, but perhaps she hadn’t inherited his thoroughness.

Various potions and items could help them overcome this crisis.

But Kael, who wasn’t yet used to preparing for such things, had brought nothing with her.

Would Manus have packed what they needed?

No, she had to stop relying on him.

‘That’s why I can’t leave her alone.’

Alano was a formidable mage, but this tower was unpredictable, and anything could happen.

After a moment of reflection, Kael reached Alano’s location.

A silver-haired girl stood resolutely, facing a black mask.

The brilliant mana radiating from her conveyed a firm resolve.

[Hehe—!]

The creature behind the black mask was a monstrosity woven from plants.

It moved on all fours, with several tentacles sprouting from its back.

Its massive body was adorned with sharp, carnivorous petals glistening with teeth.

Whether it hid in the shadows because of its grotesque appearance, or to hunt, was unclear—.

It only revealed its hideous form in one moment.

When it was sure it had successfully captured its prey.

“Senior!”

“What are you doing here?”

“We came to help. Pearson went with Trace to find Senior Manus.”

“Really…”

Alano quietly smiled.

She felt the fear gnawing at her begin to dissipate.

There are many ways to overcome trauma.

One of them is facing it together.

Though she worried about those standing beside her, the enemy before her took precedence.

Now was the time to shake off the fear that gripped her body and mind, and confront this powerful foe.

[Enchantment: Gnome]

Melanie’s multicolored hair turned golden.

The battle began in an instant.

The tentacles that lashed out held immense strength, far too much for Melanie’s small frame to withstand.

Alano’s quick thinking came into play in the blink of an eye.

She summoned an ice barrier behind Melanie.

It would absorb the impact, allowing Melanie to hold her ground.

Crash—!

“Ugh—.”

“Melanie, can you hold on?”

“More than enough!”

The ice barrier absorbed the full force of the impact that would have sent her flying.

Emerson analyzed the enemy’s weaknesses from behind, while Kael began preparing a powerful attack.

Their teamwork was flawless.

However, the Wanderer was no easy foe.

It was cunning, relentless, and commanded a vast horde.

The Wanderer under the Apostle’s watchful eye: Eremus.

It was the first guardian responsible for managing the garden.

[Hehehehehe—!]

Its cry summoned more Demons.

The beautiful yet grotesque flowers and fruits in the garden began to swarm.

If they dragged this out, the [Reaper] would appear.

As the party’s sense of urgency grew, so did the number of Demons.

But they were mages.

A class specialized in wiping out large numbers of enemies.

[Double Spread]

[Impelo] — [Ignio]

[Manuvia: Comburo]

Boom—!

A hammer of flames descended from the sky.

A massive hammer, large enough to engulf the entire area.

Charged with mana, the hammer also carried physical force, crushing the enemies doubly.

[Screeeech!]

The Demons burned, dropping magic stones as they perished.

At the same time, the Wanderer, seemingly taking significant damage, curled up.

“The enemy’s weakness is fire! More enemies will keep coming!”

“Tell me the next pattern.”

“The next pattern… mana is concentrating beneath us.”

At Emerson’s words, Melanie placed both hands on the ground.

Rumble—!

Manipulating the earth with the power of a spirit was an easy task.

Using the spirit’s power to make the ground barren, preventing the plants’ roots from growing, was just as simple.

Although a lot of mana was drained, the response was effective.

The Wanderer tilted its head.

The ground had transformed into solid bedrock.

Naturally, the thick roots could no longer move.

“Now, attack!”

At Emerson’s command, magic flew toward the enemy.

Kael poured out her mana, completing the second Cadenza.

It was the same spell as before.

Once a spell was cast, the magic circle matured, allowing for faster casting.

If the spell was effective, there was no need to use another.

Once again, the hammer of flames struck the Wanderer.

Boom—!

A scorching heatwave swept through the area.

[Hehehehe—!]

The Wanderer, flung far away, was impaled by a spear of flames.

It was Alano’s spell.

Even without using Cadenza, her power was formidable.

The Wanderer writhed in agony.

At that moment, a familiar voice came through the communication orb.

“Alano, can you hear me? I heard you’ve engaged the enemy.”

“That’s right, we’re fighting it now. Where are you?”

“I’m almost there. I’ve joined up with Pearson.”

They did it right.

Hearing that Pearson had safely regrouped, she let out a sigh of relief.

The Wanderer was being overwhelmed more easily than expected.

Kael, Melanie, and her own coordinated attack had been honed over a long time.

The hope she felt, however, was quickly shattered by Manus’s next words.

“The Wanderer probably has a healing ability. Be careful.”

“-A healing ability?”

[Hehehehehehehe—]

With a sinister laugh, the Wanderer extended its tentacles toward the surrounding Demons.

The Wanderer, responsible for overseeing the garden’s gaze, had the authority to consume discarded products as nutrients and locate new prey.

[Nutrient Absorption]

Crunch—.

The damaged parts of its body were replaced by new plants.

The signs of weakness were gone, replaced by a fully restored form.

Kael, Anais, and Melanie gaped at the sight.

“This is just unfair, isn’t it?”

“Everyone brought potions, right? Hold out with those. Manus will be here soon.”

“-Understood.”

The drawback of Cadenza was that it consumed a massive amount of mana.

So, they always kept mana potions on hand, just in case.

After downing a mana potion, the depleted mana quickly replenished.

It worked by forcibly absorbing the mana drifting through the air.

The mana inside the Tower was denser than outside, which greatly enhanced the potion’s effectiveness.

Whoooosh—.

After catching her breath, her mana stabilized.

In the meantime, the Wanderer resumed its attack.

“Melanie, watch out! It’s stronger than before!”

“Got it—!”

The time for recklessly charging in had passed.

Most of the techniques she learned from Professor Jennifer involved parrying attacks.

They were techniques she had chosen to learn of her own volition.

‘It’s slower than Professor Jennifer.’

Thud—!

A stone shield deflected the tentacle.

Reading its trajectory and deflecting it had become second nature.

To be a solid frontline, she had to be able to withstand such attacks with ease.

The tentacles lashed out mercilessly.

But Melanie deflected every single one of them.

Her role was to buy time for the damage dealers to attack.

[Hehehe—!]

Crunch—!

However, in doing so, she missed a pattern that overwhelmed the party.

Alano was the only one who clearly saw the moment when they were about to be struck.

The bird perched above her head took flight.

[Screeeech—!]

With a high-pitched cry, flames erupted.

Alano moved swiftly as well.

Among the spells she could cast, the most powerful and quickest were ice-based.

A simple freezing spell wouldn’t be enough.

The blood within her boiled.

She formed a magic circle and poured an enormous amount of mana into it.

‘I need a cold so intense it can freeze the ground—.’

[Tripanta: Hiemus]

[Alano’s Exclusive Skill: Ice Boost]

A chilling cold spread from the magic circle, sweeping across the area.

Simultaneously, the Phoenix’s magic exploded forth.

[Phoenix’s Exclusive Skill: Igni: Defensio]

Whoooosh—!

The warm flames enveloped the party.

The reason Phoenix was an S-Rank familiar wasn’t its offensive capabilities, but its exceptional defensive abilities.

Thud thud thud—!

The roots emerging from the ground were blocked by the wall of flames.

Though the impact was significant, it wasn’t enough to break their stance.

The Phoenix collapsed from exhaustion, but it was fine.

Alano’s spell had been completed.

[You need a warm heart to create cold ice.]

[A heart that wishes to protect will forge even stronger and colder ice.]

[After all, you are a Harrison.]

“Go and freeze everything.”

Crunch—!

Like stalactites formed over countless years, massive chunks of ice began to fall.

An overpowered passive ability that increased the potency of ice-based magic by a staggering 80% activated.

It was time to prove why the Harrison family was so great.

[Heh?!]

While plants are weak to fire, they can’t survive in extreme cold either.

Just as plants cannot grow in a frigid region, their roots were powerless before the intense cold.

The rampaging plants froze in an instant.

Not only that, but the Wanderer itself froze solid.

Its roots were frozen in place, leaving it unable to move.

This was the reason she was considered a top-tier damage dealer.

“Huh—? It looks like it won’t be able to move for a while! Now’s our chance!”

“Senior, that was amazing.”

“Let’s go!”

Thanks to a powerful crowd control skill that could incapacitate even a boss monster.

Magic flew through the air.

The helpless boss was struck, letting out a pained groan.

[Hehehehe—!]

Hope began to bloom.

Amidst the colorful explosion of spells, the Wanderer’s tortured breathing could be heard.

[Screeeeeee—!]

Unable to bear the pain, the Wanderer howled at the sky.

It had entered its final phase, known as the desperation phase.

The Wanderer’s body began to grow larger.

A resolve to eliminate those who would defile the garden.

A will to obliterate those who would harm its master triggered its final transformation.

[Hehehehe—!]

A sun appeared in the middle of the dungeon.

A sun that looked ready to explode at any moment.

Emerson, sensing the mana within it, went pale.

If they didn’t flee, they would all die.

Crunch—!

To make matters worse, massive roots grew toward the stairs behind them.

They couldn’t retreat, nor could they move forward.

“Alano—!”

The voice of salvation reached them as they stared at the ominous sun.

It was Manus, who had never raised his voice before.

For the first time, he shouted, raising his voice to guide Alano.

–TL Notes–
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