It took me a couple of hours to manufacture the devices I wanted.
Making everything should have taken less time, but in my defense, I had to be careful about creeping monsters around while I proceeded with it.
If I was in a safe, comfortable environment, it would have been different.
But for me, this place was the most unsavory place to work in.
'The whole thing shouldn't have taken that long, considering I have all the materials and the theory at hand.'
Combining and appropriately syncing the tools with the existing elements around was all that I had to do.
"And I spent so long on it... have I gotten rusty?"
After going through it to make sure there was no error, I decided to test it out—my new goggles and Navigation Compass.
Putting on my goggles, I could sense the floe of Nether around me. It looked like dark purple mist just flowing around, and the particles also floated around me.
It seemed like Nether truly existed everywhere in this world.
'I'd die the moment my barrier is compromised.'
The other function of the goggles was to show me the density of Aether a target possessed.
It would help me determine how strong an opponent was.
'It also allows me To detect the strongest signature around me.'
And that was where my navigation compass came into play.
'Using it I can detect clusters of energy, which indicate a monster—or at least, a creature with enough dense Nether or something.'
The colors, based on the intensity of energy, ranged from white, yellow, blue, green, orange, red, purple, and black.
Black was the highest my device could measure.
'So I'll have to be very careful not to go near any black marker.
Fortunately, no creature here had displayed the black marker, even after performing a long-scale scan.
'Or should I call it counter-scan, since I determine there positions and qualities based on anti-resonance? Well, terms aren't really important right now.'
The important thing now was that I could finally navigate my way through this cave.
'Lets take a closer look and see where I'm supposed to go now.'
I looked at my navigation compass hoping for guidance, but found something strange instead.
"Hmm? What's going on?" I murmured, staring closely at the holographic screen in front of me.
All the markers around were moving in the direction of three markers.
'Hm? That's strange...'
Of the three Markers, one was white, one was yellow, and the final one was red.
'Are they monsters? Two of them seem extremely weak, though. The red one is most definitely very strong, but if it's a monster, why is it close to the other two weak ones?'
Were they the monster's kids? That would make sense.
Then, did that mean the other monsters were drawing closer to ambush the parent and her kids?
Based on experience, the creatures in this cave were savages who were capable of anything with their primal brains.
I wouldn't put it past them to try to kill a mother and her children.
'That's an awful amount of monsters heading their way, though...'
I observed the map a little more, noticing the markers that managed to get close to the three markers blinked and vanished—which meant they were dead.
'I see. So the red marker is protecting the other weak markers and is killing them.'
So far it seemed to be doing well, but I couldn't help but wonder how long that would last.
After all...
"There are three red markers drawing close to their position?"
Would they be able to win? Would they not? I was immensely curious.
'Get a grip, Lewis. You don't have time for this!'
That's right! I was meant to be searching for the Arcana here, not watching some sort of battle royale.
'Let's focus on the task ahead of us.'
I decided to ignore the monsters in trouble and instead use the opportunity to freely move through the labyrinthine cave.
'Since the monsters are drawing closer to that position, they won't mind me. This is a perfect opportunity!'
Plus, if I took a certain path that was a little adjacent to the spot where all the monsters were gathering, I was home free.
'The strongest signature is definitely coming from that position!'
It was perfect.
Jumping to my feet, I began to make my way towards my next destination.
"I don't know who you are, mother monster, but thank you for your sacrifice!".
********
"Huff... huff..." Heavy breaths leaked from Aria's lips as she stared at the creatures that stood imposingly before her.
Her narrowed eyes focused on the targets in front of her, and she gripped her heavy blade with firm resolve, unable to loosen her group even if she tried.
The glowing energy on her body was dying out, and that was only a testament to her exhaustion.
The dead bodies of several fallen creatures littered the landscape, yet it seemed the number of adversaries wasn't dwindling.
"You two... just stay behind me..." Aria huffed, her tired eyes glaring at the monsters that took yet another step closer to her and her comrades.
Using Magic and Martial Arts took a great amount of concentration and stamina, and while the results made it all worth it, using it for long periods drained her immensely.
And the worst part about this battle remained very bothersome for Aria.
'Three of these monsters are very strong. As strong as me even.'
And then the rest served as distractions—enemies who would attack her comrades if she lost her guard for even a second.
As a result, she was stuck.
'I'm not giving up, though!' She gritted her teeth and rooted her stances.
As long as there remained breath in her chest, she would never falter.
Never again!
"Bring it on, you beasts!"
*
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[A/N]
What do you think of this direction? I personally like how grounded the story is in this Arc.
At least, to an extent.
Lewis is using his intelligence, and he doesn't have some supreme Magic that makes everything a piece of cake.
Or what do you all think? Do you think he's too nerfed?
