Chapter 193 - (193) Mana Geyser
Chapter 193 – (193) Mana Geyser
Blaze and Filthy made it to Level 50 in no time, with only a few Direwolves making it past their barrage.
Those few were taken care of swiftly by the Tames, Zolis, and Sindri, who were waiting for them by the bottleneck.
Geth was satisfied with their progress. This could have turned out completely different if the wolves had been allowed to escape into the field.
Luckily, he had just the right Skill to take care of it. After that, it was practically a 16v5 where the five were packed too tightly to make any substantial advances.
It was only natural that the Direwolves lost in their rush to leave the Dungeon. Even pushing forward as they were about to do wouldn't be an issue.
With the exception of Swole, they could comfortably walk down the corridors without being crammed.
It was an advantage they would hold until they made it into the Sub-Boss and Boss rooms.
"Blaze, do you have an exact count?"
"Close enough. We've killed around 6,400 of the 9,200 that I expect to be pouring out of the alert rooms. Each of those rooms should have a Sub-Boss, though I can't promise that we won't meet them in the cave systems first."
Geth nodded.
They only had around a third of the creatures left to go. Of course, this wasn't throughout the entire cave system.
The estimates only included the number of wolves that should have been in the Formation Crystal rooms. There were likely still many more beasts to be found.
"Let's start pushing forward. Swole, Peter. The two of you stay in the back with me.
Jack, Zolis, Sindri. You're taking the front. Tames and Felix follow behind and get in hits as often as you can.
Ranged fighters, make sure they don't get overwhelmed. We'll proceed in this formation until we've cleared the hallways."
He conveyed his orders quickly and re-buffed everyone with Defense and Strength. Thanks to everyone's Talents, multiple other Attributes climbed for the group as well.
Geth was amazed when he looked at his Attributes. It seemed that most of them had an ability that could share a % of their main Attribute.
'It doesn't look like they stack. It seems whoever provides the most bonus takes precedence.'
Geth didn't mind this too much. At least it was the most efficient way for the Talents to work.
Zolis took the lead, clearing a path for everyone to proceed through the bottleneck. It was already night, and her weapon had shifted back into the massive white hammer.
She slammed the weapon on the ground. The earth beneath them shook, almost causing those without Strength to fall to their knees.
Flames erupted from the hammer. Instead of surrounding her in a circle, they surged forward like a massive tidal wave.
The damage caused was beyond belief. Those wolves unfortunate enough to be at the front could only watch in horror as the wall of fire approached.
Geth could see nothing but the skulls beneath their fur by the time it passed. Even the following row's eyes had completely shriveled.
It was gruesome.
The good news for the party was that all of the corpses once blocking their path were no more.
Hundreds of Monster Cores littered the floor from wall to wall in their place. Geth's eyes shone as he thought of the potential crafting that would come from these.
"They should be fine for a few minutes…"
Geth cast Protection on the front line and a Mass Restoration on the group, just in case.
"You guys proceed slowly. I'll catch up in a minute."
He turned and stayed put at the funnel. The surrounding Mana became turbulent as his cloak billowed out behind him.
The earth bubbled and rose, a deep crater forming as the ground lifted toward the open ceiling.
The entire entrance had been filled in no time, shrouding the tunnels in darkness.
Behind him, the battle became fierce. The cave walls dimly bathing the place with a strange, green luminescence.
"Hmm…"
Geth had expected to rely on the light from Restoration to navigate the caves.
He closed his eyes and spread out his senses. The feedback from his aura left him dumbfounded.
The density of the Mana in this place was far beyond that of anything he'd felt before!
"It's no wonder these wolves managed to grow so fast."
For most creatures, the density of the Mana directly correlated with the speed of their growth.
'This is indeed surprising. With how deep this cave system runs, it's likely that a Mana Geyser lays below it.'
Albus stated this as if it were elementary knowledge. Geth couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"Mana Geyser?"
'An area where Mana is directly leaking out of the planet's core. It hastens the growth of wildlife, plants, and minerals.'
"Well… That's a cause for concern."
The Direwolves were already very powerful. Without these cheap tricks, Geth and his party members would have likely died many hours back.
He hurriedly returned to his friends and took his position in the rearguard. Peter and Swole walked alongside him as they pushed their way into the hive.
"Uhhh… Geth?"
It was barely a murmur. If it weren't for his advanced senses, he likely wouldn't have heard it.
"Yes..?"
Geth's head turned toward the timid lad beside him. Peter was looking down at his feet and twiddling his fingers.
He was a sorry sight. Geth couldn't understand how such a hardy young man was so skittish.
"Umm… Can I have your Taming Cards..?"
Geth allowed one of his selves to monitor the battle ahead and gave the youth his undivided attention.
"Is there any particular reason?"
Peter looked up, his nervous ticks suddenly disappearing. A determined look that hadn't been there before shone through.
"I'm tired of being so useless… I finally found a Class that will allow me to help… albeit without having to stand on the front lines."
The boy had piqued Geth's interest.
"Oh? And what would that be?"