Chapter 100: Small show (1/2)
For everyone else who just entered the desert, monsters like the one Layn faced were dangerous. Many of them saw monsters like that one kill their companions. Yet, for Layn, this was nothing but a source of fresh and clean energy!
For the outsiders, the events took a quick turn. After a momentary standstill when neither the monster nor the archmage moved even an inch, the massive body of the monster simply started to fade away… Before it actually faded away.
Thump.
The sound of the monster's core falling on the sands of the desert was the only sound that announced the end of the fight.
But that was only an outsider's perspective. And the reality wasn't as simple as the observers could imagine.
As soon as Layn touched the flesh of the monster, he focused his own energy before forcefully pushing it inside the monster. Rather than starting the fight by frantically absorbing the energy to consume the monster, Layn's energy drilled itself into the monster, all the way to its core.
Then, as if a flow hitting a rock, it washed over it, splitting into two streams before coming together behind the core. At that moment, when the connection between the magical projection of its body and the source of its power was cut, the monster was already dead. And only then Layn could start extracting all the energy its body had to offer.
'Woah, the cultivation surely is taxing!' Layn thought, looking at how the energy of the entire monster barely sufficed for him to push halfway to his next breakthrough. 'But well, it would be naive to believe that what was great when I was beginning, would still have the same efficiency once I reach some kind of strength.'
Layn approached the area where the monster used to be to pick up its stone.
'A miss, huh?' Layn thought, confirming that it was a simple, grade one mana stone.
The main reason behind Layn's journey to the desert was the hope of obtaining the grade two stones and higher ones. With them, all the bottlenecks in his cultivation and energy stockpile would be broken, allowing for rapid growth of his strength.
”Well, now I think you guys should understand what I meant when claiming there won't be any injured folks during this mission,” Layn said, turning his face back to the rest of the group. And out of twenty-three people that watched his clash with the monster, only Irea didn't have her lips parted in silent amazement.
”Sir…” One of the mercenaries spoke up, moving a few steps forward. ”How did you do it?” He added.
Layn looked at the mercenary with curiosity in his eyes. The sheer amazement that his entire group was showering him with amounted to nothing. The civil courage to pursue answers to one's question was all that mattered to him right now.
Even though the man who had said courage, didn't appear to have any exceptional talent towards magic at all.
”It's not yet the time for me to reveal it,” Layn said, horizontally shaking his head in denial. 'After all, it would make for a pretty shitty bait if I were to give the answer already, wouldn't it?' Layn commented in his mind, smiling at his own thoughts.
”Well, let's not waste any more time. I want to consume at least five more monsters by the time we will set our camp!” Layn said, throwing the stone he just picked towards the man who spoke up. ”Consider it an encouragement. If you won't ask the questions, you will never get answers for them.”
The eyes of the young man lit up. He took part in this mission solely because of the price of a mana stone that Layn announced. And here he was, already earning one stone just by asking a question that wasn't even answered!
”Irea, come here for a bit,” Layn said to the girl, gesturing at his side.
”What's wrong?” the girl asked, trodding forward without a care in the world. For her, this desert didn't look scary anymore. Not after everything that Layn has shown to her. Not after his self-made treasure brought her to the peak of the second stage of mind cultivation!