Mwahahaha.

Ooh, I really got to stop laughing like that.

Anyway. After waiting for almost a week I finally managed to break through to rank E. Apparently, my prediction about few days was wrong.

But, still it feels good. My mana reserve increased like crazy. If it was five when I as rank F+, now it feels like ten. I managed to double my mana reserve. And that gives me a lot of possibilities.

Today is the day that I face the last bosses. Well, at least for present me. According to the tree, there is a lot of scary things deeper into this cave. And if I go there as I am now, let’s just say it won’t be pleasant for me.

Tree: “You really believe that these mana crystals are grown? If so, you’re even more idiotic than I thought you were.”

Arcturus: “What’s that supposed to mean? They grow. That can be seen from how they grow bigger.”

Tree: “No, I can’t say that I know what these mana crystals are but I know that they don’t grow.”

Arcturus: “You say you’re the oldest thing in this forest. If that is true how come you don’t know what those mana crystals are?”

Tree: “I said oldest living thing. This cave and these crystals were here even before me. My roots extend over millions of kilometers around this forest. But this cave is the only place that contains these crystals.”

Arcturus: “Now, that revelation sheds lighter on these crystals.”

Tree: “What do you mean?”

Arcturus: “The fact that these mana crystals are older than you mean, they may have been created together with our planet. That means in order to know what these crystals truly are, we may need to ascertain our planets origin. How it came to existence.”

Tree: “Your reasoning has reason in it.”

Alder: “That was lame.”

Tree: “Who asked you?”

These two fossils really bonded after talking to each other.

Arcturus: “I see you have broken through. Good job.”

Alder: “Thanks. I suppose. Now I’m going out to kill these giant bats near the giant crystal. Want to come and watch Arcturus?”

Arcturus: “Oh, I forgot to mention this. I actually can’t leave this cave.”

Alder: “Why?”

Arcturus: “Since my body doesn’t absorb any kind of sustenance that puts my soul at risk of dissipating. So, to remedy that I need to be in a place with high mana saturation. And mana saturation outside this mana cave is not enough to sustain my soul. That means if I leave this cave I might face a risk of my soul running out of juice.”

Alder: “Okay. Then wish me luck.”

Arcturus: “Just because I can’t leave here doesn’t mean that I can’t see your fight.”

Alder: “What do you mean?”

Arcturus: “Watch.”

After that, Arcturus starts to focus and his mana starts to gather at his bony palm and little while later an eyeball starts to materialize.

Arcturus: “I can watch your fight with this.”

Alder: “First of all, can you teach me that? Second, you don’t have a brain to store your mana. So, how are you casting a spell?”

Arcturus: “Well, I can give the spell matrix for it. I’m simply filtering surrounding mana directly through my soul and directing it to a spell matrix. That’s it.”

Alder: “That would be helpful. Okay then wish me luck. And save me if I lose.”

Tree, Arcturus: “Good luck.”

Now then, let’s go kill some giant bats.

After coming out of the crystal cave I head back to the giant crystal. After walking for almost five hours in my camouflage I see the giant crystal.

Still, eco system in this place is fascinating. I suppose its related to mana saturation in here.

Coming near the crystal and looking at the cave mouth immediately gives me the chills. My survival instinct is acting up like crazy. Telling me to run.

Still, I came here to kill those flying rats. So, that is exactly what I will do today.

But before that, I summon my wolf but much bigger this time. After using all my mana reserve to summon my wolf I manage to create a hulking creature reaching up to almost six meters tall and ten meters long.

I can feel it exuding strength. After breaking through it wasn’t only my mana quantity that increased quality increased too. So, I can summon my wolf with much more sturdy form with less mana used.

After meditating for a while, I replenished my mana reserve to its fullest. Don’t know why but I seems to recover my mana faster I if meditate while sitting cross legged. According to two fossils it doesn’t make any difference.

Now that my mana is full I can prepare my other surprise.

During last week I came up with another idea. First, I visualize a big bird. Eagle for example. Then I will my mana to take that shape but I create my mana eagle with layers most inner layer is full of compressed fire elemental mana and second layer is thin fireproof layer made out of water elemental mana then finally last layer is another thin layer of fire elemental mana.

After conjuring up my eagles I will them to take a high ground and wait for my signal.

Creating four was my limit before my breakthrough but now I can make twelve. Once again, I meditate to recover my mana to its fullest.

Now I’m ready for my fight with the bosses.

Me and my wolf comes near the cave mouth.

“SCREE!”

Shit! That almost busted my eardrums. Two giant bats crawl out of the cave and stares with caution and hostility at my wolf. I suppose these flying rats are feeling threatened.

After few seconds of stare down I command my wolf to attack the bat on the left. As soon as it gets my command my wolf jumps into action and pounces on the bat. But as my wolf gets near them they start to fly and take to the air.

But I anticipated that. I give two of my eagles their command.

As soon as they get my command they start to blaze and dives at the bats. And before the bats manage to dodge they crash into both of them and as they crash into them second layer separating the fire elemental mana from fire bursts letting the mana catch fire making it explode on top of the bats.

BOOOOOOM!

As my eagles explode on their back bats got now choice but to land and as soon as they land my wolf and me attack them.

My wolf pounces on the one on left, biting into its wing tearing it.

“SCREEEEEE!”

As its wing gets ripped it screeches with high frequency, bursting my eardrums again. But before that I managed to attack bat on the right. I activate my bracelets and jump up high and coming down on its back with falling kick.

BOOOOOM!

With a resounding crunch my greaves crush its spine. But even with its spine crushed it manages to spin around throwing me off of its back and facing me it opens its mouth and unleashes a devastating sonic wave.

“SCREEEEEE!”

As it nears me it crushes land around it. And since I can’t dodge it I try to block it with my gauntlets. Getting thrown backward and crashing into the giant crystal, cracking it. I can feel my blood rushing up my throat threatening to spill. But I hold it down and swallow it back.

While I was getting whooped, my wolf managed to rip off the other wing of the bat. And as I see it laying down there helplessly I call down two more my bomb down on it.

BOOOOOM!

BOOOOOM!

Once again with resounding boom my eagles land on its back. This time it doesn’t even have a strength to screech.

Since it took care of the first bat my wolf immediately attacks the second one. Ripping into it. But before my wolf manages to get in range, the bat once again unleashes its devastating sound wave.

My wolf gets thrown back like me. But while it was unleashing its sound wave I manage to get in its underbelly and executes powerful uppercut with my gauntlets fully charged. And my busted eardrums helped me to not get disoriented by its sound wave.

BOOOOOM!

And again, with a resounding boom I manage to lift it up with my uppercut and as it gets thrown into air I give two more of my eagles command to free fall and make them explode on its back.

BOOOOOM!

BOOOOOM!

This time with pushback from my uppercut my eagles exploded with more focused impact.

“SCREEEEE!”

“HA, it’s useless you fucking rat with wing.”

Now how do I finish them. Well, I think crushing their skull will do the job.

“SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!”

Just as I was about to smash one of the bat’s skull and my wolf was about to bite off other bats head I heard an even deeper screech come from the cave mouth.

CRUNCH

Before whatever made that sound came out of the cave we kill the bats and get behind the giant crystal and wait.

After almost a half minutes I see a what it was. An even bigger bat. Twice the size of the last ones and with blood red fur.

But most disturbing fact is, look in its eyes. As it looks at me with anger and condensation, in those pitch-black eyes I see sentience.

I look up to my wolf

“I think this one is the last boss.”