The Lone Wanderer

The swamp reeked of decay as Percy and Nesha dragged their feet through the murky waters. Each step sucked their boots deeper into the mud, almost like the bog itself was trying to pull them under.

Had this been a year ago, they might have been attacked by an oversized crocodile or python by now. Luckily – or perhaps unluckily – the local wildlife had really taken a hit during Micky’s reign of terror. Whatever animals had survived to this day had done so by learning to keep their heads low. Consequently, the only living things they had to worry about at the moment were the irritating insects constantly buzzing in their faces.

“So, are you going to carry this stuff everywhere?” Nesha asked, staring at the oversized sack slung over Percy’s back.

Its contents were spacious enough to fit a human body, though that wasn’t what was inside it. Every time Percy moved, countless objects rolled and tumbled within the bag, making crisp metallic sounds upon colliding with one another. Thanks to the multitude of concealment runes he’d sewn on the fabric, it was impossible for anybody to peer inside through Mana Sense. Of course, Nesha was already familiar with its contents, having spent months watching Percy forge them, one by one.

“What’s the alternative?” he shrugged. “We need to be ready. House Tantalus could attack us any day now.”

Despite his words, Percy wasn’t particularly happy with this arrangement either.

Naturally, the sack contained the pieces of his magical armour. It had actually been over a month since Percy completed his new spell. That said, he hadn’t had a proper opportunity to use it just yet. Even worse, he’d been forced to replace the components a couple times already. Plus, he would continue having to do so once every few weeks, until their enemies deigned to show up.

“If they attack us right now, we’re screwed.” Nesha said, her expression grim.

Normally, it was Micky’s job to patrol around the town, keeping an eye out for them. Unfortunately, the crow was otherwise occupied today.

“Huh, can you imagine?” Percy chuckled. “How unlucky would that be? They don’t show up for weeks, and then they pick the one day we’re not paying attention?”

But it couldn’t be helped. There was a reason Micky couldn’t tend to his job today, and it was the same reason why Percy and Nesha had come to the swamp. That said, it wasn’t a bad thing per se…

The first strands of Orange had appeared in the bird’s second core!

‘He’s finally caught up to me fully…’ Percy smiled wryly.

Not that he wasn’t happy for his friend – Micky’s strength was essentially his. Still, he couldn’t help but compare his familiar’s rapid advancement speed with his own more sluggish pace. Of course, the bird’s second core didn’t advance any faster than a human’s – it was just the Aurora Dew doing all the heavy lifting. However, Micky’s first core would likely reach Green over a century before Percy did.

‘Oh well… Best not allow some petty envy to ruin a good day.’ he decided, shaking any unnecessary thoughts out of his mind.

Soon, the two reached a clearing amidst the dense thicket, the warm midday rays illuminating a large circular area. There, they saw Micky perched atop a boulder, an empty gemstone vial lying carelessly by his talons. The bird didn’t react upon seeing them, immersed within his inner world as he was.

Technically, the crow didn’t need any bodyguards. Nothing in the swamp dared approach him anymore. Still, Percy wanted to keep watch over his familiar during the promotion, as it generally took a little longer than a regular cleansing session.

‘I only wish he could have used his own beast mana for this…’ Percy sighed.

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Naturally, this was one of the first things they had checked as soon as Micky awakened his second core. And it had actually worked – to an extent. Due to his control over his own mana, Micky could direct it to remove the impurities in his second core in an acceptable manner, without having it undergo pacification, redirection or deattunement.

It wasn’t as perfect as drinking an elixir, a few mistakes here and there lowering the cleansing efficiency slightly. That said, the difference was small enough that they could stomach it, to save thousands of doses of elixir down the line.

At least, this would have been the case had Percy never invented the Aurora Dew. Once the cyan powder came into the fold, things got a great deal more complicated. It was even harder for Micky to prevent his beast mana from reacting with the crystallized pure mana, as the two were essentially polar opposites.

Their only option would be to have the bird use the cyan paste separately, but that would only lower his advancement speed even more. Considering everything, Micky would be losing a lot of valuable time over nothing. Consequently, there was no choice but to have him use Aurora Dew like him and Nesha.

‘It can’t be helped. I won’t be stingy with Micky – he deserves better than that.’

Oblivious to his thoughts, the crow eventually sent him some images of his second core, letting him watch the process. The last drops of the elixir were nearly exhausted, but the Orange strands had already began to dominate the core, twisting and banding together as they rapidly consumed their weaker cousins.

At the same time, they violently lashed out against the ethereal organ’s inner walls, scraping even more impurities than one should generally cleanse within a single session. Suffice to say, this wasn’t sustainable in the long-term. Overindulging like this could permanently damage one’s core if done often. Still, advancements were special occasions.

Soon, all the free space inside the core was occupied by thick strands of Orange, exerting a great amount of pressure on the organ. With nowhere else to go, the strands had no choice but to finally fuse together a moment later. The mana condensed into a blob with a satisfying click, splashing down at the core’s base, filling around a third of its capacity.

As for the rest of it, it only took Micky a few minutes to replenish, letting out a content caw as a wave of vitality flooded his body.

“Congratulations Micky!” Nesha exclaimed.

Percy couldn’t suppress a grin tugging at his lips either, though his next words weren’t quite as celebratory.

“Now go do your job before we all get killed.”

“Party pooper.” the bird spat back, but he acquiesced.

They both knew Micky was just as eager to put his newfound power to the test. Taking off, the crow activated his boosting arts as he sped out of the swamp. Apparently, Micky wasn’t satisfied with breaking the advancement record today – he wanted to break the speed one too.

“I don’t know about you, but I suddenly feel a lot more confident about taking on the Greens.” Nesha said as soon as they were alone.

By now, they were operating under the assumption that House Tantalus would send at least two of them. Percy intended to take one down by himself, so Nesha and Micky would have to team up against the second.

“He’s strong all right, but I wish I had the time to teach him another spell or two.”

Micky was already as smart as a human. Circulation and Acceleration weren’t bad, but the bird should be capable of a lot more than that. At the very least, Percy wanted to teach him some form of mana conversion at some point.

In the same way that his own pure mana was more suitable to feed other affinities, Micky’s beast core should have an easier time transforming other mana types into its own. With a little guidance, he might even be able to solve his stamina problem.

Percy doubted the bird would be able to keep his Yellow core fed during a fight, but replenishing his strength afterwards might not be so difficult. Like that, they wouldn’t have to remain fixed at locations like the Fungal Spire or the Grisly Bog, giving them more freedom to roam Remior.

‘He’ll still need to hunt to advance, but at least we won’t have to worry about him starving to death if we can’t find a good place…’

In any case, Percy had had too much on his plate over the past few months. But he’d definitely invest some more time into his familiar the first chance he got.

Suddenly, something unexpected happened, capturing Percy’s attention. For a moment there, he felt his ethereal cord vibrate – the one in his stomach, not his sternum. Evidently, his clone was finally on the way back.

‘About damn time.’

This one had stayed away for over two months, shattering all previous records. Percy wasn’t as worried that something bad had happened, as he hadn’t felt any atypical response from the cord – unlike the time with the mysterious girl.

Whatever had delayed his clone was probably a good thing. Rubbing his hands in anticipation, Percy brought Nesha up to speed as the two headed back to their hut. He’d rather be in the safety of his home by the time the clone arrived.

That said, Percy might not have been as eager to reunite with his clone had he any idea how painful the next couple of days were about to be…

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