The flesh of its torn-up neck and body morphed with grotesque snapping sounds until it was condensed down into a solid tube shape. It took almost all the concentration I had, but the longer it went on, the more I felt I was improving with the skill. It finally started looking like a real sword.

  I think I’m about done here. Geez... It’s really weird working with organic matter. It’s so...squishy. I let out a relieved cry when I finished, “Graaagh~”

  It had a straight blade made from the fangs, so it gave off a pale white colour that perfectly contrasted the blue hilt. The flowers from its body wrapped around the handle like a bed of flowers. It was beautiful, but just like the real monster, the fang really creeped me out.

  {Moonflower Vestige}

  {Status: +30 Attack}

  {Made from the corpse of the Visceria Moonflower, it is a strong blade that is loyal to its user}

  “Atlas?” Veyra watched the whole thing, but after hearing that noise, decided to ask. “How did you do that just now? Did you really make that sword…?”

  (Yep! It’s one of my skills. I’m thinking this might actually help Hollow fight stronger beasts now.) I held it up proudly.

  Hollow lifted his helm to meet my eye, still standing in front of the shattered blade. He had a helpless energy about him that I couldn’t look at any longer.

  (Here, use it well.)

  Hollow gingerly grasped the sword, as if unsure if it was really okay. I noticed the white embers of his eyes flare to life as he swung the sword around in cold, slow motions. I wasn’t sure half the time how he felt, but I got a sudden wave of happiness that entered my body the same way telepathy usually did.

  Is this the effect of Master's Authority? It’s like I can feel what he feels.

  Hollow bowed his head with a deep bend and held the sword at his side, “Thank…master.” The words came through choppy and a bit broken, but I knew what he meant.

  (No worries, seriously! It wasn’t any trouble at all! Just make sure to look after it going forward, okay?)

  With that, Hollow nodded in agreement, and we called it there for the day. After such an exhausting battle, even I wanted nothing more than to sit back and relax a bit.

  At least, we wanted to.

  Veyra crouched in front of a corner of the clearing I made around us. She looked completely engrossed in whatever it was she was staring at, and didn't notice us at all. We came across some rocks and trees now and then, but nothing special, so it had me curious.

  Did she find something? Oooh! Maybe it’s a rare item or monster drop?!

  I played into my curiosity and got a bit closer. Peeking over her shoulder, I noticed the familiar stonework of the ruins we had passed a few times. It was an odd stone material, but the one Veyra found seemed much larger. In fact…we couldn’t see the end of it.

  The surface of the structure stretched well past what my clearing revealed, and then some. It must have been something incredibly large, like a building or temple.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “Is there any chance you could lift a bit more of the mist? I think I found an entry way.” Veyra’s plea entered my mind.

  I hadn’t noticed it until then, but her telepathy had gotten a lot clearer. Not only could she string full sentences together, but the glitching effect on her voice was nearly completely gone.

  (I’m not so sure that’s a good idea…) I pressed my claws against the surface of the stone and looked up, still not able to see anything other than stone. (There’s no telling how far this goes, and I might end up depleting my mana too quickly if this takes long. If something strong comes at us, I’ll need my magic to protect you two.) I answered back.

  “Should we enter blindly, then? We could always turn back. I think resting might be a better option for now.” I got the sense she didn’t want to disappoint me.

  I was in two minds about it. Primarily, our goal was to level up and get everyone as strong as they could be for the fight against the masked man, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying the exploration part of things. A mysterious ruin popping up definitely had me on the edge of my seat, but I couldn’t put their lives at stake for that.

  I shook my head and, with a firm expression, answered back.

  (No, let’s get out of here before we get into something more troublesome than we can handle. We can always come back here when we're at a higher level.)

  Veyra seemed fine with that. Hollow…didn’t seem to have much of an opinion on things, so he politely followed along.

  We turned back and prepared to head home, but something solid blocked my path. I collided with a wide, stone blockage in the path we had just come from, and when I pressed my hand against it, I recognised that stonework immediately.

  I looked over my shoulder to where Veyra stood, and dread crept over me. She looked nervous, but I didn’t give her the chance to ask. I didn't know the situation myself, but a nagging feeling told me something was terribly wrong.

  Parasite! I commanded the skill and expanded the range of our clearing in the mist to nearly tenfold.

  Suddenly, the white veil of heavy mist had stretched back, revealing stone walls blocking us in from every direction. We were completely enclosed in a maze of stone walls. Since my levitation could only take me so far off the ground, I stretched the dirt up as a pillar, using Greater Earth Manipulation, and brought myself to a vantage point above the walls.

  This can’t be… When the hell did all of this get here?! I looked out in horror at the endless view of stone walls spread out in near random order. It went way past what I could see, as if it spread throughout the entire world.

  It had to be a trick of some sort, but I never received a warning from the system of any kind of status effect. So what I saw could have possibly been the truth. We really might have been trapped in a maze. One that I wasn’t sure we’d ever be able to leave.

  (It’s not looking good, guys. We’re trapped in some weird maze, and we can’t head back the way we came.) I reached out to both of them with telepathy.

  “These stones…” Veyra was completely engrossed with the strange carvings and grooves etched into the stone's surface. Her mind seemed to be somewhere else. “Where have I seen these before?”

  (Veyra, snap out of it. We need to focus. There’s something weird about this place. For now, I’ll keep our perimeter larger than usual, so we can spot any clues on getting out of here.)

  My mana was going to be at a constant low, but I didn’t really see another choice. We were going in more blind than before, not having any idea where we were or what lay beyond. Besides, between Veyra and Hollow, I was sure that with some more breathing space to fight, they’d manage.

  “Are you going to be fine like that? Won’t your magic run out?” Veyra looked at me with concern.

  (Don’t worry about me, I’ll be cutting down my mana usage to only this ability. If we get into any fights, though, I’ll be fighting brute force alone!)

  Hollow readied his sword from its sheath and nodded to show he was good to go. Veyra gave a similar nod, showing off a lot more confidence than usual.

  We were in a bad situation, with even worse odds against us and yet, with my team at my side, I felt pretty close to invincible.

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