Return II — Ambrosya

"May I come with you?" Camellia asked me with a sparkling passion.

"...Sure. We'll be going through a few rooms and collecting a few items before we arrive at our final destination. We're also going to have to fight a lot, is that okay?"

"Of course that's okay! I have a few things I want to try out," Camellia grinned, fluttering her brand-new cape. The Dice Staff glimmered with an evil energy that spilt out from a ring on her finger.

"Then, I'm coming as well." Han spoke from the side, "Would that be alright, Mister Caelum?"

"Hm, I don't have any problems with that." I then looked at Rose and tossed her the [ Emblem of Non-Identity ]. "Please keep King and Ambrosya safe. The emblem should make for at least two hours of a special kind of invisibility before breaking."

"Hide here with the Starlight Anvil and the rest of our loot. We'll be back soon."

Rose nodded, and soon, I felt as if my brain automatically disregarded their very existence. After all, since I reversed the emblem's [ identification ] effects, I now became unable to determine that they were people I knew.

The emblem's core spells had been redirected and warped. In a sense, what I did was rewrite a lot of the spells by adding my own programs and pulling their circuits around.

As an oversimplification, my work process looked like this,

[ Concrete Existence (A) ] —> [ Miniscule Presence (B) ]

[ Greater Mental Influence (B) ] —> [ Superior Mental Influence (A) ]

[ Thought Injection (A) ] —> [ Thought Erasure (A) ]

It was these three core conceptual spells that were the make-or-break portion of the Emblem of Non-Identity. Without those adjustments, the dozen or so supporting spells would have no direction.

"At least it works well. I just need to be back before they run out of time. They wouldn't get ambushed and perish in an instant, and the Starlight Anvil should be within the range of the emblem." I muttered as I turned around.

"Sir Han, Miss Camellia. Let's head out,"

...

The trip through the tower was a silent one as exhaustion began to kick in. No matter how many mana potions I had drank, it did nothing against the physical and mental strain that was slowly withering away at my being.

How much more for Han and Camellia, who, prior to even entering the tower, were already embroiled in combat?

Weariness was truly evident in the way they pulled themselves forward. Perhaps it was the adrenaline that had been speaking just a while ago when they wished to accompany me forward. Now, the excitement of having new items had already died down.

Camellia wordlessly used her Dice Staff whenever she rolled well. Han was the vanguard, allowing me to seamlessly weave in and out of our enemy's range. Our teamwork easily fell into place, but I could tell that their attacks were getting weaker.

Sometimes, Camellia's timing was off by a split second, forcing me to redirect the trajectory of my attacks. Sometimes, Han would fall short on a parry, birthing a new wound or bruise on his tall body.

"You guys should've stayed back." At one point, after collecting one more item from a rather special room. I had to voice out my concern.

Camellia glanced at me and breathed. "It's alright. We can keep going. Right, Han?"

"Mm," A grunt of affirmation.

"...Suit yourselves. We're only halfway to where we need to be."

I then took out the snow globe we had just collected and gave the item a shake. As the snow began to fall inside the globe, snow also appeared all around me. It chilled the air as I felt a fresh breeze blow through my hair.

'Although it isn't an item suitable for combat, just its programming is enough for me. It is enchanted with alien techniques, after all.' I thought.

I thus continued forward. I fought, looted, and fought. I honed my different skills and combined them all into one seamless battle style.

"I see that you've somehow grown further in this short span of time, Mister Caelum." Han let out a chuckle, "If I may, the way you fight reminds me of a flowing river. Your adaptability is beyond my imagination, and your blade ebbs and flows like a tide, rushing in and out of any one opponent's reach. It is quite the sight, to be honest."

"I've noticed that too," Camellia's eyes shone despite her weariness, "I just don't understand the weird dance moves you do before the opponent strikes..."

"Ah," I let out a laugh to match Han, "You guys flatter me. I'm simply blessed with a few measly talents."

I brushed off the topic of those weird dance moves. That was merely me trying to see as many futures as possible.

"Of course, I pride myself most in my foresight."

That, and Hyperfocus. Mana Vision and Sight-Sent Senses as well. My eyes were the most important part of my combat power. Without the leverage I get from all the little details that I see, I would surely perish in the blink of an eye.

Fwooosh—!

I watched as another weird monster carcass was consumed by Aventine.

'This should be the twentieth edible monster we've come across...' I thought to myself as I appraised Aventine's blade. The little snake had grown sharper and more lethal.

His poison was all the more potent, and it had even grown acidic properties.

He was probably going to evolve soon.

Hisss—!

"Alright," I said, allowing Aventine to turn into a tattoo once more.

In an instant, I felt a tingle in my wrist. The usual gold and black colours of my bracelet-looking tattoo had now taken on a dull glow. It was going to take a bit of time for Aventine to grow into his new state.

Thus, I had to make use of a different weapon while I waited.