Dispersion

Seeing the blank expression on Kai's face, the robed man's face blanched.

"A dispersion spell. The one that gets rid of our scent so beasts can't hunt us down."

"I, uh… don't have anything like that."

"Then you at least have some scent gourds, right?"

Kai shook his head, and the robed man's mouth hung open as he struggled to process Kai's words. No dispersion spell, and no scent gourds… weren't they just dead? Outrunning the beasts was impossible, and hiding from them was the same, if they left behind scent trails.

[I'll try to figure something out. For now, run away and try to buy as much time as possible.]

"I guess… we split up, and hopefully one of us lives. I'm Brewan of the Hillhold Academy. If you survive-"

"I have an idea. The temple at the end of town looked untouched for years, we might be able to hide there, at least for a time. Follow me."

After shooting one more glance at the boar's last resting place, Kai started running back toward the temple, Brewan following by his side. As he approached, he realized that it wasn't just a single building, like he'd thought before.

Aside from the temple and the wooden buildings attached along its side, there were also three other large buildings a short ways past the temple. All of them looked to be made from stone and brick, and hadn't suffered as much as the surrounding wooden town to the wear of time.

"W-wait, this is an old Academy! We can't hide here, what if there are still defensive formations active? We'll be wiped out in an instant!"

Kai's footsteps paused for a moment as he heard the man's words, but he continued walking.

"Just follow me."

Now aware that there could potentially be danger within the temple bounds, Kai retraced his steps back to the storage room he'd originally woken up in. Brewan cautiously trailed further behind, but was still following. Before he could even step in, Halia started speaking in his mind again.

[There's a lot we need to ask this fellow, but let's put that on hold for just a moment. The energy here is different from Qi, but I'm pretty sure I can control it the same way… this might give us a fighting chance at survival.]

"If there's anything you can do, don't hesitate."

[Level up! You reached level 1! Mana +5!]

"Mana? What's tha-"

[Testing, 1 2 3 4.]

Kai's eyes narrowed as he stared at the tiny blue box that had suddenly appeared in his vision. He'd seen Halia make similar floating writing when he was younger, but it still felt unnerving to have it appearing in front of himself.

"Halia… what are you doing?"

All Kai got in response was soft laughter that he would describe as sounding evil.

[Fufufu… This is going to be exciting. Now, to test something else out…]

"Oi! It better be something to help us escape!"

More little blue boxes floated in the air in front of Kai.

[Kai- Lvl 1]

[Mana: 0 -> 5]

[I think I can make you stronger, too. I think it'll be pretty similar to cultivation if I put mana into your muscles, and if I keep it available, you'll be able to use it to cast spells.]

Kai didn't need to think over his options for long. Getting physically stronger was the obvious choice, especially considering that he didn't know any spells.

[Mana -4! Strength +4!]

[Let's keep part of your mana free, and I'll try to figure out other ways to use it.]

[Mana: 1]

A strong tingling feeling- like his entire body fell asleep- washed over Kai's body, spreading out from where the necklace rested on his chest.

[Aha! This stuff is way easier to control than Qi! knew Brewan was using magic, and it works just like I imagined. Try moving your hand again, you should notice a difference.]

Kai's eyes narrowed as he flexed his hand. Surprisingly, he actually did notice a difference when compared to a few moments before. He felt stronger- not by a lot, but it was definitely a noticeable amount.

It was amazing- even if it was only a small portion of what he had before, regaining the strength he had when he was a cultivator was still great- but he wasn't sure how much it would help their current situation.

"Did you figure something out with scents, too?"

His expression started to brighten, but his eyes narrowed as he looked at the two floating boxes as they faded away.

"Good idea to save some."

[Heh, thanks. Also… no. I spent a lot of time researching stuff at the sect, but I never paid much attention to scents. I'll try to work something out, but our best bet might be just trying to survive until our new friend recovers enough mana to use his spell.]

As long as she doesn't pull any of her dumb pranks, it's probably better if I let her manage this stuff. With her help, I'll definitely have a way better chance at surviving and getting stronger.

The two blue boxes faded away much faster as Halia spoke, disappearing as she finished speaking.

"Were you just saying something?"

Brewan's voice sounded by the door, and Kai turned around to see him nervously poking his head into the room.

"Are you sure there are no traps in here? There's no way a place this old should look untouched after the beast tide."

Kai just shrugged and gestured at the space around him. He'd already run all over the room while searching for Halia, and he was still in one piece.

"If there's something here that scares beasts, that's good for us. We need to make a plan, though."

Halia whispered a few questions into Kai's mind, and he continued speaking.

"How long will it take for you to have enough mana for your dispersion spell, and how powerful are the beasts coming after us? I'm unfamiliar with the area."

Brewan glanced down at his book, his expression grave.

"I think… about an hour. I normally save enough mana for it, but I used it on that last fireball. As for the beasts, that boar is on the stronger side of what I've run into. There is to be something much more powerful, though…"

Brewan's words trailed off for a moment before he continued, in an even more fearful tone.

"A high-ranking 3rd year student from my academy went missing near here a few weeks ago. If we run into whatever caused their disappearance, we won't even stand a chance."