We finally did it!
I took a bag and began to put the bones of this beast into it. How did the big bones get in there? I just stretched...
While I was picking up all these bones with such enthusiasm, Dryad decided to continue the conversation.
«What do you need these bones for? Do you know how to forge?» - She stood behind me and asked in a curious tone.
"You could say that." - Without looking away, I replied briefly.
«Is it for the girl?».
"Yes."
«So your "good" mode is over?» - Her tone became irritated, knowing this boy knew her weakness.
"Yep."
...
There was silence, only the sound of the wind as I continued to pick at my bones, Dryad standing behind me watching. I don't know what she found there, but ok.
«Boo, you are so boring. You can call this beautiful sister Elyssa!» - I can feel her getting haughty again, her cow chest poking out.
*Sigh*
"Aced. You can call me Aced. A great mage who will be a hero in the future." - I replied without much enthusiasm, but I kept her name in my head anyway.
«A great mage? That suits you, umu. You better not become a hero. You'll just be wasting your time without getting anything» - Her tone softened as she went back into her big sister's caring mode, but I didn't mind because it was more of an "umu" than anything else. What the fuck? That phrase is reserved for a certain Roman emperor! Maybe... a certain emperor just stole that word from her? That's copyright infringement.
"Thanks for the warning, but like I said, it's a foregone conclusion." - After collecting the dice, I stood up and walked towards Atalanta.
'We have to get to Athens before winter, so we have about a month.'
«Boy, you can come to me anytime you want. You can even stay with this beautiful sister!» - She followed me, never stopping to call herself a great sister and to praise herself to heaven in every way.
***
When I reached Atalanta, I saw her sitting on a branch, her legs swaying.
«Brother!» - her face lit up as she saw me, and she jumped into my arms.
Spreading my arms, I accepted her embrace while my hand slowly stroked the back of her head.
"So how did you like the sister? Did you like her?"
«Yes! We-played-together! We-had-fun!»
Hearing my questions, Elyssa was stunned. She didn't think he could call her sister! And that sent her into shock.
"All right, pack up, we're leaving. When we get to Athens, I'll make you a new bow out of beast bones." - Letting her out of my arms, I turned toward Athens and started walking, but before I did, I remembered to thank Dryad.
"Thank you, Lords of Elyssa. I will remember your kindness." - Bowing, I did not wait for her reply and left, unaware that I had angered her again.
«That boy...» - Her fists clenched tightly as she looked at Ased with an annoyed expression.
«Would you mind saying 'we'? Taking care of this girl isn't worth anything in your eyes, is it?» - She whispered angrily until she blurted out: «Come again, I will always welcome you. But what about you, boy, I'll make special arrangements just for you!»
Turning to her, I smiled sincerely at her, for I truly appreciated her deed, her gifts, her reward, and her character. You can't be a Tsundere all the time, because it's not cool.
As I expected. She obviously wasn't ready for my incredibly charming smile and lost herself in thought. Hehe~
...
*One month later*
The journey to Athens was as usual. Killing animals for food, hunting beastsand training. During this month I taught Atalant how to sense mana and how to use a simple spell: Fire is the most important phenomenon in the world. When I told her I would teach her magic... her face was priceless, literally glowing with happiness. I also tested the abilities of my eyes, my sixth sense. First: I can know almost everything, works like omniscience, but the answer is only "yes" or "no". Second: Activation at will, without the use of mana. The infusion of mana brought another unexpected result: the vision of mana. The world lost its colors to me, only mana was blue like in cliché novels and manga and moved in the air. Mana was like the sea, enveloping everything from the ground to the sky, living beings and simple physical objects, but the difference was that in the living beings I observed, it simply amplified everything and everyone, slowly beginning the process of evolution and changing their appearance to a more optimal one for their way of life. After all, seeing Manu and feeling Manu are two very different things.
Over the course of the journey, I strengthened my own techniques, making them stronger, faster, and less energy consuming. Just a rough use of mana, no different than becoming a 2 meter high mountain of muscle just to flick an enemy. The damage will be there, but still not comparable to the damage of a fist, right? The same goes for techniques. I've taken the slash technique to another level. Now it works like a chain saw. The mana moves in a circular motion, making the damage more devastating. I also created a subspecies of Dissection called Stab. As the name implies, it is capable of piercing or stabbing hard things, armor, mana chains, etc.
I also tried a crazy experiment. I broke off a piece of the moon, yes, I did that. I can use it as a weapon of mass destruction by turning that piece into a spike. Just imagining what the result will be, I'm really worried. I think it's going to be a... uh, technique or spell that I use against centaurs.
Anyway, enough about my renewed powers.
I looked at the wall, which was made of large stones and looked smooth. A perfectionist's paradise.
"We're here."