Utopian System

What they found wasn\'t a threat, but something completely unexpected.

"The monsters..." Selene narrowed her eyes, studying the horizon. "They\'re... separating?"

Where before there had been an endless tide of creatures, now a triangular space opened up, as if an invisible force was pushing the monsters to the sides.

The phenomenon was more pronounced in the wind deposit\'s direction, where a reddish glow of millions of cores that had appeared after its conquest now seemed more intense.

"The Artromus\'s death," Lucien murmured, his mind connecting the dots. "Seems to have strengthened some kind of invisible barrier or behavior in this direction."

The triangle extended from the horizon, its point finally touching the city\'s barrier.

Below, where the writhing mass of monsters had split, a different spectacle awaited them: a sea of bright cores, exposed for the first time.

"It\'s as if..." Diana couldn\'t find the words to describe the view before them.

"As if something had split the sea in two," Ren completed, amazed.

Elio observed the clear path stretching before them, a smile forming on his lips. "Seems like the return will be less complicated than we thought."

The sea of cores glistened under the sun, like an invitation to be claimed. The conquest of the deposit had brought more than just the death of an Artromus: it had opened a safe path.

♢♢♢♢

The organization was quick and efficient.

Lucien and Selene wasted no time gathering a hundred summoners of level 5 or higher. Fear of the Artromus had pushed many to seek power, but even so, not all were willing to take this step. Read latest chapters at m_v-l\'e|-NovelBin.net

The monster sea was still synonymous with death for most.

"We can\'t wait," Lucien urged while organizing the groups. "We don\'t know how long this separation in the monster sea will last."

High-level soldiers were more abundant than ever, over 500, but most preferred to maintain their position on the wall rather than jump.

The memory of the Artromus and barrier failures weighed more than the promise of superior summons for the fearful ones.

"It\'s understandable," Elio murmured while watching the volunteers gather. "A hundred new builders is an excellent number."

Diana and Ren positioned themselves beside him, ready for the descent. For the first time since these incursions began, they wouldn\'t need to force their way through a book challenge...

Nor maintain a constant rain of explosions as Elio had planned...

He had considered using his new summon, becoming a living fireball and eliminating any Locus that dared stand in their way during descent.

Before it would have been difficult, but now he had the power to do it with a single touch of his magic... However, while observing the clear path before them, he smiled. It wouldn\'t be necessary to waste mana and the others could accompany him without problems.

"We\'ll only need one mana point for the landing," he commented, his eyes covering the distance to the bright cores waiting below.

The descent began, silent and efficient. A unique opportunity presented itself before them, and there was no reason to waste it.

♢♢♢♢

Once inside the tunnel, Elio guided the new builders.

The relief of not finding Zara upon arrival was momentary... Elio knew it was only postponing the inevitable while she continued in the deposit\'s challenge.

"The hero returns!" Kriz\'s voice resonated in the tunnel, his mocking tone barely hiding the true relief in his words. "Ready to die at Zara\'s hands?"

"If the Artromus couldn\'t do it, she surely will," added Brok, crossing his big arms with a smirk.

Kriz\'s eyes widened when he saw Ren behind Elio. "Ren? YOU in the tunnels?"

"The same one who calculated risks to less than 1% before taking them?" Brok shook his head in disbelief. "The one who trembled every time we mentioned leveling up?"

"People change," Ren responded, though a slight tremor in his voice betrayed that some of that old fear persisted.

"People change!" Kriz burst out laughing. "He says while standing here trembling!" He turned around searching and seemed to understand something when looking at Diana. "You convinced him?"

"He made his own decision," she responded, with a small smile on her lips.

"The end of the world must be near," Brok crossed his arms, a mocking smile on his face. "First Elio eliminates an Artromus alone, and now Ren voluntarily leaves his office..."

Taron stepped forward, his expression more serious. "I\'m sorry," he murmured, avoiding Elio\'s gaze. "I should have realized how you felt, after what happened to Micah..."

"No, I should apologize," Elio interrupted, shaking his head. "I was the one who acted wrong. You don\'t have to apologize for my selfishness."

"Bah!" Kriz waved a hand dismissively. "At least you\'re still the same as always, making the impossible seem easy. Eliminating the Artromus by yourself? You never cease to amaze us."

"It\'s like nothing could end you," Brok smiled.

The irony of their words weighed in Elio\'s chest. If they knew the Artromus\'s true strength, how close it had been... they would understand that he had been quite lucky to be underestimated by the monster.

"What\'s next?" asked Taron, returning to his usual pragmatism.

"We wait for the markers and finish connecting all the deposits."

♢♢♢♢

While Elio reviewed the plans he had made with Lucien and Selene, as they selected the "markers" for the deposits, Zara and her team pressed forward relentlessly through the challenge levels.

Level five. Progress had been surprisingly fast, more efficient than Elio\'s group. The 2 enormous chambers in every level, each housing fifty Locus, didn\'t represent the challenge they should.

"Attack formation," Zara ordered, her voice resonating in the chamber.

A single combo was all they needed to cover the entire monster formation. The girls moved like a well-oiled unit, their coordinated attacks covering the complete space one attack after another.

The fifty monsters fell almost simultaneously, reduced to bright particles in a matter of seconds right after leaving stasis.

The real strategy wasn\'t in the combat, but in resource management.

Zara calculated every mana point, maximizing recovery efficiency between levels. The objective was clear: reach the final confrontation with their reserves complete, minimizing rest times.

The emblems accumulated in her book, each one increasing her power. This time there would be no distribution; they needed every possible advantage in just one person.

When they finally reached the level 10 Locus, Zara smiled.

The defense buff she had decided to perfect since realizing being a decoy was a good idea made her practically invulnerable.

"Ready?" whispered one of the girls.

Zara nodded, moving to serve as bait. The Locus, following its instincts, launched itself to catch her.

It was its last mistake.

The monster\'s claws closed around Zara, but she didn\'t even blink. A second later a rain of magic, her team\'s combined attack plus Elio\'s training against the monster \'cores\', reduced the Locus to bright particles instantly.

"Too easy," Zara murmured, her thoughts already on a certain idiot who would have many explanations to give.