"D-don't think this ends here!" Zara whispered fiercely before hurrying ahead, leaving a stunned and flushed Elio behind.
♢♢♢♢
Organization quickly reclaid Elio's mind, the familiar patterns of duty providing a welco distraction from the lingering warmth of the mont.
They gathered the main advancent group.
The system they had developed was a carefully orchestrated dance of progression and work, with each participant playing a vital role in their collective city managent.
Diana, Kriz, Brok, Lila, i, Aria, Valeria, and Taron, along with Zara, maintained their position one level behind him.
The detailed information Elio provided after each victory allowed them to advance with calculated risks, minimizing the possibility of casualties. Each report was a roadmap written in experience and often Elio's blood, marking safe paths through increasingly dangerous challenges.
Two levels further back, Selene led the third group: Lucien, Milo, Nessa, Kai, and ten promising recruits operating on a different schedule.
The additional distance wasn't just a gap in power, it was a gap in ti.
But it was also ti to study, to refine, to perfect the strategies that the first group had discovered through trial and often painful error.
The main group set out toward the second ring's barrier.
Fifty participants in total for the 2 groups, twenty-five challengers and their respective assistants.
During this ti slot, only twenty of them ran at a steady pace, neither flying nor using impulses, conserving mana for what lay ahead.
The earlier tension between Elio and Zara temporarily dissolved in the face of the concentration their task demanded. So battles had to wait.
The system they had developed wasn't just protocol, it was the product of long discussions, legitimate concerns, and painful lessons.
Access to the challenges required being outside the second barrier, but the uncertainty of when the artromus would arrive had forced them to implent rigorous security asures.
Each challenger had an assigned assistant whose sole responsibility was to hold their system book right at the barrier's lower limit where it t the new wall's parapet.
The simplicity of the strategy belied its effectiveness.
If an artromus appeared, they would have enough ti to secure the tos within the force field's protection. They had learned through various experints that the challenger would be expelled from the book in such cases… a chanism with both advantages and disadvantages they had thoroughly docunted.
Elio had initially suggested using the new core sea as a refuge for the books, as they had always done, and even get so more cores, but the proposal presented too many complications that i and Ren had ticulously enurated.
The monster sea of the new six-hundred-ter walls presented its own unique challenges.
The flying monsters, unlike their terrestrial counterparts, didn't flee from the vortex, they crowded it, making each ascent require a significant number of attacks to clear a path.
The resulting activity was too visible, a beacon that could attract unwanted attention in these precarious tis.
The true concern was the artromus.
Upon erging from the book, they would be alone, facing 100 level twenty enemies… a group that, when faced individually, had high chances of proving fatal.
The current thod, though not perfect, had been adopted as the official protocol for nocturnal ascensions. At least this way, they would have a chance to protect both the challengers and their books from being kidnapped and taken to a deeper ring if the worst happened.
The system worked, albeit slower than Elio would have liked. They had managed one level daily, a pace that felt agonizingly slow against the pressing nature of their threat.
"I'd prefer to have at least fifty more at level thirteen," Elio murmured as they climbed the "carbon elevator" to the eting point. "Or at least acquire more swords."
"The city's mana barely covers basic operations," Zara responded, her practical nature tempering his ambition. "And with the tamorphosis potions' costs..."
Elio unconsciously patted the pocket where he kept the three flasks. Initially, he had resisted carrying them, arguing that the cost was prohibitive. Only the unanimous insistence of those closest to him had convinced him of their necessity. Each potion represented not just power, but the collective sacrifice of hundreds of citizens.
"Maybe I should leave them... I've only used them twice," he said, almost defensively, the weight of community sacrifice heavy in his voice.
"And those two tis saved your life," Zara replied sharply, the mory of her worry at hearing about those 'close calls' still fresh in her mind.
Mana was their primary limitation… between the tamorphosis potions, new weapons, and the city's basic maintenance, every point was precious.
The challenges also grew longer with each level, and they could only dedicate the sleeping hours after their daily duties.
Ren still held three unused potions from that day, and the city had managed to acquire two more. All had passed to Elio's hands for his level attempts.
The citizens' generosity never ceased to amaze them… the imminent threat had transford the city into sothing more akin to a family than a stratified society.
The cost was astronomical, but people understood the importance of having high-level warriors for their defense.
"Everyone ready?" Elio asked when they reached the eting point, his voice carrying the authority that had beco his second nature.
"Ready for another night of fun?" Kriz echoed, his apparent obliviousness to the danger ahead a carefully maintained facade that helped keep spirits high.
Diana checked her divine sword, the weapon gleaming with otherworldly power. "Level thirteen was... interesting with your instructions. Are you sure you want to try fifteen first? The multiples of five have been the most complicated."
"I'm used to going in blind... Honestly, the pressure of searching for clues and solving mysteries suits ," Elio responded, his confidence masking the weight of responsibility.
"We need the information, and we don't have ti nor can we risk losing more warriors trying to decipher traps through trial and error... Besides, I have the potions."
The others nodded, the logic undeniable even if it didn't make it easier to watch their leader venture first into each new challenge.
"Citizens constantly ask about your progress," i comnted, her voice soft but carrying pride. "They're proud to contribute the potions. They say it's the least they can do for you."
"The entire city is united in this," Taron added. "Each victory of yours is a victory for all."
Elio nodded, feeling the weight of the three potions in his pocket with renewed significance. Each flask represented the collective sacrifice of hundreds of citizens, an investnt in their common future that transcended re power.
"The next level awaits," Elio responded, grateful for the distraction. Though when he glanced sideways at Zara, the intensity in her eyes promised their earlier conversation was far from over.
The night would be long again today, but perhaps that wasn't entirely a bad thing.
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