[2000 PSs bonus chapter]
He was forced to slow his steps, not quite used to it. But he picked up soon afterward. With his Wisdom, doing four things at once wasn't an issue, which was why he could fight and wield three kunai at once.
After an initial slowdown, this time he quickly managed to keep up.
The Aether skin around him solidified, but he realized his own was much thicker than the pair of siblings'. This wasn't because his Intelligence was definitely greater than theirs, but rather because he had used far more Aether than he needed.
The good news was that the heat no longer bothered him. The bad news was that he had accidentally drained himself of half his Aether, and it seemed that he was correct about Bloom's earlier look.
It almost looked like they had stepped onto the top railing of a particular reactor. Down below, there was what looked like a spinning miniature sun, but somehow it was also a portal into another world.
The portal they had run into in Paradise had a silvery blue to almost violet hue to it. But this one was a fierce red, and it looked to be because the other side was an active volcano. It was the most fantastical sight Sylas had ever laid his eyes on.
It suddenly made sense why there was Aether in this region. There was a portal here.
But it didn't seem like a normal portal at all. This one wasn't expanding, nor was it nearly as large as the one from Paradise. In fact, this one seemed to be controlled.
There was a ton of scaffolding around it, and plenty of lanes and bridges for workers to move over and through this portal.
'They weren't lying?'
This was the first thought Sylas had because the reality was that there was only one real explanation for all of this…
This portal was being used for metalworking. More accurately than that, it was likely being used for a form of metallurgy that was either not possible on Earth or was no longer possible due to the changes in the physical laws.
Maybe it was a bit of both.
There was sudden movement inside the portal. A group of warriors appeared, all covered in a sheen of Aether and rushing across the lava as though it was flat land.
"We will stop them," Bloom said. "Beneath the portal, there's a disk outlined by a few runes. You just have to take it for us. Once you've succeeded, we'll know and retreat. Got it?"
Sylas gave her a look but eventually nodded.
"WAAAHOOOO!" Mark leapt from the metal bridge and dove down.
Bloom shook her head and took the stairs.
Sylas watched all of this silently, feeling that he was still missing something and that this world was far larger than expected.
Once they had all engaged, Sylas began to make his way down cautiously, inching toward the disk below.
The battle caused Sylas' expression to flicker. In part, due to the fact, his insight on Intelligence made him feel their auras much more sharply than he usually would, and another part because he still felt like he was missing something.
Even so, he didn't really have much of a choice.
After feeling that there truly wasn't anyone around, he sped up, leaping downward.
He landed with nimble feet, but he found his skin of Aether was quickly being eaten away. Without much of a choice, he could only rush ahead.
The battle was a three-on-two. At any moment, a slip might happen that put him in the direct line of danger.
It took Sylas a moment to find a way beneath the portal. Although it was hovering, there were arcs of flames that looked almost like solar flares coming out of it from time to time. He had a feeling that if any one of these touched him, even with how thick his Aether skin was, it wouldn't survive.
This wasn't a defensive technique, after all. Well, now that Sylas thought about it, it could likely be used like that in part. But still, it was weaker than his Skill.
Sylas rushed forward. Suddenly, he slammed on the brakes, leaping backward.
Even with his constitution, a great amount of strain spiked through his knees.
A whip of flames barely missed his nose as he reeled backward.
'This isn't working.' Sylas thought with a cold and very real sweat matting his back. 'I need to brute force it.'
First, he tested it. He targeted one of the solar flares and then summoned a shield before it.
He sighed a breath of relief when the shield held up. It could only withstand 200 Strength worth of damage. If it shattered after just one exchange, he'd really be screwed. Especially since he only had half his Aether left.
Sylas rushed forward through a gap again. He visualized his surroundings as though he was wielding his flying kunai. Everything was reflected in his mind in clear, vivid colors.
He pulled his Aether shield toward himself and blocked the path of another solar flare.
This time, it shattered immediately, but Sylas had already rushed past, ready to conjure up another. With only half his Aether remaining, he could only cast 20 more times.
He kept a count in his mind and paid close attention as he bobbed and weaved through the layers of wild flames.
Soon, Sylas could see the disk ahead.
It was much smaller than he expected, but that was a relief. It was glowing a golden red, but he felt that that was more due to the heat than anything else.
The speed at which his Aether skin was being eaten away was troublesome.
'It must be a difference in quality between my Aether and theirs. The Madness Key mentioned Pure Aether as a higher form of Aether when I asked about how to Level up…'
Now… the question was how he should take away a disk that looked a few ticks away from becoming a molten pile of mush?