Adam gazed at her questioningly, understanding the next abominations would be of the third tier. Yet her trembling body forced him to raise his guard and ask, "What's different about them?"
"Their base." She replied, holding her arms as she shivered before murmuring, "They are insects."
His eyes widened at the mention of nature's most dreadful creation. Then, he shivered, remembering that massive spider he had avoided in the past and changed his plans.
"I need you to guard me for a few hours." He said, sitting on the stairs and drawing strange symbols on the ground.
After checking them a few times to ensure they were totally indistinguishable from the ones he read in Kwame's grimoire, he said, "Status."
Talent: Unlocked at thirteen
Job: Tier one alchemist
Class: T2 Mana Conjuror
Free attribute points: 6->0
Note: Soul is damaged... Please don't do it!
'Of course, I'll do it,' he thought with a smirk after attributing his points under Octavia's puzzled gaze.
"Do you need to rest?" she asked, wondering why he tapped on empty air before widening her eyes in shock.
A light blue energy condensed like mist and enveloped the human like a mantle as his eyes released ominous wisps of white mana.
"What... What are you doing?" She asked, fear covering her features. She had never seen this kind of potent energy before and felt its pressure crush her body.
Like Adam, she didn't fear powerful enemies. No, what terrified her were mysterious occurrences she couldn't understand.
As her legs trembled and her question lingered, Adam closed his eyes and said reassuringly, "Don't disturb me for a few hours, and I'll show you a never-before-seen spectacle."
Then, he focused on his mana circuits, directing the usually calm energy towards his heart in a rampaging torrent.
Cold sweat dripped from his back as his heart endured immense pressure. He now realised why, despite their future as mages, nobles trained their bodies in their youth.
The mana inhaled helped their organs and muscles to slowly adapt and prepare them for the creation of magic circles.
Thankfully, he increased his vitality through the system, or he suspected it might not hold until the process ended.
Through gritted teeth, he condensed and manipulated the mana to sculpt them into primitive but meaningful symbols.
Sweat dripped from his forehead as his concentration reached a new peak, and his hairs were blown in the air by the energy under Octavia's surprised gasp.
She watched with undivided attention as the misty energy covering his body condensed and draped him like an elegant blue cape, shining with power and fluttering with his hair.
After two hours, she heard the energy around him hum gently before it became increasingly louder. One hour later, she had to cover her bestial ears in pain as the sound turned into a disturbing cacophony.
Tensing her powerful legs, she leapt twenty meters back out of the guardian's room. Primal fear covered her features as her bestial instincts screamed at her that something unnatural and against the world's order was happening.
Subconsciously, her hand reached for her sword, and her body entered battle mode, ready to pounce and end the man going against the natural rules.
"NO!" A spark of clarity flashed through her eyes as she swiftly struck her own leg, forcing her body to drop to the ground amidst a loud cracking sound.
"I need and can't beat him. Shut up, stupid instinct!" She roared, trying to regain control of her body using her fast-developing intelligence.
As she grappled against her natural instincts, Adam's eyes snapped open, the noise a delectable melody helping him to focus as he peered at the drawings on the ground.
His pale and exhausted face contrasted sharply with his determined eyes as he said, "Now, the last symbol."
He had been at it for four hours already. His t-shirt was soaked, and his body felt limp. Yet, a deeper connection with mana after each shaped symbol brought him immense joy.
After half an hour, his back collided with the stairs behind him, and he smiled like a kid. He had successfully connected the last with the others in a circle, revolving rhythmically with the first one around his heart.
In response to his achievement, the noise turned into a calm hum, and the ambient mana rushed at him, replenishing his exhausted reserves as if approving and recognising his efforts.
Simultaneously, the familiar notifications appeared before his eyes while Octavia stood up, her leg already healed thanks to her chimaera's body, and walked towards him with a solemn face.
"What did you do?" She asked with a mix of curiosity and fear. She prevailed in her fight against her instincts in the past few hours and gained a new understanding of how terrifying the man's energy was, prompting her to question him.
However, Adam's answer was far from what she expected. "If you want to strike, little Octavia, it's now or never."
"What? No! I don't want to strike." She answered in confusion, causing Adam to raise his tired face and glare at her unsheathed sword.
With a hurried movement, she sheathed it and said, "Trust me, it's not what you think."
But only silence answered her justification as the human's eyes focused on the air above him.
[Congratulations on being the first to be promoted to tier three.]
[Reviewing process and standard achieved...]
[Error, method and process unknown.]
[Assessing results...]
[Error, Error, standard limit broken.]
[Standard evaluated as exceptional. Upgrade to 2 per stat point invested instead of the classic 0.7 for promotion quest takers and 1.1 for perfect promotion through mana-gathering techniques.]
'I'll now develop twice faster than anyone,' he thought with a broad smile before thinking about his upcoming challenges.
'I should be able to complete this trial now that I'm an apprentice, but I can't help but worry about the insect abominations,' he thought, imagining their forms and capabilities.
After all, they were much stronger than any other creatures and, at equal weight, no matter what weapon you used, an ant would crush you in a frontal confrontation.
With their innate strength and robust exoskeletons, he doubted his tier-two bullets would be enough to do the trick. Or he would have to consume an immense amount of mana to boost them several times with his atom burst.
That's why he sacrificed four hours to reach the third tier. Moreover, now that he advanced, he could collect a few thousand experience points and further his progress.