Utopian System

When the sobs finally subsided, Elio maintained a protective embrace around Zara.

It wasn't just comfort... it was also precaution.

He knew that look in her eyes, the same vengeful fire he had felt. He couldn't risk her going after the Artromus on her own.

Elio's core group had been reduced to eight. The familiar faces of Lila, Aria, Mei, Valeria, Zara, Brok, and Kriz surrounded him, each carrying the weight of loss differently.

But there was much to do, so he couldn't keep mourning forever.

"Thank you," Elio said, observing his now stronger companions. "For trying to come rescue me, although it wasn't necessary in the end."

The collective ascension had been impressive: all level 7, with Zara even reaching level 8 on her own. The cost of two lives weighed in the atmosphere, but it had forged the group into something stronger, more united.

Elio silently thanked that Zara had managed the challenge that posed a greater risk without prior information.

Elio began to share what he had learned, each word carefully chosen.

"The Artromus..." he began, the name strange on his tongue. "Is stronger than we imagined."

He told them of Micah's bravery, of his brief encounters, of how he survived by entering the book, of how even with the power emblem, he had barely managed to damage it.

He told them about its supernatural speed, its intelligence, its ability to plan and deceive.

"Its statistics..." Elio paused, letting the information settle. "Are very similar to the Locus King's, but in some ways much worse because of how they can be used... Especially its enormous mana pool."
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After making them note down the Artromus's information to ensure it wouldn't be lost… And frightening everyone in the process…

He described his journey through levels 8 and 9, sharing every detail that could help them in their own ascensions.

But when he reached level 10, his voice became more grave.

"Even knowing what awaits you," he warned, "the 10th level is... different. It's not like other challenges where prior knowledge guarantees victory."

His eyes swept over his companions' attentive faces as he continued. "Yes, you can prepare. You can conserve your mana, you can plan every move... but when the tunnel comes alive, when the walls themselves try to devour you..."

He paused for a moment, the phantom scars of the spikes still fresh in his memory.

"You'll need to be able to control 9 mana points simultaneously. There won't be time to doubt, no time to recover. One mistake..." he shook his head. "A single error and the iron prison will pierce you from all angles."

"And the creatures at the end are?" Kriz asked.

"Iron turtles, I call them. If you're not fast enough, if you fail in your approach... Speed and precision are crucial. One wrong move and you'll be trapped in a deadly and painful prison..."

♢♢♢♢

Elio's voice became more urgent when he began talking about the new deposit.

"Before anyone can practice and attempt level 10, we need to reach the next deposit. We don't know how long the barrier's new stability will last, we don't know when the Artromus will find a way into the city."

The faces around him tensed at the implication.

"If the barrier fails before we secure the next deposit..." he let the phrase hang in the air. He didn't need to complete it; everyone understood what it would mean for the city.

"Every minute counts," he continued. "If the Artromus finds us, if it discovers the tunnel before we reach it... the entire city will be in danger. We can't afford to fail at this..."

"...While you build, I'll need to go out to absorb cores subtly," Elio began, but Brok's smile interrupted him.

"Actually..." Brok exchanged a look with Milo. "About that..."

"We found something while you were gone," Milo intervened, his voice mixing pride and nervousness. "The internal crystal, the one from the deposit you conquered... has a daily challenge."

Elio's eyebrows rose with interest as Milo continued: "A level 10 Locus. They defeated it and obtained a billion cores."

"The crystal resets each day," Mei added. "You don't need to wander so long in the sea of monsters. We can obtain part of the cores you need in a more... discrete way."

"About the level 10 Locus... Zara led us and it wasn't that difficult," Taron began.

Zara also had a Roseline-shark thanks to the accumulated cores, and it had helped her face the monster along with Lila, Kriz, Brok, and Taron.

"Without the barrier emblem, its magical defense is considerably lower."

"Zara has 56 points of magical damage," Lila added, "even without an emblem it was enough. Her summon's increased speed made the difference as she managed to trap the locus in a lithium prison very early."

The other three nodded. The eels shared by those in the inner circle and Taron had been crucial, their paralyzing attacks controlling the monster when it entered frenzy.

"We have almost three trillion accumulated now," Kriz explained. "Two from when we first conquered the gates, and one more from this last daily challenge. We wanted to arm everyone with eels belts but..."

"It's not enough," Brok completed. "We need more than eighty eels for all the builders. Twenty-seven is all we could get with what we have."

"To avoid creating discord... We waited to have enough for everyone," Lila added. "Although now..." her eyes turned to Elio, "that decision is yours."

The implication was clear: they could strengthen a select group immediately or wait to equip everyone equally. The decision, like so many others, would weigh on their leader's shoulders now that he was present.

Elio processed the information quickly.

A level 10 Locus each day meant a constant source of cores, a way to strengthen themselves without alerting the Artromus. His eyes shone with hope and something more...

"The next time it regenerates is mine," he declared.

The summons he was missing, the power he required to face the Artromus... everything seemed more attainable now.

Taron nodded and began transferring the cores to Elio.

"Tomorrow," Elio said while absorbing the cores, "I'll test this new power against the level 10 Locus. But now, we need to focus on the deposit; construction around the wall can wait. Build from the marker I just expanded."

While giving instructions, he observed the builders' work with new eyes.

Level 7 hadn't just given them more power; it had granted them control that previously seemed impossible. Where before they needed 4 mana points to build a meter of tunnel, now most could do it with just 3 points.

Some, like Brok, had even mastered the technique to do it with only 2 points.

The memory hit Elio like a wave: Micah, always patient, teaching others how to maximize their control over mana.

"It's not just how much power you use," he used to say, "but how you use it." His exceptional talent for fine mana control had become his legacy, transmitted through every builder he had trained.

The numbers were impressive: Elio had 90 builders, each with 70 daily mana points. Even after allocating mana for generating oxygen, water, and basic hygiene needs, they could build up to 1,800 meters of tunnel in a single day.

'You taught them well, Micah,' Elio thought while observing the builders' efficient work.

Each meter of tunnel was a testimony to his meticulousness, his dedication to teaching others to be better. Even after his death, his influence continued to flow through every construction, every efficient use of mana.

Elio felt inspired; perhaps he couldn't let them spend mana training for level 10, but while building, he could teach them to gradually accumulate more mana in their hands.

Right?

Most could still only control 4 or 5 points.

He could be a master in that aspect for them… Just like Micah.