Chapter 68: The Pulse Below

  The group continued, and throughout the day, they checked one track after another. Finally, a torrential rain poured down, lasting for hours, and the group was forced to return early, not even reaching one of the huts. Instead, they moved away from the swamp and camped in an artificial cave built by hunters. This time there was no ready firewood, and they had to dry it before putting it in the fire, and the chimney did not work well because of the dampness and smoke.

  Everyone was in a terrible mood. Emilia withdrew to the side and huddled between two backpacks, lit a candle, and again arranged the magical reagents in front of her.

  She experimented for a long time with the most successful materials from the previous day and obtained some particularly promising results.

  For now, she could use a wide variety of reagents to power the simpler light formation, and the strongest of them agitated the air in the air formation.

  Today, however, she had managed to find some particularly successful combinations, which she further processed with her mana, and thus the formation was powered to almost 20% of its normal values.

  Emilia was extremely satisfied with the results. After carefully checking everything several times, she finally sat down and relaxed. A wide smile shone on her face, and soon the others noticed her, and Petra decided to ask her first.

  "What is it, Emilia? Why are you looking so happily at the wall? Don't tell me you ate one of those mushrooms I pointed out yesterday as particularly dangerous," she joked.

  "No, I didn’t eat any of those mushrooms!" Emilia protested with an embarrassed grin, rubbing her nose. "I simply finally found a way to power 20% of the slightly more complex formations."

  "Only 20 percent? That doesn't sound like much," Lora interjected.

  "I know it's little. But the idea isn't to power the formations long-term. I just want to practice drawing and activating them. Even with 20%, I'll be able to see how mana flows through them and manage their auras. That way, I can develop my skills and learn to make successful formations without losing monster cores!"

  "That's excellent news, Emilia, congratulations!"

  Everyone rushed to congratulate Emilia, and she took out a packet of honey cookies and treated everyone. Then she continued to work late, again not feeling sleepy for some reason. This time, however, she had to use her mana to create formations again and again and often had to stop and meditate.

  In one of these states, she finally made the connection. I can't sleep since I started drinking the new herbs! They were a mix of soul power-rich plants that the others don't pick.

  Emilia often consulted with Grandma Clara, who had decades of experience with herbs. Together with her, she could determine which herbs were safe to use, even though they sometimes had some... peculiar... side effects.

  Emilia checked her diary and quickly found the composition of the herbs. And indeed, there were two new herbs that glowed quite strongly in her Soul Sense and were found relatively rarely in the forest.

  Emilia diligently wrote down a note to check what would happen if she stopped drinking them, and then if she put them in different proportions. The claims of the Great System could be trusted, and since Grandma Clara had confirmed that they were not poisonous, there shouldn't be a problem.

  Or maybe the effect is amplified because of my spiritual abilities? Emilia wrote down a few notes and continued her work on the formations. Finally, after many failures, she managed to make a working healing formation! This was the most complex glyph she possessed, but even it was successfully powered.

  The next day, Petra established something interesting. The tracks of most animals in this area led to the same place. The group immediately stopped and held a brief meeting. Their mission was to scout, but if things got too difficult, it would be best to return and report rather than risk their lives.

  "We can continue a little longer," Zevan suggested.

  "I propose we return for now. Let Nikos send a stronger group. There's something strange here."

  "I also suggest we go back," Garrick agreed. "You saw what happened to Big Han. He lost his weapon, his armor needs repairs, and he'll have to be bedridden for a whole month."

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  Boss Titus and his wife Lora exchanged glances for a moment. They usually supported the majority, but now Big Han was missing, and an outsider was in his place.

  "Varis... you are stronger than us. I want to ask your opinion too, but we must consider not only the importance of the mission but also our safety."

  Varis sighed. It was indeed important for him to successfully complete the mission and impress his grandfather, but on the other hand, he was tasked with guarding Emilia.

  "I can't give an answer for now. Whatever you decide, I will support you."

  Emilia also looked at Boss Titus and nodded slightly. Apparently, he was the one who had to make the decision.

  "Let's stop to rest for a moment. Lora, make some tea. Petra, hand me the map again."

  Soon after, the tea was ready, and they even managed to drink two cups before Boss Titus finally made a decision.

  "The swamp was recently cleared of high-level monsters. Furthermore, the formations protecting the more expensive herbs or the mayor's trees are intact. If there were a high-level monster here, it would have left marks on them. I don't think the danger is that great. These tracks don't show battles. I think it's good to proceed carefully and see what's happening. If anything happens, we can always use our reserves."

  Petra had over a dozen arrows similar to the electric one, which had taken down a small-level magical monster with a single shot. In addition, Chief Nikos's grandson was with them, who was much stronger than the others. His axes were enchanted, and he was capable of injuring even the strongest second-level monsters, and if necessary, even facing stronger creatures. Besides, his secrets were unknown. Also, Emilia's talismans were not to be underestimated. They were capable of distracting monsters, and she was getting better at using them.

  And so the group continued on their way. They were spotted by other groups of creatures three times, but the monsters didn’t attack. Instead, they hurried ahead. Emilia’s curiosity was piqued, but then she remembered the proverb, ‘Curiosity killed the cat,’ and sighed.

  At that moment, she, Boss Titus, and Varis—the people with unlocked mana—felt a strange pulse of mana coming from somewhere ahead. Titus signaled, and everyone stopped. Ten seconds later, a second, stronger pulse followed. Whatever was happening ahead was close and would happen soon. Titus gritted his teeth and signaled the group to continue. Petra rushed forward to scout, followed closely by Varis.

  A few minutes later, the group climbed a small hill, and from its peak, they saw a massive hole in the ground, from where the strange pulsations were coming. Many pale lights were visible in the depths, and the pulsations originated from them.

  At one point, Varis gasped, and understanding could be read in his eyes.

  "This... this... Abyssal mushrooms are hatching here!"

  Petra also recognized the name and covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide.

  "What? What's happening? What are these Abyssal mushrooms?" Lora couldn't help but ask.

  Petra looked at Varis, who nodded at her, and she quickly answered.

  "Abyssal mushrooms, as their name suggests, live deep within the earth. Once every 100 years, some of them rise to the surface and release millions of spores. They fertilize with the spores of other fungi, and their magic causes a strange aerial phenomenon. A strange magical storm is created, capable of traversing thousands of kilometers, dispersing their spores among the nearby mountains. There, they go through various evolutionary phases, and the strongest ones find their way back to the depths."

  "Legends say that after releasing their spores, a large portion of the mushrooms die, giving their mana and life to release as many spores as possible. Although they have expended almost all their energy, these fungi are incredibly potent. Any first-level or slightly stronger person or monster can eat a part of the flesh of these mushrooms and develop their powers."

  "Those aren't just legends," Varis interjected.

  "My grandfather keeps this a secret, but these mushrooms periodically appear in the vicinity of the mountains. Whether they are near our city or one of the neighboring ones is a matter of chance. Unfortunately, the timing of their appearance cannot be precisely predicted from the surface. Such mushrooms have appeared four times in the last 20 years around our city."

  "What does this mean for us?" Emilia asked timidly. "Will all the monsters rush into the depths and head for the mushroom remains?"

  "Exactly, Emilia. After releasing their spores, the Abyssal mushrooms will explode, and pieces of them will be everywhere in those depths. We will only have minutes afterward to collect as much of them as possible before this hole closes and falls back into the depths of the earth."

  "What about the other monsters?" Emilia asked, her gaze falling on the monsters greedily looking at the mushrooms.

  "Monsters follow their instincts. The strongest ones, only those who can absorb the mushrooms, will rush forward and try to eat as many mushrooms as possible in a few short minutes. Then they will leave the hole before it closes. I know from my grandfather that monsters don't fight unnecessarily among themselves. If you don't target the exact same piece of mushroom as another monster, the others won't attack you. They are busy eating as many mushrooms as possible, not wasting their time fighting. My grandfather also started his career this way. His group stumbled upon Abyssal mushrooms and managed to collect quite a lot of them. That's how they improved their personal strength and equipment."

  Emilia looked at the monsters, then at the glowing spots in the darkness.

  "If you want to take the risk, I will grab you and jump with you. Stay close to me, and when the time approaches, I will lead you out of the hole," said Varis, who was deeply impressed by Emilia's incredible knowledge and abilities.

  On the very first day, he had understood why his grandfather wanted to invest in the girl and why he had been sent to guard her. If she survives the intrigues of the nobles and develops her skills as an independent master of talismans and formations, the hunters would have an extremely important ally.