As Ed darted through the forest hidden by the thick canopy he had at some point received a particular message. It was a hopeful message but it was one that at the same time had filled him with curiosity.
[Connection found and reestablished]
...was what it had said. After reading that it was impossible for Ed to continue at his same leisurely pace, he rushed towards Blurak's cavern. The message had likely appeared due to both of them becoming close enough for the system to spot W and there was no other point of interest nearby. Thus this was his best bet.
But… Why was he not dead? Why did the humans let him go? It made no sense. So Ed was curious, nearly as much as he was worried.
To the point where not even the darkness of the tree's thick foliage could not conceal his hurried movements.
Each and every one of his steps as he ran across the forested ground kicked up dirt and rock leaving a clear-cut path behind him. But Ed didn't care. After finally making it to the ogre cavern he could care less about the path he left behind him.
The crystals shimmered and shone but Ed paid them no mind. He was already well kitted out especially considering he could pull out whatever he wanted. Priorities…
Ed brought out a wind crystal, he had already been using mana to propel himself but why not take it a step further?
He burst forward in the dark winding cave tunnel. The light of the boss room seemed especially brilliant as he approached it at blinding speeds. Ed's figure skited across the air with the power of wind and after his eyes quickly adjusted he caught sight of two specks.
Three figures…?
Ed's eyes widened. There weren't three figures. There was one and the head of W flying off as his body thudded emptily on the ground.
'System!' Ed could only pray that the system would grab his other half before grabbing the crystal he held in one arm and tossing it at the assailant. His adept throwing made for some remarkable marksmanship, the crystal veered straight towards Eon's exposed back.
If it were just this there would be nothing to worry about but…
The crystal burst into an explosion of air after being attacked by a sharp blade of wind. Ed took one right out of Sharog's catalog.
The strong gusts of wind which carried with them the dust of the rocky cave floor blocked Ed's vision but he didn't need any sight to understand the turn out of his attack.
'Hahaha… this sucks…' Ed did not feel happy. His simple trip was starting to turn worrisome after unexpectedly coming across a strong enemy. Eon turned out to be unfazed.
The powerful explosion was successfully warded off by Eon's robe. It was impossible for it to lose power so suddenly. Some of it had to be left in reserve even if not by Eon's own will.
Ed then heard a chuckle. The figure turned around allowing Ed to see him in full.
[Eon (Sage of Space)]
{ A legendary figure of the Bosque Kingdom. He is considered the top expert on the space element and has powerful ties with many foreign countries and kingdoms after his decades of travels. }
The sage of space as the system had titled him had better days. His sunken eyes and pale face did not tell Ed that he originated from the wintery north, though a good guess, but rather that he was stricken by a perverse illness. The illness of old age.
Ed didn't dally on such small details. Rather, his focus was solely on one thing. Kill. He did not have any intentions to go toe to toe against a legendary figure no matter how self-confident he felt. Thus, he had to be swift and finish things without given his opponent much time to think
'My respawn timer might be beyond atrocious at this point' With the impending human doom on the horizon he had no time to waste on being dead.
With another crystal summoned from the space inside his head, he burst forward like a rocket. Eon who had at this point turned to face him did not look half good as he spurted out some more blood.
"Hahahaha… are there two of you?" Eon was fascinated, to say the least. He did find it skeptical that he found the intelligent orc inside of such a weak body at first, if it weren't for the theory that it could switch bodies then he might have perhaps seen the other obvious possibility in front of him.
Ed did not answer. There was no point in answering. He neared the man's body which seemed to hold an air of leisure and as soon as he approached he summoned out a weapon. This was a surprise attack in every thinkable way.
A loud bang sounded out, Eon was sent flying backward with widened eyes. He landed and skidded along the ground like a human ragdoll before finally coming to a stop and spurting much blood. Even his black robe was starting to turn rosy.
His sight was sorry but he was still mostly uninjured. He survived thanks to his quick reactions and years of experience. Though the barrier he erected was mercilessly cut through, his body which he promptly reinforced with mana fortunately withstood being slashed leaving him with nothing but the blunt force of the strike.
Ed who was now holding an elegant green blade was relentless as he continued to charge forward with thick killing intent. He hadn't used an axe because he didn't have any of a good enough quality, certainly not enough to cut through space like butter.
Vient 1could, however. The spirit shards which seemed to be an impenetrable barrier told Ed that Eon's space barrier would fare worse, and he was right.
Eon wore an unsmiling expression. He did not expect to see Augustus' blade at such a critical juncture. He never even expected the orc to suddenly take out a weapon, nevermind one of such caliber! His leisure was all gone.
He swept his hand right back into his robe and propped out the crystal. He slotted it right back into his chest and his magic man suit whirred into power.
This caused Ed to be forced into a brief lapse of shock after feeling the thickly compressed mana waves of the space crystal envelope the immediate area.
His instincts seemed to ring out danger as the luxurious grooves of the dark as space robe were illuminated with a cosmic purple. He had lost his opportunity.
Ed didn't know if he was to blame for this but it left him feeling… dissatisfied.
It was also at this moment that something interesting happened. Ed tried to halt his body and skidded across the cavern ground after seeing it tremble softly. Rocks even fell from the endlessly tall boss room ceiling.
Eon also noticed this phenomenon. Unlike Ed, however, he was much more acquainted with all of the potential spatial disturbances found in a dungeon. This one was no different. It was in fact one of the ones he felt most familiar with.
The cavern shook and a section of a distant wall crumbled. It crumbled revealing a gate into what could only be the next floor. Eon's eyes darted in that immediate direction. Ed's eyes however only gleamed with opportunity.
His distance after his sudden stop had not been all that far off so…! Maybe…!
Ed performed a weird action. He summoned a couple of throwing knives and precisely stabbed them into fire crystals. Without wasting a single second he tossed all of them at his target, Eon.
With the high concentrated waves of mana that exuded from his own robe, Eon was unlikely to notice the volatile pieces of rock that were being sent flying towards his direction.
Though the robe or Eon had shown to be able to cast promptly made barriers Ed believed that he was in the end still human. There had to be a limit to both his mana count and his mana manipulation. Not even Ed who nearly breached the cap on his level 8 skill could confidently declare that any elemental barrier he concocted would be able to withstand so much raw explosive power.
Eon still noticed, however. Unlike Ed who had yet to notice that the moment the crystal was slotted into Eon's chest that this was no longer a duel.
Eon swept his hand wand and all and small pockets of space were instantly formed. These thin folds opened up and swallowed each crystal perhaps to never be seen again-
[You've been dealt explosive damage. -46 hp]
[You've been dealt explosive damage. -37 hp]
[You've been dealt explosive damage. -57 hp]
Such a simple trick. Ed wasn't the only one that could send things back to his own attacker. This was a simple trick Eon had learned only a couple of years after starting his own journey. Elementary yet effective.
Ed was battered by the explosive firepower of his own fire crystals. By the time the explosion dissipated Ed's skin which was charred black started to fall and his vibrant green took its place without a hitch.
Ed's eyes were solemn as they hurriedly scanned the room for the figure of the elusive magician. But… there was no one.
'He disappeared?' Ed asked himself feeling that things could not be that simple.
Left with no choice but to become skeptical of everything and anything Ed only continued to try and sense the magical fluctuations that Eon's robe was previously giving off.
When even this failed he was left swinging at the empty air with the dragon blade hitting nothing at every turn. It was as if Eon disappeared.
That was when unexpectedly, a new alert rang out.